DVC Kiosk Sales Misinformation!!

[Sammie]

Is it their job to provide information about usage and other contract stipulations? I don't think so. I think their job is to book people to take tours.

To the OP, did you call the sales center to report the misinformation you overheard and the person giving that misinformation?

If these people's job is to set up appointment with a guide who can answer their questions then they need to being doing that job. They don't need to be sharing wrong information and making a bad impression on the first meeting for this person with DVC. Not everyone that walks to these kiosks have the background that many on here have and I think it is sad that due to that they are mislead. And Yes I expect Bus drivers to know about transportation at Disney. If not don't give me wrong information, simply say "I don't know". I would not expect a bus driver to know about dining. If someone had asked this kiosk person about restaurants and he gave them wrong info it would be different, but the kiosk is respresenting DVC, wrong information about DVC membership is not acceptable.

And yes I reported it. Have not heard back from them at this time.

 

[Tara]

If these people's job is to set up appointment with a guide who can answer their questions then they need to being doing that job. They don't need to be sharing wrong information and making a bad impression on the first meeting for this person with DVC. Not everyone that walks to these kiosks have the background that many on here have and I think it is sad that due to that they are mislead. And Yes I expect Bus drivers to know about transportation at Disney. If not don't give me wrong information, simply say "I don't know". I would not expect a bus driver to know about dining. If someone had asked this kiosk person about restaurants and he gave them wrong info it would be different, but the kiosk is respresenting DVC, wrong information is not acceptable.

And yes I reported it. Have not heard back from them at this time.

I'd be very interested in hearing about the response you get.

Don't take any of my comments to mean that it's okay for the kiosk staffer to give out incorrect information - I do think it's better for everyone involved if someone says "here's how I think it works, but please check with your guide because I could have incorrect or outdated information" or better yet "I just get you to the red van - they don't even let me drive it, so better save your questions for your guide."

 

[disneynutz]

Disney has been undergoing a change during the last several years. It may not be readily apparent, but their new direction is increased profit and as a result, less magic.

Jay Rasulo, the Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is a bean counter and Jim Lewis, DVC President, is a salesman. Their goals are to cut costs, increase profit, and sell more DVC units. Like other companies, they are losing focus on what made Disney the company that we love.

As more pressure is placed on employees to add to the bottom line, things are said, or not said, to prospective DVC owners if it will allow them sell more units, keep their jobs, and make their bosses happy.

Disney has a new employee training program. One of the elements is called "traditions". The history of Walt Disney and the Disney Company and what made Disney famous for the way that they plus the Guest experience. From what I've been told the training has gone from a week long immersion into the Disney philosophy to less than a day long brief overview.

 

[Sammie]

Disney has been undergoing a change during the last several years. It may not be readily apparent, but their new direction is increased profit and as a result, less magic.

Jay Rasulo, the Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is a bean counter and Jim Lewis, DVC President, is a salesman. Their goals are to cut costs, increase profit, and sell more DVC units. Like other companies, they are losing focus on what made Disney the company that we love.

As more pressure is placed on employees to add to the bottom line, things are said, or not said, to prospective DVC owners if it will allow them sell more units, keep their jobs, and make their bosses happy.

Disney has a new employee training program. One of the elements is called "traditions". The history of Walt Disney and the Disney Company and what made Disney famous for the way that they plus the Guest experience. From what I've been told the training has gone from a week long immersion into the Disney philosophy to less than a day long brief overview.

Thanks for saying what I was trying to say. And yes; to those of us who have been going for over 20 years, the change is very apparent.

 

[CarolAnnC]

I agree, this is very shady on Disney's part. This isn't a person driving a boat explaining monorails....this is this person's JOB. You're in a Disney park, this is a Disney employeee, doing his job. You expect the information to be correct.

Actually, the boat captains are Disney employees too. They have been known to embellish and propogate rumors over the years, including circulating the one that the monorail was going to be added on later to the Swan and Dolphin hotels.

ITA!

If a kiosk staffer tells me that I can buy in for "about $10K" and I take the tour and find out that it is really "about $17K", who will I believe?

Don't they still offer a 100 point buy in at AKV? They most definitely did not that long ago. That would put it very close to $10k to buy in....and of course, there is always resale, lol.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Disney has been undergoing a change during the last several years. It may not be readily apparent, but their new direction is increased profit and as a result, less magic.

Jay Rasulo, the Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is a bean counter and Jim Lewis, DVC President, is a salesman. Their goals are to cut costs, increase profit, and sell more DVC units. Like other companies, they are losing focus on what made Disney the company that we love.

As more pressure is placed on employees to add to the bottom line, things are said, or not said, to prospective DVC owners if it will allow them sell more units, keep their jobs, and make their bosses happy.

Disney has a new employee training program. One of the elements is called "traditions". The history of Walt Disney and the Disney Company and what made Disney famous for the way that they plus the Guest experience. From what I've been told the training has gone from a week long immersion into the Disney philosophy to less than a day long brief overview.

Wow, great stuff! Still amazed how you are in "the know"! Thanks for posting!

 

[Hazzard101]

I was taken to The World last September by some friends and my DW. I went kicking and screaming. I came back very impressed and addicted. I went on a tour with my friends and did not buy, my friends did. We thought the process was very low pressure and very well explained. I asked many questions about the products and was given truthful and informative answers. We purchased Saturday from home and are so excited about staying in May.

With all this said, being a newbie and with little knowledge of how things used to be I was impressed with the service and attitude of all CM's That I came in contact with ( with the exception of the mean old bitty that ripped me off at the pretzel stand in H.S.) I grew up with a father who was a Mfg. rep. He has taught me that anyone wearing a uniform with a company name on it needs to be able to represent the company to the public.

If Disney is paying this person to stand under a giant DVC sign with all the DVC books and information I would expect that person have an exceptable knowledge of the product. The kiosk does not say rides to DVC sales sign up. It is set up as an information station. I have yet to meet a CM that ran a ride or just was part of line control that didn't know all about the ride they were working. If you stand under the DVC sign then ,in my humble opinion, you better know your stuff.

To say that this person should not know about the product and that they are just trained to get you in the van, if true, should be looked at as a grave mistake on the part of the coorprate minds in charge of the DVC financial group.

These people are the first contact some people have with DVC and if they are not informed about the product then how do they expect me to get excited about the product. The other thing my father told me was if you don't know the answer tell them you don't know and you will find the answer.
Just my opinion, I hate to see such a great product get such shabby representation. Remember also that there are a few in every crowd and it is our responsability to let Disney know.

 

[Bob Price]

Actually, the boat captains are Disney employees too. They have been known to embellish and propogate rumors over the years, including circulating the one that the monorail was going to be added on later to the Swan and Dolphin hotels.

Those boat captains are the same ones that told me the CRv tower was going to be a DVC. Wait a minute, some of what they say may be true.

 

[kristenrice]

Don't they still offer a 100 point buy in at AKV? They most definitely did not that long ago. That would put it very close to $10k to buy in....and of course, there is always resale, lol.

I forgot that the 100-point minimum was still in effect for AKV. Thank you for correcting that.

But, according to the kiosk person I talked to, you HAVE to buy a minimum of 160 points "to get in the system", even if you don't buy from Disney.

I am not expecting them to promote or even mention the resale market since that is their direct competition. I do expect them not to lie to me though. Obviously, I already had a knowledge of the competition and what they had to offer. I was only stopping at the kiosk to find out where I could find a list of the "500 destinations worldwide". I told him I was not interested in the tour because, if and when we did buy, it would not be from Disney since we only wanted 100 points. That's when he said, "It doesn't matter where you buy from. You still have to buy at least 160 points to get in the system." Had I not known better, I would have been upset that I had no chance of buying DVC since we can't afford 160 points. I know that Disney wanted me to think "Oh, I guess I'll just skip the resale market and buy the 160 points from Disney". But, since I knew better, it just made me a little knowing that either 1) This guy doesn't know what he is selling or 2) This guy is playing dirty pool to try and get me to take a tour of something I probably know more about than he does.

 

[toocherie]

When I stopped and made my appointment to tour at a DVC booth in California (in DTD) I started asking the person at the booth questions and they made it very clear to me that they were unable to answer a lot of questions because they were not licensed salespersons. Maybe it's different in Florida, but at least here they really are just giving the mere basics and not answering questions. (and at that point I knew the answers already having done all my reading here on the DVC board for a month or two!)

 

[Dean]

Soooooo, what you're saying is that not only should we doubt what they tell us, but that we should also not believe a word they are saying?

Unless it's in writing, that's correct. There are so many nuances to these issues that they could be answering one question and you could be thinking another and even a 100% correct answer could mislead you.

I agree with your evaluation, but I do think it is wrong of DVC to allow uninformed people at these kiosks. They are the "first impression" given to prospective buyers, and to give them sketchy or incorrect information can do NOTHING but hurt the eventual sales process.

No doubt it was wrong of him to even give out the info and then when busted, to be rude to Sammie. As noted, they are representatives of Disney in general.

If the Kiosk CM gave the misleading information that was reported then it was wrong to do so. The concept of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) died about 80 years ago. The assumption that everyone who walks up to one of those Kiosks is somehow a sophisticated purchaser who knows he shouldn't rely on what that person says is an assumption that courts have been rejecting for just as long. That Kiosk worker is not wearing a sign that says "Don't believe what I say." He is officially "Disney" and people are entitled to believe the person is telling the truth and knows what he is talking about. A timeshare seller is not allowed to make misrepresentations about the product and it matters not whether that misrep comes from the sales person or the guy standing behind the kiosk. Nevertheless, my best guess is that DVD does instruct these people as to what they are allowed to say and not say and what has been reported is beyond what they are allowed to say. In other words, Disney likely controls its program but it cannot control every act an employee might commit.

Several problems. One is you sign that verbal representations are not binding if not in writing otherwise. Another is proving it happened, that is, unless Sammie wants to go to court to testify in this exact example.

 

[M-I-C-K-E-Y]

Actually, the boat captains are Disney employees too. They have been known to embellish and propogate rumors over the years, including circulating the one that the monorail was going to be added on later to the Swan and Dolphin hotels.

Boat captains are employed specifically for transportation.

DVC kiosk representatives are employed specifically for selling time shares.

A boat captain telling a tall tale or giving incorrect information doesn't have the potential for costing you (much) money. However, there is the potential of fraud resulting from incorrect information being given at a DVC kiosk.

Why defend, justify or try to explain away this action folks?

 

[Dean]

Why defend, justify or try to explain away this action folks?

I don't think anyone's defending the action, only questioning the decision and wisdom of anyone that buys based on info (any info) from such a group. Timeshares are things that are generally sold to people, most don't go out with the intent to buy. Most are only worth a fraction of what one pays. DVC is certainly a notch above many (but not all) in those regards, but the principles still apply. They are essentially NOT a part of the equation other than possibly setting up a tour for some.

 

[disneynutz]

I was taken to The World last September by some friends and my DW. I went kicking and screaming. I came back very impressed and addicted. I went on a tour with my friends and did not buy, my friends did. We thought the process was very low pressure and very well explained. I asked many questions about the products and was given truthful and informative answers. We purchased Saturday from home and are so excited about staying in May.

Before you bought, did they tell you that buying during a Disney Cruse or from one of the remote sales centers usually is a better deal?

That you can buy a smaller contract and save money by buying resale?

That wait-lists seem to be becoming the norm and that they just changed the rules so you can only have two active at one time?

Did they tell you that if you want a desirable resort at a popular time of year, you should call at 9:00 AM EST 11 months before your travel date and keep redialing until you get through.

That many of the resorts are worn and in need of maintenance?

That they just changed the points charts for 2010 and that some members now require additional points for the same vacation. Our family requires 30 more points per year in order to schedule our favorite vacation times.

That using points for anything other than the DVC resorts at WDW is not a good value?

These are examples of what many new buyers are not told. I hope that your Guide was honest and covered you on the above.

 

[keishashadow]

The Advance Sales Associates are a dime a dozen and they are paid based upon their tour referrals. They are not licensed real estate agents so legally their information is not binding.

The Guides are licensed agents so they have to be more careful about what they say and do.

speaking as realtor, unless it's in writing u cannot count on any verbal real estate information from any agent or sub-agent of seller as binding ...that's why they have disclosure statements. yes, we do adhere to a code of ethics, yet what we say can easily be misinterpreted by an over eager buyer or seller.

When I stopped and made my appointment to tour at a DVC booth in California (in DTD) I started asking the person at the booth questions and they made it very clear to me that they were unable to answer a lot of questions because they were not licensed salespersons. Maybe it's different in Florida, but at least here they really are just giving the mere basics and not answering questions. (and at that point I knew the answers already having done all my reading here on the DVC board for a month or two!)

we asked @ kiosk outside of DLH last summer, rep sent us over to model site, giving us detailed directions. We went as soon as they opened the next day (very nice model btw ). They didn't appear especially pleased to see us & said there would be a long wait. I indicated i had time to spare ; miraculously a guide became immediately available as several more DVC members popped in for lookie see. (Ive got a feeling the kiosk guides were brought up to speed in a hurry! )

The rep admitted they take great pains to not have existing members and new prospects co-mingle on same tours . Perhaps they're worried existing DVCers might infect the noobs with our own special brand of pixie dust

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Before you bought, did they tell you that buying during a Disney Cruse or from one of the remote sales centers usually is a better deal?

That you can buy a smaller contract and save money by buying resale?

That wait-lists seem to be becoming the norm and that they just changed the rules so you can only have two active at one time?

Did they tell you that if you want a desirable resort at a popular time of year, you should call at 9:00 AM EST 11 months before your travel date and keep redialing until you get through.

That many of the resorts are worn and in need of maintenance?

That they just changed the points charts for 2010 and that some members now require additional points for the same vacation. Our family requires 30 more points per year in order to schedule our favorite vacation times.

That using points for anything other than the DVC resorts at WDW is not a good value?

These are examples of what many new buyers are not told. I hope that your Guide was honest and covered you on the above.

Hmmm...something tells me "no"!

 

[Hazzard101]

Before you bought, did they tell you that buying during a Disney Cruse or from one of the remote sales centers usually is a better deal?

That you can buy a smaller contract and save money by buying resale?

That wait-lists seem to be becoming the norm and that they just changed the rules so you can only have two active at one time?

Did they tell you that if you want a desirable resort at a popular time of year, you should call at 9:00 AM EST 11 months before your travel date and keep redialing until you get through.

That many of the resorts are worn and in need of maintenance?

That they just changed the points charts for 2010 and that some members now require additional points for the same vacation. Our family requires 30 more points per year in order to schedule our favorite vacation times.

That using points for anything other than the DVC resorts at WDW is not a good value?

These are examples of what many new buyers are not told. I hope that your Guide was honest and covered you on the above.

My DW and I have two friends who are DVC owners and We did a lot of research. We didn't just blindly join. It was September when we were at te World and we bought last weekend. We did our homework. I would caution anyone that is interested to go on the tour and listen to the speil and then ask your questions. Then wait till you get back home and think about it. Ask questions on these boards and talk to people like the one quoted.

In defense of the sales people. Being in sales myself before, it is not really the job of the sales representative to add to the concerns of the prospective buyer. For example, if you were going to buy a car would you expect the sales person to tell you yo could get a better deal on the car from the dealer in the next town? would you expect him to tell you that there have been many complaints that the car never gets out of high gear when going up hill? I don't believe it is the sellers responsibility to tell you all the in's and out's unless you ask a specific question. I believe the buyer has a responsibility
to do their homework before deciding to make such a big purchase.

I would think that many people probably make a snap decision while in the throws of Disney magic and then regret the decision. Or find they did not ask the right questions. That is why they tell you that you have 10 days to cancel your deal.

 

[disneynutz]

Disney gives you 10 days to cancel because it's Florida law, not because they are being nice. Disney has always had a higher standard and most buyers assume that buying a Disney DVC Membership is different than buying something else. Sadly it isn't.

Buyers really need to do their homework and rent points to check things out before they buy.

 

[LIFERBABE]

You all do realize that we are only hearing ONE side of this story of an OVERHEARD converstation.......Lots of "quick to judge"

Do we really expect the lying "seat filler" to post here?

I went to Doorway to Dreams on Feb 15 2009 and pretty much heard the same thing from the lady posted on the door.

Plus she said I could "GASP" RENT MY POINTS!
(I know we can, but people dont believe that DVC sells this way)

My favorite place to hang out at SSR is Community Hall. I get a kick out of the many guides bringing their tours thru, spreading misinformation. In the beginning I wanted to jump in and correct them, but it was so rampant I refrained.

So Thank you to the OP for trying to keep a bit of magic

 

[Sammie]

Thanks to everyone that understood why this upset me. I really like my DVC, I can accept changes that enhance the membership even if they personally do not affect me in a positive manner.

But Disneynutz very accurately described what is happening at Disney and DVC lately and I find it very upsetting.

If as members we do not put checks and balances on the way DVC is run, pretty soon we will all lose out.

Just because I like DVC does not mean I have to accept everything they do without questioning the reason or the manner in which they do it.

I don't expect a kiosk worker to have all the information, I do expect them to be able to answer specific questions with accurate information or if not, then to refer that question to someone that can.