AKV-A Tale of DVC Good

[WilsonFlyer]

First of all, allow me to say thanks to all the members that showed up at Diane's little meet at Epcot last Tuesday night. It was COLD but it was wonderful to finally put some faces with names like WebMasterDoc, Diane, and so forth. It was a lot of fun. Let's do it again soon!

Onward and upward...

It seems that negative comments regarding DVC have run rampant lately. I just finished reading the thread on the proposed incentives for tiered membership. It started out as an annual meeting report but turned into something entirely different. go figure. I digress. Oh well...

I have to tell you a couple of stories about my experiences specifically with AKV Kidani for my past couple of visits. I feel compelled to tell you a back-story about my August trip too which I had held back from telling because I felt it was a little too good to be true and that many would criticize me about it. so be it. I'm going to tell it anyway.

This is going to be rather lengthy so if you don't want to read about the good things that come with DVC, don't read this. It will frustrate you.

How's this for magic?

Our August trip (second week if I remember correctly) started out at Jambo House on the 5th floor in a studio (SV). We left home at 4:30am on Sunday morning and arrived at our usual 2:30ish. We checked in (had already done online check-in) and our room was ready. We've found that most times, when we arrive at 2ish, it usually is. Anyway, we went up to our room and bell services brought up our stuff.

One of the frist things I always do is get my wireless internet zone up and running. I HAVE to look after my business when I'm on vacation. I know some of you can't relate to that but I have to. It's just the way it is.

Well, the internet connection was dead. I'm a network engineer. Trust me. IT was dead. With the permission of the internet group, I pulled the cak out of the wall and the two of the terminations were pulled out of the jack. I repaired it and everything was fine. Long story short, the wall plate was in pathetic shape and wouldn't stay when I went to reattach it to the box. I told internet support that I would live with it but that it should be repaired before the next guests arrived but to please leave it alone for my week because it was working and I couldn't afford to be without it. We left to go to the parks for a couple of hours and all was good.

When we returned, exausted from a long day of driving and ready to retire for the night, I went to check my systems back home and found I had no internet. I looked at the jack and found it had been repaired and had been reattached to the box in the wall. Uh-oh.

I called internet services and once again removed the plate only to find the wiring fine this time. They sent a tech and he worked on it until 1:30am and never could get it working again. I find it necessary to take a moment to tell you that I never got mad. I was the consumate professional through all of this. At the end of the day (night LOL), the CM escorting the tech said she would be happy to move us to a one bedroom at Kidani (our home anyway) if we were willing to move. There was no more vacancy at Jambo, apparently. Mind you, we were booked for the week in a studio. All this was gratis. they refunded our points to our account for every day except the first night and we moved the next morning to Kidani to a house room 1 BR SV. Our week was wonderful.

For all the bad that I read about DVC on these boards, I ask you; where else do you receive customer service like this?

The story of my past week is almost as good. I'm going to have to make this quick because we just returned home late last night and I have to go to work shortly.

I am rarely able to book at the 11 or even the 7 month window. I knew this going in. We bought at BLT the second day only because3 our guide never got around to calling us back on day one. This was the FIRST time we had been able to stay at BLT (this past week). I had a 1BR at BLT Sunday night, a studio at AKVK on Monday night, back to BLT on Tuesday night for a 1BR SV and then to SSR for a studio for the rest of the week. I booked it all in August and it was the best I could do.

We stayed at BLT Sunday night and all was well. We moved Monday morning and I casually asked the front desk if there was anything available so I could spend the rest of my week there and not have to make so many moves. As badly as I wanted to stay at BLT again, I REALLY didn't want to move that many times. They were as nice as they could be and again, to make a long story short, within 30 minutes they had rebooked my stay entirely at AKVK for the remainder of the week, refunded my points from my mixed booking and changed my piints to this new stay. The room was from available house inventory. I asked.

Again, that's a VERY short version of all of it but for all of you that have all the negative experiences with DVC, THIS has been typical of MY experiences with DVC in my short life as a member. I'm sold. I know why I'm a DVC member now, and have for quite a while.

-bob

 

[briangib]

Thanks for posting your report Bob. In more than 10 years as DVC members, and probably two dozen stays at DVC resorts, I don't remember a single time that we had a major problem.

 

[nolanboys]

Thanks for sharing your positive stories.

 

[Muhlenberg]

Thank you for your report! We need more positive reports like yours, but unfortunately, like everywhere else, negative things are what "make the news."

Thanks again! In our short history of membership, we have had only positive experiences with DVC, but then again, I'm more of a "glass half full" kind of person.

 

[BUDDYBEAR]

THANKS FOR POSTING

 

[tjkraz]

Good story, bob!

It's good to hear we aren't the only ones who have had positive experiences in that regard. Sure we have had some issues but it says something that I really have to stop and think to remember what they were. About 4-5 years ago we had a dishwasher go on the fritz midway through our trip. Replaced after one call while we were at the parks. We also had issues with one of our TVs when staying in the Treehouse Villas a week after opening. Fixed same day.

Worst issue was last fall when our BoardWalk Standard View room was a little too close to the workers that were renovating the resort. We could hear all of the power tools running pretty clearly, hammering above us and so on.

Went to the front desk and spoke with a manager. He wasn't showing anything available at the BW, which was something of a bummer but understandable during F&W fest time. He offered to research our options and call me back shortly.

About 30 minutes later I got the call. Ultimately we were moved to Kidani with a Savanna view (upgrade from BWV SV) and one night's worth of points were refunded. No yelling, screaming or threats required.

We did have to pack up the room but Disney provided private transportation between resorts.

The move wasn't ideal but Disney did a good job of making lemonade from lemons. We had friends staying at Kidani so the process was that much less painful. And the kids had a lot more fun with the savanna view than they would have looking at the luggage racks under our BWV balcony.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thanks for sharing your happy ending stories!

Bobbi

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

Great experiences both times you stayed.

We have now stayed DVC twice (once at BLT and once at AKKV). Both stays were awesome and the staff was excellent at both places.

 

[SamSam]

Thanks for sharing such upbeat stories. Our stays have always been great with good cm service. I have found the staff at AKV Kidani to be particularly helpful.

Bob, we too have to have internet while away, with our business it's necessary to be able to check certain things on a daily basis. For us, it's worth it because since we can take care of things wherever we are, we can stay longer.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Thanks for the kind words, folks. Please forgive my typos in the initial post but I was trying to get out of here to get to work. I usually try to be more careful but I don't want to edit it for fear someone might think I doctored it after the fact.

I did leave out one VERY important fact that I almost forgot. A week after we returned home in August, I received an unexpected surprise in the mail. I received a one page (almost full) letter of apology for my inconvenience while at Jambo (their words, not mine). It was totally unprompted, not demanded and certainly not expected for I already felt that they had done WAY MORE than would have been reasonably expected at ANY resort ANYWHERE.

It gets better.

There was a seperate attachment for one night free in a one bedroom CRO at Kidani or Jambo for whenever I wanted to use it. I still have it and haven't used it. I feel almost guilty to even think about using it after everything they already did. I guess I will use it at some future date to extend my week at Kidani next time I stay there.

I tell you folks, every system has its faults. I'll give you that, but if AKV is indicative of DVC as a whole, I don't have anything but the highest praise for them. They have bent over backwards TWICE for me and I didn't push for any of it.

I do want to stress one more thing that's probably really important here. It is my nature to be a hot-head. I lose my temper very quickly especially with incompetence (where someone SHOULD be competent with regard to the subject at hand) and especially with people that just don't seem to give a crap. Not that the staff was like that at all; my point is this. My wife wanted to give me an Academy Award after my performance on the August trip. She was floored. I was as much an angel as anyone could have been given the circumstances. It really was a minor problem in the scheme of a resort like AKV (internet out in one room) but it was a big deal to me and they treated it that way and I respected and appreciated that.

Why did I explain all that? I was really real-world testing the theory that you catch more flies with honey. Well, if you don't believe it, re-read my first post and this one until it sinks in. People wanna help if they can. You just have to give them a reason to.

The front desks/frontline personnel at Jambo and Kidani should be training ground for all of DVC and I'd tell anyone that is willing to listen. They are the best.

 

[jakenjess]

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. It's wonderful to hear the positive aspects of DVC once in a while! I have to say 99 percent of the time we have been completely satisfied with our stays, and most of the "problems" have been very minor. When I read some of the horror stories posted on here I sometimes wonder if we're staying at the same places!

We will be staying at AKVK for the first time in February and are really looking forward to it!

 

[mac_tlc]

I hope when I send my "story" of what happened at BLT last week with the mousekeeping staff that they are as wonderful and accomodating as they were in your situation. If they are, I should get a free years worth of points !!!

For those who may not be following the story,

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2614261

skip to post #83 for the only problem part.......


mac_tlc

 

[Cyndibear]

Thanks for posting this. I get very tired of seeing all the post of people complaining about DVC. I love DVC. It is one of the best purchases we EVER made.

Cyndi

 

[Cee]

I agree that you catch more flies with honey. If I'm willing to understand their side, they are much more willing to understand mine.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Your patience and attitude I'm sure went far to get you good results. I've never had much issue getting things done when I've called either, but I've never had anything that I would consider bad enough to warrant a room change or any compensation.

 

[Kuzco]

Why did I explain all that? I was really real-world testing the theory that you catch more flies with honey. Well, if you don't believe it, re-read my first post and this one until it sinks in. People wanna help if they can. You just have to give them a reason to.

I totally agree with this statement. Thanks for sharing your positive experiences.

 

[Disneypubgal]

You just made my day with this post!! Thank you for sharing!

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

Thanks for sharing. I love your messaging

 

[disneydotlee]

I agree with being polite. I teach and always respond better to polite parents rather than ones that say I suck!!

 

[Sammie]

Glad they were able to help you. I just wish they would be more proactive than reactive to problems.