MS Allocated Points Wrong Again, Again, Again, and Again

[Belle & Ariel]

I made reservations for this summer and requested that this years' points be used. I also got waitlisted for the later nights of the trip and said I wanted them to be this year's points.
I looked online the next day and my reservation used next year's points. My account showed all this year's points available to book and bank.
I called and had it allocated correctly and again said I wanted my waitlist to come from this year's points should it come through.
Now my waitlist is filled--again using NEXT year's points. I called and they changed it.
This happened to us last year--I completed my trip not knowing it had charged the next year's points instead of banked ones. I think I had called to bank points and was told they had been applied to a previous trip instead of older banked points. My husband had planned all his vacation days and I had to take a trip without him rather than lose the points.
After that I CLEARLY state which points I want used and both times my request was not followed. I would think common sense would use old points rather than newer ones without being told to do so.
Another time I requested banked points be used for a reservation. I checked and they were not. I called once to have it corrected--not done. I called a second time (actually the third request) and it was finally done correctly.
It makes we wonder if this is done intentionally to cause people to not use older points and they are left to expire unused.
Hopefully when we can book online we can correctly allocate the points to our reservations.
Does anyone else feel this is a habitual frustration?

 

[htmlkid]

I made reservations for this summer and requested that this years' points be used. I also got waitlisted for the later nights of the trip and said I wanted them to be this year's points.
I looked online the next day and my reservation used next year's points. My account showed all this year's points available to book and bank.
I called and had it allocated correctly and again said I wanted my waitlist to come from this year's points should it come through.
Now my waitlist is filled--again using NEXT year's points. I called and they changed it.
This happened to us last year--I completed my trip not knowing it had charged the next year's points instead of banked ones. I think I had called to bank points and was told they had been applied to a previous trip instead of older banked points. My husband had planned all his vacation days and I had to take a trip without him rather than lose the points.
After that I CLEARLY state which points I want used and both times my request was not followed. I would think common sense would use old points rather than newer ones without being told to do so.
Another time I requested banked points be used for a reservation. I checked and they were not. I called once to have it corrected--not done. I called a second time (actually the third request) and it was finally done correctly.
It makes we wonder if this is done intentionally to cause people to not use older points and they are left to expire unused.
Hopefully when we can book online we can correctly allocate the points to our reservations.
Does anyone else feel this is a habitual frustration?

That is why I am so happy online reservations begin in two days!!!

 

[paults]

That is why I am so happy online reservations begin in two days!!!

and then the troubles really pile up

 

[luckyman_apd]

Hopefully online reservations will work better since YOU will be inputting them into the system instead of someone on the other end of the phone. I understand a mistake here and there, but the # of times I have read about this boggles my mind.

It is quite possible for computer glitches and errors, so I recommend writing down your "online" transactions and confirmation numbers when it occurs so you have a reference when calling to complain when the computer makes an error.

I'm hoping it works great and will have a month under it's belt of usage when my contract closes (hopefully) at the end of next month.

 

[childsplay]

I guess I've been out of the loop, or maybe just tuned it out because I've been hearing about for what seems like forever, but i didn't realize online booking was actually starting
Are we talking with all the bells and whistles? Real time inventory? Combining points from different resorts, split stays, switching from different size accomodations, banked and borrowwed points?
How will the waitlist work under this new system, run continuously, just once?

 

[disneynutz]

I guess I've been out of the loop, or maybe just tuned it out because I've been hearing about for what seems like forever, but i didn't realize online booking was actually starting
Are we talking with all the bells and whistles? Real time inventory? Combining points from different resorts, split stays, switching from different size accomodations, banked and borrowwed points?
How will the waitlist work under this new system, run continuously, just once?

All we can do is just wait and see. To be honest I'm not expecting much since other Disney software seems to have problems. Who knows, there might be limitations on what type of transactions are allowed on line.

I asked a MS CM if they were threatened that some my lose there jobs with Members doing their own booking? Her replay was that the majority of members don't use the internet.

Bill

 

[cvjw]

My points are allocated incorrectly every time I make or modify a reservation. My situation is a little more complex - we have 4 contracts at different resorts, all with banked/current/borrowed points. I have just come to expect that my points will be wrong after making/modifying a reservation, and just plan to have to call back and talk with a supervisor to get my points fixed. My points are always like I want them in the end, it just takes more work to get to that point.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I guess I've been out of the loop, or maybe just tuned it out because I've been hearing about for what seems like forever, but i didn't realize online booking was actually starting
Are we talking with all the bells and whistles? Real time inventory? Combining points from different resorts, split stays, switching from different size accomodations, banked and borrowwed points?
How will the waitlist work under this new system, run continuously, just once?

At the annual meeting, Claire said it would be kind of a "soft opening" of online booking to begin with. They will phase it in gradually to make sure they can work the bugs out first. Frankly I don't see this being much of an option for at least a year, and even then I will be suspect of it.

 

[Sammie]

All we can do is just wait and see. To be honest I'm not expecting much since other Disney software seems to have problems. Who knows, there might be limitations on what type of transactions are allowed on line.

I asked a MS CM if they were threatened that some my lose there jobs with Members doing their own booking? Her replay was that the majority of members don't use the internet.

Bill

I was told that staff will not be reduced due to online booking, in fact due to online book they might increase staff to handle questions pertaining to online booking.

And yes as Diane stated it will be rolled out gradually and I am sure we can expect it to be taken offline often as it is tweaked.

 

[Tamar]

As far as I can remember, my points have always been allocated properly. We have 3 BWV and 1 OKW contact, and we almost always have banked points, so we're not the easiest to work with when we make ressie.

I do always go online after making a ressie and make sure the right points were used--I guess we've been lucky!

Now, DH made a mistake once and I had to call back and bank some points and then remake the ressie with the banked points, but that sure wasn't MS's fault.

 

[Sandisw]

I made reservations for this summer and requested that this years' points be used. I also got waitlisted for the later nights of the trip and said I wanted them to be this year's points.
I looked online the next day and my reservation used next year's points. My account showed all this year's points available to book and bank.
I called and had it allocated correctly and again said I wanted my waitlist to come from this year's points should it come through.
Now my waitlist is filled--again using NEXT year's points. I called and they changed it.
This happened to us last year--I completed my trip not knowing it had charged the next year's points instead of banked ones. I think I had called to bank points and was told they had been applied to a previous trip instead of older banked points. My husband had planned all his vacation days and I had to take a trip without him rather than lose the points.
After that I CLEARLY state which points I want used and both times my request was not followed. I would think common sense would use old points rather than newer ones without being told to do so.
Another time I requested banked points be used for a reservation. I checked and they were not. I called once to have it corrected--not done. I called a second time (actually the third request) and it was finally done correctly.
It makes we wonder if this is done intentionally to cause people to not use older points and they are left to expire unused.
Hopefully when we can book online we can correctly allocate the points to our reservations.
Does anyone else feel this is a habitual frustration?

Just a quick question--is your summer trip the same UY as the points you are saying are "this year's" points?

Just don't know if that is the confusion--if you are saying they took next year's points, that would mean they borrowed points?

Remember, everything is based on the UY of travel--if you are currently in your 2011 UY but your summer trip is in your 2012 UY, they will use 2012 UY points, if you have not yet banked the 2011 points. You have to specifically tell them to do that before they can be used for a trip in the next UY.

For example, if someone has an Aug UY, they are currently in their 2011 UY. If they were booking a trip for Aug 2012, that trip would be in the 2012 UY and MS would automatically use 2012 UY points to cover that trip even if there were 2011 UY points in the account. Unless you tell MS to specifically to bank your current UY points to use in the next UY, they won't use those up first.

It sounds to me like maybe something like this is happening? Just a thought...

 

[Cap]

I have not had problems over 10+ years with four contracts. All are the same use year.

Each time I make a reservation, I specifically tell Member Services which contract and use year points I want to use. Then, after they give me the reservation number, I have them tell me the remaining points in each contract and use year to be sure it agrees with my spreadsheet. If it doesn't agree (which rarely happens) we sort it out before the call is ended.

I recommend being very specific with contract number AND use year, rather than saying something like "this year's points" or "next year's points". If I say Use the xxxxxxx.002 contract's 2011 use year points, it is clear to both of us.

 

[childsplay]

All we can do is just wait and see. To be honest I'm not expecting much since other Disney software seems to have problems. Who knows, there might be limitations on what type of transactions are allowed on line.

I asked a MS CM if they were threatened that some my lose there jobs with Members doing their own booking? Her replay was that the majority of members don't use the internet.

Bill

At the annual meeting, Claire said it would be kind of a "soft opening" of online booking to begin with. They will phase it in gradually to make sure they can work the bugs out first. Frankly I don't see this being much of an option for at least a year, and even then I will be suspect of it.

Thanks for the respones guys.
All of that sounds about right, gradual opening to work out bugs with downtime to fix and expand.

Sorry for highjacking the original thread OP, hope you get your points situation worked out

 

[OhioDVC]

I am not surprised. Over the last 19 years I've had the same problem numerous times.

I have over 2600 points spread across almost every DVC resort and MS screws up my account on a regular basis.

It seems like they just don't listen to you on the phone.

I verify my points with MS EVERY TIME after making a reservation and compare it to my spreadsheet. It keeps little problems from turning into big problems.

 

[dzorn]

I've never had a problem but I always use 11UY or 12UY not this year or next year. UY and calendar year may not be the same.

I hope you get it all straightened out.

Denise in MI