DVC provides second class Housekeeping and Maintenance

[OhioDVC]

I've been a DVC member for about 20 years and my family and I have truly enjoyed some great times at DVC resorts, but DVC is falling behind the industry standard in providing housekeeping and maintenance.

I own timeshares at:
DVC- OKW,BCV,VWL,SSR,HHI,Aulani, and VGC
Marriott - Hilton Head Island
Waterside by Spinnaker - Hilton Head Island
Club Intrawest - Florida, MX and Canada
Fiesta Americana - MX
Wyndham - Destin, FL

IMO DVC has fallen behind all of these other timeshares in providing housekeeping and maintenance

My summer vacations this year provided a good contrast between DVC and other timeshare companies.

We stayed at Hilton Head with DVC July 9-16 in a two bedroom and July 31-Aug 6 in a two bedroom at Club Intrawest at Blue Mountain, Ontario Canada

Club Intrawest sleep 6 DVC sleeps 8

Housekeeping upon arrival
Club Intrawest (CI) - perfect, 8+ of everything but room only sleeps 6
Towels (bath, hand, wash cloth) for 9 plus 9 more pool towels

DVC Hilton Head- Room missing kitchen towels, pot holders, only 5, 6 or 7 of plates cups, glasses, silverware etc - never 8 of anything. Towels - bath 7, hand -5 wash cloths -4

CI - laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent for entire stay
DVC- one of each only

CI - ran out of toliet paper, 3 new rolls in 5 minutes with apology for not leaving enough to begin with
DVC - ran out of TP - 8 hours later and 3 phones call we got one roll from CM with an attitude

CI - electronic lock batteries went dead, replaced in 7 minutes
DVC - electronic lack batteries went dead, replaced 3 hours later

CI - problem with dishwasher (operator error) MX responded in 6 minutes
DVC - MX came back next day after fixing lock for same problem, only waited 2 hours this time

CI - complete cleaning at 4 nights and EVERYTHING was perfect
DVC - trash and tidy after 4 nights and nothing was right - housekeeping totally skipped one bath all together, did not take out trash.

I informed the front desk about the problems and they really didn't seem to care. The only response was that it was their busy season.

DVC is falling behind!

 

[cseca]

Have you contacted member satisfaction regarding your experience?
Not saying they'd do anything about it but I think the minimum they'd do is call you to say that they've received your email.

 

[OhioDVC]

Member Satisfaction provided a very nice response saying all the right things.

I felt they had a canned response for housekeeping complaints.

 

[Bets19]

The front desk people/mgrs don't know how to really handle this type of problems. I had a unfortunate housekeeping problem last fall in AKV and ended up speaking with the Resort General manager. He had no idea there were problems to the level we were having. We brought up the fact that other guests were complaining too but it wasn't going beyond the front desk. (bus stop chit chat and smoker area gossip) I would try and find out who is the top manager in charge and let them know. If enough of us get to that level hopefully some change will occur. (yes I am an optimist)

 

[mjstaceyuofm]

I've been a DVC member for about 20 years and my family and I have truly enjoyed some great times at DVC resorts, but DVC is falling behind the industry standard in providing housekeeping and maintenance.

I own timeshares at:
DVC- OKW,BCV,VWL,SSR,HHI,Aulani, and VGC
Marriott - Hilton Head Island
Waterside by Spinnaker - Hilton Head Island
Club Intrawest - Florida, MX and Canada
Fiesta Americana - MX
Wyndham - Destin, FL

Wow - is your job to vacation or did you hit the Powerball?

Seriously - this goes hand in hand with the Jim Lewis being fired thread. Aulani may have been his undoing, but the lack of maintenance and corner-cutting through-out DVC on his watch I'm sure didn't help him in his demise.

It does seem like standard operating procedure at DVC to correct problems after they've been reported by guests vs. fixing them when noticed.

 

[Golden Rose]

We haven't been DVC members for nearly as long as you have, nor do we have other timeshares to compare it to. (We love to cruise, and we like to vary where we go, so we stay in hotels a fair amount. I know it isn't really fair to compare DVC units to hotel rooms, but I can't help myself, since that's what I have to compare it to.) In terms of room theming and size, we prefer our DVC units to most of the other places we've stayed. In terms of maintenance issues and cleanliness, we've found them to be among the worst, but we generally stay at pretty nice hotels. I admit that I haven't known if the lower standards for both maintenance and cleanliness was DVC in particular, or timeshares in general. We probably wouldn't have returned to a hotel that had consistently had as many issues as we've noticed with DVC, and it is actually a reason I've been hesitant to purchase any other timeshares.

We've had some sort of housekeeping or maintenance issue on about half our DVC trips, ranging from rooms being truly not cleaned when we checked in and went to our room, (including sheets mussed and "played" in, and open drinks on tables) to broken air conditioners in our rooms during the summer months. In comparison, it's hardly worth mentioning the fact that we've consistently had lights either burnt out or broken, and used coffee grounds in almost all the coffee pots. We have always reported it, except for things like the coffee grounds, which I just cleaned up myself and didn't sweat. (I noticed it and remembered it, but I didn't stress about it, if that makes sense.) Sometimes they've moved us quickly to a new room, sometimes they just fixed the problem, but I will say, they've always either moved us or eventually taken care of everything I've pointed out on the day I've pointed it out.

I will admit that I haven't followed up with Member Satisfaction. I've always felt like they handled the issues I've called about. It hasn't ruined any of my trips, but it has made for several less than magical hours of hassle.

 

[Dizny Dad]

I travel often (for work, not play - dang ), and will agree that I have had problems of numerous kinds from time to time with all hotels (Hampton Inn type places) and DVC Resorts. I have never had a totally uncleaned room with DVC, but have experienced all the little things mentioned so far.

It is the wear and tear I have noticed that makes me feel the luster is dulling from the initial experience with DVC. So many dinks, marks, gashes in the furniture, really worn carpets, and sliding doors that don't.

And don't get me started with the front desk at the DVC Resorts handling my accounts when trying to use gift cards issued by DVC for add ons or for attending sales events. You would have thought they were stolen. I was once told that the DVC lodge was not an authorized Disney facility for using the gift card!

I still love my DVC, and DiznyDi, my DVC honey!

 

[disneynutz]

This is one of DVC's biggest problems IMO and one that should be easy to fix if they cared to do so. A few years ago problems were acted upon quickly and you really got the feeling like the CM's cared, today it's like they are so use to the complaints, they could care less and you are bothering them about nothing because the whole place is screwed up.

Hopefully the new management over the DVC will make a positive change.

Bill

 

[Dizny Dad]

I hope Claire Bilby reads this thread.

 

[OhioDVC]

Wow - is your job to vacation or did you hit the Powerball?

.

No, just years of careful planning. I retired from the Air Force last year after 33 years. The last couple of years we expanded our timeshare ownership and rented out 50% until I retired. That way it helped with the acquisition cost. With the slow economy and buying mostly off of the resale market prices where VERY reasonable. My kids (21 & 23) were always very helpful in using my extra timeshare weeks/points.

Now we get to enjoy it

 

[JWG]

First, how likely is it to have such similar problems at both locations? I've never had the power lock batteries die at any resort/hotel I've been at ever - much less twice in the same travel year. Same with the a dishwasher, never had an issue with one at DVC.

That's just unlucky in some respects. But good to have as comparison. While the Member Satisfaction team maybe didn't seem to react as you'd hoped, letting them know is right. It's only with verifiable recorded complaints that DVC will know there's an issue.

I've learned that the best hope for remedy is:
= Notify the GM of the property at the time to hopefully get an expedient resolution
= Notify Member Satisfaction during or following the stay for record keeping

I only do the GM thing if the issue isn't resolved or if there are multiple issues. Otherwise, I just notify the appropriate party to resolve. IE, during our last AKV stay we had 3 minor issues (luggage stand missing a bolt, TV remote missing and something missing from the kitchenette). They were all resolved within 90 minutes with a call to housekeeping, never called the front desk or requested a manager.

 

[Sammie]

Personally I think that instead of saying DVC provides second class housekeeping and maintenance a better take on it would be that DVC is not consistent with the quality of it's housekeeping and maintenance.

It really seems to vary greatly from resort to resort and even room to room in the same resort.

Plus one major problem with DVC and missing items there is no punishment for taking them. Other timeshares we have stayed in are very strict about check in, No one checks in until 4pm and after, ever. Which allows time to properly clean. And they take a credit card at check in for damaged or missing items.

I for one am all for this, including the enforced check in time.

One of the things that has hurt Disney resorts including DVC ones in the past couple of years, is that Disney downsized it's management team including the GMs at the resorts and they all have multiple job responsiblities. Some have two or more resorts to oversee, some have a large resort and the college program housing to oversee, it really affected management of the resorts.

This change would have come for the top as it Eiger and the board.

 

[drusba]

Member Satisfaction provided a very nice response saying all the right things.

I felt they had a canned response for housekeeping complaints.

Yes, they have a huge amount experience responding to complaints, particularly about housekeeping and manitenance.

 

[OhioDVC]

First, how likely is it to have such similar problems at both locations? I've never had the power lock batteries die at any resort/hotel I've been at ever - much less twice in the same travel year.

Actually, you are correct. DVC came to fix the door lock and change the batteries. They had to come back the next day because it really wasn't the batteries but a moisture problem affect the lock.

Didn't want to make it a novel

 

[JWG]

Actually, you are correct. DVC came to fix the door lock and change the batteries. They had to come back the next day because it really wasn't the batteries but a moisture problem affect the lock.

Didn't want to make it a novel

Florida humidity sucks. With the new thermostats in the rooms that turn off air with no movement, surprised there aren't more problems.

 

[dvcterry]

I am all for going green but the motion sensor thermostat in the master suite wasn't functioning properly. every time we moved it "chirped" all night long. Maintenance said they are hard wired and suggested we wear ear phones or not move during the night!