Just a Thought

[PamOKW]

Another thread brought up this idea and I thought I'd toss it around. How much of MS's time should be devoted to "renter services"? For quite some time now, the opening tape advises people to hang up and re-dial a 407 number if they want information on Walt Disney World. As the number of renters increases due to the ease of booking via the Internet, what type of curbs should be put in place? When I book for relatives, the transactions are the same as if I were booking for myself. In fact, I make all the calls. I never have them directly involved at all.

Now, someone who is selling a rental makes a regular reservation. That's fine. But, it seems like it's becoming a practice for the renter to then make at least one and maybe more calls to MS. They call to confirm the reservation exists...the actual paper confirmation is not good enough? They sometimes call to make requests and reconfirm. Every non-member phone call can contribute to an increased wait time. Increased wait times may necessitate additional hiring to keep members happy. These calls use member time and member money.

Should DVC refuse all phone calls that do not have a member number (or member SS#)? I would be okay with this....in fact, I thought that was the policy.

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by PamOKW
...(snip)....Should DVC refuse all phone calls that do not have a member number (or member SS#)? I would be okay with this....in fact, I thought that was the policy.

I am also OK with this. I would like to see it become policy. (If it's already policy, then I'd like to see it uniformly enforced). My understanding is that renters can call the resort directly for confirmation if the written confirmation is not "good enough".

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

I think responses to your question will fall allong the lines of those who favor and those that oppose renting. I doubt that renting results in a large volume of calls to MS. Also, I thought that any changes to the reservation/requests had to be made by the owner. A renter can only confirm the reservation exsists through MS. DVC spends money on a lot of things that I would prefer they didn't e.g. the vacation magic. I bet we pay a bundle in dues for that, and IMO it's nothing more than a sales flyer masked as an information newsletter.

 

[new_yawka]

When we joined, in 2000, MS was billed as a substantial benefit of DVC ownership. One stop shopping for all your vacation needs. If this is true, and we can no doubt have a thread dedicated solely to that question, it stands to reason that "ownership" is the key to one's using this benefit.

If the benefit of MS is provided to all renters of DVC it becomes not much more than an alternate CRO with a 1-800 number. It would also encourage people to rent points in lieu of purchase. The encouagement of a rental market in this way would seem to be bad both for the sales and resale markets. And, although I believe you will have to pry my dvc points from my cold dead fingers before I would sell them, an active resale market means that the price DVC members are able to get for their points, if ever faced with selling, will remain high - a good thing for us all.

Ultimately, if MS is a benefit I and my fellow owners pay for, it should be reserved for those picking up the tab.

This may be a bit overdone, as MS was not the key factor in many buyer's minds, but it clearly is one additional cog in the "exclusivity" and "convenience" of DVC which drew many purchasers to the club.

 

[Pa@okw95]

No member number, no talkie!!

 

[Beth]

Yeah.... I'm sorry for the problems the person encountered in that recent, lengthy thread about not getting assistance without a member number - but I memorized my member number a long time ago - and am always ready to regurgitate it when I call MS.

I think they should only speak to members...

 

[RobDoc]

While I have no problem with members renting DVC accommodations, I think it's pretty clrealy stated in our documents that DVC will provide no assistance for such rentals.

Allowing renters to call MS seems to me to fall into the "assistance" category. I've assumed that a member number is always required for any MS transaction and am disappointed to learn that non-members have been allowed to access any information thru MS.

I prefer to have MS enforce the existing policy- the policy that is stated on the recording for every phone call to MS. Membership numbers should be required for every MS contact, IMO.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

It's called "Member Services" -- not "DVC Resort Services" -- for a reason.