Just returned BWV What happened????

[ANIMO]

We just returned from a 7 day trip. Our one bedroom at BWV was truly falling apart!!! the first night we awoke at 3am to a loud crash, the light in the bathroom cracked and fell! The next day I was brushing my teeth and leaned my knee into the cabinet under sink and the panel fell off, now I am not a heavy person (5'7' 120lbs) and it broke through with very little pressure applied. Two days later heard water running thought one of the kids left shower running, no it was the light in the shower leaking water??? perhaps from the room above?? Mold on ceiling , balcony filthy, and dust everywhere from day one.
What is going on??? Didn't want to complain for fear of my annual dues going up!!
Now we have been members for ten years now and this is the first time the room was in this bad condition. I understand the whole trash/ towel bit and even washed the towels in the room myself, but we were only given 1 roll of toliet paper and I needed to get more (DH and the dining plan required more )
I accepted this as a member but can you imagine paying for this kind of room??
Seriously thinking about selling and buying AKV?? Any ideas

 

[VLee]

We also just returned Friday night. There was supposed to be a trash and towel change on Monday. When they knocked, we were busy getting ready, so we were told they would return.

When we returned very late Monday night, they had not returned, so I called housekeeping and asked them to come Tuesday morning since we were then getting ready for bed.

Well, guess what, they did not come at all Tuesday, so I called again and was told that we had been serviced Monday. NOT !!

So, by then we needed a new roll of toilet paper, since they had not left an extra one. Finally, they came Wednesday morning--(we had arrived Friday)--

It was a good thing that we were in a 1 BR and had the washer and dryer for towels.

 

[ILuvDVC2]

Didn't want to complain for fear of my annual dues going up!!

I accepted this as a member but can you imagine paying for this kind of room??

You shouldn't accept this as a member, regareless of whether or not our assessments increase so that necessary repairs to BWV take place. We were also disappointed in the condition of BWV and our villa on our stay there in September. I wrote a letter to DVC Operations to share feedback about the condition of both the resort and our villa. I have not heard anything back (nor do I expect to) but at least they know how I feel about what I experienced.

 

[nuts]

We just returned from a 7 day trip. Our one bedroom at BWV was truly falling apart!!! the first night we awoke at 3am to a loud crash, the light in the bathroom cracked and fell! The next day I was brushing my teeth and leaned my knee into the cabinet under sink and the panel fell off, now I am not a heavy person (5'7' 120lbs) and it broke through with very little pressure applied. Two days later heard water running thought one of the kids left shower running, no it was the light in the shower leaking water??? perhaps from the room above?? Mold on ceiling , balcony filthy, and dust everywhere from day one.
What is going on??? Didn't want to complain for fear of my annual dues going up!!
Now we have been members for ten years now and this is the first time the room was in this bad condition. I understand the whole trash/ towel bit and even washed the towels in the room myself, but we were only given 1 roll of toliet paper and I needed to get more (DH and the dining plan required more )
I accepted this as a member but can you imagine paying for this kind of room??
Seriously thinking about selling and buying AKV?? Any ideas

I am afraid that the sub-standard construction BWV and BCV are coming through. Not usually addressed publicly, but is well known behind the scenes.

 

[WDWorld2003]

When we were there in early April we had the large balcony over the Village Green on second floor and a small balcony outside the living room. The balconies were both filthy as were the patio windows. I called at least three times but nothing was done.

Also, the end tables in the bedroom were very scratched as was the kitchen table. I would not have them in my home. I did not have time to pursue this after three calls as we were dealing with health issues.

The previous studio we had that trip had issues also with the kitchen sink backing up in the middle of the night. It was a much cleaner room though.

I do wonder where dues are going if they are not maintaining and cleaning the rooms. I see too many reports such as yours and realize these are not isolated incidents.

 

[Ms. WDW]

I definately would have complained. We don't stay there for free!

In July DH and I were over at SSR for a change of scenery. When we walked into our 1 BR unit I always "check it out". Well first off there was no DVD player in the livingroom, there were holes in the wall by the laundry area but the best was in the bathroom; the tiles all around the front jacuzzi were off. They were cracked and just lying around the base. Now, you mean to tell me house keeping didn't see this??? I immediately called the front desk and they asked me to make sure that the DVD wasn't pushed "back into the cabinet" and it wasn't. Within 15 minutes someone was there replacing the "missing" unit. When we came back from dinner, someone had been in the room and temporarily fixed the tiles and left a note that Monday (this was the weekend) the plasterer would be back and permanelty fix the tub. This was a big saftey issue and had to be taken care of immediately.

When I check in Wednesday at the BWV I will do my "walk through" and if something is substandard they definately will hear from me.

 

[snappy]

I am afraid that the sub-standard construction BWV and BCV are coming through. Not usually addressed publicly, but is well known behind the scenes.

I have seen a reference to poor construction at BWV here before but when another poster asked about it, nothing more was offered.

Is THIS another best kept secret?

ARe we talking below standard building supplies, contractor?

Or is it a maintenance issue?

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Wow. That is scary. I just passed ROFR on Friday (resale), and was really looking forward to being a member. Now, I wonder if I was too hasty and have second thoughts. I have never even toured SSR.
What other resorts have substandard construction?

 

[sjdisneywedding]

We just returned from a 7 day trip. Our one bedroom at BWV was truly falling apart!!! the first night we awoke at 3am to a loud crash, the light in the bathroom cracked and fell! The next day I was brushing my teeth and leaned my knee into the cabinet under sink and the panel fell off, now I am not a heavy person (5'7' 120lbs) and it broke through with very little pressure applied. Two days later heard water running thought one of the kids left shower running, no it was the light in the shower leaking water??? perhaps from the room above?? Mold on ceiling , balcony filthy, and dust everywhere from day one.
What is going on??? Didn't want to complain for fear of my annual dues going up!!
Now we have been members for ten years now and this is the first time the room was in this bad condition. I understand the whole trash/ towel bit and even washed the towels in the room myself, but we were only given 1 roll of toliet paper and I needed to get more (DH and the dining plan required more )
I accepted this as a member but can you imagine paying for this kind of room??
Seriously thinking about selling and buying AKV?? Any ideas

thats stinks, but you have to inform them of this. not necessarily complaining, just informing.

 

[tjkraz]

I have seen a reference to poor construction at BWV here before but when another poster asked about it, nothing more was offered.

Is THIS another best kept secret?

ARe we talking below standard building supplies, contractor?

Or is it a maintenance issue?

I can't speak to construction issues, but I do believe that maintenance will continue to be an issue at BWV and BCV. Those resorts are clearly very popular--both among DVC members and (perhaps more importantly) among point renters.

Cash resorts run at 80-90% occupancy most of the year. That means on any given night they have dozens of rooms that can be removed from service if maintenance issues arise.

DVC resorts are designed to run near 100% occupancy all the time. Realistically that doesn't happen, but the popularity of the BC and BW mean that those two in particular are often at 100%. The resort staff then has exactly 5 hours--from the 11am check-out time to the 4pm check-in time--to turn-over every room that was vacated. No matter the stains in the carpet, holes in the walls, loose tiling, leaky plumbing--those rooms MUST be ready for guests.

That said, I do think that communications between housekeeping and maintenace (who would actually have to complete the repairs) is sorely lacking. Even if maintenance couldn't get to an issue before the guest arrived they could communicate knowledge of its existence. If the problem was identified and slated to be addressed, they could at least leave a card in the room that says something like "we're sorry about the loose bathroom tile...someone will be up Monday afternoon to complete the repair."

Overall we've found maintenace to be very responsive to the few issues we have experienced. But most of them could have been identified and addressed before we even arrived. And those issues weren't limited to the BC and BW, but I do think those two resorts face greater challenges in the long run due to popularity.

 

[snappy]

I had not thought about the popularity being a factor. Good point.

I also read on another thread recently that some members call the front desk when they are leaving to give Housekeeping a head's up, especially when they depart significantly earlier than 11 am.

If enough members would do this, it might more than offset the "self-extenders" and maybe help Housekeeping and maintenance identify and address maintenance issues more promptly.

I really like the "looks" of BWV and hope there are no serious hidden flaws.

 

[disrailfan]

The worst thing you can do is not to call and complain. On a trip to OKW (never had problems before) last year we had to call three times to get trash and towel and 4 times to get our full service. We were there for 10 days in a 2 bedroom.

It seems that everytime we check into a room at OKW there are minor issues. Light bulb out, light not working. We just call and they usually come and fix the problem.

 

[AlwaysEeyore]

We will be at BWV for our first trip home 11/10-11/15. Since we are new at this I'm not sure what to expect. I am nervous about the room not being nice since our hopes are up so high.
Do we call maintenace for everything including a missing DVD player? I would guess we call Housekeeping for towels, trash & dirt right? Would we call the front desk with any problems?

Thanks!

 

[CarolAnnC]

We will be at BWV for our first trip home 11/10-11/15. Since we are new at this I'm not sure what to expect. I am nervous about the room not being nice since our hopes are up so high.
Do we call maintenace for everything including a missing DVD player? I would guess we call Housekeeping for towels, trash & dirt right? Would we call the front desk with any problems?

Thanks!

For a 5 night stay, you will receive Trash and Towel service on the 4th day of your stay. There is no daily housekeeping nor towel replacement when staying on points. You can call for replacement towel paks, but they will charge your room a fee for this.

You can drop your trash off in the trash room located on each floor of the BWV. The villas contain cleaning equipment for guests' use such as vacuum, broom, etc. Full cleanings are also available from Housekeeping for a price.

Maintenance should be called for villa issues such as a broken toilet. Housekeeping can be called if you desire to purchase towel paks, or full housekeeping services.

Hope this helps...

 

[Chuck S]

We had a light that leaked water at OKW once, in a building that had just been finished.. You should absolutely have reported it, it can cause more damage and be more expensive to fix if maintenance doesn't know about it. Either there was a broken seal or a craked drain pipe in the room above you.

Maintenance at OKW thank us profusely for reporting the problem (a contractor left the bathtub above improperly sealed) and bought us dinner at Olivia's.

 

[AlwaysEeyore]

For a 5 night stay, you will receive Trash and Towel service on the 4th day of your stay. There is no daily housekeeping nor towel replacement when staying on points. You can call for replacement towel paks, but they will charge your room a fee for this.

You can drop your trash off in the trash room located on each floor of the BWV. The villas contain cleaning equipment for guests' use such as vacuum, broom, etc. Full cleanings are also available from Housekeeping for a price.

Maintenance should be called for villa issues such as a broken toilet. Housekeeping can be called if you desire to purchase towel paks, or full housekeeping services.

Hope this helps...

Thanks, it does help. Will the villa have windex and the such also? Are they baby proofed or should I bring my own latch for the cabinet. My son loves to spray things. Is laundy & dish soap provided also? I am bringing my own laundry soap for when we move to ASMU our 2nd week (we are going for a wedding/grand gathering and want to stay with the rest of the famiy when they arrive) but I didn't think of dish soap.

When everyone complains that the balcony is dirty is it just dusty or caked on dirt kind of dirty?
Thanks again!

 

[Granny]

Thanks, it does help. Will the villa have windex and the such also?

No, there won't be any cleaning agents other than dishwasher soap and a small box of laundry detergent.

Are they baby proofed or should I bring my own latch for the cabinet.

No, they are not baby proofed in the manner you describe.

My son loves to spray things. Is laundy & dish soap provided also?
I am bringing my own laundry soap for when we move to ASMU our 2nd week (we are going for a wedding/grand gathering and want to stay with the rest of the famiy when they arrive) but I didn't think of dish soap.

As indicated, they give you some laundry soap but not very much. We bring our own.

When everyone complains that the balcony is dirty is it just dusty or caked on dirt kind of dirty?
Thanks again!

I would be very careful with the word "everyone", or even thinking this is the majority of visitors. The vast majority of DVC visits go off without a housekeeping or maintenance major glitch. It is just human nature to report bigger problems here on the boards. I'm glad that people do report them here (and more importantly to the proper personnel while they are on-site).

But don't think that the descriptions you see on these threads represent the majority of experiences. There is no "normal" level of dirtiness that you are asking about. Most people find their rooms' cleanliness and maintenance acceptable for most visits.

 

[Boston5602]

The phone in the rooms have a Housekeeping/Maintenance button for a direct call.

We've had minor issues that were dealt with in a quick and courteous manner.

I have on a few of my trips seen a crew power washing the balconies and walls. I always thought I would hate to be woken up by that noise , but then think at least there cleaning .

I've seen them cleaning the rugs in the hallway too.

Actually I see someone cleaning or improving the BWV resort EVERY TIME I stay there.

 

[pyrxtc]

well, how come nobody has asked what number room this was? This way, those that are staying soon can avoid that rom if possible. I'll be there in january, I hope my room is not like this or I'll be asking to be moved to the Beach Club. Is it any better?

 

[Sammie]

The phone in the rooms have a Housekeeping/Maintenance button for a direct call

Always, always, use this method to contact someone about problems,

Never, Never, call the Front Desk. You do not get the Front Desk, you will get the Disney Call Center and they are horrible about getting messages to the appropriate people.