Chat is not the same anymore, and not for the better.

[VGCgroupie]

So lately chat has been different for me. Has it been for you? It starts off as if I am not a member logged into the site. Once I say I am member it has to transfer me. This time the agent honestly was not great. Answering questions as if they were just reading a script and not actually reading my question to see what exactly I was asking.

I asked about cancellation timeframes and point forfeiture and holding and the agent responded with "I'd be happy to assist. First to clarify are you looking to book a Disney Vacation Club Resort stay"?

What???? So I asked "is this Member Services"? and they responded with "Yes, I'm here at Member Services" So I asked my question again which was
"What is the last time/date I can cancel a reservation and not forfeit points? I see the site says 1 day prior but can you give me an example and the cut off time"

The response I got "With regards to cancellation windows and such it does vary depending on what you are booking. What is it that you are looking at booking"?

This is just so crazy and I hope this is a fluke and not the new normal.

 

[RivGirl]

Sounds like they have an AI chatbot powering the front lines. Boooo.

Perhaps you should ask point blank it if it's a real human, and whether or not you can be connected to one.

How might a cancellation window "vary" depending on what you are booking...?!

 

[VGCgroupie]

Sounds like they have an AI chatbot powering the front lines. Boooo.

Perhaps you should ask point blank it if it's a real human, and whether or not you can be connected to one.

How might a cancellation window "vary" depending on what you are booking...?!

Right I was like whatttttt. Finally after 2 more attempts I finally got my question answered, but now I don't even know if it's true.

 

[reddog21]

It's an AI chatbot, It will get better as it ages. There not all bad.

One of my coworkers used the "chat" on sirusxm and it worked flawlessly he said. Withing 2 attempts it matched his rate with the previous rate.

 

[VGCgroupie]

It's an AI chatbot, It will get better as it ages. There not all bad.

One of my coworkers used the "chat" on sirusxm and it worked flawlessly he said. Withing 2 attempts it matched his rate with the previous rate.

Not a fan. I don’t want a chat bot helping me with my account. What if I had wanted to modify a reservation? My choice in the beginning selection was “my reservation”

 

[Sandisw]

I had to chat last week to get a merge completed and it seemed like a real person.

It asked for my name, then got the list of what I was contacting them about, and then routed me to what I believe was a person.

 

[reddog21]

Not a fan. I don’t want a chat bot helping me with my account. What if I had wanted to modify a reservation? My choice in the beginning selection was “my reservation”

why? If it's efficient at it, what's the difference. I have gone around and around with actual human beings, I'm not sure your losing anything with AI.

 

[PolyRob]

In the past at busy times I have been told MS chat was too busy and I needed to call. I wonder if the AI chat bot is being used rather than telling people a MS CM isn't available via chat and you need to call?

I need to try chatting the next time MS is open!

 

[VGCgroupie]

why? If it's efficient at it, what's the difference. I have gone around and around with actual human beings, I'm not sure your losing anything with AI.

Well first off I had chatted and asked to cancel my FW prior to booking and I was given bad info, I didn’t realize it at the time but I now realize it was likely this AI thing. Fast forward and my FW got booked to I had to chat in again to cancel. So it’s making me waste more time.

You can like it, but I don’t plain and simple. This convo I had with the bot should’ve taken 2 min max and it took 10 minutes. I shouldn’t have to reiterate what I’m asking. This is not Disney level service period.

 

[sndral]

…
I asked about cancellation timeframes and point forfeiture and holding and the agent responded with "I'd be happy to assist. First to clarify are you looking to book a Disney Vacation Club Resort stay"?
…
"What is the last time/date I can cancel a reservation and not forfeit points? I see the site says 1 day prior but can you give me an example and the cut off time"

The response I got "With regards to cancellation windows and such it does vary depending on what you are booking. What is it that you are looking at booking"?
…

Your questions were complex & you were asking for answers to hypothetical questions.
Chat is a great solution for specific clear cut needs w/ existing reservations. &, in my experience, it is a great tool to have - certainly better than the old days of calling & being put on hold, but I don’t think chat is designed for more complicated or hypothetical questions.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Your questions were complex & you were asking for answers to hypothetical questions.
Chat is a great solution for specific clear cut needs w/ existing reservations. &, in my experience, it is a great tool to have - certainly better than the old days of calling & being put on hold, but I don’t think chat is designed for more complicated or hypothetical questions.

Chat is designed to be just like calling in actually. I’ve had chat handle extremely complex things before so I have no idea what you are talking about. Chat previously has always been very effective. The agents always understood me because they were well trained humans.

My question wasn’t hypothetical either. The rules are the rules.
Example. Reservation check in is the 15th, you have until midnight est on the 14th to cancel to avoid forfeiture of points.

 

[sndral]

I think of chat as being like an administrative assistant - good for the simple things but not for more complex things.
Before 2012 you couldn’t even book on line, you had to call to make reservations. I don’t recall when chat first appeared, but it’s not always been offered & wasn’t a feature of the previous iterations of online booking (which were pretty clunky.)
There are some things chat cannot help w/ like making a reservation that crosses my use year, for example, so I have to call, transfers of points you have to call (or at least you used to.) And there are some complex things maybe chat could help w/ but I call anyway because I have more confidence in the phone CMs & their supervisors when needed as back up.
OTH, I’m not a frequent user of either chat or the phone - I call/chat maybe 2 or 3 times a year, so I’m certainly no expert in the nuances of the evolution of DVC chat, for what I use chat to accomplish it works & is one more tool that helps me enjoy using my DVC points .

 

[drusba]

So lately chat has been different for me. Has it been for you? It starts off as if I am not a member logged into the site. Once I say I am member it has to transfer me. This time the agent honestly was not great. Answering questions as if they were just reading a script and not actually reading my question to see what exactly I was asking.

I asked about cancellation timeframes and point forfeiture and holding and the agent responded with "I'd be happy to assist. First to clarify are you looking to book a Disney Vacation Club Resort stay"?

What???? So I asked "is this Member Services"? and they responded with "Yes, I'm here at Member Services" So I asked my question again which was
"What is the last time/date I can cancel a reservation and not forfeit points? I see the site says 1 day prior but can you give me an example and the cut off time"

The response I got "With regards to cancellation windows and such it does vary depending on what you are booking. What is it that you are looking at booking"?

This is just so crazy and I hope this is a fluke and not the new normal.

Undoubtedly this was AI since, as a computer, it was actually answering your cancellation question precisely correctly by asking what you wanted to reserve because there are varying cancellation rules. If it is a DVC Resort reservation, you need to cancel 31 or more days before arrival to avoid holding. If you use points to reserve something from the Disney Collection, they become reservation points and the reservation you make can be cancelled 8 days or more before arrival. There is no resulting holding rule applied, but the points expire at the end of the use year and remain reservation points that cannot be used for DVC Resort reservations. If you cancel shorter than 8-days before arrival, the points are lost, while a DVC Resort reservation can be cancelled as late as the day before arrival to avoid losing them completely.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I think of chat as being like an administrative assistant - good for the simple things but not for more complex things.
Before 2012 you couldn’t even book on line, you had to call to make reservations. I don’t recall when chat first appeared, but it’s not always been offered & wasn’t a feature of the previous iterations of online booking (which were pretty clunky.)
There are some things chat cannot help w/ like making a reservation that crosses my use year, for example, so I have to call, transfers of points you have to call (or at least you used to.) And there are some complex things maybe chat could help w/ but I call anyway because I have more confidence in the phone CMs & their supervisors when needed as back up.
OTH, I’m not a frequent user of either chat or the phone - I call/chat maybe 2 or 3 times a year, so I’m certainly no expert in the nuances of the evolution of DVC chat, for what I use chat to accomplish it works & is one more tool that helps me enjoy using my DVC points .

Prior to this new thing the chat CM are the same people that answer the phone. I have gotten the same person by phone that I have gotten by chat more than once. So they are capable of complex things but yes certain things like otup and transfers have to be done by phone. Not because they were not capable by chat but because that was just the rules.

But if this is the new chat style then I will call instead like it is years ago.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Undoubtedly this was AI since, as a computer, it was actually answering your cancellation question precisely correctly by asking what you wanted to reserve because there are varying cancellation rules. If it is a DVC Resort reservation, you need to cancel 31 or more days before arrival to avoid holding. If you use points to reserve something from the Disney Collection, they become reservation points and the reservation you make can be cancelled 8 days or more before arrival. There is no resulting holding rule applied, but the points expire at the end of the use year and remain reservation points that cannot be used for DVC Resort reservations. If you cancel shorter than 8-days before arrival, the points are lost, while a DVC Resort reservation can be cancelled as late as the day before arrival to avoid losing them completely.

I told the “person” it was regarding my current reservation in the beginning of my conversation. I have no stays booked that are not traditional DVC reservations. So sorry if you think responding with “what do I want to book” is a proper response. I happen to think it is not.

 

[muppets3d]

I for one am not in favor of AI chat bots being used for DVC member services and I don't want to speak to one when I call so it can understand my query and try to answer for a human being. The dues I pay for member services should ensure that when I call or chat, I am speaking to a human being and not a computer.

We have to collectively push back on this in all aspects of life. I don't even use the drive-through windows at Wendy's because they use an AI chat bot to take orders. And unless I'm only buying one or two items, I don't use self check out.

If we don't push back on this, soon nobody will have a job.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I for one am not in favor of AI chat bots being used for DVC member services and I don't want to speak to one when I call so it can understand my query and try to answer for a human being. The dues I pay for member services should ensure that when I call or chat, I am speaking to a human being and not a computer.

We have to collectively push back on this in all aspects of life. I don't even use the drive-through windows at Wendy's because they use an AI chat bot to take orders. And unless I'm only buying one or two items, I don't use self check out.

If we don't push back on this, soon nobody will have a job.

Yeah its kind of crazy how I am being blamed for the interaction. I chatted with MS and got sub par service from an AI bot and I am somehow to blame. I need to adjust how I view the AI not the other way around. Mind blowing stuff to be perfectly honest.

 

[muppets3d]

Yeah its kind of crazy how I am being blamed for the interaction. I chatted with MS and got sub par service from an AI bot and I am somehow to blame. I need to adjust how I view the AI not the other way around. Mind blowing stuff to be perfectly honest.

It's just a bug of enthusiast forums. Anything that is seen as criticism of the brand (in this case, Disney) is anathema. You are wrong because criticism of Disney is not something people are prepared to tolerate. It's tantamount to kicking their dog. Or so you would believe by reading the responses!

I have not experienced AI chat bots being used by DVC, but I haven't needed to chat or call in for a while. The next time I do I'll pay attention.

They are used heavily by Amazon, and that is one of the many reasons why I no longer do business with them.

 

[VGCgroupie]

It's just a bug of enthusiast forums. Anything that is seen as criticism of the brand (in this case, Disney) is anathema. You are wrong because criticism of Disney is not something people are prepared to tolerate. It's tantamount to kicking their dog. Or so you would believe by reading the responses!

I have not experienced AI chat bots being used by DVC, but I haven't needed to chat or call in for a while. The next time I do I'll pay attention.

They are used heavily by Amazon, and that is one of the many reasons why I no longer do business with them.

Thank you I was beginning to think I was the losing it. Like it’s normal to not think it was a good interaction right..

If you do chat let me know what you think. I can’t be the only one getting weird chat experiences more than once.

 

[drusba]

I told the “person” it was regarding my current reservation in the beginning of my conversation. I have no stays booked that are not traditional DVC reservations. So sorry if you think responding with “what do I want to book” is a proper response. I happen to think it is not.

No intent to criticize. I was just addressing how a computer using AI could respond and thus why I assumed it was AI. Even if you mentioned earlier that you had a DVC reservation, when you got to the point of asking about cancellation rules, a computer using AI could treat that as more general and provide the response it gave. What I have been learnning with AI is that it is a fascinating tool but is not aways right and sometimes has a precise but wrong or, confusing answer, to what you are actually asking.