Member Services

[Chuck S]

At the annual meeting in December it was announced that they are WORKING on a real time on-line ressie system, but being a point based timeshare, with some owners having several contracts and/or addons - each tracked separately - it makes for a much more complicated online system than the cash ressie system used for CRO.

 

[Cris]

Originally posted by Chuck S
At the annual meeting in December it was announced that they are WORKING on a real time on-line ressie system, but being a point based timeshare, with some owners having several contracts and/or addons - each tracked separately - it makes for a much more complicated online system than the cash ressie system used for CRO.

I think it will just be one big mess LOL!!

 

[BostonDisneyKid]

IMO what we need is Caskill's DVC Planner (or similar) integrated into the WDW live time reservation system. That would be ideal. They truly need to expand the DVC Member website to include an automated, live time system for the members so we can manage our own accounts/points in real time. It doesn't make much sense that I can book online for any WDW property on the regular website but as member/owner of DVC I cannot. But, seeing as they just redid the member website and from what I can see, reduced the content; I doubt we will see this enhancement anytime soon but I am sure they are working on it as it is an "obvious feature".

 

[antnee]

I agree in principle, but the harsh reality is that DVC runs as a non-profit. An increase in costs means that WE foot the bill.

You must be kidding me "NON-PROFIT" yeah they dont make anymore money in the parks with increased attendance due to DVC Sales. Think about it a casino gives away rooms and comps for free or at a reduced price. Why? Because they know you are going to the casino to lose money. Now why have DVC??? It is a great value and will cause you to go more often (hence the 3 year window of banking and borrowing) so you will go to the parks and spend money there. Think about it, park fees are not reduced and there are few discounts in the parks, so why not make it affordable for you to go more often?

I think they should cater more to us because DVCers keep coming back year after year. Well at least until the contract expires anyway

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by antnee
You must be kidding me "NON-PROFIT" yeah they dont make anymore money in the parks with increased attendance due to DVC Sales.

You're talking about two completely separate issues.

Disney Vacation Club exists strictly as a timeshare management organization. By law, DVC MUST operate at zero profit. Our dues are based strictly on the operating costs of DVC, the operating costs of the resorts which are part of DVC, property taxes, insurance, and so on. Again, this is regulated by timeshare laws throughout the country.

I'm not going to argue your point that Disney's Theme Park unit sees significant revenues from DVC members, or that they should extend additional discounts as acknowledgement of those revenues.

But the fact is that our dues pay the salaries of the folks who staff the phones at Member Services. Increase in hours / staffing means an increase in our dues.

 

[ralphd]

Originally posted by tjkraz
You're talking about two completely separate issues.

Disney Vacation Club exists strictly as a timeshare management organization. By law, DVC MUST operate at zero profit. Our dues are based strictly on the operating costs of DVC, the operating costs of the resorts which are part of DVC, property taxes, insurance, and so on. Again, this is regulated by timeshare laws throughout the country.

But the fact is that our dues pay the salaries of the folks who staff the phones at Member Services. Increase in hours / staffing means an increase in our dues.

tjkraz is correct!!!!!!

ralphd

 

[antnee]

Ok I understand that, but it doenst make up fo the fact that Disney in general benefits by having DVC because of increased revenues in the parks. Look when I was a kid and we went to Disney, usually it was an elite group that could afford to go every year and stay a week at the Poly or Contemporary. Now with 20 something hotels onsite, DVC and many very good hotels in the area plus Lake Buena Vista more people can afford to go. The money could be added to DVC to staff the front office for extra hours due to the fact that DVCers generate additonal revenue for the parks.(Because we have an incentive to go more often).

I ask you this if DVC went bankrupt tomorrow and we all lost out contracts, would park revenues Decline?????

 

[labst60]

I agree that dues would have to increase, but perhaps the added convenience would be worth the incremental increase in dues?

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by antnee
I ask you this if DVC went bankrupt tomorrow and we all lost out contracts, would park revenues Decline?????

Again, I totally agree with the principle behind your argument. As long as I've been visiting this site people have been begging for things like AP discounts or front-of-the-line access to rides. But these types of items represent concessions that the theme park unit could rightfully make to DVC.

But when you're talking about Disney absorbing specific operating costs associated with DVC, that just cannot happen. Timeshares represent a highly-regulated industry. Whenever the state auditors (or whomever would review DVC's books) look at that balance sheet, they need to see that every operating penny has been covered by member dues--no more and no less.

This is probably splitting hairs, but to address your comment above, if anything were to happen to DVC, we would NOT lose our contracts. "DVC" is simply a management company that was put in charge of running the timeshare unit. They exist to take reservations, track point balances, supervise the upkeep of the resorts, negotiate trades with II, WDW, DCL, and so on. TECHNICALLY, the owners of any given resort could even vote to REMOVE DVC as the management company in favor of someone else. I point that out just to illustrate how isolated DVC is as a corporate entity.

But that's a topic for another thread.

You aren't going to find many people that disagree with the notion that Disney could certainly afford to extend additional theme park perks (admission / dining / shopping discounts) to DVC members. But don't confuse that with issues related to operating costs for the DVC program itself. Whether it's longer hours a Member Services, lifeguards at the pools, or more towels in the guest rooms, any additional costs associated with the day-to-day operation of DVC and its resorts MUST be passed on to the members.

 

[JudithM]

Originally posted by tjkraz
You're talking about two completely separate issues.

Disney Vacation Club exists strictly as a timeshare management organization. By law, DVC MUST operate at zero profit. Our dues are based strictly on the operating costs of DVC, the operating costs of the resorts which are part of DVC, property taxes, insurance, and so on. Again, this is regulated by timeshare laws throughout the country.

I'm not going to argue your point that Disney's Theme Park unit sees significant revenues from DVC members, or that they should extend additional discounts as acknowledgement of those revenues.

But the fact is that our dues pay the salaries of the folks who staff the phones at Member Services. Increase in hours / staffing means an increase in our dues.

THANK YOU! Well said!

 

[Cris]

Originally posted by tjkraz
You're talking about two completely separate issues.

Disney Vacation Club exists strictly as a timeshare management organization. By law, DVC MUST operate at zero profit. Our dues are based strictly on the operating costs of DVC, the operating costs of the resorts which are part of DVC, property taxes, insurance, and so on. Again, this is regulated by timeshare laws throughout the country.

I'm not going to argue your point that Disney's Theme Park unit sees significant revenues from DVC members, or that they should extend additional discounts as acknowledgement of those revenues.

But the fact is that our dues pay the salaries of the folks who staff the phones at Member Services. Increase in hours / staffing means an increase in our dues.

Well Said!!!!!!!I wish more people understood how the timeshare industry and DVC works!!!!!

 

[antnee]

Okay I see your point, but how much could dues really increase?

 

[jarestel]

Dues are going to increase anyway whether services are added or not. It would just feel a little better to get "something" to cushion the reaction of the increase rather than just see that dues went up again this year, and we got nothing additional for it. I think of DVC as a first class resort and would rather pay accordingly for first class service. There's plenty of units available offsite for those that are looking to save a buck.

 

[tjkraz]

I'm guessing that there are about 20 million points in circulation between the 7 resorts. (Anyone got a better figure?)

If so, an increase of just $.01 per point would generate $200,000 annually. I have no idea what sort of costs would be associated with an increase in hours.

But those who are disappointed with the hours should definitely speak up. That's one of the few ways to affect change. Someone mentioned how the current hours impact those on the west coast. That's a great point that I hadn't even considered.

If DVC were to arbitrarily make a decision like this, the reality is they are spending the money of 80,000+ DVC members. The last thing that DVC wants is universal condemnation over an added expense if the vast majority of members don't see a need for change.

About 6 months ago, DVC decided to build a pool slide at OKW. In our agreements, there is a clause that stats that DVC has the authority to add recreation options, without approval of the members, if they foot the bill for the construction. And that's exactly what DVC is doing.

However, the pool upgrade will necessitate full-time lifeguards at the pool (where there currently are none) as well as increased maintenance costs associated with the pool. Most OKW owners lambasted DVC on this board over the decision, and rightfully so in my opinion. The resort belongs to the OKW owners and they were never asked to approve the decision. But it is probably going to cost them an additional $.03-.05 per point, per year to staff and maintain the new pool.

But again, that's a topic for another thread...

The point is that it's in DVC's best interest to act in the interest of the greater good. So, if the demand exists, I can certainly see DVC making changes to the Member Services hours.

Personally, I'm hoping they will have a more interactive web site up in the next 6-12 months. Once that component is rolled-out, they will probably measure the impact on Member Services as a whole. If calls decrease significantly, perhaps they could move some of the current staff to later shifts and extend the hours--maybe even consider some Saturday hours.

 

[antnee]

2 questions

But those who are disappointed with the hours should definitely speak up. That's one of the few ways to affect change. Someone mentioned how the current hours impact those on the west coast. That's a great point that I hadn't even considered

Who would we speak up to? and who is footing the bill for the cost to redesing and maintain the website?

 

[jekjones1558]

Does anyone know how many Member Services CMs there are? Until the website is more robust, would it be possible to reschedule some of the current CM positions to a later shift, say to 12 - 8 rather than 9 - 5 or a Tuesday - Saturday schedule rather than Monday - Friday schedule? This shouldn't result in too great of an added expense (maybe just utilities if the office is open later) as staff would not be added, just shifted.

I was told on Wednesday by an MS CM that there are about 100 MS folks on duty during MS hours. So I agree that it might be feasible to try staggered hours, substitute Sat. for one weekday or some other reconfiguration on a trial basis. I was told at a member update meeting in March that alternatives were being considered but the MS person I spoke with on Wednesday knew nothing about any such thing.

 

[MrsToad]

Thanks, jekjones1558, for the info on staffing levels. It does seem like they could stagger the hours and days in some fashion. I hope they at least give it a try.

 

[RobDoc]

Originally posted by tjkraz
I'm guessing that there are about 20 million points in circulation between the 7 resorts. (Anyone got a better figure?)

If so, an increase of just $.01 per point would generate $200,000 annually. I have no idea what sort of costs would be associated with an increase in hours.

For the time being, lets accept 20 million points as correct (someone can do the math later ).

DVC can maybe add about 5-6 full time employees for that $200,000 once you figure in salary, employment taxes and benefits. It would require a MUCH larger staff to increase the MS hours to any significant level. Since DVC already does many surveys to determine the satisfaction of DVC members, any decision about extending hours may already be influenced by those surveys. While more hours may seem a convenience for some, DVC has survived almost 13 years with the current schedule. If any members would like more days/hours for MS, they should write (I'd suggest a snail-mailed letter rather than an email- but even an email will carry some weight- be sure to include your member number) to DVC and make any suggestions. They are truly interested in our comments in any form.

It's entirely true that DVC has to answer to timeshare regulators for all expenses (in addition to the membership) and that they can be replaced by the owners at each resort (NOT advisable, since that resort would be excluded from any/all DVC programs- including exchange to other DVC resorts). All expenses are borne by the owners at that resort (this is the reason each resort does have a different maintenance fee schedule). DVC is allowed to receive a management fee, but no profit is allowed by timeshare regulators.

At this point, I'm eager to see what happens with the DVC member's site. The reservation system is a bit more complicated than for regular WDW resorts because we each have an account to use to "pay" for the reservation and with banking, borrowing and home resort priorities, the system is FAR more involved than a typical hotel reservation system. ( I can already envision the phone calls to MS to try and undo the banking/borrowing/cancellation errors likely to be made online- just based on the comments made on this board over the past 6 years!)

The DVC online system will have to be as secure as any bank online service and will have the additional challenge of all of the DVC rules (banking, borrowing, reservation points, holding accounts, 11 month priority, 7 month reservations, booking fees, etc.) Each of these issues will have to programmed into the system with sufficient safeguards to protect us members (from ourselves). ...and yes, we, as members, will be paying for all of this!

Stay Tuned!!

 

[tjkraz]

Well said, Doc.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

The DVC online system will have to be as secure as any bank online service and will have the additional challenge of all of the DVC rules (banking, borrowing, reservation points, holding accounts, 11 month priority, 7 month reservations, booking fees, etc.) Each of these issues will have to programmed into the system with sufficient safeguards to protect us members (from ourselves). ...and yes, we, as members, will be paying for all of this!

I agree with you Doc but the key is that it could be done. As to paying for an on line system, I truly believe that it would save money in the long run.

As to the point of no profit for the management of the timeshare. While this may be true, I think Disney's ability to shift part of the cost of things at it's resorts to DVC (like SAB) and (what about upkeep of the actual Boardwalk itself) members has to be a gold mine for Disney.

HBC