Management Contact Info Needed OKW

[WDWsnooper]

For the first time in 16 years I feel compelled to write management regarding the SAD condition of my room at OKW. I'm looking for specific names of OKW resort management, OKW/SSR Maintenance Manager, OKW Housekeeping Manager. I've found that multiple letters seem to be noticed more that a single letter that can be ignored. Any contact names/addresses are greatly appreciated!
-Snoop

 

[CarolA]

Why didn't you hunt them down? (I did last week LOL!)

 

[Deb & Bill]

So, what problems did you have at OKW?

 

[WDWsnooper]

Why didn't you hunt them down? (I did last week LOL!)

You're right, I'll call the resort. Sorry to bother you

 

[Brian Noble]

I think Carol means "why didn't you ask for them while you were there?"

In general, it's usually more effective to point things out to resort management in the moment, rather than wait until after the fact. But, it's probably too late for that now. Hopefully you can find the addresses you are looking for---it might be worth a call to WDW-INFO to see if they can look them up for you.

 

[WDWsnooper]

So, what problems did you have at OKW?

OKW Studio: Resort was 100% capacity; large hole in shower wall--water seeps into wall, no lid on toilet--seat not designed for a lid--like public restrooms (hazzard for babies, shock hazzard, no seat to use when watching toddlers in tub), in studio room, curtains on opposite walls mismatched--one pink checked, one brown with yellow and mint green stripes(???) Mildew, room looked to be quickly tidied rather than cleaned. Caulking up to an inch thick to compensate for shoddy installation of plumbing fixtures. This was not a quick fix room, I couldn't just say "have housekeeping see to my room". There was shoddy workmanship and substandard equipment. As a "Home Away From Home" resort, let me say that OUR home is not like this.

Have been OKW members since Jan '92, have seen such a decline. Shouldn't be. Countless stays with 300 pts, 99% at our home resort OKW. This stay was the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak up. Raising heck with the front desk was not the issue--a room change was not going to stop the decline of workmanship and corner cutting. I was there with a friend--someone that I thought would be a potential member. I kept apoligizing for the room. Heck, my Comfort Inn room for our arrival night was a better room---and that included breakfast.

I'm getting tired of people who are not doing what they are hired to do. That goes for Wall Street, auto industry, and now some of these cats at Disney.


A section of my 3 pg (long due to inclusion of multiple photos) letter:

I know that these rooms are renovated on a ‘regular’ basis and not every renter or member takes care of the rooms as they would at home. I can’t help but wonder why they are not maintained properly? Housekeeping sees them on a regular basis—don’t they mention when there is a hole in the shower wall or a toilet that needs a new lid, or something is unsafe or stupid? As a “Home Away From Home” resort, this does not reflect the status of our home--we have a seat with a lid at home, no mildew, a clean tub, and matching curtains.

Old Key West Resort is the flagship of the Disney Vacation Club and it is not being maintained to high standards. As mentioned earlier, fair wear’n’tear is understandable on DVC accommodations until timely renovations, but there is no excuse for shoddy workmanship, substandard equipment, mildew, décor challenges, and worse turning a blind eye to these deficiencies. It gives Disney a black eye and deters potential Disney Vacation Club buyers ($$$$$). With the amount of money invested in these facilities, they should not be reduced to substandard rooms and expect a bailout by vacation club members due to a lack of upkeep and poor management. There are no excuses for these low standards!

I want to send this to as many managers as possible. If they see that many get a courtesy copy of this, including Jim Lewis, perhaps something will happen. Someone's not doing their job....several 'someones'!

I don't want this to be a rant about good and bad rooms at OKW, what to avoid, etc. Up until now I have only sent letters praising the efficiency and service of cast members who have exceeded my expectations.

I just needed the contact names to send this to...perhaps one of the many will feel embarrassed enough to follow up on this and other issues regarding the decline of standards.

Sorry to be so long...

 

[OKW Lover]

We were also at OKW last week and didn't experience any issues with the maintenance of the place. But obviously you had a different experience and I wouldn't try to minimize it.

It helps all members when a lapse in standards are brought to DVC's attention at the time they are noticed. That way issues get resolved quickly rather than persisting until somebody else reports it or a complaining letter gets there.

 

[tjkraz]

Just my $.02 but I would try to cut that 3-page letter down to a single page. Sounds like you had a really rotten trip and the comments from your little snippet are justified. But from a practical standpoint, I don't know that you're going to be able to hold your audience's attention through three pages.

The commentary may be therapeutic, but you're asking a lot for people to absorb all of that. Yes, I know it's Disney and we may expect more but you're also fighting against human nature. If you write too much the facts get buried within venom and can be difficult to extract. Even the most conscientious managers have many responsibilities and you want to get your message across.

IMHO, stick to the facts. Use bullet points. I think you can add a personal statement expressing your disappointment, but save it for the end and limit it to a couple of sentences. That's all you need to get the message across. If you want to include photos, put the text all on a single (concise) page and attach the photos behind.

Good luck.

 

[OKW Lover]

TJKRAZ gave good advice as to targeting your comments. I'd also be sure to include a phone number where they can contact you for additional details.

In this case, given the conditions you described, I'd also ask for some type of compensation - perhaps a refund of your points.

 

[TDC Nala]

They are correct. That letter is too long. I'd suggest making it half its current length, bullet-pointing the major problems and attaching the photos separately.

 

[WDWsnooper]

Agreed, it is too long. Rough drafts are always the hardest. Word content alone is a single page, but I added 6 photos, making it lengthy. I like the idea of using bullets and attaching photos. Thanks for the suggestion! Always better to throw the rough draft out there and morph it to near perfection.

 

[DonnaL]

We're arriving at SSR on 1/2 in afternoon and meeting with four relatives who aren't arriving until close to midnight .....two of whom are also possible DVC purchasers. Because of the possibility of issues you describe above (which have not happened to us in the past, but, I'm hearing about it more and more on these boards) I actually changed our reservations to show each of us (four of us) in each of the four studios so we can check in during the afternoon and inspect the rooms before our relatives arrive late that night. I shouldn't need to do that, but, feel somewhat paranoid about the housekeeping issues which have been reported lately. Our actual room occupancy will not reflect the way I have the ressies set up with MS, but, I don't want to be embarrassed by the possible condition of a room when they checkin late in the evening. So, this way we can check them first and if there are issues we have several hours to have them rectified before our relatives get there.

 

[JimMIA]

I have a couple of suggestions.

You can cut the letter itself down to one page and attach the photos as an addendum. That will serve both purposes of making the letter short enough to digest, while still providing photographic documentation of your complaints.

The other thing I would suggest is to forward a copy of whatever you send to DMC Member Satisfaction. I've found them to be extremely responsive in the past, even though my complaint was only about the DVC magazine. If you limit your complaint to OKW management, it is possible for them to "contain" it. OKW management presumably already knows about your frustration, and you don't want them to be able to sweep your complaint under the rug, so to speak.

 

[Laurabearz]

I would love to see the pictures if you dont mind.

 

[WDWsnooper]

DVC sent this to me, will put it in my Rolodex--perhaps some of you also might want to file it away.

For email contact:
dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com

For USPS mail:
Disney Vacation Club
Attn: Member Satisfaction Team
200 Celebration Place, 4th Floor
Celebration, FL 34747

Letter re-worked, single page with labeled photos on second page. Will send to address above, OKW and Jim Lewis. Thanks for the input, it was helpful. Ended upbeat with:

I look forward to my upcoming stay with family friends (potential DVC members) to show them the Disney I usually enjoy as my “Home Away From Home”.

If nothing else happens, perhaps this room will get the attention it needs.

 

[disneynutz]

For the first time in 16 years I feel compelled to write management regarding the SAD condition of my room at OKW. I'm looking for specific names of OKW resort management, OKW/SSR Maintenance Manager, OKW Housekeeping Manager. I've found that multiple letters seem to be noticed more that a single letter that can be ignored. Any contact names/addresses are greatly appreciated!
-Snoop

Address a email to: dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com

 

[jagson]

Don't allow points rental to non-DVC members. Bill DVC members for obvious misuse and resultant damage to the room and/or resort. I suspect members will take better care of the facilities than non-members renting points. DVC needs to somehow weed out the irresponsible individuals, so your visit will be enjoyable. You wouldn't want those people in your home; why not in your Home-Away-From-Home?

 

[tjkraz]

Don't allow points rental to non-DVC members.

That wouldn't be legal since Disney itself rents points to non-members.

Bill DVC members for obvious misuse and resultant damage to the room and/or resort.

That may help, but it's a separate issue from Disney actually dealing with these problems. Whether members are billed for damage or not, Disney still needs to take responsibility for correcting the problems.

I suspect members will take better care of the facilities than non-members renting points. DVC needs to somehow weed out the irresponsible individuals, so your visit will be enjoyable. You wouldn't want those people in your home; why not in your Home-Away-From-Home?

One might think that makes sense (an owner would be more conscientious than a non-owner), but there isn't any evidence to support it. And it ignores the entitlement aspect of ownership--i.e. "I paid XXX to buy into DVC so I can do whatever I want."

 

[DebbieB]

The problems the OP listed sounded like more like maintenance than misuse.

 

[dianeschlicht]

OKW Studio: Resort was 100% capacity; large hole in shower wall--water seeps into wall, no lid on toilet--seat not designed for a lid--like public restrooms (hazzard for babies, shock hazzard, no seat to use when watching toddlers in tub), in studio room, curtains on opposite walls mismatched--one pink checked, one brown with yellow and mint green stripes(???) Mildew, room looked to be quickly tidied rather than cleaned. Caulking up to an inch thick to compensate for shoddy installation of plumbing fixtures. This was not a quick fix room, I couldn't just say "have housekeeping see to my room". There was shoddy workmanship and substandard equipment. As a "Home Away From Home" resort, let me say that OUR home is not like this.

Have been OKW members since Jan '92, have seen such a decline. Shouldn't be. Countless stays with 300 pts, 99% at our home resort OKW. This stay was the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak up. Raising heck with the front desk was not the issue--a room change was not going to stop the decline of workmanship and corner cutting. I was there with a friend--someone that I thought would be a potential member. I kept apoligizing for the room. Heck, my Comfort Inn room for our arrival night was a better room---and that included breakfast.

I'm getting tired of people who are not doing what they are hired to do. That goes for Wall Street, auto industry, and now some of these cats at Disney.


A section of my 3 pg (long due to inclusion of multiple photos) letter:

I know that these rooms are renovated on a ‘regular’ basis and not every renter or member takes care of the rooms as they would at home. I can’t help but wonder why they are not maintained properly? Housekeeping sees them on a regular basis—don’t they mention when there is a hole in the shower wall or a toilet that needs a new lid, or something is unsafe or stupid? As a “Home Away From Home” resort, this does not reflect the status of our home--we have a seat with a lid at home, no mildew, a clean tub, and matching curtains.

Old Key West Resort is the flagship of the Disney Vacation Club and it is not being maintained to high standards. As mentioned earlier, fair wear’n’tear is understandable on DVC accommodations until timely renovations, but there is no excuse for shoddy workmanship, substandard equipment, mildew, décor challenges, and worse turning a blind eye to these deficiencies. It gives Disney a black eye and deters potential Disney Vacation Club buyers ($$$$$). With the amount of money invested in these facilities, they should not be reduced to substandard rooms and expect a bailout by vacation club members due to a lack of upkeep and poor management. There are no excuses for these low standards!

I want to send this to as many managers as possible. If they see that many get a courtesy copy of this, including Jim Lewis, perhaps something will happen. Someone's not doing their job....several 'someones'!

I don't want this to be a rant about good and bad rooms at OKW, what to avoid, etc. Up until now I have only sent letters praising the efficiency and service of cast members who have exceeded my expectations.

I just needed the contact names to send this to...perhaps one of the many will feel embarrassed enough to follow up on this and other issues regarding the decline of standards.

Sorry to be so long...

I agree! If you had issues that were obviously as serious as that, then YES, you SHOULD be both hopping mad and you should get to the bottom of it by going to the top.

Oh, and please come back and let us know if and what response you get. I'm guessing it's going to be fluffed over with "words".