DVC Complaints

[SEC]

We have owned for 10 years and have no complaints. We love being DVC members, we wish we had joined sooner. One thing to keep in mind is to be flexible with resort choices if you are making reservations on short notice. We have always been able to get s room even 2-3 months before a trip, just not at our preferred resort. We have had good luck with wait list.

 

[crisi]

A towel package is available for purchase. We stay in a one or two bedroom wth our kids and have found washing towels to be really easy with the washer right there.

The towel carts are for maid service to get towels from, not guests.

Here are the "pay as you play" rates:

Pay As You Play
All accommodations offer daily housekeeping service with a 24-hour notice and an additional fee.

Pay As You Play
With Pay As You Play service, you'll be provided with the following amenities free of charge at the start of your stay. After that, you may purchase more for the following fees:

* Toiletries Package, $5.00 - 1 facial soap, 1 bath soap, 1 shampoo, 1 conditioner, 1 shower gel
* Coffee Package, $3.00 - 1 package of coffee, 8 sugars, 8 creamers, 8 artificial sweeteners
* Towel Package, $6.00 - 4 bath towels, 2 hand towels, 4 washcloths, 1 bath mat
* Laundry Detergent (only in One-, Two-, and Three-bedroom Vacation Homes), $1.00 - 1 box

Additional Full Cleaning Rates:
Studio/Inn Room - $30.00 per day requested
One-Bedroom - $45.00 per day requested
Two-Bedroom - $60.00 per day requested
Three-Bedroom - $75.00 per day requested

Additional Trash & Towel Rates:
Studio/Inn Room - $15.00 per day requested
One-Bedroom - $20.00 per day requested
Two-Bedroom - $25.00 per day requested
Three-Bedroom - $35.00 per day requested

 

[needtogomore]

Are you saying you steal the towels off the carts]

looks that way, cant believe owners would do this.

 

[JimMIA]

OP's thread is about downsides or things we wished we knew prior to purchasing DVC.

Let's not hijack it into another silly towel thread. C'mon folks!

 

[antnyh]

Thanks again everyone and like I said at the begining, please don't make this a thrashing thread. So sorry about the towels thing, but it is funny that is the biggest complaint I have found online and with personal friends. I called my guide back today and we are writing up another contract to include 240 points instead of 210. We can get a killer loan and the amount our monthly payment doesn't even change with the extra money for 240 points. I now need to find out how to pay DVC. I told my guide that we were going to pay cash since we'd already have the loan, but he said that he'd rewrite our "loan" contract. I don't know if he is confused or me.

Disclaimer...Do not take my next comments as being the viewpoints of anyone other than my wife's and I.

We got a letter in the mail today showing that DVC ran a credit check on us!!! That makes me very upset. They cannot run a credit check without disclosing that and obtaining signatures from us. This is almost a deal breaker. I informed my guide of that and he pretty much brushed it off. He said that we knew it was a load application. I told him we are not stupid and that the loan application hadn't been signed yet. He's debate was the fact that we new we entered a loan agreement while there. We didn't sign anything and w/o a signature it is not lawful to run a check.

Sorry had to vent a little. So upsetting and makes me want to rethink joining!!!

 

[Dean]

Thanks again everyone and like I said at the begining, please don't make this a thrashing thread. So sorry about the towels thing, but it is funny that is the biggest complaint I have found online and with personal friends. I called my guide back today and we are writing up another contract to include 240 points instead of 210. We can get a killer loan and the amount our monthly payment doesn't even change with the extra money for 240 points. I now need to find out how to pay DVC. I told my guide that we were going to pay cash since we'd already have the loan, but he said that he'd rewrite our "loan" contract. I don't know if he is confused or me.

Disclaimer...Do not take my next comments as being the viewpoints of anyone other than my wife's and I.

We got a letter in the mail today showing that DVC ran a credit check on us!!! That makes me very upset. They cannot run a credit check without disclosing that and obtaining signatures from us. This is almost a deal breaker. I informed my guide of that and he pretty much brushed it off. He said that we knew it was a load application. I told him we are not stupid and that the loan application hadn't been signed yet. He's debate was the fact that we new we entered a loan agreement while there. We didn't sign anything and w/o a signature it is not lawful to run a check.

Sorry had to vent a little. So upsetting and makes me want to rethink joining!!!

I'm sure there are those far more knowledgeable than I on this subject but it was my understanding that any expressed intent to purchase was enough justification for them to run a credit check. Another example is that when you agree to tour a timeshare, they can and sometimes do, run a credit check just to see if you qualify and if you don't they will likely cancel the tour. The example I was given a few years ago was if you went on to a car lot to look at cars and they had your personal info, that was enough justification. Things could have changed or I could have been given incorrect info but that's what I was told. If you're working on a contract and planning to finance, they SHOULD run a credit check on you early in the process.

 

[DebbieB]

You signed a loan application, you didn't think they would automatically run a credit check? If they are going to lend me thousands of dollars, I would assume they are going to run a check.

 

[antnyh]

You signed a loan application, you didn't think they would automatically run a credit check? If they are going to lend me thousands of dollars, I would assume they are going to run a check.

Again, as stated before, we signed nothing. I can't stress that enough. I read thoroughly before signing stuff. If we were required to sign I would not have a problem with them running a credit check. My wife does loans for a living at a credit union. You have to give permission in writing before than can run a credit check. Car lots and timeshares cannot go behind the scenes and run a check without your knowledge of doing so.

This is not something I want discussed in the thread, I just wanted to vent about a situation that is about to derail our decision.

 

[hushupu]

it is my understanding that a credit check can not be run without your specific consent. I own some rental property and I was advised by my attorney to include a credit check authorization in the rental application.

 

[walkdmc]

I just became a DVC member (got the email that our DVC sale closed last night!).

I stayed at the Poly last year and our room was not well-cleaned. The restroom smelled like urine, the caulking around the base of the toilet was cracked, then recaulked with layer upon layer and urine that managed to coat those layers-gross. The toilet was also crooked, forcing us to lean to the left when we sat. We also found clothes in the dresser, left by the last guests. We found pants, swim trunks and socks.

So, the issue with housekeeping seems to extend beyond DVC properties. BTW, none of the above things made me call the front desk, or tainted the experience.

 

[Dean]

Again, as stated before, we signed nothing. I can't stress that enough. I read thoroughly before signing stuff. If we were required to sign I would not have a problem with them running a credit check. My wife does loans for a living at a credit union. You have to give permission in writing before than can run a credit check. Car lots and timeshares cannot go behind the scenes and run a check without your knowledge of doing so.

This is not something I want discussed in the thread, I just wanted to vent about a situation that is about to derail our decision.

I think if you look at HERE at the Fair Credit Reporting Act you'll see that a written permission is not required in many situations including those I described.

 

[Chic]

Chic,

I agree that a savy person can, in some circumstances, save money doing a resale.

However, I don't agree that everyone can save tons of money with every add on.

This past December, we added 50 points at AKL. With the additional "on property discount," and the fact that most resale contracts were stripped, we did much better buying direct. We did not save tons of money, but we saved a few pennies and a lot of time.

Everyone's wants and needs are different.

I guess I have been very lucky with purchasing resales during both of my experiences. I wasn't in a hurry, waited for a fully loaded contract which had all points available from previous year, current year, and the following year, and found sellers willing to let their contracts go in the low $60's per point. Since the current DVC rate per point is about $112, I saved about 50%. The seller also paid maintenance fees.

 

[vicki_c]

Because DVC does soft credit inquiries (which don't impact your credit score), I do not believe you have to give any permission. It's no different than getting a pre-approved credit card in the mail - the credit card companies do the same thing.

It's nothing I would get upset about because they do not have to get your permission to do what they did.

Soft inquiry
A soft inquiry, or soft pull, is a term used to refer to an inquiry into your credit history that does not adversely affect the credit score. Often, you are not even aware that there has been a soft inquiry on your credit report. For example, if you receive a solicitation in the mail offering you a credit card, the credit card company has most likely conducted a soft pull to see if you qualify. When mortgage lenders pre-approve you for a loan, they initially use a soft pull. Potential employers use it as a part of background checks, and your current credit card companies use soft inquiries to check up on you. Banks use them to verify that you are who you say you are when opening an account. If you check your own credit report, which you can do for free once a year, this is done with a soft pull. Most of the time, you do not even know when they occur, and they do not affect your credit report.

 

[twinboysmom]

Trying to stay on the OP topic, while I have no regrets, I wish I had understood how difficult it can be to stay some where other than your home resort. We have had some success with this but I don't think we will ever be able to stay at BCV ot VWL. We should have done more research but our guide made it seem so easy. I also would complain that sometimes units are not as clean or well maintained as they should be and while others have reported that they have had their complaints addressed promptly, we have not.

As for valet parking, yes that used to be a DVC perk.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Perhaps it is because though you may purchase your DVC with cash, you are still taking on an obligation to pay the dues for many years which add up considerably? If one were say a deadbeat, would DVC want that person to purchase only to possibly not meet the financial obligation of paying dues? They can of course freeze the account, but it may behoove them to just ROFR that contract from the start if they feel that could be a possibility? Just thinking out loud here..

 

[PoohNFriends]

No complaints here, but then again we became members beginning of April and ended up adding on at end of May so still new at this! It already sounds like the OP is already doing his research, but my advice to everyone considering purchasing is to gather as much information as you can. Use reliable sources in addition to DVC - the DIS boards are a great place to learn along with DVCnews.com. Take notes to sort eveything out if that's a helpful way of learning to you.
I spent a lot of time doing my homework and both times we purchased points both guides commented on how I really knew my stuff about DVC. I obviously still don't know or understand everything and that's when I come to DIS to read thru posts and ask questions of those that have been doing this longer than I. But I'm also surprised at some questions I read on the boards that IMO are basic things that members should have known before investing their money and future time into DVC.
In summary, do your homework, you don't want any less than magical surprises to show up down the line!

Good luck to the OP in your decision making. I hope the credit check isn't a deal breaker for you and everything gets sorted out!

 

[Sammie]

Towels don't bother me, housekeeping issues and maintenance do bother me alot.

Perks, they are ok, but I realize they can come and go. As long as I get what I bought into, I am ok with it.

Lately though I do have concerns that DVC's emphasis is more on expansion and sales and not maintaining the current resorts as well as they did in the past.

 

[antnyh]

Thanks again guys/gals. I think a soft pull is what they probably done. That makes a little more sense than a full blown credit check. We are now waiting to get our new contract. Should get it Tuesday. Can't wait to get everything. We are getting 240 points from 2009 as well, so we may even go on a fall break trip this year just to try things out! That would be great. We have to use the points by May 2011 anyway, so might as well use some this fall. Of course that depends on availability.

 

[blondietink]

Trying to stay on the OP topic, while I have no regrets, I wish I had understood how difficult it can be to stay some where other than your home resort. We have had some success with this but I don't think we will ever be able to stay at BCV ot VWL. We should have done more research but our guide made it seem so easy.

We have been DVC members for over 5 years now and have never stayed at our home resort. We have always been able to get a ressie someplace else, once being just 5 weeks out. I think it probably depends on what time of year you are looking to go. If you always go in high season, your chances of getting a villa someplace other than your home resort are probably slim. although we did get BWV for Food & Wine Fest with no problem one year, OKW the 2nd week of Dec. another year and BCV's in August one year. It also might depend on what type of villa you want. For example,a grand villa will be much more difficult to get anywhere anytime. Just some thoughts.

 

[jarestel]

anynyh, as you read through the information on this and other DVC threads, you'll find that there are folks who care about towels, and those who don't care about towels. Those who have had less than desirable rooms and those who have not had them. Those that think housekeeping and maintenance on DVC units is somewhat lacking and those who feel it's not a big deal if everything isn't showroom clean and in functional working order because it saves on dues. And of course some of us always have a reason (excuse) to justify why things are as they are while others just expect things to be done in an efficient and timely manner.

Bottom line is, it doesn't really matter how someone else feels about any of these things, it's really about how you feel about them. If you're fine with most of the "issues" that members post about here, then great! You're all set. On the other hand, if more than a couple of these things give you pause for concern, then it might not hurt to deliberate a while longer. And keep checking the threads!

Good luck!