No one should quarrel with the idea that respect, courtesy and helpfulness are in order in this and other situations. The only issue I can see disagreement on here is whether formal rules should be altered for personal situations and my vote is a clear no. It's clear the OP didn't feel they were treated appropriately but we we're there so none of us can be sure one way or another.
But that can happen regardless and is not preventable by rule or exception to rule, whatever the official rule is in this situation. To be clear, my view is that rules should not be waived for personal situations, period. I would apply this philosophy far more broadly than just the discussion at hand. If there is a situations where it would be reasonable to alter a rule, it is simple to amend the rule appropriately. The problem with bending rules is they are never done consistently, of course Disney is nothing if not inconsistent.
And rules are good. But I think common sense is being bred out and people are insisting on rules ruling everything. I feel like the world is trying to fit every square peg into a round hole and it's just creating a bigger mess. As they say, you can't regulate common decency...but some try.
Rules should be based on common sense and changed if it becomes clear they are not. I would agree there may be times when at the point of attack it's clear that the rule is not appropriate and it MAY be appropriate to waive the rule at that point, IMO, this is not necessarily one of those situations. I don't know the absolute rule in an illness situation and it really doesn't affect my thinking one way or the other so lets assume for sake of discussion there isn't one and the only question is how are the towels being handled under the normal towel exchange rules. IMO there are responsibilities on both sides of such a phone call but lets further assume that the CM was very courteous, appropriate and helpful. That they offered to bring new bedding and that they offered to bring a towel pack but reminded them very courteously that there was a charge to do so and that they nicely reminded the caller that they did have the option of washing if they wanted. Thus the ONLY issue becomes whether there is a charge for the towel pack or not, which is ultimately the only place I differ from you I think. IF there is then a conflict that follows as to that charge I put the blame on the member for being petty and arguing with the cost, not Disney or DVC. Earlier you seemed to suggest this was a financial issue to me, that could not be further from the truth, it's a rule and consistency issue. I'd likely be the first to pay the charge for someone else in such a situation. Now if you get to someone who would not have known the rules up front such as a nonmember, I would feel less strongly about the situation.
THAT is not at all what I said. To make this about compassion or lack of is simply bologna and a cop out in dealing with the discussion itself. What I said was that the rules should be followed, whatever they are, no more and no less. IF the rule is they exchange the towels for free for illness and it supersedes the towel exchange rule, then they should do so, if not then they should not. My point was and is simply, that the rules should not be left to the whims of a given CM to use, abuse and waive as they see fit. That the rules are more important than the individual in this and most situations and if the rule is not a good rule, it should be changed appropriately.
That is exactly why I feel the policy should be changed for studios in general. Others have suggested that there is a policy for such a situation that was not followed, on that I do not know and thus can't speak to, but if so, it should have been followed. And I agree that sending one to wash in the middle of the night is not appropriate when there are other alternatives, however there are other alternatives in this situation which include a towel pack being delivered to the villa. My only point of contention is simply that IF a charge for that towel pack is applicable (not superseded by other policies), it should not be waived for personal circumstances on the whim of a CM.
