Dissapointing First Impression of DVC

[Disney Lover JJ]

First of all let me say that the discovery of the Dis boards has threatened my work and personal life at home....I AM HOOKED! I am now craving Disney and I am seriously considering the DVC for my family. In fact, I just agreed to rent a studio at the DVC for November, really excited about this since I wasn't planning to visit Disney in the near future....now I'm starting the count down!! Now the sad news....this visit will be a "test" to see if I should buy into DVC....and the first impression wasn't a good one. After the owner's reservation was changed in my name, I proceeded to call member services to verify the request and the names in the reservation. First of all, I was placed on hold for 15 minutes!! (Monday 10 am) and then when the CM picked up...here is the conversation:

CM: "Hello welcome to member services blah blah blah"
Me: "Hi, a firend of mine made a reservation in my name and I just want to
confirm names and non-smoking preference"
CM: "OK....what is your name"
Me: "Jaime Gonzalez and my wife Marlene Fraticelli"
CM: Which resort?
Me: I actually have the confirmation number if you want it"
CM: (In a rude and louder tone) "WHICH RESORT?!"
Me: "Beach Club!"
CM: "THAT! is what I needed"

and then the rest was a normal conversation...

I felt I was speaking to any other call center in the world...this was NOT a Disney experience...

I'm having second doubts now about buying into DVC

Unfortunately, I didn't write down the guys name..

Has this happened to any of you?

 

[zalansky]

Yes it has happened to me one time, also when I called on a Monday morning. The CM I spoke to was short with me too. However, I would not let a phone call with a call center employee deter me from buying into the DVC. I have also called MS several times and got very pleasant and very helpful people on the phone. A DVC membership is not about calling MS, but about the experience when you stay there.

 

[littlestar]

I've never had a bad experience with Member Services.

I think DVC is getting a lot of calls from non members on point rentals. Maybe that's why you got the attitude. They probably have to be very careful with giving out information because of all the privacy laws.

When we call Member Services we have to give our membership number and then the last four digits of our Social Security Number before they will talk to us about our reservations.

When you're a member, you'll probably appreciate the extra caution on giving out information on your personal account.

Monday morning is a very busy time to call DVC Member Services.

 

[Chuck S]

It is possible to occasionally get a phone rep that is having less than a magical day, but in my experience calling MS since 1992, it is certainly the exception and not the rule. While it shouldn't have happened, the previous caller may have been just attrocious and the CM may not have recovered fully. Anyone who has worked with the public knows it can be very trying at times, and humans being...well human...we don't always fully calm down between guests.

 

[mouseclick1]

Think of it this way - once you get settled in to your lounge chair at Stormalong Bay, or grab a burger and a sundae at Beaches & Cream, or enjoy your short, leisurely stroll into Epcot, (I could go on!), you won't even be thinking about that phone call!

Seriously, I don't think I have ever encountered a rude CM at member services, though some are clearly more personable than others. Sorry the first one you spoke with was less than magical. Have a great trip and I hope the Beach Club wows your socks off!

 

[mbhoxsie]

We have occaisionally gotten agents who are less than compotent... Usually we need to work through that.. I would agree though that we have never gotten a rude CM... Try not to let it give you a bad impression..

I have managed call centers, and the CM should not have treated you like that... (Even if they've had a bad day up to that point..) I always get the CM's name, at the start of the call and then call them by name at least once or twice during the call to drive the point home.. If at any time during the call, I feel that the agent is being less than customer friendly I will then ask to speak with a supervisor, or call back later and speak with management. Having dates and times you speak with the agents will assist as well..

 

[Fonzy13]

I can't imagine having to wait 15 minutes on a Monday morning. The nerve or all those people trying to make reservations.

 

[pb4ugo]

it's too bad that your first contact with member services has left a sour taste in your mouth...if you ever do become a member, perhaps you will come to appreciate all that they do to make our stays as magical as possible. and maybe you will call on a day and at a time that is likely to be less busy. i save monday calls for booking/changing reservations at the 11 and 7 month windows!

and maybe the next time you call you will give the information that is requested rather then offer info that was not. if the cm was looking at a computerized menu of resorts from which to select, a confirmation number would do them absolutely no good and would prolong the amount of time it is taking to handle a call. they have soooooo many calls to handle on a monday!

"...in communication, listening is often more important than speaking - that's why we have two ears and one mouth..."

 

[bobbiwoz]

When I check into a WDW resort, I used to have a copy of my reservation in hand. Invariably, they would ask to see a picture ID and they ignore the reservation. I've learned to hand them my ID when I approach the desk!

Try to give them what they need to make your experience a good one!

Bobbi

 

[Barak's Disney]

The same kind of thing happened to me when I was trying to verify a reservation I rented from a DVC member. I ended up calling two different locations to verify the reservation ... I was sweating bullets for a bit (just plunked down a lot of cash!). BUT ... everything went great at check in (10:00PM on a Wednesday) and the staff couldn't have been more helpful ... we had bags of groceries and the bellman said, "No Problem, we help with groceries all the time." The CM at the check in gave my DD about 6 stickers and asked her tons of questions about her favorite princesses etc. I even had to hunt down my husband to get his drivers license and the front desk CM was patient and smiling the entire time. Very pleased with my stay at VWL!

 

[LIFERBABE]

I too called y-day and while my CM was a bit more patient and helpful, she did express frustration of it being a Monday and MS being bombarded with calls nonstop.

I wasnt really mindful of what y-day was, not only a monday, but the 7 month window for Presidents day weekend, so I did make note to not call on Mondays unless I am trying to make 7 or 11 month ressies, because MS has always been more than helpful and patient to me with my multiple contracts and 2 UY's.

Maybe when members rent their points, they should communicate to the renter or guest that they may call to confirm their reservation, but please refrain from calling on Mondays, because that is DVC's busiest day of the week.

In the future, I will give MS that courtesy, because they are helping members get what they want and that benefits all members.

Could they be a little more magical about it? Yes, but at 7 months, I prefer my reservation over magic.

 

[dizfanz]

It was unfotunate that you had to wait on hold that long and that the CM was a bit stern....but would you really let that get in the way of your purchase into DVC? If it happened several times maybe I would reconsider. I don't know, but I would just brush it off since it just happened the one time.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

I've had a few rude MS CMs in the last few years. It happens, but never on a regular basis.

 

[littlestar]

Really, when you think about it, a renter calling to verify a reservation is a waste of a call to DVC's 1-800 line. It still is all about trust between the two parties (right up to check-in). A DVC member could cancel that reservation at any time, as they have full control of their account.

I'm really surprised that DVC even allows non members to get any answers at all about somebody else's account with today's privacy laws. I was trying to help my daughter with an insurance mix-up and the insurance company wouldn't give me any information whatsoever about her account until she got on the line. We had to do a 3-way call for the insurance company to let me know anything about her account.

 

[Disney Lover JJ]

Hey! Cut me some slack...this is my first DVC experience I didn't know Mondays are overwhelming day for MS. Also, the reason I gave my confirmation number and I offered that in advance was from the experience I have had at all other hotels....they rather you give conf # rather than name, hotel, locations, dates etc...so, my intentions were to save the CM some time...not to pretend I was not listening or give them something else. In any case, Disney is all about going the extra mile in terms of service, and I was just pointing out that it didn't feel that way...they are supposed to keep their cool even with rude guests...and I was not rude. I just wanted to have expert advice on whether this CM "attitide" was normal, as many companies outsource their call centers and quality of service usually suffers from this.

And by the way...the reason we have two ears and only one mouth is not that listening is more important...it is because listening is fat free...and if we had two mouths...we would all be twice as fat and wouldn't fit in Disney rides...everybody knows this.

 

[pickles]

I called today 2 times to MS..my first time ever using their services. The first girl was very helpful. The 2nd girl was also very helpful and friendly, BUT I have 3 points to make on her..one I wish English was her first language..she was polite and friendly, but hard to understand, 2nd point when she answered and asked if she could help me i said " I want to go home" She was obviously caught off guard and didn't understand, so in the deep pause that occured I said " i want to make a resservation" , obviously, I didn't get a 'welcome home" from her, the 3rd was everytime I made a reservation(like ME, resort, DDp) she had to put me on hold for awhile. This worked to my advantage as I was able to research things online while waiting for her, so i was able to make some quick choices, that i may have lacked without the hold, however I don't think under normal circumstances I would appreciate all the holding time while she said "hold on while I book that for you"

I certainly wouldn't hange my mind about DVC about that one person tho.
I stayed at BCV for our first trip ever to WDW in Aug 05 and it didn't take us long to realize we wanted to do that(go to WDW) every year possible. So, we just closed last week on DVC.
Hope this helps you..when you get to BCV and WDW you won't care at all about that phone guy!!

 

[CarolA]

Hey! Cut me some slack...this is my first DVC experience I didn't know Mondays are overwhelming day for MS. Also, the reason I gave my confirmation number and I offered that in advance was from the experience I have had at all other hotels....they rather you give conf # rather than name, hotel, locations, dates etc...so, my intentions were to save the CM some time...not to pretend I was not listening or give them something else. In any case, Disney is all about going the extra mile in terms of service, and I was just pointing out that it didn't feel that way...they are supposed to keep their cool even with rude guests...and I was not rude. I just wanted to have expert advice on whether this CM "attitide" was normal, as many companies outsource their call centers and quality of service usually suffers from this.

And by the way...the reason we have two ears and only one mouth is not that listening is more important...it is because listening is fat free...and if we had two mouths...we would all be twice as fat and wouldn't fit in Disney rides...everybody knows this.

Well let's start with you did NOT listen did you? The CM asked you what resort and you responsed with another piece of info.

Sorry, I was on your side until the last paragraph of the above post. Now I wonder who has the "attitude"

 

[Figment2]

If being on hold for 15 minutes is going to affect your decision, then maybe DVC is not for you. There are times when you may have difficulty getting through (high call volume due to members trying to make ressies for busy times) and thank goodness for the redial button and/or you are on hold for 30 minutes once you do get through.

I've gotten CRO agents who were less than friendly or helpful too. JMHO

Cyn

 

[rinkwide]

...this was NOT a Disney experience...

I'm having second doubts now about buying into DVC...

Please don't, as I can just imagine the post when the front desk CM is having a bad day and you get stuck with a HA room.

 

[Disney Lover JJ]

Got it thanks...that's all I wanted to hear. If waiting times are not unusual as you have validated, then I'm prepeared next time I call...and I know before buying into the DVC. I honestly don't mind waiting, it was just that maybe I set unrealistic expectations for Disney...as they always set the bar very high in terms of service. I have never waited when making Disney hotel (non DVC) reservations..maybe I've been lucky. And it does appear Disney has otsourced their call center, which may explain the attitude....and yes I have to admit I didn't "listen" and that I answered a question with a question...but that doesn't justify the CM giving me a hard time...I've worked in the service industry before...and MANY times my customers did not listen...and EVERY time I re-informed them with a smile...it's part of the business...if one cannot cope with that...then maybe one should switch jobs. Nevertheless, looking forward to my vacation at BCV....and thanks to all who provided useful insight.