Do Disney hear us???????

[alexx]

Hi everybody

I'm back on tracks. By the way there is no snow at all in my cold country and the temperature was around 10 degree celsius ( about 50 f )last week. The normal temperature is supposed to be -15 c for december.

Now the subject of my thread.

I hear many of you complaining about this, not satisfied about that, name it; pool hopping, discounts, maid service, CM attitude etc. etc. etc.

Do someone have ever think to associate to be heard by someone able to take decisions at "Disney inc" ( complaining on this board or to a CM is not efficient if you want to change things ). I don't know, a kind of syndicate or union to negociate the thing wich are not satisfying us as owner. I think that collectively it is our right to be heard by "Disney inc" in the DVC resorts because this company is paying their hotels with our money.

I hope to have your comments about that, it is perhaps the beginning of sometjing interesting.

alexx (The snowman without snow)

 

[PamOKW]

Alexx you are right that discussing things here may make us feel better but does not lead to change. If someone feels strongly about an issue, problem, etc. they should write to DVC and express their opinion. They do take into account opinions received in addition to their own survey efforts when making decisions.

The idea of forming a group to go to DVC is a problem. I believe, unless things have changed, that Pete has asked that this forum not be used to organize group efforts. I suppose it could be done elsewhere but with 60,000 members the group would have to be fairly substantial to impact at DVC.

The weather sure has been great....I could keep it like this all winter.

 

[vernon]

Pam I have to disagree that comments and points made on the boards has no effect on Disney's running of DVC. We know for a fact that DVC monitors these boards. It would seem a completely pointess exercise ( and waste of money) if that information wasn't used in some manner.

That is the main reason that , personally, I try to offer a solution that benefits DVC in some manner when I see a problem or short coming in DVC's services/treatment of the members. I don't have the opinion that DVC managemnet goes around looking for ways to disadvantage the membership just for the hell of it. If we can see a solution that is a win win remedy then I don't care if a DVC employee takes credit for an idea put forward here on the boards as long as it gets done.

There have been a number of suggestions about a DVC members organisation but IMHO the best solution would be a representative on the DVC board to be either designated as being there specifically to look after the members intests or someone being elected onto the board from within the membership in order to represent us. IMHO any group that doesn't have access to the choices and REASONS for those choices that the DVC board makes on our behalf is going to no more efficient in altering policy than this forum ( or writing as individuals)

 

[PamOKW]

I agree that it is likely that DVC monitors these boards and puts that information into the "pot" as well as what they get from other sources. IMHO I think taking the time to directly write to DVC gives a comment more weight. IMHO, snail mail is taken a little more seriously than e-mail as well although that is not always the case. The more time and effort it takes to place your complaint, the more likely that you've given the problem thought and it's even better if you can provide a solution.

As an example, if you come to the boards and say my trip was terrible because I had to wait hours for the bus at BWV every day, that comes across as an exaggeration of what was some type of problem. If you send an e-mail blindly to MS and say bus service was terrible on my recent trip to BWV, that's a little better. If you write an e-mail or letter to Jackie Lueders, Member Satisfaction Manager...you are giving your problem a lot more importance. If you include in that letter that on your BWV stay from Dec. 1-5, 2001 you experienced numerous problems with bus service and then give specifics such as "We waited 45 minutes for any bus to arrive at the BWV stop on 12/5 at 9:00 a.m. On 12/4 at approximately 6:00 p.m., we were stranded in the rain at DD for 1 hour and 15 minutes waiting for a bus." you give them a lot more to work with. They can look into whether it was a problem with a certain route, driver, etc.

 

[nickglover]

Almost 85 degrees here in Tampa - for months - too hot!! Send us some cooler weather, please!

 

[Zimbubba]

How does everyone know for a fact that the boards are monitored by DVC? They can barely respond to e-mail requests in 48 hours, how do they have time to read the threads?

 

[vernon]

I've spoken to CMs at HH, Vero and OKW all of whom were well aware of the DIS boards and site. I've also spoken to people working for MS also who acknowledge these boards. DVC sales staff have long known about the boards here.

There are a number of other people have friends who work for Disney and DVC and many of them are able to speak with knowledge of what goes on here. For obvious reasons those staff members are not able to contribute to many of the discussions that go on.

 

[iluvdisney]

DVC is very aware of these boards and it was mentioned at a member meeting I attended last week. I just happened to be wearing my DIS shirt that morning and at least 8 people stopped me to write down the website. As for someone to contact, the guide did say that members should make themselves heard to DVC and she also mentioned Al Weiss. She said to use the internet and write your comments to both.

 

[JudithM]

I have attended the OKW annual meeting for several years. I know for a fact that yes, DVC CMs DO read this bulletin board. I sometimes even forward to various DVC CMs threads that I think they should not miss . I know from attending these meetings & staying at OKW that the CMs DO listen. I feel they take our comments & concerns seriously whether they reaad it here or we as members email, write or phone them. However, just those memebers at an annual meeting or just the members on this board is not necessarily represntative of the whole membership.

Again, as in the past, I encourage anyone who has a concern, problem, comment, etc. to please contact DVC. If you contact Member Services, they will forward your information to the appropriate CM. If you don't know who to contact, feel free to send me a PM here, & I will ask my contacts for you.

 

[TnRobin]

Yes we are watched by all levels of DVC.

 

[Dumbo]

There are over 60,000 DVC members. How many of those members post messages in this DVC forum? Maybe 500, if that. That's less than 1%. Should DVC modify policys from the input it receives from less that 1% of it's membership?


Dumbo

 

[PamOKW]

I agree with you Dumbo. I'm sure they consider what they read here but have to weigh it against all other concerns they hear from the membership.

 

[ralphd]

Do not believe it is correct to assume that Disney does not listen!
Agree with Pam.

ralphd

 

[jcodespoti]

I agree that maybe only 500 or so (heck say a 1000). Maybe post or "lurk" on these boards but we are a nice cross-section of the memership young,old,married, single, male and female. SO they can get a pretty good idea of what the rest of the owners are thinking.

side note---I think the nice weather for Connecticut is just about over


Joe in CT

 

[baileybrad]

As for Disney's take on these type of internet sites....Brian Bennett who contributes to another large unofficial Disney site (I am sure that many folks know of Brian through his excellent trip report inventory and all the fine work he does handling many folks full trip reports) anywaaays, was answering some reader mail in a column that he writes for this particular site. He mentioned that in an answer to a question that Al Weiss and other Disney folks are at times driven a bit crazy by all of the information that is now shared on the internet. I may be taking some poetic license but that was how I interpreted the response anyway. The way that the lousy handling of the EE suspension with its associated denials right up to the bitter end and its associated bad PR drove Disney nuts. This could only be accomplished by folks getting the word out quickly over the internet and these types of forums especially about how something is being mishandled by Disney. The flip side is when Disney does something well as they have done so many times in the past and hopefully will in the future, this too can be contributed by folks on the "boards". I am afraid that Disney doesn't quite get it that these types of forums could be very beneficial to them when they handle things "right".

 

[JWimberley]

To Dumbo,

As a matter of statistical sampling 1% would be a huge number to base customer satisfaction indices on.

Let me put it this way, the Nielsen ratings service uses the viewing habits of 4,000 Houston, TX households to tell the advertising community what 4,250,000 Houstonians are watching. The television stations in turn use that information to base their rates for the advertising in a $600,000,000 per year market. If we are willing to bet our percentage of a $600 million pie on a 0.1% sample size, I'm thinking that Disney is taking us a lot more seriously than we take ourselves...

Just a thought or two,

Joshua

 

[walter]

ralphd,
My wife and I visited Stone Mountain last September when our son moved down to the Atlanta area. It is beautiful, and we will visit it again some day. We love the Mall of Georgia!