Is anyone else experiencing problems at the Beach Club Villas?

[nisiemouse]

We just got back on Fri from BCV and had the same problem with the GFI outlet popping up all the time knocking out the power to the clock radio in the master bedroom.

We were in BCV 353 a two bedroom dedicated unit. We could see Illuminations and were happy to get the two queen beds in the second bedroom although we did not specifically reserve this. (it is good for the kids to have the same type bed). Our room was ready at 1:30 pm. We appreciated this after our stay at PBH when they tried to check us into an occupied room twice. (Long story)

Our only real problem at BCV was a broken lint filter that I noticed right away. Someone had left it on top of the dryer. It was replaced while we were out at dinner. I also did not feel like the floor was very clean.

Housekeeping did not seem pleased that we did not check out until almost eleven. We were asked two or three times when we would be leaving.We had been up late the last night and I was sick with a cold.

We really did enjoy our stay and our problems were minor.
We had a wonderful trip and still can't believe how much more relaxing DVC makes our stays.

 

[JudithM]

Originally posted by mb168
We were there in June in a 2 BR, the master bedroom door didn't lock going into the living room. I probably should have called on it but I wanted to have a vacation, not deal with maintenance.

Originally posted by sitchu2 The housekeepers should report immediately when things are missing and broken as well as make the place sparkle.

As members/owners & not just guests, we have an obligation to report maintenance & housekeeping concerns. We are the extra set of eyes that maintenance & housekeeping need. It does not help to come home & "complain" on a bulletin board without having contacted maintenance or housekeeping while at the DVC resort. I firmly believe that the DVC management wants to know at the time when members have an issue. So, PLEASE take a moment to make the phone call while you are at the DVC resort.

 

[wilderness01]

We also felt our 2 br villa could have been cleaner. When I addressed that there was a dirty child's sock in our kingsize bed the housekeeping supervisor was very surprised. She however did not offer to come and change out the bed! We had already been sleeping in there for 4 nights and it was stuck between the sheets and the blanket. It was definately dirty and not ours! Yuck! They reassured me that it had probably just been stuck to the blanket during the drying process but really, it was still dirty. The master bathroom floor was dirty as well as the microwave. The balcony had a dirty ashtray (nonsmoking unit) and candy all over the place. On a previous trip I had written a letter to the Executive office about cleanliness at OKW and the regular BC rooms and the man that called said he was just so surprised because they never get issues of cleanliness brought to their attention at the DVC properties and that the BC was going under renovation so it was understandable that the rooms would be unkept! What a thing to tell a paying guest and the response about the cleanliness of the DVC resort was just a way to make me feel like a complainer. So this last time I handled it through the front desk (no help at all) and the housekeeping supervisor (again NO help at all)! Anyways, we have stayed several times at the CR and each time we have been more than pleased with everything, including the cleanliness of the entire room. I am hoping that we have just had some bad karma and that our next stay will be like our CR stays have always been.......clean!! If not, I can guarantee that we are selling.

 

[Disney Doll]

oes anyone know the person who is the head of the DVC program? Not the hotel management person, but the DVC itself? I wonder if some of these stories went to him/her, along with some folks' statements that if things don't improve they would sell, if it would make a difference.

I, for one, had one bad experience with a less-than-clean room at OKW several years ago which was quickly rectified by housekeeping, and I also received a follow-up call form the Housekeeping supervisor letting me know that after our stay there and my complaint, they decided to do a little renovation on that room, regrouting the bathroom, replacing the blinds, replacing the bedspread etc. Those were some of the things I had noted in my complaint.

I have stayed at BCV twice, in Ocotber 2002 in a 1BR and in January 2003 in a 2BR, and both times have been pleased with the room, the CMs etc.

 

[nydizfan]

please sell if your not satisfied. we know that there is someone that wil buy...I have been a member for 10 years..never had a problem , at okw or bcv.. I quess i am just lucky....or some just LOOK for a problem....dave

 

[karebear1]

Is there any reason why, if you walk into a DVC room the first time, and notice it is unkempt, that oyu can't call down and request housekeeping to come up immediately and re clean the room? I think if I got there and after putting the bags down, noticed thebathroom or kitchen wasn't clean, I call down. Is that inappropriate?

 

[SlyHubby]

please sell if your not satisfied. we know that there is someone that wil buy

as others have pointed out, this type of response is becoming much more prevalent around here, and it's actually quite sad seeing that type of attitude. apparently you don't understand that these people making these comments are your investment partners. if DVC gets this kind of reputation, your attitude of "go ahead and sell" can wind up costing you quite a bit as resale values plummet. why do you think almost every other timeshare resells far below the original purchase price? how would you feel if the quality of DVC took a dive, people really started selling, and you were stuck with your membership that was fetching a price less than half what you paid and provided accommodations and service no better than a value resort?

people pay good money to become a DVC member, and if they are not satisfied, the answer is not "sorry, sell if you're not happy". when people vacation at WDW they expect they are going to get a certain level of service for the money they are paying. prior to purchasing our DVC membership, we would stay at the high-end resorts and it was typically $2500 per week for us. for that kind of money, everything better be perfect. a smelly room, housekeeping leaving dirty towels in the bath, whatever - it is unacceptable and though mistakes happen, the front desk, housekeeping, or any other CM has no right to make it into a petty issue or not take it seriously. even more so for a DVC member where they have made a commitment to Disney. it is not an issue of "ok, we sold them, no need to take care of them any longer". the value of DVC is maintained only because they provide superior service and accommodations, not less.

the value of DVC is only maintained through supply and demand in the market. your "go ahead and sell" attitude is nothing short of arrogant and you should think more about the ramifications of such thinking.

 

[SlyHubby]

I think if I got there and after putting the bags down, noticed thebathroom or kitchen wasn't clean, I call down. Is that inappropriate?

It is absolutely not inappropriate. You are an owner, not simply a "vacationer". You pay annual dues for the upkeep and maintenance. There is absolutely no reason why your accommodations should not be clean when you arrive.

With this economic downturn, companies scrounge looking for ways to cut costs and taking short cuts to save money. The price you pay for DVC and your annual dues is buying an asset (property) and the service to maintain that property. There are no shortcuts here, and if you observe that Disney or DVC is falling short of their obligation to you for what you have and are paying for, you have every right to make them aware of it, and have them correct it.

 

[MdmMim]

In Feb, I stayed at the BCV, in a studio, later switched to a 1-bedroom, then back to a studio. (I made my ressies this way, as I was solo for portions of my trip.) I had problems with housekeeping, as there appeared to be none.

I did contact the houskeeping staff who came and cleaned, but it was a pain, as each time I switched, I had to go through the same scenario, and valuable vacation time was wasted. (Not one room had seen a vacuum cleaner; glasses on the vanity looked like they had toothpaste on them; dirty coffee mugs, etc.) The 1-bedroom was atrocious! Filty bathroom--like a well-used public restroom--sticky candy-like residue on the tables, dirty floors and mirrors, and an old dried up roast in the oven. I told the manager it appeared that her staff had changed the sheets and towels, threw out some Mickey soaps, and shut the door. The rooms really hadn't been touched. She admitted she was very embarassed. (My room changes involved different floors of the Villas, so this meant different housekeepers, so it was not just one person not doing his/her job.)

The rooms should be clean when we first check into them. I really don't think this is asking too much. Yes, we can vacuum and clean up after the previous guests, but we shouldn't have to!

It's such a shame as the BCV are so beautiful--I'd like them to stay that way.

 

[BCV23]

Sorry to hear you're having such bad luck with BCV.

We've had four different room assignments there and the rooms were clean in all cases. We needed to call about a couple things during our trips...a DVD player that was broken, low water temp in one shower...and each time someone from engineering was there in minutes. We have had wonderful stays so far. If you ever try BCV again I hope you have better luck.

 

[DaveH]

We stayed at BCV once and it was fine. It sounds like we need to send these complaints to DVC now. We also need to call while we are there and let them know. Sounds like housekeeping went from the BC to BCV and thought they can get a free ride. An impression I have gotten from coments here on the boards is that BC and WL both had trouble getting use to doing some things the DVC way. In this I mean the hearty Welcom Home and guest who even though they get housekeeping less often do tend to check the rooms more closely and report smaller problems. We stayed for one night 2 different times at OKW and the rest of the time at VWL on our first trip home in Dec 2001. As newbie and found these boards just 2 weeks prior to going noticed a difference in way of doing things. OKW had it down and VWL was still finding thier way so to speak. Having 2 different kind of guests was still giving the CM's problem in what to do. We have not stayed at BWV and they opened with both kinds of guests at the same time. I wonder if they had the same kind of adjustment problems. My impression is BC thought it would be easier then it really was. With my experiences with Disney is if we keep plugging and voice our concerns they will get fixed. Yes it is a pain and very frustrating to lose vacation time getting these things fixed. I only have 150 points and it is a somewhat major investment money wise for great vacations until 2042, so I will be pickey.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Originally posted by DaveH
noticed a difference in way of doing things. OKW had it down and VWL was still finding thier way

That's exactly the way it seemed to us. We stayed at VWL first, then when we transferred to OKW just for one nite (planned that way), we noticed what a difference in the CMs, at least the ones we dealt with. I can't help but wonder what the breakdown of complaints would be from the different DVC resorts. I'd be surprised if OKW didn't have the lowest % (please, I don't want to start a "which resort is best" thread-problems can happen anywhere).

 

[jfulcer]

Originally posted by SlyHubby

please sell if your not satisfied. we know that there is someone that wil buy

as others have pointed out, this type of response is becoming much more prevalent around here,

But SlyHubby, the reason this poster said "please sell if you are not satisfied" is that the some of the posters <i>said</i> they were going to sell if it didn't improve.

I think that if someone has a problem with their room they should report it immediately. If you dont want to take the time to make a phone call to tell someone of a problem and waste 10 minutes of your vacation time, then you just have to live with that choice.

What is unacceptable IMHO is the problems not being taken care of and rude responses. And not surprisingly, I'm heard the same things about other resorts, and not just DVC - and not just Disney. Service Industries are just not what they used to be.

I also read all of these problems and think to myself - with how many rooms DVC has for all the resorts and how many people are in them every night, you are bound to hear complaints and problems. It's almost inevitable. While we have heard (in this thread) about a dozen or so complaints, there are also just about as many that said they had a great stay and many more that read this thread thinking "I've never had problems, I hope I don't have something like that".

<b>I just must have really bad luck their. Going to stay at Fort Wilderness Villas for a while and not go back there. (for now they seem to be my favorite)</b>

Uh, it's the Villas at Wilderness Lodge, or Wilderness Lodge Villas, there's no Fort in the name. Easy mistake to make with FW being so close.

 

[Nink]

This is who needs to be contacted concerning complaints about housekeeping at BCV. Remember, there is a Condo association meeting on December 2, 2003 at 2 pm. If you are around, please attend. Last year it was held at the convention center at the Boardwalk.

George Aguel
Senior Vice President & General Manager
Disney Vacation Development, Inc.

Disney Vacation Club
200 Celebration Place
Celebration, FL 34747
Attn: Name/Department

Be sure to include the name of the person and department you’re trying to reach, and include your Member Number within the correspondence.

Email: members@disneyvacationclub.com
No attachments, please.

Please allow two business days for a response to faxes and emails.

 

[jmminarik]

To the original poster, if you do a search you'll see some of the previous threads complaining about one thing or another at the BCV.

I mailed someone at Disney (I think it was MS, but can't recall as it was back in May) asking if the maintenance and mousekeeping CM's were specifically DVC employees or if they were just part of the hotel staff. The response was typically useless (they're all Disney cast members). I mailed this since we came back from a week at BCV with the feeling we were the red-headed step children at the resort compared to staying at a 'DVC oriented' resort (we've been to VB, BW, and OKW). As some one mentioned in those previous threads, BCV staff still mainly deal with cash paying hotel customers and need to wrap their minds around the fact that DVCers are 'different'.

Cleanings between occupant changes do seem to be taking a hit though as mentioned no DVC room should ever be short-changed...we're paying for that, but mistakes and oversights can happen. Our room was pretty clean except for the baked-on crude on the broiling pan in the oven. For that I blame the previous occupants. I also blame the previous occupants for not calling and reporting the nice gash in the wall. We called as soon as we noticed it and since we weren't offended by it, arranged with maintenance to schedule it on our last day....and they were there at 9:00 am to fix it.

 

[sitchu2]

I previously posted that I had issues with housekeeping at BCV and reported it when responding to a QC survey specifically for my stay at BCV.

Well, i am posative that the problem is with the staff (not all of course) but when I made a simple request, and then closed my door, I heard 2 of them loudly complaining to eachother about the request. (was running out of tp)

It was that "attitude" , that was present with the certain housekeepers, that has no place in disneyworld anywhere. I think the beach club has to do some serious weeding among their staff.

 

[mittelst]

Originally posted by jmminarik
As some one mentioned in those previous threads, BCV staff still mainly deal with cash paying hotel customers and need to wrap their minds around the fact that DVCers are 'different'.

*Every* Disney guest should be treated with respect. It should be a fundamental tenet of the hotel industry. Given the premium rates charged for Disney lodging (including our investment in DVC), the service provided should be at the same premium level.

As far as room cleanliness goes, I expect my vacation lodging, whether it be the Super8, a cottage rental, or a concierge level hotel room, to be clean. Things like light bulbs, tp holder, etc, should be operational. I would consider anything less, especially at WDW, to be unacceptable. Things like this can be easily handled with a checklist for the housekeeping staff. It's great that most times, missing and broken items are taken care of, but we shouldn't have to make the call in the first place.

 

[jbthi]

I'm so sorry to hear about all the problems people have been having. I guess we have just been fortunate. We go about 4 times a year and have stayed at all four resorts. The only problem of any importance that we have ever had was at VWL.
We had a 5th floor room that the bellhop said he didn't even know existed. He thought we had misunderstood the room number. It smelled soooo stale. The closet smelled so bad we didn't put clothes in it. Room was also very dirty. We complained to housekeeping. They gave us a can of spray. On T & T day they used something else for the smell that helped but in a few hours it came back. The staff at the front desk were rude and uninformed. I will probably give it another try but so far I have not wanted to go back.

The best of any staff I have encountered has been at BWV. Everyone has gone out of their way to be friendly and helpful.

June

 

[Maistre Gracey]

It is not only BCV that could use better housekeeping. As much as I love VWL, I have had two 'less than stellar' housekeeping experiences.
Perhaps housekeeping in general is the problem, not BCV or any particular resort.

 

[childsplay]

Yes.......they insisted that we leave on our check out day