Is Jim Lewis doing a good job at DVC?

[McCrae]

As a new member of DVC I have not been impressed with how DVC is beening Managed.

Right across the club I see areas where the business is not being managed well.

The website is simply awful and is not practical.

The surveys when they ask for feedback are structured poorly. A recent survey I received asked what resort you owned at, I didnt have an option to select my resort....BLT!

Another asking for input about the VGC Webcast...didnt even give you an option to give overall feedback of the resort.

The VGC webcast of the grand opening ceremony.... didnt show you anything of the ceremony..Eh... how does that work?!

DVC ends the free Valet parking service without consulting members.

DVC reservation staff have very limited knowledge of Disneyland. I was told by a staff member that WDW & DL operate separate computer systems and the DVC staff couldn't fully access them. Again not very smart!

Overall I would say that I have seen or heard of lots of examples where DVC is not doing well.

Have I missed something?

Based on what I have experienced I would say as overall leader of DVC Jim Lewis he is not doing a good job.

How do others feel?

 

[tjkraz]

Most of the things you mention are IT-related and I'll agree that IT is awful. One of the problems is that Walt Disney World is in the midst of massive upgrades to its IT systems and DVC isn't exactly a top priority. You've got 60 million people who visit the 4 Florida theme parks annually vs. 400,000 DVC members. You're not going to get IT staffers diverted to a DVC project when they are working on things like web ADRs or on-line check-ins which potentially benefit millions of guests.

The website has grown by leaps and bounds since Lewis took over. Before his arrival (and we're talking mid-'00s) the site was just static content with no member-specific information at all. At least now we can look at reservations, pay dues, pay loans, bank points, etc.

The only real thing missing from the website is on-line reservations and Lewis claims we'll have that around mid-2010.

If you want to compare Lewis to prior DVC heads, I think he has done a lot of positive things for the program. Newer resorts are much better than the older ones in terms of amenities and space. We've seen concierge added to DVC, Top of the World Lounge at BLT, first Disneyland resort, first Hawaii resort. DVC rooms are being renovated to add things like new mattresses, new sofabeds, new patio furniture, DVD players, iHome clock radios and fold-out sleeper chairs. Even flat panel TVs are now being gradually rolled-out.

We've added perks like an Annual Pass discount and free Internet. There are more special member events like annual cruises, Member Mixers around Christmas. We get discounted tickets to after-hours parties and admission to attraction previews. These are all examples of things that came into being under Lewis.

Policy changes are always dicey because they will invariably benefit some members at the expense of others. Changes like limiting point transfers, reallocating the outdated point charts and moving the reservation window (date of departure to date of arrival) have served the common good, IMO.

I think it's pretty easy to bash the things we've lost while losing sight of what we have gained. Guess I'm a "glass is half full" sort of guy.

Am I thrilled with everything that has happened? No, of course not. But I also have no idea how much to blame him for things that have happened in the program. I believe that Lewis reports to Jay Rasulo, who heads the entire Parks & Resorts division. Personally I'd rather see Rasulo go before Lewis. If Lewis is being handcuffed by dictates coming down from above, replacing him isn't going to change anything.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

I believe that Jim Lewis is much better at expanding the system through sales than he is at managing the system. I don't know if it is a lack of interest or a lack of skill or both in this area.

There should be a policy in place that says no new policy that could negatively effect the members should be put into place without at least one month's notice if not more. New points charts should be given out at least 12 or 13 months in advance, and our planners should show up at the same time ever year almost to the day.

Of course members did not like the new valet policy...but imagine the ire of members who find the new policy after renting a car at the airport, or the effects of changing points charts on the person that had just bought the exact number of points they needed, etc.

A lot of the problems with housekeeping could be solved if the housekeepers knew that the big cheese could do a spotcheck at any time.

If Jim Lewis were more considerate to the members it would go a long way IMHO. That takes a lot of maturity on the part of management, that I just don't see.

 

[DeeCee735]

I believe that Jim Lewis is much better at expanding the system through sales than he is at managing the system. I don't know if it is a lack of interest or a lack of skill or both in this area.

There should be a policy in place that says no new policy that could negatively effect the members should be put into place without at least one month's notice if not more. New points charts should be given out at least 12 or 13 months in advance, and our planners should show up at the same time ever year almost to the day.

Of course members did not like the new valet policy...but imagine the ire of members who find the new policy after renting a car at the airport, or the effects of changing points charts on the person that had just bought the exact number of points they needed, etc.

A lot of the problems with housekeeping could be solved if the housekeepers knew that the big cheese could do a spotcheck at any time.

If Jim Lewis were more considerate to the members it would go a long way IMHO. That takes a lot of maturity on the part of management, that I just don't see.

I completely agree.....

 

[Deb & Bill]

...I think it's pretty easy to bash the things we've lost while losing sight of what we have gained. Guess I'm a "glass is half full" sort of guy.....

I, too, usually try to see the bright side of things, Tim. But lately I have to be a one-eighth glass-full type of person with DVC.

Communication with members is horrible and it should be number one. I'd rather not have the website at all if it continues to have incorrect information on it or isn't used to inform the members timely. How difficult would it have been to post a note on the main web page about the change in valet parking two weeks ago? They can get that Deevy Cee stuff to all members and post that to the website. Why not real news???

And if it had to be negative why not something like this.

"In order to better manage members dues, we are sad to announce that member free valet parking wil be coming to an end on Jan 1. Increasing costs to pay for the valet services at the resorts has had your managers scrambling to find a way to keep this service, but, unfortunately, it could not be done. We appreciate our members and will continue to try to restore this perk in the future if possible. Until then, please contact us at dvcmember.com if you have any question. "

You ever see Mr Mom with Michael Keaton? When the tuna company is trying to come up with an advertising scheme, Teri Garr comes up with the plan to announce to the consumers that they are going to reduce the price of tuna by 10 cents a can during these trying time. When things get better, they will return the prices to the current price. But for now, they want to remind everyone that they are all in this together.

Why can't DVC even send out messages like this?

 

[McCrae]

Some interesting comments...

DVC in my opinion are doing a lot of dumb things and dont seem to have thought things out before going ahead with them.

I expect better from Disney.

Whilst its interesting to hear that some feel things are improving, its not that difficult to fix.

It requires a bit of effort and some common sense.

Having a members website that works well is not rocket science and could easily be fixed.

It's so basic why hasn't Jim Lewis fixed this?

 

[DebbieB]

More comments on Jim Lewis in this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2304230

 

[tjkraz]

I understand what you're all saying but as someone said in the other thread, sometimes you're better with the devil you know than the devil you don't.

Lewis is a known quantity at this point. Most of us know that there will be a light sales pitch on a member cruise, Welcome Home Wednesdays or other special events.

We know communications won't be the greatest, but RARELY does that cause us any direct harm. I'll be at the BW in 2 weeks but even if I had known about the valet parking change months ago it wouldn't have impacted my trip a bit.

After 5 or 6 years at the helm, honestly I don't see Lewis getting any closer to some of the doom and gloom predictions that we concoct. I don't see him changing the booking windows. I don't see sales tactics getting more aggressive. I don't see room quality being slashed left and right (in fact, as my original post indicates, I think it has gotten better in many areas.)

But if Lewis is replaced with another exec....all bets are off.

I think he deserves a lot of credit for bringing DVC to where it is today. I wasn't a member for a terribly long time before Lewis came on board but my sense is that DVC was stagnating a bit. BCV owners only got 40 years of ownership. Many weren't thrilled with SSR...same old room design...point charts too high, etc. They were reeling a bit from Eagle Pines being derailed and the economy slamming the parks for a good 2-3 years.

Despite that he helped lead DVC to consistent new highs in sales. We can't just assume that any exec would have had similar success. It's because of that we have fantastic resorts at AKL, Contemporary, Hawaii, the Grand Californian and even the Treehouse Villas. In a time when Disney is often criticized for going cheaper and smaller, DVC went larger and more luxurious with every single one of these new destinations.

The current hot button--communications--isn't going to get any better regardless of who is in charge. That's Disney's way of doing things.

Given the choice, I'd rather see Rasulo depart than Lewis.

Lewis won't be around forever. If I had to guess, I'd give it another 2 years before he's on to something else. I just hope we don't end up longing for the "good 'ole days" under JL someday.

 

[KevGuy]

Jim Lewis = HORRIBLE!!!!

He is now trying to raise money for a developers political PAC from the DVC membership, once that started happening in one of the recent Disney Files magazines I lost any ounce of faith in him I had. Sorry but looking for welfare donations for a multi-million dollar developer corporation that can certainly fund their own PAC is not what I am looking for in my DVC magazine, I don't care what they purport they are doing for me or how they are supposedly saving timeshare owners money. I say toss him out with the trash as quick as possible, devil I know be damned.....

 

[drusba]

So we now have discounted annual passes and dining plan, both profit makers for Disney, meaning one can only ask how could they have been so dumb not to provide those earlier than they did. We also of course now have a $95 fee to trade out to Disney hotels, another of Jim's "membership enhancements." Free internet: if there is any cost involved, you are paying for it via dues so "free" is a misnomer.

He uses Disney Files (a magazine we pay for) to promo and seek contributions for a mainly management timeshare PAC, ADRA, i.e., he uses our money to promo his organization so that DVD does not have to pay mailing or other costs out of its own pocket to seek contibutions.

Website sucks and why is it that the search engine can never find anything you are looking for. Housekeeping needs serious improvement including something simple like just spot-checking to make sure they are actually cleaning the rooms. His main focus has always been sales not membership quality. His ability to communicate with members is abysmal.

The great point change disaster: this is an example of completely mindless and callous management. They sell BLT using a point chart that purchasers rely on in making decisions to buy points. Then after four months of excellent sales, Big Jim and his crew do two things in sequence: create a 100 point minimum add-on for BLT and then change the charts to make all week nights higher, effectively telling the BLT purchasers, who had not yet even been able to use their points, that they are screwed and can't even buy a low point add-on. That is mangement at its callous worst because it just emphasizes that they did not think at all about the impact on members. They afterwards changed the 100 point add on minimum back to 25 following a lot screaming.

My vote: I will take whatever evil replaces him.

 

[Deb & Bill]

So we now have discounted annual passes and dining plan, both profit makers for Disney, meaning one can only ask how could they have been so dumb not to provide those earlier than they did. We also of course now have a $95 fee to trade out to Disney hotels, another of Jim's "membership enhancements." Free internet: if there is any cost involved, you are paying for it via dues so "free" is a misnomer.

He uses Disney Files (a magazine we pay for) to promo and seek contributions for a mainly management timeshare PAC, ADRA, i.e., he uses our money to promo his organization so that DVD does not have to pay mailing or other costs out of its own pocket to seek contibutions.

Website sucks and why is it that the search engine can never find anything you are looking for. Housekeeping needs serious improvement including something simple like just spot-checking to make sure they are actually cleaning the rooms. His main focus has always been sales not membership quality. His ability to communicate with members is abysmal.

The great point change disaster: this is an example of completely mindless and callous management. They sell BLT using a point chart that purchasers rely on in making decisions to buy points. Then after four months of excellent sales, Big Jim and his crew do two things in sequence: create a 100 point minimum add-on for BLT and then change the charts to make all week nights higher, effectively telling the BLT purchasers, who had not yet even been able to use their points, that they are screwed and can't even buy a low point add-on. That is mangement at its callous worst because it just emphasizes that they did not think at all about the impact on members. They afterwards changed the 100 point add on minimum back to 25 following a lot screaming.

My vote: I will take whatever evil replaces him.

I agree. Good post!! Anyone else couldn't be any worse.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...After 5 or 6 years at the helm, honestly I don't see Lewis getting any closer to some of the doom and gloom predictions that we concoct. I don't see him changing the booking windows. ...

He already did, Tim. He changed it from 11 and 7 months out from checkout to 11 and 7 months out from check in. And only for seven days at a time. So you can still lose out on getting the last days of your reservation if you go for longer than 7 days.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I believe that Jim Lewis is much better at expanding the system through sales than he is at managing the system. I don't know if it is a lack of interest or a lack of skill or both in this area.

There should be a policy in place that says no new policy that could negatively effect the members should be put into place without at least one month's notice if not more. New points charts should be given out at least 12 or 13 months in advance, and our planners should show up at the same time ever year almost to the day.

Of course members did not like the new valet policy...but imagine the ire of members who find the new policy after renting a car at the airport, or the effects of changing points charts on the person that had just bought the exact number of points they needed, etc.

A lot of the problems with housekeeping could be solved if the housekeepers knew that the big cheese could do a spotcheck at any time.

If Jim Lewis were more considerate to the members it would go a long way IMHO. That takes a lot of maturity on the part of management, that I just don't see.

I also agree...

MG

 

[Dizny Dad]

Whether we agree or disagree on this topic, I would hope that we all agree that after this and a few other threads, Jim needs some time in The World with his family.

Thanks Jim for the memories. If it is time to move on, good luck to you. If you want to stay, work hard, keep listening, make the hard decisions with what you know at the time.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

So we now have discounted annual passes and dining plan, both profit makers for Disney, meaning one can only ask how could they have been so dumb not to provide those earlier than they did. We also of course now have a $95 fee to trade out to Disney hotels, another of Jim's "membership enhancements." Free internet: if there is any cost involved, you are paying for it via dues so "free" is a misnomer.

He uses Disney Files (a magazine we pay for) to promo and seek contributions for a mainly management timeshare PAC, ADRA, i.e., he uses our money to promo his organization so that DVD does not have to pay mailing or other costs out of its own pocket to seek contibutions.

Website sucks and why is it that the search engine can never find anything you are looking for. Housekeeping needs serious improvement including something simple like just spot-checking to make sure they are actually cleaning the rooms. His main focus has always been sales not membership quality. His ability to communicate with members is abysmal.

The great point change disaster: this is an example of completely mindless and callous management. They sell BLT using a point chart that purchasers rely on in making decisions to buy points. Then after four months of excellent sales, Big Jim and his crew do two things in sequence: create a 100 point minimum add-on for BLT and then change the charts to make all week nights higher, effectively telling the BLT purchasers, who had not yet even been able to use their points, that they are screwed and can't even buy a low point add-on. That is mangement at its callous worst because it just emphasizes that they did not think at all about the impact on members. They afterwards changed the 100 point add on minimum back to 25 following a lot screaming.

My vote: I will take whatever evil replaces him.

I also agree with drusba.. Nice post!!

MG

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I understand what you're all saying but as someone said in the other thread, sometimes you're better with the devil you know than the devil you don't.

Lewis is a known quantity at this point. Most of us know that there will be a light sales pitch on a member cruise, Welcome Home Wednesdays or other special events.

We know communications won't be the greatest, but RARELY does that cause us any direct harm. I'll be at the BW in 2 weeks but even if I had known about the valet parking change months ago it wouldn't have impacted my trip a bit.

After 5 or 6 years at the helm, honestly I don't see Lewis getting any closer to some of the doom and gloom predictions that we concoct. I don't see him changing the booking windows. I don't see sales tactics getting more aggressive. I don't see room quality being slashed left and right (in fact, as my original post indicates, I think it has gotten better in many areas.)

But if Lewis is replaced with another exec....all bets are off.

I think he deserves a lot of credit for bringing DVC to where it is today. I wasn't a member for a terribly long time before Lewis came on board but my sense is that DVC was stagnating a bit. BCV owners only got 40 years of ownership. Many weren't thrilled with SSR...same old room design...point charts too high, etc. They were reeling a bit from Eagle Pines being derailed and the economy slamming the parks for a good 2-3 years.

Despite that he helped lead DVC to consistent new highs in sales. We can't just assume that any exec would have had similar success. It's because of that we have fantastic resorts at AKL, Contemporary, Hawaii, the Grand Californian and even the Treehouse Villas. In a time when Disney is often criticized for going cheaper and smaller, DVC went larger and more luxurious with every single one of these new destinations.

The current hot button--communications--isn't going to get any better regardless of who is in charge. That's Disney's way of doing things.

Given the choice, I'd rather see Rasulo depart than Lewis.

Lewis won't be around forever. If I had to guess, I'd give it another 2 years before he's on to something else. I just hope we don't end up longing for the "good 'ole days" under JL someday.

Tim - I know that you repeatedly give lots of credit to Jim Lewis for the expansion and sales success of the last few years. That's at a time that dumps around the country were selling for ridiculous amounts. IMO so much of success is also based on being in the right place at the right time and he certainly benefited. BLT - goodness, that was a no brainer. If that property couldn't be sold what could be? And since DVC is a part of Disney it's not such a coup to be allowed to build there. GCV has not sold anywhere close to what they had thought - remember? It was going to sell out to the founding members. But where I don't see full recognition of the real estate climate contribution to his success of a few years ago Jim Lewis is getting lots of understanding for the down turn affecting sales. It should go both ways.

I can't say I have strong feelings either way about Jim Lewis but a few things like the $95 fee and valet parking make me wonder if he is truly fighting to get the best for the membership. I don't really think so - it may be easier to capitulate and get the "easy to work with" and "willing to take one for the team" reputation. That would help him in the future of the company and could be coming at members expense.

The next person (b/c there will be one at sometime) may be worse, but may be better. What I do know is that I don't think Lewis is doing enough of a bang up job that I'm concerned about someone new coming in.

 

[Chuck S]

He already did, Tim. He changed it from 11 and 7 months out from checkout to 11 and 7 months out from check in. And only for seven days at a time. So you can still lose out on getting the last days of your reservation if you go for longer than 7 days.

Not exactly....at least right at 11 months, you are guaranteed the ability to extend, simply call before the next 7 day cycle begins. This guarantee is where the idea of "walking" the reservation came from. 7 month reservations were never guaranteed, under any booking scheme.

 

[ddave]

I believe that Jim Lewis is much better at expanding the system through sales than he is at managing the system. I don't know if it is a lack of interest or a lack of skill or both in this area.

There should be a policy in place that says no new policy that could negatively effect the members should be put into place without at least one month's notice if not more. New points charts should be given out at least 12 or 13 months in advance, and our planners should show up at the same time ever year almost to the day.

Of course members did not like the new valet policy...but imagine the ire of members who find the new policy after renting a car at the airport, or the effects of changing points charts on the person that had just bought the exact number of points they needed, etc.

A lot of the problems with housekeeping could be solved if the housekeepers knew that the big cheese could do a spotcheck at any time.

If Jim Lewis were more considerate to the members it would go a long way IMHO. That takes a lot of maturity on the part of management, that I just don't see.

Agreed, Sales and expantion rule. Member don't. Really starting to get fed up.

 

[pycees312]

I think the question should be is DVC as a whole doing a good job?
I say this because when something goes wrong within a company everyone points the finger at the President but in reality it's the depts within the company that are to blame,such as the Operational Team, Finance, IT etc... I for one know when stuff happens at my company no one is waiting for the big boss to do anything, but my co workers and other are all scrambling to fix and make things work.. same thing with DVC..

 

[mgilmer]

I believe that Jim Lewis is much better at expanding the system through sales than he is at managing the system. I don't know if it is a lack of interest or a lack of skill or both in this area.

There should be a policy in place that says no new policy that could negatively effect the members should be put into place without at least one month's notice if not more. New points charts should be given out at least 12 or 13 months in advance, and our planners should show up at the same time ever year almost to the day.

Of course members did not like the new valet policy...but imagine the ire of members who find the new policy after renting a car at the airport, or the effects of changing points charts on the person that had just bought the exact number of points they needed, etc.

A lot of the problems with housekeeping could be solved if the housekeepers knew that the big cheese could do a spotcheck at any time.

If Jim Lewis were more considerate to the members it would go a long way IMHO. That takes a lot of maturity on the part of management, that I just don't see.

I agree also. The man should have been sent to the unemployment line a long time ago.