DVC Member Treatment

[granmanh603]

Just a simple observation after a few years of reading posts on here. Some people seems to always find trouble and are treated"badly" and others never seem to have a problem, me included. Does this seems like a coicidence to you? I happen to know someone like that they always find something wrong to complain about or their day or trip is not complete . Also like you all said for some reason they think they are intitled to more.
As for the person who asked the CM to call about his PM , my take on that is he was off base first.....he was the one that was running late, it was his problem, he also lied. There are house phones in the lobby that he could have used to call himself...the CM is not his personal assistant. I would have been embarassed to have asked. And he makes it look bad for the rest of us who are considerate. JMO.

 

[Daitcher]

Question: I've seen on multiple postings how DVC members tend to get treated like 2nd class citizens....but I've never seen any explanation or background.
Can anyone shed some light for someone that's not yet a DVC member? Is this true? I would think they would treat DVC members like gold, but that's just an "external" opinion. If they treat DVC members "poorly" why? Can anyone share stories or background?
Thanks!!

Here is the problem folks..... DVC members have this feeling of entitlement. Other timeshare members have similiar feelings of entitlement. They feel like.. " I bought in for $15,000 -$20,000, I am an owner, I want this and that, etc. I've heard these comments first hand from owners of DVC and Marriott Timeshares. I had a lady go through the roof when I checked into the Aruba Marriott Surf Club this past February. She found out that was a cash guest and was furious that I got a "better" room than her. She was no more entitled to that room than I was. At $775 per night I deserve a decent room just like her. She felt, and many others feel that since they are owners they deserve the best room, all their requests met, and preferential treatment. Guess what we deserve nothing but what we payed for and that is a room. Getting your requests met and having a nice CM are bonuses. Perks and other discounts are bonuses. We are not entitled to more than any other guest. Once you buy in forget about it. All you have done in essence is pre-pay for future trips. You don't OWN WDW, you do not deserve any more than anyone else. That being said, I can see where the CM's have a tough time with certain DVC members who display this attitude. Hearing how they are owners over and over would frustrate even the most patient CM. Lets all give these people the respect they deserve and stop the whining when you don't get exactly what you want. This leads to my suggestion of going with a room ready system with no requests except HA & NS being allowed. We'd all be the better for it.


DAVE

 

[jarestel]

Dave, as I said before, you can find plenty of stories on the resorts boards detailing what those guests perceive as shoddy treatment from CMs. And they're not DVC members, so one can only speculate as to why this happens. I'm not willing to chalk it up to DVC members being any more whiny than any other group. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but after a good many stays as a member, I've yet to witness my first DVC member meltdown. If it was as common as legend would have it, I'd think I'd have seen at least one by now.

WDW resort guests have way more view, location, and N/S expectations than DVC members since they have more rooms to choose from. And yet they're not spared this perceived shoddy treatment either. Why would a CM at the BC treat a cash guest with demanding view locations great and a DVC member at BCV with a view request badly? The answer is both seem to get equal treatment, sometimes good, sometimes bad. The common denominator is the CM who may or may not be having a good day at check-in time.

 

[bicker]

As a DVC Member, I have not only never felt like a second-class citizen, but rather I've often felt like Disney was especially glad I was there.

 

[kathleena]

As for the person who asked the CM to call about his PM , my take on that is he was off base first.....he was the one that was running late, it was his problem, he also lied. There are house phones in the lobby that he could have used to call himself...the CM is not his personal assistant. I would have been embarassed to have asked. And he makes it look bad for the rest of us who are considerate. JMO.

That is exactly right - I never said the CM had any issue here at all to provoke the guest - someone else here read all of that into my post.

Quite the opposite. The guest came up to her with the attitude, making demands, accusations and spouting lies. She merely, and very politely, stated the policy, said she wasn't sure she could do anything, never, ever gave him any kind of attitude at all, she never reprimanded him, never refused to call - nothing, just a mere statement - and he was a complete and utter jerk right from his very first word. He didn't allow her to even offer to call - he just demanded it.

 

[mitros]

After 14 years as members, and over 350 check-ins, I can say, without hesitation, that we have never had a problem with a CM giving us grief or not doing everything they possibly could to solve any difficulties.... Yea, watch now that I have said that, when we go to SSR on Thursday, a CM is probably going to wack me with a baseball bat or something. { }

 

[Dean]

Certainly DVC members expect more, they should. However, Disney is giving less because that's all they have to do, not a lot less, just a little here and there.

 

[Dean]

Certainly DVC members expect more, they should, up to a point. But there's no reason to be rude on either side. However, Disney is giving less because that's all they have to do, not a lot less, just a little here and there.

 

[cdpa4d]

Here is the problem folks..... DVC members have this feeling of entitlement. Other timeshare members have similiar feelings of entitlement. They feel like.. " I bought in for $15,000 -$20,000, I am an owner, I want this and that, etc. I've heard these comments first hand from owners of DVC and Marriott Timeshares. I had a lady go through the roof when I checked into the Aruba Marriott Surf Club this past February. She found out that was a cash guest and was furious that I got a "better" room than her. She was no more entitled to that room than I was. At $775 per night I deserve a decent room just like her. She felt, and many others feel that since they are owners they deserve the best room, all their requests met, and preferential treatment. Guess what we deserve nothing but what we payed for and that is a room. Getting your requests met and having a nice CM are bonuses. Perks and other discounts are bonuses. We are not entitled to more than any other guest. Once you buy in forget about it. All you have done in essence is pre-pay for future trips. You don't OWN WDW, you do not deserve any more than anyone else. That being said, I can see where the CM's have a tough time with certain DVC members who display this attitude. Hearing how they are owners over and over would frustrate even the most patient CM. Lets all give these people the respect they deserve and stop the whining when you don't get exactly what you want. This leads to my suggestion of going with a room ready system with no requests except HA & NS being allowed. We'd all be the better for it.


DAVE

Dave I agree and understand what you are saying. Please don't flame me as I am just writing as I see it. Disney ran a marketing campaign about 3 or 4 years ago for DVC. It said all over the DVC advertising and marketing materials in big letters "Own A Piece Of The Magic!"

I agree with some of what you are saying, but Disney may have created their own problem. Some DVC members actually believe they own a piece of WDW because of this add campaign that was run 3 or 4 years ago. In turn some DVC members feel like they Own A Piece Of The Magic and deserve preferential treatment. This is just a theory of mine.

It's probably a good thing they changed their slogan to "Discover The Best Kept Disney Secret!" I think that is a better fit for what DVC is trying to convey to their potential customers.

 

[rayelias]

After After 14 years as members, and over 350 check-ins, I

Mitros,

YOU are my new mentor.

350 check-ins in 14 years. Now THAT'S living!

 

[JeanJoe]

Mitros,

YOU are my new mentor.

350 check-ins in 14 years. Now THAT'S living!

Ooohhh... 350 / 14 = 25/year = on average, a check-in every 2 weeks...

I want to be you!

 

[Disney Doll]

I've never had a problem with a CM...at least not one that stands out enough so that I remember it. I also don't approach CMs with a lousy attitude, a list of demands, a sense of entitlement or anything else other than a pleasant demeanor.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

Question: I've seen on multiple postings how DVC members tend to get treated like 2nd class citizens....but I've never seen any explanation or background.
Can anyone shed some light for someone that's not yet a DVC member? Is this true? I would think they would treat DVC members like gold, but that's just an "external" opinion. If they treat DVC members "poorly" why? Can anyone share stories or background?
Thanks!!

While the focus of this thread so far has been interaction with CM's, there are other aspects to the word "treatment" as it pertains to DVC.

Since we joined in 2001, there has been some "taken for granted" treatment from Disney, especially in regards to the following:

1) Points costs for exchanges...while we knew when we purchased that staying at DVC resorts is the best use of points, we did want to sample some other vacation options by using points. This would include DCL, Disney Hotels, and external exchanges. In a few short years, Disney has really raised the "point" charges for these non-DVC options to a ridiculous level from when we initially joined in 2001. In some cases they have doubled/tripled in a few years. And, the trend continues. This has diminished the vacation value of the overall program. And IMO, it is an example of 2nd class, or "cash-cow" treatment for DVC members.

2) Many DVC sponsored member events come at a cost that exceeds comparable Disney activities and services.

The lack of a pass discount also was also poor treatment, IMO. Fortunetly, Disney has made some changes , and I'm very happy we now get a decent park pass discount now.

It will be interesting to see how Disney reacts over time to the ever growing DVC membership. We have had many positive vacation experiences and look forward to many more. We certainly expect the legendary Disney hospitality that we purchased along with our real estate interest.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

duplicate

 

[ORD2KOA]

We've just returned from another great trip to OKW. I don't remember ever having a problem with Cast Members.

Our accommodations have always been as requested, and I feel that they go out of their way to accommodate members. As an example, my sister has come down from Chicago to meet us for a portion of our stay on two occasions. Both times (the most recent was last week), they not only arranged for her studio unit to be in the same building (which is what I requested), but assigned her to the adjoining room to our one-bedroom unit.

My biggest complaint when we joined 10 years ago was that we couldn't get accommodations when we would make a last minute decision to go to Orlando. With the growth of DVC on-site accommodations (and probably because of my need to plan ahead since moving to Hawaii), this is no longer an issue.

Nancy

 

[granmanh603]

DVC members demanding or expecting special treatment????????? A post today asking about a SPECIFIC room number at BWV???????? Is it just me that thinks this is expecting special treatment? I read somewhere on here recently that all they are accepting is requests for NS or handicap rooms. I hope that is true it would put and end to all this other stuff and people couldn't complain if they don't get their choice of room.

 

[dianeschlicht]

DVC members demanding or expecting special treatment????????? A post today asking about a SPECIFIC room number at BWV???????? Is it just me that thinks this is expecting special treatment? I read somewhere on here recently that all they are accepting is requests for NS or handicap rooms. I hope that is true it would put and end to all this other stuff and people couldn't complain if they don't get their choice of room.

Amen! My sentiments exactly! General requests about view or location are one thing but these asking for specific "best room" things drive me nuts. A few weeks back I posted asking if folks thought there was a lot of this going on because of rentals. I still think a lot of those posts are from renters, but certainly not all of them.

 

[Beca]

I think some CM's do have issues with DVC members. We all know how much I ADORE BCV, but I did get the feeling there that we were being "snubbed". Now, maybe that has nothing to do with us being DVC members...but, I never felt that anywhere else in WDW. Fortunately, I am not one to be "put off" by such things...and I am SOOOO glad I own points there.

However, I remember seeing a post not long ago on the resort board about a couple that got moved to the Yacht Club because the BC was too "noisy and crowded with kids running all over the lobby". The guest commented specfically about a kid who pulled the curtains down of the lobby wall because they were climbing on them and the parent seemed not to care. When this guest complained to the CM at the front desk, her reply was not, "Well, Cape May has a character breakfast so there are a lot of children waiting for that in the morning". But, rather, "Well, since Beach Club added a DVC wing, there are a lot of guests who CRAM a lot of extra people in their rooms."

That comment says a lot!!! It implies NOT that we are demanding or rude, but simply that we are trashy and do not follow Disney's rules of how many people we can "cram" into a room!! I couldn't imagine!!! With a separate bedroom and our own kitchen and living room.....why on Earth would a DVC member need to hang around the lobby??!!! I would MUCH rather hang out in my living room!!!

The fact that this CM is blaming the guests complaints on DVC members is what bothers me most. This kind of complaint has NO basis in fact, but it is something that I think happens a lot....CM's both among themselves and between themselves and paying guests represent DVC members as trashy and slovenly. I am MORE horrified that a CM would discuss this with a non-DVC guest, than I would be if that particular CM treated me badly. I also wouldn't be too bothered if the CM had said, "We have a lot of demanding DVC members who like to think they own the place." That could be true as well!! But, to say that DVC members allow their children to climb the curtains in the lobby because they have crammend too many people in their rooms and therefore spend all their time in the lobby letting their kids run wild...absolutely not!!!

Still love my BCV, though!!!



Beca

 

[joepoe]

While the focus of this thread so far has been interaction with CM's, there are other aspects to the word "treatment" as it pertains to DVC.

Since we joined in 2001, there has been some "taken for granted" treatment from Disney, especially in regards to the following:

1) Points costs for exchanges...while we knew when we purchased that staying at DVC resorts is the best use of points, we did want to sample some other vacation options by using points. This would include DCL, Disney Hotels, and external exchanges. In a few short years, Disney has really raised the "point" charges for these non-DVC options to a ridiculous level from when we initially joined in 2001. In some cases they have doubled/tripled in a few years. And, the trend continues. This has diminished the vacation value of the overall program. And IMO, it is an example of 2nd class, or "cash-cow" treatment for DVC members..

This doesnt bother me so much. It is all about supply and demand. If a night on the cruise ship is worth more to to Disney than a night that I give them at OKW or BWV, then they are going to want more points from me as an exchange. Remember, when they take your points as an exchange for a night, they need to rent out that night to make a buck. I am not saying I like it, but I understand the profit motive.

 

[Califgirl]

We just got back from using our DVC points at the Grand Californian and while we really enjoyed our stay, I will admit check-in was a bit of a surprise for us. This is about our 7th or 8th stay at the GCH, so I knew what to expect. We went to celebrate my husband's birthday, so I splurged for the concierge level. Generally, the concierge level (or craftsman club level, as I think it is called now) has it's own express check in. This is not usually an issue for us, but the regular lines were sooo long that I decided to see if we could get a CM to 'express check' us in. When I asked the CM at the front of the check in line, he took my name, checked on the computer and said we were not concierge guests, and did not qualify for concierge privileges. I was surprised, and showed him the confirmation letter that stated concierge, and he said, "oh, there have been some changes." What?

Anyway, he was pretty dismissive and said I could go over to the hotel concierge desk if I wanted further clarification. So, i stood in line behind folks asking questions and getting PS's, and when I was finally helped, the CM again said I did not have concierge privileges. I handed her my confirmation letter, and asked her to please double check (which she graciously did). She came back, apologized for the misunderstanding, told us we did have concierge privileges. She then procedeed to express check us in (the line was still mega long for the front desk check-in).

The point is, the CM's were nice, however they were just not informed about DVC reservations. There is some sort of communication glitch between member services and the hotel properties that get our reservations. Our reservations do not seem to translate into 'regular' reservations, but are somehow put off to the side, or something. This is espcially unfortunate at the Disneyland Resorts because they are pushing DVC BIG right now. There was a DVC desk in the lobby, in DD and in Disneyland park. On the plus side, when we were checking out, I heard another couple check in and they were using points and they got a big, enthusiastic 'Welcome Home, glad to have to have you using your DVC membership here!' So, hopefully things will be changing with respect to CM's knowing about DVC.