First post and DVC dissatisfaction

[bugzy]

Good Afternoon folks. I stumbled onto these boards and have been lurking for a while now. My wife and myself signed up for DVC in April and have booked our first trip to Walt Disney World starting on July 4th-12th! While we were initially extremely excited about our trip we have since returned back to earth, especially after we learned of the lies we had been told which initially sold us on the whole idea of DVC. While i do take some responsibility in maybe not doing enough homework on the whole idea and concept, we did sit with a Disney rep who told us one thing and now come to find out something completely different!

I don't know if anyone has had similar issues but I'm posting the below which was the e-mail i sent to member services today. Since i value this boards opinions and your vast experience perhaps you all will have suggestions that we haven't thought of. Thank you in advance!


To whom it may concern,

My wife, M and I, J , joined the Disney Vacation Club in April of this year at the Anaheim resort. Being the big fans of Disney that we are, and as Premium Annual pass-holders, we thought that vacationing with Disney was a natural fit for us. We went through the presentation, asked questions of our guide, "Mr. Bad Guide" and signed up for the club the same day. We also got to book our first trip through the club the same day which will be taken on July 4th-12th to Walt Disney World. We'll be staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We were also told various things which helped "seal the deal" for us. I will detail these items below:

1. We would be able to upgrade our California Premium Annual Passes to Disney World passes that would allow us to visit all the theme and water parks in Florida. We were told this would cost us around $200 to do so. We were excited about doing this as we calculated it be to around a $400 savings from buying normal park tickets, money which we could then spend to buy things at the theme park, go to the spa or just upgrade airlines tickets to first class. We have now been told through Member Services that this cannot be done. Not only can we not upgrade our California annual passes to Disney World passes, but the cost of buying tickets will be over $350 per person. This will come out to around $700 for my wife and myself to visit your theme parks. This is a complete reversal of what we were told by our "guide" when we signed up.

2. Our guide also told us we would have an allotment of Fast Passes set up for us throughout our stay. Upon calling Member Services today, they said that they could not see any in the system. At this point, we have not been able to get a hold of our "guide" for more than a month. We have left numerous leaving calls and voice mails on "Mr. Bad Guide" phone and after getting no response, I decided we needed a new guide and requested one so I could get the record set straight on these issues. I was assigned a gentleman named "Mr Awesome Guide" who was very helpful. Not only did he tell us that we had no Fast Passes set up for our visit, but he also told me that we couldn't just upgrade our passes and what the real cost of the tickets will be. "Mr Awesome Guide" was able to get us some Fast Passes for our visit, which is very helpful but my wife and I both feel that we were lied to during our initial pitch. We feel that "Mr Bad Guide" flat out lied to us in order to get us to sign up for DVC. Honestly, had we known about all the hoops we would have to jump through, the real costs and the questionable customer service, we probably would not have signed up.

As I have previously indicated we had a extremely hard time getting a hold of our original guide. In the 2 months that we have been members we have called "Mr. Bad Guide" 5 time and left a voice mail every time. We have only received 1 call back. That call back was because we were told we had been booked into Jambo House in Animal Kingdom, but when I called Member Services to confirm the reservation, we were told we were actually staying in Kidani Village! We tried to explain to Member Services that "Mr. Bad Guide" assured us we would be in Jambo House, but all they kept saying was that it was full and there was nothing they could do. We felt kind of slighted, especially after "Mr. Bad Guide" sold himself as our "go to guy" who would be available around the clock to help us out. It turns out after calling the DVC in Anaheim that "Mr Bad Guide" only works part time! So much for "round the clock service". "Mr. Bad Guide" did call back about a week after the initial phone call and was able to get us booked into Jambo House. We haven't heard from him since, even though we have left numerous voicemails with our questions and concerns regarding the false information he gave us.

My wife and myself were really looking forward to our trip, being away from everyday life and being able to just have some fun. We are now both stressed out between the cost of airfare, Disney Dining plans and park tickets. To say that we did not get the correct information during our initial sign up would be an understatement. "Mr. Bad Guide" blatantly lied to us and then ignored our calls when we realized that we had been duped. Plain and simple. We were extremely disappointed with his lack of customer service and frankly, he is a reflection of Disney, so the whole entity has lost some of it's magic in our eyes. Quite honestly, we feel like we have been taken advantage of. A lot of the things we were told sealed the deal for us, but now after getting to the truth of the matter we feel like the wool was pulled over our eyes. We really would like to be "re-sold" on the entire process and get some kind of resolution to all of this. We are both glad we now have a new agent, "Mr Awesome" and feel comfortable with him, for the time being. But we still feel like we were lied to in beginning and are honestly not all that excited about going on vacation anymore. It has all been one big headache.

Sincerely,

J and M
DVC member #

 

[bwvBound]

Jason,

Welcome to the Disboards and DVC. I'm sorry to read of the troubles you face on your first reservation. I have no advice -- only wanted to wish you a wonderful stay at AKV. I'm hoping the sight of the animals, a good meal at Jikos, the thrill of being "away" will wipe away all the hardships you've overcome in the joining process.

FWIW, we visited South Africa earlier this year. It was a truly fantastic adventure and everything we hoped it would be. The funny thing, there were places in South Africa where we'd say, "Oh, look -- just like Disney!" and I'm certain that future visits to Disney's AKL/AKV will have us saying, "Oh, look -- just like South Africa!"

Best wishes on a happy resolution and many wonderful vacations ahead.

 

[Dean]

Good Afternoon folks. I stumbled onto these boards and have been lurking for a while now. My wife and myself signed up for DVC in April and have booked our first trip to Walt Disney World starting on July 4th-12th! While we were initially extremely excited about our trip we have since returned back to earth, especially after we learned of the lies we had been told which initially sold us on the whole idea of DVC. While i do take some responsibility in maybe not doing enough homework on the whole idea and concept, we did sit with a Disney rep who told us one thing and now come to find out something completely different!

I don't know if anyone has had similar issues but I'm posting the below which was the e-mail i sent to member services today. Since i value this boards opinions and your vast experience perhaps you all will have suggestions that we haven't thought of. Thank you in advance!

To whom it may concern,

My wife, M, and I, J, joined the Disney Vacation Club in April of this year at the Anaheim resort. Being the big fans of Disney that we are, and as Premium Annual pass-holders, we thought that vacationing with Disney was a natural fit for us. We went through the presentation, asked questions of our guide, "K" and signed up for the club the same day. We also got to book our first trip through the club the same day which will be taken on July 4th-12th to Walt Disney World. We'll be staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We were also told various things which helped "seal the deal" for us. I will detail these items below:

1. We would be able to upgrade our California Premium Annual Passes to Disney World passes that would allow us to visit all the theme and water parks in Florida. We were told this would cost us around $200 to do so. We were excited about doing this as we calculated it be to around a $400 savings from buying normal park tickets, money which we could then spend to buy things at the theme park, go to the spa or just upgrade airlines tickets to first class. We have now been told through Member Services that this cannot be done. Not only can we not upgrade our California annual passes to Disney World passes, but the cost of buying tickets will be over $350 per person. This will come out to around $700 for my wife and myself to visit your theme parks. This is a complete reversal of what we were told by our "guide" when we signed up.

2. Our guide also told us we would have an allotment of Fast Passes set up for us throughout our stay. Upon calling Member Services today, they said that they could not see any in the system. At this point, we have not been able to get a hold of our "guide" for more than a month. We have left numerous leaving calls and voice mails on "K's" phone and after getting no response, I decided we needed a new guide and requested one so I could get the record set straight on these issues. I was assigned a gentleman named Bernard Lebeaupin who was very helpful. Not only did he tell us that we had no Fast Passes set up for our visit, but he also told me that we couldn't just upgrade our passes and what the real cost of the tickets will be. Bernard was able to get us some Fast Passes for our visit, which is very helpful but my wife and I both feel that we were lied to during our initial pitch. We feel that Kenny Smith flat out lied to us in order to get us to sign up for DVC. Honestly, had we known about all the hoops we would have to jump through, the real costs and the questionable customer service, we probably would not have signed up.

As I have previously indicated we had a extremely hard time getting a hold of our original guide. In the 2 months that we have been members we have called "K" 5 time and left a voice mail every time. We have only received 1 call back. That call back was because we were told we had been booked into Jambo House in Animal Kingdom, but when I called Member Services to confirm the reservation, we were told we were actually staying in Kidani Village! We tried to explain to Member Services that "K" assured us we would be in Jambo House, but all they kept saying was that it was full and there was nothing they could do. We felt kind of slighted, especially after "K" sold himself as our "go to guy" who would be available around the clock to help us out. It turns out after calling the DVC in Anaheim that "K" only works part time! So much for "round the clock service". "K" did call back about a week after the initial phone call and was able to get us booked into Jambo House. We haven't heard from him since, even though we have left numerous voicemails with our questions and concerns regarding the false information he gave us.

My wife and myself were really looking forward to our trip, being away from everyday life and being able to just have some fun. We are now both stressed out between the cost of airfare, Disney Dining plans and park tickets. To say that we did not get the correct information during our initial sign up would be an understatement. Kenny Smith blatantly lied to us and then ignored our calls when we realized that we had been duped. Plain and simple. We were extremely disappointed with his lack of customer service and frankly, he is a reflection of Disney, so the whole entity has lost some of it's magic in our eyes. Quite honestly, we feel like we have been taken advantage of. A lot of the things we were told sealed the deal for us, but now after getting to the truth of the matter we feel like the wool was pulled over our eyes. We really would like to be "re-sold" on the entire process and get some kind of resolution to all of this. We are both glad we now have a new agent, Bernard Lebeaupin and feel comfortable with him, for the time being. But we still feel like we were lied to in beginning and are honestly not all that excited about going on vacation anymore. It has all been one big headache.

Sincerely,

J and M
DVC member #

I don't see the reason to be upset though I know we were there with you. You took the word of someone about upgrading passes that clearly was not in that business and you likely should have known it wasn't something they could control. The FP issue is a fixable one though you'll likely have to go to the sales office to get them upon arrival. I'd call your new guide and if you don't get him, call the office and ask for a supervisor. I'm sure this can be fixed for a one time stay but if you were expecting them each time you'll be out of luck.

 

[bugzy]

I don't see the reason to be upset though I know we were there with you. You took the word of someone about upgrading passes that clearly was not in that business and you likely should have known it wasn't something they could control. The FP issue is a fixable one though you'll likely have to go to the sales office to get them upon arrival. I'd call your new guide and if you don't get him, call the office and ask for a supervisor. I'm sure this can be fixed for a one time stay but if you were expecting them each time you'll be out of luck.

We are mad because they represent Disney and if they weren't sure about upgrading passes they could have asked someone. They are suppose to be the subject matter experts on this type of stuff. The whole upgrading of our passes was one of the main reasons we joined, thinking we would save money on our visit. Obviously this was not the case. We specifically asked several times if we could do this and were assured over and over again we could and the cost, again not the case. That's why we are so frustrated.

 

[DPCummerbund]

The whole upgrading of our passes was one of the main reasons we joined, thinking we would save money on our visit.

I'm a little confused. Were you concerned about upgrading your current-year Annual pass for this visit (which is how I read your post), or are you concerned about the cost each year of annual passes to WDW?

And, out of curiosity, when you say you joined at the "Anaheim resort", do you mean that you bought a DVC points at the Villas at Disney's Grand Californian, or did you buy into a resort at Walt Disney World (like Animal Kingdom)?

 

[bugzy]

I'm a little confused. Were you concerned about upgrading your current-year Annual pass for this visit (which is how I read your post), or are you concerned about the cost each year of annual passes to WDW?

We wanted to upgrade out California Premium Annual Passes for WDW (which we were told we could do and would only cost us $200 total). We wanted access to all the parks (which we were told we would have when we upgraded our passes). According to member services we cannot upgrade our passes at all (they dont do that) but that if we wanted tickets it would be $350 per person for tickets just to them them parks. Sorry if the post didnt make sense.

 

[disneynutz]

We are mad because they represent Disney and if they weren't sure about upgrading passes they could have asked someone. They are suppose to be the subject matter experts on this type of stuff. The whole upgrading of our passes was one of the main reasons we joined, thinking we would save money on our visit. Obviously this was not the case. We specifically asked several times if we could do this and were assured over and over again we could and the cost, again not the case. That's why we are so frustrated.

Guides sell you timeshare contracts, nothing else, they don't know about or have access to AP's. You bought a contract so you are done with the Guides.

Now you deal with MS, a different group. Your letter should be sent to Member Satisfaction not MS. dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com

As a DVC owner you will start to see behind the curtain and sometimes the view isn't pretty. Owning a DVC interest may save you some money on your room and maybe in a couple of other areas but overall it will cost you a lot of money. Disney likes DVC because it locks you into repeated vacations.

Sorry for the wake up call and I hope that you enjoy your vacations at Disney.

Bill

 

[Dean]

We are mad because they represent Disney and if they weren't sure about upgrading passes they could have asked someone. They are suppose to be the subject matter experts on this type of stuff. The whole upgrading of our passes was one of the main reasons we joined, thinking we would save money on our visit. Obviously this was not the case. We specifically asked several times if we could do this and were assured over and over again we could and the cost, again not the case. That's why we are so frustrated.

They're timeshare sales people, better than most but that's still what they are. You're apparently hopping mad about 2 minor, temporary issues that mean nothing in the long run. One of which you should have known wasn't in their arena and really had nothing to do with DVC/DVD and the other which should be squared away with a phone call and trip to the SSR sales office when you get to WDW. Legally DVD is a separate company, it's not all just Disney even though I know many assume so. If you made assumptions simply because it was Disney, that's on you my friend. If DVC didn't make sense for you with these issues not working out, DVC wasn't a good choice anyway. If DVC does make sense, enjoy it, it's a great program. Do learn the system though so you don't miss out.

 

[disneynutz]

They're timeshare sales people, better than most but that's still what they are. You're apparently hopping mad about 2 minor, temporary issues that mean nothing in the long run. One of which you should have known wasn't in their arena and really had nothing to do with DVC/DVD and the other which should be squared away with a phone call and trip to the SSR sales office when you get to WDW. Legally DVD is a separate company, it's not all just Disney even though I know many assume so. If you made assumptions simply because it was Disney, that's on you my friend.

In all honesty, before becoming DVC owners we had a completely different view of Disney and DW and I both worked at DL as contractors.

DVD/DVC was like a smack in the face with all of the issues and problems that we had with our Guides, accounts, reservations, and rooms and the room and member software issues keep coming after all these years.

Rather than DVC getting fixed, we have learned how to use the system and have learned who to talk to when a problem comes up. It really shouldn't be this way but it is.

Bill

 

[Dean]

Rather than DVC getting fixed, we have learned how to use the system and have learned who to talk to when a problem comes up. It really shouldn't be this way but it is.

Bill

I'm pretty sure it's only going to get worse in the eyes of many. From a system standpoint the best days are behind us.

 

[Michael-DVC]

Good Afternoon folks. I stumbled onto these boards and have been lurking for a while now. My wife and myself signed up for DVC in April and have booked our first trip to Walt Disney World starting on July 4th-12th! While we were initially extremely excited about our trip we have since returned back to earth, especially after we learned of the lies we had been told which initially sold us on the whole idea of DVC. While i do take some responsibility in maybe not doing enough homework on the whole idea and concept, we did sit with a Disney rep who told us one thing and now come to find out something completely different!

I don't know if anyone has had similar issues but I'm posting the below which was the e-mail i sent to member services today. Since i value this boards opinions and your vast experience perhaps you all will have suggestions that we haven't thought of. Thank you in advance!

To whom it may concern,

My wife, M, and I, J, joined the Disney Vacation Club in April of this year at the Anaheim resort. Being the big fans of Disney that we are, and as Premium Annual pass-holders, we thought that vacationing with Disney was a natural fit for us. We went through the presentation, asked questions of our guide, "K" and signed up for the club the same day. We also got to book our first trip through the club the same day which will be taken on July 4th-12th to Walt Disney World. We'll be staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We were also told various things which helped "seal the deal" for us. I will detail these items below:

1. We would be able to upgrade our California Premium Annual Passes to Disney World passes that would allow us to visit all the theme and water parks in Florida. We were told this would cost us around $200 to do so. We were excited about doing this as we calculated it be to around a $400 savings from buying normal park tickets, money which we could then spend to buy things at the theme park, go to the spa or just upgrade airlines tickets to first class. We have now been told through Member Services that this cannot be done. Not only can we not upgrade our California annual passes to Disney World passes, but the cost of buying tickets will be over $350 per person. This will come out to around $700 for my wife and myself to visit your theme parks. This is a complete reversal of what we were told by our "guide" when we signed up.

2. Our guide also told us we would have an allotment of Fast Passes set up for us throughout our stay. Upon calling Member Services today, they said that they could not see any in the system. At this point, we have not been able to get a hold of our "guide" for more than a month. We have left numerous leaving calls and voice mails on "K's" phone and after getting no response, I decided we needed a new guide and requested one so I could get the record set straight on these issues. I was assigned a gentleman named Bernard Lebeaupin who was very helpful. Not only did he tell us that we had no Fast Passes set up for our visit, but he also told me that we couldn't just upgrade our passes and what the real cost of the tickets will be. Bernard was able to get us some Fast Passes for our visit, which is very helpful but my wife and I both feel that we were lied to during our initial pitch. We feel that Kenny Smith flat out lied to us in order to get us to sign up for DVC. Honestly, had we known about all the hoops we would have to jump through, the real costs and the questionable customer service, we probably would not have signed up.

As I have previously indicated we had a extremely hard time getting a hold of our original guide. In the 2 months that we have been members we have called "K" 5 time and left a voice mail every time. We have only received 1 call back. That call back was because we were told we had been booked into Jambo House in Animal Kingdom, but when I called Member Services to confirm the reservation, we were told we were actually staying in Kidani Village! We tried to explain to Member Services that "K" assured us we would be in Jambo House, but all they kept saying was that it was full and there was nothing they could do. We felt kind of slighted, especially after "K" sold himself as our "go to guy" who would be available around the clock to help us out. It turns out after calling the DVC in Anaheim that "K" only works part time! So much for "round the clock service". "K" did call back about a week after the initial phone call and was able to get us booked into Jambo House. We haven't heard from him since, even though we have left numerous voicemails with our questions and concerns regarding the false information he gave us.

My wife and myself were really looking forward to our trip, being away from everyday life and being able to just have some fun. We are now both stressed out between the cost of airfare, Disney Dining plans and park tickets. To say that we did not get the correct information during our initial sign up would be an understatement. Kenny Smith blatantly lied to us and then ignored our calls when we realized that we had been duped. Plain and simple. We were extremely disappointed with his lack of customer service and frankly, he is a reflection of Disney, so the whole entity has lost some of it's magic in our eyes. Quite honestly, we feel like we have been taken advantage of. A lot of the things we were told sealed the deal for us, but now after getting to the truth of the matter we feel like the wool was pulled over our eyes. We really would like to be "re-sold" on the entire process and get some kind of resolution to all of this. We are both glad we now have a new agent, Bernard Lebeaupin and feel comfortable with him, for the time being. But we still feel like we were lied to in beginning and are honestly not all that excited about going on vacation anymore. It has all been one big headache.

Sincerely,

J and M
DVC member #

Hello J - Just wanted to share in case you did not know. The Annual prices went up a couple of weeks ago. You would have needed to upgraded your Premium Disneyland Annual Passport to the Disney Premiere Pass. Which the difference was 200.00 plus Florida tax. Even though the price has gone up I would call Guest Services at Disneyland and see if they will allow you to upgrade at that rate. Generally, the first 30 days after a price increase they will have a little wiggle room. I hope this helps.

My wife and I own at Kidani and absolutely love it. It is much more quiet here then at the Jambo House.

I am really sorry about your guide. I won't name mine but ours too is in Anaheim and was a little shady as well that I had to get the Director involved to rectify the problem.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[CruzTerri]

Ahh, I'm siding with bugzy on this one. If if the salesperson is representing you can do something, and you have no reason not to believe the claims made, why wouldn't you believe what they tell you.

I, too, would be extremely upset if I was told that once a DVC member that I could do something for a certain cost, and then find out that a) isn't done and 2) to get what we wanted the cost would be way more than what was anticipated. That could be considered a bait and switch tactic.

I'm in California and we bought AKV. The transportation costs alone will not allow us to visit WDW except every 2-3 years. This year, we're tacking on our first visit prior to a cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale in order to maximize the effort and costs required to fly across country and to keep from having to make multiple flights back and forth.

FWIW - after reviewing the new "Vacation Planner," I can tell you that without adding additional points to our account, we haven't any idea when we will be visiting WDW again after our initial visit (November). I will do what I can to use those points in California instead.

 

[nd43]

Good Afternoon folks. I stumbled onto these boards and have been lurking for a while now. My wife and myself signed up for DVC in April and have booked our first trip to Walt Disney World starting on July 4th-12th! [/COLOR]

Sorry to hear about your issues. No one likes to feel duped.

My advice has less to do with your specific issues but more about your OP.

Knowing you are upset, and I know the feeling, I would still suggest you edit your post and remove all the full names (including your own). I think discussing your overall concerns in a public forum is great. I think posting a specific problem with a specific person is not a great idea for a public forum that is around for a long, long time and can be read by anyone (including people's families, etc.). I know you are upset but it is something you might regret later. I have posted before thinking through the issues and it bit me. So I understand the frustration.

Unfortunately, it has already been quoted. Perhaps those posters will follow your lead or the moderator can assist. Even if I mess up at work, I would hope I would not be called out in a public forum. Even if they messed up, to me, it is not right. There are better ways to discuss specific individuals within DVC. Without the names, your overall concerns are still a clear discussion topic.

Sorry this does not help your core concern. It is honestly meant to help you not compound the issues with another possible mistake.

 

[MoreTravels]

Sometimes DVC will throw in park-hopper tickets as bonus for direct purchase. You should ask if they can provide that as a goodwill gesture.

Even if they refuse... you should chillax. Don't let this spoil your upcoming vacation. Honestly, a DVC member can easily spend $10,000 per year at Disney when airfare, meals, and souvenirs are all added.... so I would not lose sleep over a couple of hundred dollars when you will for sure spend about 6 figure dollars during the life of your DVC contract :

 

[Chuck S]

I think, but am not sure, that you can upgrade your Disneyland AP* to the AP (don't know the official name) of the pass that is good for both Disneyland AND WDW. That pass is pretty expensive, but I don't see why you couldn't upgrade to that. Member Services does not handle pass upgrades at all, that is done through ticketing at each park. It is true that a Disneyland annual pass can not simply be traded in for a WDW annual pass, or vice-versa. It would have to be the pass for both coasts.

Also, Member Services really doesn't tend to handle fast passes. Member Services is basically reservations, banking, borrowing, trading...whatever has to do with points. I would call the general DVC sales number, not Member Services, and speak to a supervisor about your fast passes. You'll likely have to pick them up from the DVC sales center at Saratoga Springs Resort, near Downtown Disney.

*I am assuming you are talking about upgrading Disneyland Annual Passes that you purchased? If you received them free as part of a DVC sales promotion, I don't think you can upgrade free passes of any kind.

 

[Michael-DVC]

I think, but am not sure, that you can upgrade your Disneyland AP* to the AP (don't know the official name) of the pass that is good for both Disneyland AND WDW. That pass is pretty expensive, but I don't see why you couldn't upgrade to that. Member Services does not handle pass upgrades at all, that is done through ticketing at each park. It is true that a Disneyland annual pass can not simply be traded in for a WDW annual pass, or vice-versa. It would have to be the pass for both coasts.

Also, Member Services really doesn't tend to handle fast passes. Member Services basically reservations, banking, borrowing, trading...whatever has to do with points. I would call the general DVC sales number, not Member Services, and speak to a supervisor about your fast passes. You'll likely have to pick them up from the DVC sales center at Saratoga Springs Resort, near Downtown Disney.

*I am assuming you are talking about upgrading Disneyland Annual Passes that you purchased? If you received them free as part of a DVC promotion, I don't think you can upgrade free passes of any kind.

You are allowed to upgrade a DVC promotion pass to any type pass. We did it with ours just last year.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you don't have it in writing, you didn't get anything. Please remember that in the future. Good luck with your DVC ownership.

 

[nyck]

You should be able to upgrade to a Disney premier ticket which is good at both WDW and DL. It is about $950 now but they will apply all the money from your previous Disneyland Premium pass to the new ticket. The expiration date will remain the same as the old ticket and there is no discounts for renewal

 

[nkosiek]

You should be able to upgrade to a Disney premier ticket which is good at both WDW and DL. It is about $950 now but they will apply all the money from your previous Disneyland Premium pass to the new ticket. The expiration date will remain the same as the old ticket and there is no discounts for renewal

To go along with this post, I'd check in over at the Theme Park Board and explain the situation or send a PM to ChesireFigment (I think that's the name) who is a CM and knows all about ticketing issues and see what he says in regards to your ticket issue. He may give way more clarification that we could.

 

[k3chantal]

Good Afternoon folks. I stumbled onto these boards and have been lurking for a while now. My wife and myself signed up for DVC in April and have booked our first trip to Walt Disney World starting on July 4th-12th! While we were initially extremely excited about our trip we have since returned back to earth, especially after we learned of the lies we had been told which initially sold us on the whole idea of DVC. While i do take some responsibility in maybe not doing enough homework on the whole idea and concept, we did sit with a Disney rep who told us one thing and now come to find out something completely different!

I don't know if anyone has had similar issues but I'm posting the below which was the e-mail i sent to member services today. Since i value this boards opinions and your vast experience perhaps you all will have suggestions that we haven't thought of. Thank you in advance!


To whom it may concern,

My wife, M and I, J , joined the Disney Vacation Club in April of this year at the Anaheim resort. Being the big fans of Disney that we are, and as Premium Annual pass-holders, we thought that vacationing with Disney was a natural fit for us. We went through the presentation, asked questions of our guide, "Mr. Bad Guide" and signed up for the club the same day. We also got to book our first trip through the club the same day which will be taken on July 4th-12th to Walt Disney World. We'll be staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We were also told various things which helped "seal the deal" for us. I will detail these items below:

1. We would be able to upgrade our California Premium Annual Passes to Disney World passes that would allow us to visit all the theme and water parks in Florida. We were told this would cost us around $200 to do so. We were excited about doing this as we calculated it be to around a $400 savings from buying normal park tickets, money which we could then spend to buy things at the theme park, go to the spa or just upgrade airlines tickets to first class. We have now been told through Member Services that this cannot be done. Not only can we not upgrade our California annual passes to Disney World passes, but the cost of buying tickets will be over $350 per person. This will come out to around $700 for my wife and myself to visit your theme parks. This is a complete reversal of what we were told by our "guide" when we signed up.

2. Our guide also told us we would have an allotment of Fast Passes set up for us throughout our stay. Upon calling Member Services today, they said that they could not see any in the system. At this point, we have not been able to get a hold of our "guide" for more than a month. We have left numerous leaving calls and voice mails on "Mr. Bad Guide" phone and after getting no response, I decided we needed a new guide and requested one so I could get the record set straight on these issues. I was assigned a gentleman named "Mr Awesome Guide" who was very helpful. Not only did he tell us that we had no Fast Passes set up for our visit, but he also told me that we couldn't just upgrade our passes and what the real cost of the tickets will be. "Mr Awesome Guide" was able to get us some Fast Passes for our visit, which is very helpful but my wife and I both feel that we were lied to during our initial pitch. We feel that "Mr Bad Guide" flat out lied to us in order to get us to sign up for DVC. Honestly, had we known about all the hoops we would have to jump through, the real costs and the questionable customer service, we probably would not have signed up.

As I have previously indicated we had a extremely hard time getting a hold of our original guide. In the 2 months that we have been members we have called "Mr. Bad Guide" 5 time and left a voice mail every time. We have only received 1 call back. That call back was because we were told we had been booked into Jambo House in Animal Kingdom, but when I called Member Services to confirm the reservation, we were told we were actually staying in Kidani Village! We tried to explain to Member Services that "Mr. Bad Guide" assured us we would be in Jambo House, but all they kept saying was that it was full and there was nothing they could do. We felt kind of slighted, especially after "Mr. Bad Guide" sold himself as our "go to guy" who would be available around the clock to help us out. It turns out after calling the DVC in Anaheim that "Mr Bad Guide" only works part time! So much for "round the clock service". "Mr. Bad Guide" did call back about a week after the initial phone call and was able to get us booked into Jambo House. We haven't heard from him since, even though we have left numerous voicemails with our questions and concerns regarding the false information he gave us.

My wife and myself were really looking forward to our trip, being away from everyday life and being able to just have some fun. We are now both stressed out between the cost of airfare, Disney Dining plans and park tickets. To say that we did not get the correct information during our initial sign up would be an understatement. "Mr. Bad Guide" blatantly lied to us and then ignored our calls when we realized that we had been duped. Plain and simple. We were extremely disappointed with his lack of customer service and frankly, he is a reflection of Disney, so the whole entity has lost some of it's magic in our eyes. Quite honestly, we feel like we have been taken advantage of. A lot of the things we were told sealed the deal for us, but now after getting to the truth of the matter we feel like the wool was pulled over our eyes. We really would like to be "re-sold" on the entire process and get some kind of resolution to all of this. We are both glad we now have a new agent, "Mr Awesome" and feel comfortable with him, for the time being. But we still feel like we were lied to in beginning and are honestly not all that excited about going on vacation anymore. It has all been one big headache.

Sincerely,

J and M
DVC member #

When I read your post I cringed because of the reason you state you bought into DVC. I really hope it is not to receive discounts on annual passes or fast passes throughout your potential 50 year contract. Those are perks and any and all perks can be taken away or added at DVC's will. What did you buy? You bought a timeshare that will give you access to book stays using your points at some beautiful resorts in Florida, California, and now Hawaii. You have essentially 'pre-paid' for your accommodations which will, in the long run, save you money, had you taken those same vacations and paid cash.

During my last WDW visit, I stood behind another member and while waiting for Splash Mountain, we chatted. She too was excited about the fast passes she was 'promised'. To get those passes, she had to take a bus to another resort, visit with a guide for an undetermined amount of time and then was given those passes after asking. For her, it was worth the extra effort. As I listened to her, I thought, "not for me, I am not spending half a day,pursuing passes when I can either be in a park or at the resort enjoying their amenities. My point is, sure, you can go chasing after those perks, or you can really enjoy what you did purchase.

I hope you end up enjoying your purchase. We have never regretted it. It has opened up a whole new world of vacations for us that we would have never considered if we were not members. But, for us it was about upgrading our resort experience in a feasible way and ensuring that we would commit ourselves to taking a 'big' yearly vacation which it has done.