Do you get excited/concerned about the latest DVC rumor?

[DVC Mike]

I know this is a discussion board on the Internet and we have all sorts of discussions about DVC - including the latest DVC "rumor" about a supposed upcoming change to the DVC system.

While it's certainly interesting and fun to speculate and commont on the latest rumor, it seems to me that a few folks actually get upset and appear to start believing that the rumor is true.

Me, I take all rumors with a very large grain of salt.

Like any organization (even my own), DVC has brainstorming sessions where people bring up and discuss new ways to improve sales/profits/market share. All organizations do this.

It's likely that many of these ideas get written off rather quickly, while others might be briefly considered. It takes a while for an idea to make it's way up the organizational chain of command and obtain the necessary reviews and approvals.

I bet less than 5% of these ideas actually get through the process, and then they actually succeed or fail to produce the desired results.

Thus, when someone leaks a concept or idea that is being tossed around by DVC, I don't get worried. Chances are, it won't see the light of day, or it may get changed radically so it's not the same as the original concept.

Unless the people posting these rumors on Internet discussion boards actually have access to Jim Lewis' corporate e-mail account, it's likely that they're just hearing things that are being discussed at a lower level in the organization. Thus, the idea or concept may come to fruition if it passes the necessary organization and legal hurdles, or it may not.

To me, it's what comes out of Jim Lewis' mouth at the annual meeting that I pay attention to, 'cause if he's mentioning something as a possibility or something they're looking into, then I know a concept or idea has worked it's way up the organizational food chain and is now a real possibility.

Either that, or he's just placating an angry member during the Q&A session.

 

[CMOORE185]

I look at it the same way as you do. I am not going to get upset about something that may or may not happen.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I absolutely agree! The only thing that I keep marveling at is how long it is taking to get online booking. They (read JL) have been talking about this at annual meetings for at least 4-5 years now.

 

[jarestel]

When a decision needs to be made, all one can do is base it on the facts available at the time. However, a prudent person might logically consider the "where there's smoke, there's fire" factor. After all, most everyone "knew" that BLT was going to happen long before it was officially declared, even though it remained in the "rumor" category for a long time.

If I had to make a purchase decision today, I'll admit I would certainly consider some of the swirling rumors and decide whether I could live with the consequences if they turned out to be true. If I couldn't live with it, I'd put off the purchase for a while.

Worst case is the rumors fade away and I end up buying a few months later than originally intended, not a horrible scenario by any means.

 

[Kuzco]

I agree with you. Although I find reading about the rumors interesting, I don't put any stock in them until they are confirmed by Disney or DVC. They also don't influence my decision-making.

I think that on the internet, and in life generally, rumor and speculation is almost always more interesting than the truth, which is why emotions sometimes run high.

 

[JimMIA]

I don't pay much attention to rumors, even the ones that are obviously true like BLT.

The devil is in the details, and until the actual details of any change are announced, we really have no factual basis to evaluate if, and how, any change will affect us.

I put even less stock in the endless speculation about the nature, scope, and ramifications of rumored changes. I know it's great sport to speculate, but it's really not worth much to me.

Another thing I'm cautious with is over-emphasis of actual facts about how our accounts work.

We over-analyze everything here on the DIS, and I often find that endless dwelling on minutae usually builds more importance into some trivial aspects of our accounts than is warranted. I often read stuff and find that -- even though I agree with the analysis -- the item being discussed has little or no practical application to my family.

 

[littlestar]

No, not really. I own points where I really like my home resort so as long as I can stay at SSR in September or January, I'm a happy camper.

 

[drusba]

The best thing about rumors is that they are always far less onerous than anything that Jim Lewis says which starts with the words, "Based on the feedback from many of our members, and in order to enhance the membership experience,..." Whenever that occurs you need to reach down for your wallet to make sure it is still there.

 

[Dizny Dad]

DVC - Mike - I agree.

But don't doubt DVC uses the DisBoards as a gage of the membership when those balloons are at the middle of the push up the ladder. Plausible deniability can be found in rumors circulated and found to be barbed.

 

[lugnut33]

Well, he mentioned tiered benefits, so I guess the discussion of such was warranted on these boards.

 

[Granny]

I can't say that I get excited or concerned about DVC rumors, but it is interesting to discuss the upsides and downsides of various possibilities.

My first question about any rumor is..."What's in it for Disney?". If I can't think of anything, I pretty much dismiss the rumor.

I agree with Dizny Dad in that I do think that Disney throws out some trial balloons from time to time to see how members might react. Boards such as these present a pretty easy way to utilize a focus group for free!

 

[DVC Mike]

Well, he mentioned tiered benefits, so I guess the discussion of such was warranted on these boards.

Yes, and now we have 14 pages of discussion and outrage based on a tweet from the annual meeting.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

The best thing about rumors is that they are always far less onerous than anything that Jim Lewis says which starts with the words, "Based on the feedback from many of our members, and in order to enhance the membership experience,..." Whenever that occurs you need to reach down for your wallet to make sure it is still there.

So true!!

I pay attention to the rumors. Not all but moreso the one's that keep cropping up. Or one's that start and then survey's come from DVC that relate to it. It seems like there is a grain of salt in many of them. Most don't go to the extent that is speculated but IMO many reach some level of fruition.

But do I freak out about them and do rash things like sell my DVC? No, not that. I would need confirmation first before I determine whether something impacts me enough that I do or don't want to be a member.

 

[lugnut33]

Yes, and now we have 14 pages of discussion and outrage based on a tweet from the annual meeting.

It's all good. The outrage just shows they care.

Nothing wrong with hashing things out so that hopefully DVC gets it right.

 

[supersuperwendy]

I enjoy reading the rumors and wait to see what actually becomes truth. I remember back when BLT was first under way and nobody knew exactly if it was going to be DVC. I loved reading the rumors everyday to see if anyone had new news to announce! Sometimes I get excited by them..sometimes I don't. It just depends on the rumor.

 

[nuts]

I ignore rumors unless its validated by a bus driver.

I know this is a discussion board on the Internet and we have all sorts of discussions about DVC - including the latest DVC "rumor" about a supposed upcoming change to the DVC system.

While it's certainly interesting and fun to speculate and commont on the latest rumor, it seems to me that a few folks actually get upset and appear to start believing that the rumor is true.

Me, I take all rumors with a very large grain of salt.

Like any organization (even my own), DVC has brainstorming sessions where people bring up and discuss new ways to improve sales/profits/market share. All organizations do this.

It's likely that many of these ideas get written off rather quickly, while others might be briefly considered. It takes a while for an idea to make it's way up the organizational chain of command and obtain the necessary reviews and approvals.

I bet less than 5% of these ideas actually get through the process, and then they actually succeed or fail to produce the desired results.

Thus, when someone leaks a concept or idea that is being tossed around by DVC, I don't get worried. Chances are, it won't see the light of day, or it may get changed radically so it's not the same as the original concept.

Unless the people posting these rumors on Internet discussion boards actually have access to Jim Lewis' corporate e-mail account, it's likely that they're just hearing things that are being discussed at a lower level in the organization. Thus, the idea or concept may come to fruition if it passes the necessary organization and legal hurdles, or it may not.

To me, it's what comes out of Jim Lewis' mouth at the annual meeting that I pay attention to, 'cause if he's mentioning something as a possibility or something they're looking into, then I know a concept or idea has worked it's way up the organizational food chain and is now a real possibility.

Either that, or he's just placating an angry member during the Q&A session.

 

[PSC]

I admit it - I've read the whole tiered benefits thread. It "could" hurt me but until I see all of the details, I can't get too upset over it. Mostly I enjoy reading the various rumor threads, the the reality is that I like my home resorts. If any change relegated me to only using my home resorts, I'd be just as happy because I'd still be at WDW.

 

[nunzia]

I think it's kind of fun to speculate and see all the opinions and thoughts. However, I'm not at all worried about it. It's going to be what it is and I love my DVC for what it provides me and my family. I won't buy more points so nothing they offer me will encourage that, and I seriously doubt anything will kick in at my 225 point level as far as extra perks. My only concern is if they do make direct buyers different than resale in some fashion that would stifle the resale market since I have always thought that I could sell at a decent price if need be.

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

DVC - Mike - I agree.

But don't doubt DVC uses the DisBoards as a gage of the membership when those balloons are at the middle of the push up the ladder. Plausible deniability can be found in rumors circulated and found to be barbed.

Oh....I would really find it interesting if DVC used the DisBoards as a guage of the membership reaction. Because honestly I really think they don't and there would be a really good reason to NOT pay too close to attention to it.

The people who participate and lurk here on the Dis are, in my opinion, a wonderful and passionate community that obviously love Disney. But let's not kid ourselves. We are a very, very, very, very small % of the people that own DVC. Incredibly small. There are millions of points in DVC, and what was the figure thrown around at the annual meeting? 200,000 members? The percentage that come around here is gotta be in the single digits. We may be pretty vocal, but we're a very small subset.

 

[Dean]

I do pay attention to them but only up to a point. In large part it depends on the source and how much corroboration there is. In general I tend to enjoy discussing such scenarios even if I think they are unlikely. Often rumors are a predecessor to changes with DVC and though the end result may be quite different from the rumor, the fact it's been discussed from different angles give me information and forethought to make decisions to protect myself and puts me in the best position possible to make any changes if necessarily once a given change is actually announced. It also leads to a lot of entertainment as people naively and erroneously try to suggest that X, Y or Z could never happen with Disney because Disney is too worried about their image or what others (including DVC members) might say or do. My favorite entertainment include those that then later state they are going to call and complain once a given change has been made like a single complaint is going to make any difference. Then the further entertainment comes when they post how well DVC listened, were told they'll pass it on the suggestions, etc. There's really an art to patronizing someone without them knowing it or is it just sheep being led to slaughter?