DVC Sales SARCASM e-mail !!!

[DVCLiz]

DVC "guide" shouldn't have bothered sending the e-mail at all, or could have at least personalized it nicely, saying if your deal doesn't go through, please come back and buy through us. It was inappropriate, and she knew that.

I was given this DVC phone number (twice) - through another Disney 800# I had called and also by the reseller who couldn't answer all my questions. No one represented to me that it was another sales office - it was just the number to call to get my questions answered. It occurred to me it was a sales office when I found out that only the same person could talk to me a 2nd time - know that means commission system. They should have a better way to represent they are a sales office only.

Also to announce to me, both directly over the phone and indirectly through this e-mail, that Disney was going to definately buy back my contract was rude and inappropriate.

I tihnk you are over-reacting here. While I agree the sales person vented some frustration your way, and that it's not the way we would want to be treated, you are making more of this than you need to.

Settle down, wait for your contract to pass ROFR, and start planning your WDW trip. FTR, this guide will always be assigned to you so best to get over this perceived slight now. You won't have any other dealings with your guide unless you decide to purchase additional points through Disney, so stop making this into something it really isn't.

 

[snowbunny]

DVC "Guides" are a timeshare sales force. That's it.

You've asked her to invest her time gratis so that you can buy the product she sells -- on which she would earn a commission if you purchased with her -- from someone else.

I'm amazed that you are amazed by the response.

 

[kdepot]

Also to announce to me, both directly over the phone and indirectly through this e-mail, that Disney was going to definately buy back my contract was rude and inappropriate.

I've read this thread thru I can't read into this as the sales person will now call someone higher up and ROFR your resale.

Before I bought DVC I did my research on the boards (and still do).
Questions about member perks are available on this board and at least 2 others I read.

Think how a reseller would feel if after working with someone they change and go the direct DVC route. Same answer IMHO

 

[cseca]

OP, sorry you had a bad call... hopefully your future calls will be better received.

Just a note to others that may be reading this thread.

When a prospective buyer contacts DVD, (Disney Vacation Development) the sales division of the DVC, they are assigned a Guide that is their single point of contact from then on. That person is still your Guide, even if you buy resale.

DVC has become a huge profit center for Disney and as a result, the pressure for sales has increased. The Guides reaction to the OP wasn't professional but the Guide thought that she had a hot prospect and she felt used when you went resale. In her eyes you waisted her time and took food off of her table.

These reports are increasing because Disney has hired a batch of new Guides so the competition has really increased.



Bill

Hmm... does this mean OP will have this person as her guide? I know she could always request a change if she does but if this is true the guide's action makes no sense to me.
From dvc meetings I've attended, they said how much current members add-ons are the best sales. Wouldn't it be better for this guide to be nice to this future member regardless of how they purchased the points?
Especially for possible future referrals and such?
I think that's just silly that because someone purchased resales the guide would treat them differently. That guide could cost him/her future sales because of the bad attitude...

oh well, to each their own I guess.

 

[TisBit]

OP, sorry you had a bad call... hopefully your future calls will be better received.



Hmm... does this mean OP will have this person as her guide? I know she could always request a change if she does but if this is true the guide's action makes no sense to me.
From dvc meetings I've attended, they said how much current members add-ons are the best sales. Wouldn't it be better for this guide to be nice to this future member regardless of how they purchased the points?
Especially for possible future referrals and such?
I think that's just silly that because someone purchased resales the guide would treat them differently. That guide could cost him/her future sales because of the bad attitude...

oh well, to each their own I guess.

Yes, the OP will stay assigned to this guide...unless they request otherwise. It definitely sounds like the guide took it a little personally and maybe came off the same way. For what its worth, I think the guide was right in saying that the contract has a pretty good possibility of being ROFR'd by DVC, it seems like a really good deal with loaded points, although we all know that ROFR doesn't always make sense. And, if I am not mistaken, if you are traveling primarily Dec-March, December use year might not be the best one for the OP....

But, the guide should be careful on how they come off, because they have lost a sale if the contract falls through.

 

[tjkraz]

DVC "guide" shouldn't have bothered sending the e-mail at all, or could have at least personalized it nicely, saying if your deal doesn't go through, please come back and buy through us. It was inappropriate, and she knew that.

Sending the email was probably not her choice. Many computer systems have a series of status codes and are designed to automatically take action in a certain way when the status is changed.

Note how the email came from a generic "sales" address rather than being a personal correspondence sent by the Guide. It is likely that the Guide changing the status on your account caused the message to be sent out automatically.

I was given this DVC phone number (twice) - through another Disney 800# I had called and also by the reseller who couldn't answer all my questions.

I'm more surprised that your reseller cannot answer your questions. If you went through someone well versed in the DVC product, they should be able to respond to any procedural inquiries.

Perhaps the resale broker was just passing the buck. Whatever the case, I agree with others that once you decided to buy resale, that agent became your point of contact for answering any questions related to the purchase.

Also to announce to me, both directly over the phone and indirectly through this e-mail, that Disney was going to definately buy back my contract was rude and inappropriate.

If she said that directly on the phone then yes, it was inappropriate. (Although I will point out that there are people convinced DVC targeted their resale contract for ROFR. At $74 per point I wouldn't be surprised if Disney did buy it back.)

But I think you're way off base on the alleged sarcasm. It's just a form letter--nothing more.

 

[Lynne M]

Also to announce to me, both directly over the phone and indirectly through this e-mail, that Disney was going to definately buy back my contract was rude and inappropriate.

Where in the e-mail did it say, even indirectly, that they were going to buy back your contract? Do you mean the part where it said "you won't be joining our community at this time?"

Again....form letter. Not a thinly-veiled threat. You ended your business relationship with the DVC Sales Center. A canned e-mail was automatically sent out. I'm sure everyone who tells a guide they're not buying gets that e-mail.

I know you wanted a personal message from your guide, but they may not be permitted to do that. Businesses, especially heavily regulated ones like timeshares, are very cautious about e-mail.

Her tone may well have been inappropriate and unprofessional, but I think you're seeing threats where none exist. Disney ROFRs contracts all the time; it's not like she made that up. And she's not the one who'd be buying your contract, there's a group that handles ROFR purchases. I'm having trouble picturing your guide contacting the ROFR group and telling them to take the time to track down your contract and buy it just to 'get' you.

 

[castleri]

Lynne hit the nail right on the head.

FWIW, if I were the guide, I'd be annoyed too. It's one thing to choose to take your business somewhere else but calling them back after the fact just adds insult to injury. I also agree that until you are in the system, any questions about your purchase should be directed to your resale sales agent.

I agree with this also and if you want the points info etc. maybe you should request the seller send it to you as DVC would have done if you purchased directly. I think once you have the account in your name you will get the points planner etc. just as everyone does once a year. Hope you will enjoy your membership once you get it. And since guides are really salespeople you will have no reason to talk with her again unless you wish to add on directly through Disney. Once you have your membership number you will be able to get all your info from member services or from these forums which many times are the most useful resource available..

 

[zmanandshan]

Yeah, I'd agree with most here. I'd be the first to say if something looked condescending or flagrant, but I think, by you saying No Thank you to Disney direct by going through resale, that it is a standard message. There were other folks on this site that did have obvious, and in my opinion unethical e-mails, but I wouldnt say that your qualifies.

 

[Anthony1971]

I'm more surprised that your reseller cannot answer your questions. If you went through someone well versed in the DVC product, they should be able to respond to any procedural inquiries.

Perhaps the resale broker was just passing the buck. Whatever the case, I agree with others that once you decided to buy resale, that agent became your point of contact for answering any questions related to the purchase.

I agree with this.......
I do not see why a reseller would dircet you to Disney direct sales to answer your questions or to Disney customer service as you thought.
If I am spending this amount of money they better know what they are talking about or get the answer for me not dircet me elsewhere.

You see it as the guide being rude the guide sees it as you using her.....
It is a misunderstanding period

I would be angry at the resale agent for not taking the time to find the answers nor tell me who I was calling.
At this point I would be more concerned with how my money is being handled and the qualifications of the resale agent rather than how you were treated by a guide (salesperson at DVC) as in the end this is who you are buying from and needs to answer your questions as you are paying a large amount of money for them to do this.

 

[LIFERBABE]

I agree with most above.

I wish you the best, but if your contract is ROFR'd, it will most likely be the seller paid maintenance fees for 2010 than the act of a vengeful guide.

If it were SSR you would have a better chance, but BWV and extra money thrown in the pot in the way of MF's may be expecting a little too much. The 2009 point fees are already paid for and with the seller throwing in extra for the 2010 points there is little risk on a highly sought after DVC.

I also agree with TJ about the guide coding your name in her system as a lost sale. That automatically generates the form email and gets you off her list of potential sales. She is graded on performance, and Im sure they use this system to ensure the guides are earning their base salary and making contacts.

 

[JKD Disney]

On the one hand, I totally understand the salesperson being frustrated. As others have opined, even if you didn't realize who you were talking to at first, you were asking for product information from a salesperson knowing you did not intend to purchase through them.

On the other hand though, I feel that if Disney is going to be pumping these resorts out and marketing them as aggressively as they have, they bear some responsibility in supporting the product beyond just a single commission-based point of contact (at least while they are still marketing the resorts). And when I say aggressive I don't mean the tactics of the individual salesperson (although they have certainly changed over the years in my experience). I am referring to the ubiquitous presence of their marketing and who they are marketing to.

DVC salespeople would do well to remember that Disney is responsible in large part for the resale market competition due to who they target when they build these resorts. The poor economy is a red herring, resales were skyrocketing long before the economy went south. They are not making their money off the wealthy Disney fanatic who was already going to the GF every year, that is just a wash. Where the DVC program shines is in convincing the less affluent Disney fanatic that they can afford much more frequent visits than they previously thought possible (if they participate in the usury financing, all the better).

Trust me, Disney is not surprised at all by the resale market, they have done all the math and they know their guides will be receiving the phone calls like the one described to start this thread. They just choose to do nothing about it. Maybe one day they will choose to staff a customer service desk independent of the guides to lessen their load but I doubt it. They certainly aren't obliged to, but while they are still marketing new resorts it is in their best interest to have as small a resale inventory out there as possible.

In the meantime I understand the frustration of the salesperson in question, but that frustration should be directly to their employer, not the caller who simply doesn't want to pay $25 for a $20 bill.

John

 

[Corwin]

...Also to announce to me, both directly over the phone and indirectly through this e-mail, that Disney was going to definately buy back my contract was rude and inappropriate.

I agree. The same exact thing happened to me last week.

(See Post #28 in this thread.)

That being said, I don't think that the email that you were sent was intended to be sarcastic. I think it was a form letter because you declined to purchase direct.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Sending the email was probably not her choice. Many computer systems have a series of status codes and are designed to automatically take action in a certain way when the status is changed.

Note how the email came from a generic "sales" address rather than being a personal correspondence sent by the Guide. It is likely that the Guide changing the status on your account caused the message to be sent out automatically.



I'm more surprised that your reseller cannot answer your questions. If you went through someone well versed in the DVC product, they should be able to respond to any procedural inquiries.

Perhaps the resale broker was just passing the buck. Whatever the case, I agree with others that once you decided to buy resale, that agent became your point of contact for answering any questions related to the purchase.



If she said that directly on the phone then yes, it was inappropriate. (Although I will point out that there are people convinced DVC targeted their resale contract for ROFR. At $74 per point I wouldn't be surprised if Disney did buy it back.)

But I think you're way off base on the alleged sarcasm. It's just a form letter--nothing more.

I agree with everything in tjkraz's post..

MG

 

[Mad4Mickey]

this is the generic letter sent out , I have seen it before when my friends chose not to buy . It really has nothing to do with if you bought from them direct or not

 

[Tiger926]

Sending the email was probably not her choice. Many computer systems have a series of status codes and are designed to automatically take action in a certain way when the status is changed.

Note how the email came from a generic "sales" address rather than being a personal correspondence sent by the Guide. It is likely that the Guide changing the status on your account caused the message to be sent out automatically.

I'm more surprised that your reseller cannot answer your questions. If you went through someone well versed in the DVC product, they should be able to respond to any procedural inquiries.

Perhaps the resale broker was just passing the buck. Whatever the case, I agree with others that once you decided to buy resale, that agent became your point of contact for answering any questions related to the purchase.


If she said that directly on the phone then yes, it was inappropriate. (Although I will point out that there are people convinced DVC targeted their resale contract for ROFR. At $74 per point I wouldn't be surprised if Disney did buy it back.)

But I think you're way off base on the alleged sarcasm. It's just a form letter--nothing more.

ITA! I also find it unreasonable for people to buy elsewhere as it's cheaper, yet expect the said company to spend their time and money on assisting you with that purchase when they aren't getting the commission on that sale. DVC will assist you once you are a member, but unless you are going to buy directly from them, there is no question that you should have directed your questions to the reseller.

That being said, the phone conversation was unacceptable and very unprofessional , Tiger

 

[oct2014]

To add one more analogy - my experience in buying new houses has been similar in that the builder's agent acts as customer service to potential buyers (there was no pre-sale customer service, just sales departments), but if buying resale you typically don't have access to those agents and it would be hard to get pre-sale access to other resources (warranty, management company, HOA). I think this is just one of those things that if you are going to buy resale instead of retail, you cannot avail yourself (or at least not much) of those retail services. Of course nothing justifiies a guide being rude about it, but I agree with others that the email was just a form.

The questions are really for the seller or the seller's agent. An agent should not be doing these resales if they are not familar enough with the program. As far as the member selling the points - While for many of us DVC is a significant purchase and all members should have a minimum level of understanding, many people probably couldn't tell a buyer much about the covenants that go with their home (an even more significant purchase). My point is that the people on these and other boards seem very well versed in DVC matters, but I don't think that is the norm. Plus, even those well versed members don't have all the answers, hence the need for these boards!

Caroline

 

[rigsby25]

I don't think the e-mail was intended to mean anything. I'm wondering if since you appeared to read something into the e-mail, maybe you read something into the phone conversation also. I was told by a resale seller when I wanted to make an offer that it would never be accepted. And then I talked to another resale seller and made the same offer on a similar contract, and I own that contract now. Its tough for anyone to gauge what goes and what doesn't, but they all try. I would just forget about it.

 

[Dean]

I can see both sides, however, it is indeed unreasonable to tour or make a sales contact then buy resale and expect that same guide to be happy about it. The problem is that Disney has it set up so you have a set guide and that you keep that guide until there is a reason to change such as they leave the company. Once you're a member, there usually isn't much reason to make contact with your guide. You can also request a change later once you're a member if you want.

 

[disneynutz]

I agree with most above.

I wish you the best, but if your contract is ROFR'd, it will most likely be the seller paid maintenance fees for 2010 than the act of a vengeful guide.

I had a discussion with a DVC Broker earlier today and the feeling is that Disney is picking and choosing what gets ROFRed. They have had lesser priced contracts pass, but they had 3 contracts, this year that were priced several dollars higher per point get picked up by Disney.

Bill