Club level at AKV

[dianeschlicht]

They have to put you on hold........ Apparently the booking is controlled by the manager. So the CM gets your request and goes to the supervisor... not sure why they are doing that, but.... (My CM explained this to me, it doesn't sound like most of them are telling you why you have to be on hold!)

I got my second request so I am thrilled.

I have thought all along DVC was going to regret this. There are just so FEW rooms and so MANY members, this is just going to have people mad that they didn't get the club level.

That is exactly how it was explained to me today when I called to change my March AKV savanna view ressie to CC level. I was on hold about 5 minutes at 8 AM, and when I called back to request Savanna view (at first I thought they were all SV), I was put on hold again for about 8 minutes. I suspect the reason our contracts say "reservation points" instead of "vacation points" has something to do with this same issue.

 

[penlanspice]

We just called to book at the 7 month window for the BW but they had no avalibility so we tried for AKV on spur of the moment and we got in with concierge level.
We were on hold for about 5 min's while she went and checked with CPO, very quick and easy.

Sam

 

[dianeschlicht]

We just called to book at the 7 month window for the BW but they had no avalibility so we tried for AKV on spur of the moment and we got in with concierge level.
We were on hold for about 5 min's while she went and checked with CPO, very quick and easy.

Sam

So you got in with non-AKV points? Or were you using AKV points?

 

[penlanspice]

So you got in with non-AKV points? Or were you using AKV points?

I sure did, I didn't even know that if you didn't own at AKV that you were unable to book yet until I was reading over on this thread! I'm not complaining anyway.

 

[rlduvall]

I sure did, I didn't even know that if you didn't own at AKV that you were unable to book yet until I was reading over on this thread! I'm not complaining anyway.

I am truly happy for you . . . BUT, I had 76 AKV points transferred to my account a few weeks back just so I could beat the rush of non-AKV owners. I was able to get a standard studio view before the onslaught. When I called about a value room on 6/13th (this way our entire 7 nights could be there) it was available, but it was a big deal because she at first said I didn't have AKV points; made her go back and look at the transfer, then she said the extra points I needed over my original reservation weren't AKV points; told her to please go back and see that I still had 12 AKV points left over. Held for a long time, when she came back, she said it was an issue to verify and the "accounting" department or whatever she called it, would take a few days to verify. Told her to just forget it, I would stick with Sunday through Saturday with standard view. Decided 50 feet of less space for one extra night wasn't worth the hassle. It was still frustrating that she couldn't see they were AKV points and I almost lost my original reservation over it. That'll teach me.

 

[penlanspice]

I am truly happy for you . . . BUT, I had 76 AKV points transferred to my account a few weeks back just so I could beat the rush of non-AKV owners. I was able to get a standard studio view before the onslaught. When I called about a value room on 6/13th (this way our entire 7 nights could be there) it was available, but it was a big deal because she at first said I didn't have AKV points; made her go back and look at the transfer, then she said the extra points I needed over my original reservation weren't AKV points; told her to please go back and see that I still had 12 AKV points left over. Held for a long time, when she came back, she said it was an issue to verify and the "accounting" department or whatever she called it, would take a few days to verify. Told her to just forget it, I would stick with Sunday through Saturday with standard view. Decided 50 feet of less space for one extra night wasn't worth the hassle. It was still frustrating that she couldn't see they were AKV points and I almost lost my original reservation over it. That'll teach me.

Oh well!! I must of had a CM that didn't quite know what she was doing.

 

[Inkmahm]

Finally, an explanation! I called back a third time now that I'm at work. Couldn't call back from home, I was late enough already.

This time the CM put me on hold and another person came back online (supervisor?) The reason I can't get December 1 is that the concierge won't be open until December 4 contrary to what the letter we received said. I waitlisted for December 1 anyway, just in case that date is released into the system and no announcement is made.

How hard would it have been to tell me that the first time I called this morning?

It seems there's a good reason no one gave me this explanation earlier. Today MS told me that they WERE booking for December 1, 2 and 3 on June 13th! AND that all studios for Dec 1 were gone, of course.

I"m back to my original rant. I got through on the phone just before 9 am on the day reservations started and told the CM EXACTLY what I wanted. No way were the studio rooms for Dec 1 gone that fast. The slow CM cost me the concierge reservation. And the manager (?) who I spoke to later in the day outright LIED about them not being able to book Dec 1 concierge at all yet.

I am still on the waitlist and I'm pissed at the poor service from MS related to AKV reservations. What a disaster. First they can't book 2008 at all on the first date because the system wasn't set up to handle dates past Dec 31, 2007 and now THIS. GRRRRRR.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

It seems there's a good reason no one gave me this explanation earlier. Today MS told me that they WERE booking for December 1, 2 and 3 on June 13th! AND that all studios for Dec 1 were gone, of course.

I"m back to my original rant. I got through on the phone just before 9 am on the day reservations started and told the CM EXACTLY what I wanted. No way were the studio rooms for Dec 1 gone that fast. The slow CM cost me the concierge reservation. And the manager (?) who I spoke to later in the day outright LIED about them not being able to book Dec 1 concierge at all yet.

I am still on the waitlist and I'm pissed at the poor service from MS related to AKV reservations. What a disaster. First they can't book 2008 at all on the first date because the system wasn't set up to handle dates past Dec 31, 2007 and now THIS. GRRRRRR.

Yikes!
I certainly hope these are just start up glitches...

MG

 

[Inkmahm]

Yikes!
I certainly hope these are just start up glitches...

MG

I hope so, too. I'm a fairly new member to DVC (early 2006) and had no problems at all with them until AKV. But anything I've done with AKV reservations so far has been full of glitches. I am not impressed at the moment.

It's a good thing I have my cash concierge reservation from back in January that I made for December 1. Others may have gotten the concierge studio that I wanted but I already have two spots booked out of the 14 for the afternoon safari on Dec 1 and for the sunrise safari on Dec 2. It would just have been nice to have been in DVC concierge instead of cash concierge for my first trip back to AKV as an owner.

 

[dclfun]

I too have had problems booking with my new AKV points and have gotten conflicting information over what is available, when it can be booked, etc. To read that a non AKV member was able to book during the window when ONLY AKV members could make ressies ( and figuring this is one person out of many who had a CM booking for them who did not know the rules) disturbs me greatly. While I understand that mistakes do happen, many of us purchased add on AKV points for the sole purpose of having the extra booking window, particularly for the limited supply of concierge level rooms. If any of those six rooms were booked by non-AKV owners and thus someone who was IN their booking window was not able to reserve them, then it's infuriating to think that someone missed out on a ressie solely due to an error. ---Kathy

 

[DVC Grammy]

I too have had problems booking with my new AKV points and have gotten conflicting information over what is available, when it can be booked, etc. To read that a non AKV member was able to book during the window when ONLY AKV members could make ressies ( and figuring this is one person out of many who had a CM booking for them who did not know the rules) disturbs me greatly. While I understand that mistakes do happen, many of us purchased add on AKV points for the sole purpose of having the extra booking window, particularly for the limited supply of concierge level rooms. If any of those six rooms were booked by non-AKV owners and thus someone who was IN their booking window was not able to reserve them, then it's infuriating to think that someone missed out on a ressie solely due to an error. ---Kathy

It's unfortunate that these glitches happened; however, after this opening flurry of only two time frames (owners and then non-owners 2 weeks later), for which MS and the computer system were not prepared, IMO, things will settle down back to the 11/7 booking windows. (Or at least, I hope so ).

 

[Inkmahm]

It's unfortunate that these glitches happened; however, after this opening flurry of only two time frames (owners and then non-owners 2 weeks later), for which MS and the computer system were not prepared, IMO, things will settle down back to the 11/7 booking windows. (Or at least, I hope so ).

And that's too late for those of us who were affected by the glitches. Again, I ran into glitches both on the May 16th booking date AND the June 13th date when I could book concierge. The May 16th booking of my March 2008 room eventually worked out. The booking on June 13th of the concierge room I wanted for Dec 1 did not. The glitches continue...

 

[dclfun]

I am very understanding of both human and computer error but with so few rooms available and with knowing that once a guest is booked then they can't be "kicked out" due to an error...then yes, I would be sorely disappointed and even angry that I didn't get what I wanted, esp. if I knew someone else DID get what I wanted who wasn't entitled to have it ( and no offense to anyone in that situation who was able to book without being in their time window as it's not their fault at all ). That's the effect of communication today- that we do communicate with each other and we do find out about errors that in the way past, no one would have been the wiser for. For whatever reason there are still glitches with AKV ressies. I have to tell myself I'm so fortunate to own DVC and that I will be back again, but due to health concerns with both myself and my son, I never know if the next trip will be our last. I doubt I'm the only one with that kind of situation. There are others to whom their requested ressie is just as important- celebrating a special occasion, having an extended family once-in-a-lifetime trip, or just looking for that special vacation that has been long-planned. This makes these errors take on greater importance than perhaps they should. ---Kathy