Hold list approved, no notification, and now I'm out the points

[kittylady1972]

I sure hope this gets resolved because I'm quite upset about it.

I was looking into making a reservation for next January today, and when I called and then learned about the new policy, I thought "GREAT" because now I can make the reservation I want today instead of day by day.

The only problem...I check my account to find I have 49 points LESS than I should...how did that happen?

Back in May I called DVC on a whim to check into a reservation for 3 nights at a studio. I only put myself on a hold list for 2 resorts based on lower point values. I already had a cash reservation made directly through Disney's website for a stay at Pop Century, but thought it would be great to stay for free instead.

I know I checked the website the week before I was to arrive and nothing showed up in my account as having gotten my hold list request. Since I would have had to cancel my paid reservation 7 days out, I didn't bother to call after that point and was just happy to have a place to stay.

So it looks like on June 3rd (and I arrived in Disney on June 11th) my hold list came through but I never received ANYTHING in the mail about it. NOt even when I returned home was there mail waiting for me about the reservation, because of course I would have called IMMEDIATELY about it and not waited until NOW.

I am so hoping this gets resolved and I get those points back. If not, there is no way I can even attempt to make the reservation I want to make in January of next year because it would require ALL of those points back. They are already borrowed points and having them back in the current use year does me NO good. I actually already have an upcoming reservation in October on more borrowed points so it's not like I can use them for that either. Again, the use year is all wrong since I'm looking for January of next year.

Please please tell me this will all be okay. I'm trying to remain calm about this until I get the call I'm told to expect tomorrow about it. It's just really upsetting to know 49 points are GONE and I could have really used them.

 

[SLM]

Are you saying that when you called for the three day stay, there were no rooms available so you had them put you on a list in case one became available? And then a studio became available and you weren't notified in writing or on-line? What a mess! I hope things can be resolved-that's alot of points! Good luck, and let us know what happens!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I had thought that waitlists cancelled in the last 7 days and you had to call day by day to see if anything opened up?

 

[Claire L]

I am not too sure exactly what the OP is saying but it would appear the wailist came through 8 days before the first nights stay. Maybe it took a few hours for the online account to be updated and when the OP checked she missed the ressie by a few hours. I know one of my waitlists recently showed up in 'my vacations' but not on the 'activity statement' for another couple of days. Most waitlists just appear on the website there is often no other way of knowing espcially so close to departure date.

Claire

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I think when I put our waitlist in for August MS asked me if I wanted to end it 7 days out or go right up until the night we wanted. That particular night was the 13th night of our stay.
It turns out that our banking deadline is the day before we leave, so I would have ended up banking the points and cancelling the waitlist anyway if it wouldn't have come through before we left. I guess I would have kept checking on my laptop if I wouldn't have had to bank the points.

OP - Good luck!

 

[karebear06]

So did you find out anything?

 

[kittylady1972]

Ok, for anyone who may have been confused, I put myself on the waitlist in May. I was checking the website frequently but stopped checking probably about 8 days out knowing that at 7 days out the waitlist would automatically be cancelled. I didn't do any day-by-day calling at 7-days out because I already had a "backup" reservation at Pop Century that was cash and I couldn't cancel it that late anyway. I didn't realize until LAST week that my waitlist came thru on that 7th day (exactly 7 days) and I never received any notification by mail about it. I would never have even known it had come through if I hadn't checked the website, planning for another future reservation in 2009!

Anyway, as it turns out, DVC did come through and managed to put all of my points back as if I never had the waitlist come through. I was very concerned about how this would be handled since the points that were used for the June reservation were FUTURE points borrowed from my 2008 Use Year. They did put them back to 2008, so I'll still be able to use them for a reservation next year.

Thank goodness this was handled so well. I was just SO upset that here I was in Disney for 3 nights staying in a PAID room when I could have been staying for free on my points and I didn't even know it. From now on I guess I'll be calling 6 days out from my reservation to confirm my waitlist doesn't get approved at the last minute like that again!

 

[kimberh]

I am so glad this worked out to your favor.

 

[alldiz]

glad it worked out for you.
Kerri

 

[Off-The-Deep-End]

Ok, for anyone who may have been confused, I put myself on the waitlist in May. I was checking the website frequently but stopped checking probably about 8 days out knowing that at 7 days out the waitlist would automatically be cancelled. I didn't do any day-by-day calling at 7-days out because I already had a "backup" reservation at Pop Century that was cash and I couldn't cancel it that late anyway. I didn't realize until LAST week that my waitlist came thru on that 7th day (exactly 7 days) and I never received any notification by mail about it. I would never have even known it had come through if I hadn't checked the website, planning for another future reservation in 2009!

Anyway, as it turns out, DVC did come through and managed to put all of my points back as if I never had the waitlist come through. I was very concerned about how this would be handled since the points that were used for the June reservation were FUTURE points borrowed from my 2008 Use Year. They did put them back to 2008, so I'll still be able to use them for a reservation next year.

Thank goodness this was handled so well. I was just SO upset that here I was in Disney for 3 nights staying in a PAID room when I could have been staying for free on my points and I didn't even know it. From now on I guess I'll be calling 6 days out from my reservation to confirm my waitlist doesn't get approved at the last minute like that again!

MS-Advisors are usually great people, and try their best to help out members. As I read it, you were 'lucky' because the waitlist system worked as it was supposed to. Unfortunately, that close to the end of the waitlist (Day 8 or so), a mailed confirmation would not have reached you in time. But I am concerned that it wasn't waiting in your mailbox when you returned from your trip.

 

[KennySC]

When a wait list is filled and within say 14 days of the reservation a phone call from MS would be nice. They could still do the auto confirm but call to remind the member of the wait list. I also wish you could register your email address and have this type information emailed to the member.

 

[JimMIA]

I'm glad you got your points back, but this is just one more in a long series of threads with similar problems with the new automatic waitlist. Unfortunately, it's been a "...typical seamless Disney implementation!"

This new system was designed to reduce workload on the MS reps and nothing else. It's one of those cost-cutting programs that looks okay on paper, but stinks in the real world. It hurts DVC owners.

These very frequent screwups are exactly why we no longer even consider using waitlist at all. If we can't get our dates, we don't go. There are other places to go, and we'll use our points another time or for something else. When they went to automatic fulfillment, they took away the benefit of the waitlist as far as we're concerned.

If someone considering buying DVC asked me, I'd say the waitlist is one of the negatives of DVC...not one of the positives.

 

[jade1]

I'm glad you posted this, and that everything worked out. Have never been on a waitlist in all 8 years with DVC because of the 11 month DBD booking policy, or just checking on available days/weeks. This is good info since the new "enhancement" will likely open up a whole new nailbiting world (especially with $700 airfare) for many of us, know as the "waitlist".

 

[KennySC]

I'm sure reducing the workload on MS was a large part of the auto confirm logic but a lot of blame lies at the feet of us members. Too often a member added a wait list knowing there was a good chance they wouldn't use it and when MS called they declined the offer. Now members must really consider if they really want the reservation before requesting a wait list. One word of caution when requesting a wait list. Make sure MS adds the wording explaining EXACTLY how you want it handled. What to cancel, what not to cancel and how to acquire the points when a wait list matches.