holding points ?

[CoolDisneyCat]

I recently had to cancel a trip and 162 points went into holding. I called to reschedule thinking that I would have to book 60 days out.

I asked for a reservation for this May costing 199 points. I was a bit surprised when the CM started giving me the confirmation # and all the details. I thought maybe the 60 day rule had changed. She then asked me to hold on. I waited quite a bit. When she came back she asked me if I understood that this reservation was NOT using my holding points.

I was at work, needed to go, so I said sure and ended the call.

Funny thing, I only have 39 points left in use year 2010/11 and 15 in 2011/12. I needed the 162 to be able to make the May reservation. When I look on the DVC website, I can't tell where they got the points. None are gone from 2012/13.

2 questions ..

1 - can I call at the 60 day mark and have my holding points replace the points she used to make the reservation?

2 - if I can do this .. then were will the points go? Heck .. I don't know where they came from in the first place!!

I plan to call back and try to see what's going on. Can anyone help before I get on the phone with MS? Seems like it's hard to get a CM who knows all the ends and outs.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

The holding points could only be used to replace non holding points if that same room is available for booking. Otherwise they cannot - that would circumvent the 60 day booking restriction.

I can't answer where they got the points to book the reservation that you did but it sounds like it could be a mess if you didn't have enough in your current year.

Did the website also show your points still in holding?

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

Wow, this is the second time in a day where I've heard of folks possibly being allowed to use their holding points to book reservations further out than 60 days. We had no such luck. I called back again today to get a clarification about whether there was a "one time forgiveness" for cancellation and was again told "no... your points have to remain in holding." Not that I wish you any ill will, but it's very frustrating when the rules are not applied uniformly. I think you are best off waiting until you are indeed 60 days out from the reservation to look further into where the points came from. You might very well lose the reservation by asking for clarification now.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

The holding points could only be used to replace non holding points if that same room is available for booking. Otherwise they cannot - that would circumvent the 60 day booking restriction.

I can't answer where they got the points to book the reservation that you did but it sounds like it could be a mess if you didn't have enough in your current year.

Did the website also show your points still in holding?

I only had 39 in current year plus the ones in holding.

the website shows 162 in holding 0 in this use year and 15 in 2011/12.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

Wow, this is the second time in a day where I've heard of folks possibly being allowed to use their holding points to book reservations further out than 60 days. .

I don't think I was allowed to book earlier since the website still shows me with 162 holding.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

I don't think I was allowed to book earlier since the website still shows me with 162 holding.

Is your reservation showing correctly in your "Vacation Plans"? Take a look at your Activity Statement and it should tell you how the points were applied.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Wow, this is the second time in a day where I've heard of folks possibly being allowed to use their holding points to book reservations further out than 60 days. We had no such luck. I called back again today to get a clarification about whether there was a "one time forgiveness" for cancellation and was again told "no... your points have to remain in holding." Not that I wish you any ill will, but it's very frustrating when the rules are not applied uniformly. I think you are best off waiting until you are indeed 60 days out from the reservation to look further into where the points came from. You might very well lose the reservation by asking for clarification now.

I think you mis-read. CM told OP that the reservation did not use the holding points.

You're not the only one who hasn't received the holding point exception. We also were stuck after we had to cancel days when my mother passed away just before our trip. I completely understand the frustration at the inconsistency and the more I've read recently of exceptions the more it starts to tick me off also.

I only had 39 in current year plus the ones in holding.

the website shows 162 in holding 0 in this use year and 15 in 2011/12.

And the website also shows the reservation? I have noticed a bit more of a delay in the website showing the points being removed from my account although they usually do show the change by the end of the day. Very strange.

 

[tjkraz]

I only had 39 in current year plus the ones in holding.

the website shows 162 in holding 0 in this use year and 15 in 2011/12.

If you only have 15 points left for 11/12--and didn't use the rest for another vacation--it sounds like they borrowed the points to use for the May trip. As a previous poster said, the only way they will let you switch that trip to the holding points is if there are still unbooked rooms AT THE SAME RESORT / VIEW when that 60 day mark arrives.

Of greater concern is probably the fact that MS apparently borrowed points to book the room now. If the points currently committed to your May trip are borrowed from 11/12, they cannot be un-borrowed even if you are successful in switching the reservation to the holding points. Those borrowed points will expire at the end of your 2011 Use Year if not used.

MS usually reminds callers that "borrowing is a final transaction" and it sounds like you may have acknowledged this fact--albeit hurriedly--during your call.

Definitely want to call back and see what's going on. Might have to beg and plead ignorance to get the points un-borrowed if that is what happened. FWIW, most of May is pretty low-demand so you will probably find something 60 days out. Might not be the resort you got today--over 100 days out--but there will almost certainly be options available.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

Well all's well now.

I called MS and they were flabbergasted by how messed up my account was. It took a supervisor and holding over 20 min but it's fixed now. They said the reservation should have never gone thru the system in the first place. They took the points out of holding and made my May reservation. I didn't asked for the points to be taken out. They just did it because of the trouble I had had. I was very surprised.

Thanks for the help and advice!

 

[mousefan1972]

While I'm glad it worked out for you, I am flabbergasted that MS would once again make an exception to the 60 day rule for points in holding.

I hope they are prepared for many angry phone calls....

 

[Judique]

While I'm glad it worked out for you, I am flabbergasted that MS would once again make an exception to the 60 day rule for points in holding.

I hope they are prepared for many angry phone calls....

I'm curious as to how that angry phone call would go.

KoolDisneyCat - you had much better luck then I had. I cancelled a January visit and now have 186 holding points. I have until September 30 to use them, but I don't usually go in summer. Sooo....I'll be trying for March or April as soon as I get some time to put together a possible trip plan.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

KoolDisneyCat - you had much better luck then I had. I cancelled a January visit and now have 186 holding points. I have until September 30 to use them, but I don't usually go in summer. Sooo....I'll be trying for March or April as soon as I get some time to put together a possible trip plan.

I'm right there with you. Our only possible travel date when the whole family could travel was in late May, and the CM sounded very skeptical that we would be able to book enough rooms at BWV for our entire party during that travel period if we waited until 60 days out. So, I ended up borrowing from our next UY to book the trip and (at her encouragement) banked about 2/3 of the holding points with RCI. I really didn't want to do this, but didn't see much option. I will try at 60 days out to add a few nights on to our existing reservation with the points in holding, but I'm not too hopeful for success. The points will in all likelihood just expire at the end of May.

Of course, now that trip insurance is offered, I can't see MS making even one-time exceptions in the not too distant future. To do so would undercut a product they are trying to sell (the insurance). Maybe that's why they are no longer being as friendly in offering the help... they may think I'm more likely to purchase Travelex so that I never repeat this experience. I admit, I did consider it... but after I called Travelex for more details about their product, I found out that our reason for canceling would not have covered the entire reservation anyway. It would only have covered the airfare from iced-in Atlanta for our daughter and son-in-law, and the rest of us would have been expected to go to WDW without them.

 

[mousefan1972]

I'm curious as to how that angry phone call would go.

"I wasn't granted an exception to use my holding points outside of the 60 day booking window, but you gave one to this person on the DIS?? That's not fair!!"

Probably something like that....

I certainly wouldn't be happy if I had asked for an exception and wasn't given one, and then came here to read that someone else was. Inconsistency with the enforcement of written policies is never a good thing.

 

[Dacky619]

"I wasn't granted an exception to use my holding points outside of the 60 day booking window, but you gave one to this person on the DIS?? That's not fair!!"

Probably something like that....

I certainly wouldn't be happy if I had asked for an exception and wasn't given one, and then came here to read that someone else was. Inconsistency with the enforcement of written policies is never a good thing.

Really?

I don't think that would get you anywhere. I can't imagine many people would actually call to complain about that, but I guess that's just me.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

I didn't mean to cause hard feelings. Sorry.

I didn't ask for my holding points to be used for my May trip. The supervisor make that decision without even asking me.

I called because my account was messed up. I was not trying to take advantage.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

I didn't mean to cause hard feelings. Sorry.

I didn't ask for my holding points to be used for my May trip. The supervisor make that decision without even asking me.

I called because my account was messed up. I was not trying to take advantage.

We know. I think those of us who did not get this opportunity understand it's not that any member is taking advantage... it's that Disney CMs are not being uniform in their offering of the free pass. No one is upset with those of y'all who got the pixie dust... we just wish it had floated our way too!!!

 

[tjkraz]

I certainly wouldn't be happy if I had asked for an exception and wasn't given one, and then came here to read that someone else was. Inconsistency with the enforcement of written policies is never a good thing.

Extenuating circumstances.

I'm also an advocate of equal treatment. However, there are times when companies--Disney in particular--will go the extra mile in resolving issues for customers. Particularly when Disney created those issues in the first place.

In this particular case, OPs account was messed up to the point that it took several phone calls and over 20 minutes on the telephone to get all of the issues resolved. I would like to think that Disney is still a company willing to make some small gesture for wasting a member's time in resolving these problems.

No member would be feeling very warm and fuzzy if they had similarly worked through these issues with DVC only to be told "thanks for bringing this to our attention...we have your account fixed now...you're all set to call back in a couple months and book the trip."

Booking OPs trip 6-8 weeks before it would have otherwise been allowed seems like a reasonable gesture given the inconvenience involved, IMO.

 

[mousefan1972]

Really?

I don't think that would get you anywhere. I can't imagine many people would actually call to complain about that, but I guess that's just me.

Just to clarify, I do not, nor have I ever, had points in holding. I also am not a complainer.

However, I have seen many posts on the DVC boards where people have expressed um, anger I guess is the best word, when someone receives something that they did not. I recently read a thread where someone said they were "bookmarking the post" so that when they called MS to complain, they could reference the person's post. As in, "I didn't get this, but this person did, and now I'm PO'd!"

I wouldn't do that, either, but I wouldn't put it past some people to do it.

OP, no need to feel bad. Sorry if I made you feel like you did something wrong. That was not my intent.

 

[Dacky619]

Just to clarify, I do not, nor have I ever, had points in holding. I also am not a complainer.

However, I have seen many posts on the DVC boards where people have expressed um, anger I guess is the best word, when someone receives something that they did not. I recently read a thread where someone said they were "bookmarking the post" so that when they called MS to complain, they could reference the person's post. As in, "I didn't get this, but this person did, and now I'm PO'd!"

I wouldn't do that, either, but I wouldn't put it past some people to do it.

OP, no need to feel bad. Sorry if I made you feel like you did something wrong. That was not my intent.

There was a big thread on the theme parks board a few weeks ago about Undercover ticket upgrade problems. One person claimed they pulled the disboards up on their phone, and showed the ticketing CM a post by Cheshire Figment (A known Ticket CM on the boards) and tried to use that as reference to get the upgrade done. I understand what you're saying, I guess I just hope few people would actually be upset enough to make that call. But I would love to be in the room when a CSR asks the manager "They said we made this exception for someone on their message boards and now they want us to do it for them." I would laugh and laugh...

 

[Judique]

. I understand what you're saying, I guess I just hope few people would actually be upset enough to make that call. But I would love to be in the room when a CSR asks the manager "They said we made this exception for someone on their message boards and now they want us to do it for them." I would laugh and laugh...

That's where I was coming from.....