MS called- no boardwalk view for Oct

[Chuck S]

If the Member is displaced because the DVC scheduled maintenance, then the resort was oversold anyway. Letting Management do what they want, when they want without accountability is just wrong.

No, the resort is not oversold because a member is displaced for maintenance. If Disney/DVC has enough points (and surely they do) for those rooms. The only question is if this is scheduled maintenance, why doesn't MS have the info at the 11 month window.

If we don't hold their feet to the fire we will continue to be taken advantage of. We all paid a pretty penny for our points and getting the accommodations that we were confirmed for is not an unreasonable expectation. Just because we use points instead of cash doesn't give Disney the right to treat us differently than a cash Guest.

Maintenance is allowed, even required, in the POS. They are relocating the member to what legally point usage wise, is a comparable accomodation. That is partly the difference between timeshares and cash hotels. There are additional costs for such guest satisfaction offerings, like cash back or free nights, built into the cash price of rooms that is not there on point reservations. If it were built into point reservations you would be paying the equivalent, point wise, as a cash guest, meaning DVC would not be an economical alternative to cash.

 

[Dean]

So who pays for all the nights that the rooms are out of service due to the maintenance? I had a bwv studio booked and now DVC will be getting none of my points towards that room, it will stand empty instead. My points will be spent at bcv instead (less one night's worth.)

There is an unsold cushion for regular maint., somewhere between 2-4% of the points for the year. With planning, they could group those points if they wanted up to around 10% with banking/borrowing if need be. Certainly not enough to accommodate such a project unless they use their ROFR points as well. Anything after that will affect member usage. Even then if they've chosen when you want to go it will affect the number and type of rooms available to you. There are a certain % of member owned points lost each year and points used in such a way as to increase or decrease the total points on a per room basis (lockoffs cost more, weekend vs weekday differential) as well that potentially adds to their cushion.

If the Member is displaced because the DVC scheduled maintenance, then the resort was oversold anyway. Letting Management do what they want, when they want without accountability is just wrong.

If we don't hold their feet to the fire we will continue to be taken advantage of. We all paid a pretty penny for our points and getting the accommodations that we were confirmed for is not an unreasonable expectation. Just because we use points instead of cash doesn't give Disney the right to treat us differently than a cash Guest.

If the resort is closed an there is one reservation, the resort is oversold so it that aspect you are right. But there was a room for the reservation, it's NOW designated to be out of service for that time.

What one paid has no meaning on this discussion. I know it engenders certain expectations, usually inappropriately so as in this case. I would agree that there is a certain amount of accountability we should expect and that it is less transparent with a points system than with a weeks system. To expect things won't happen along the way as in this case IS an unreasonable expectation. I can see being upset, but only to a degree. Maybe those upset should consider talking to higher ups at DVC, I've always found them reasonable and fairly accessible. Maybe your voting rep would be a good place to start.

 

[bookwormde]

I am in construction and deal with these issues all the time. If this is routine maintenance (not emergency maintenance) there is absolutely no reason why a competent maintenance manager cannot schedule these items a year in advance and have the rooms set aside so this does not happen.

Just another example of the acceptability of lack of quality in DVC’s management practices. As long as DVC can move members at will with no penalty to DVC or its managers, with the current management philosophy, this will continue. Some type for penalty for DVC would certainly help reduce this but is very unlikely under current management.

bookwormde

 

[disneygal55]

So does anyone know what the final word is on whether ALL of the board walk view studio rooms will be closed for the week in question {as was told to one poster} or just some and those who had to move were already called {as was told to another poster}??

 

[Inkmahm]

So does anyone know what the final word is on whether ALL of the board walk view studio rooms will be closed for the week in question {as was told to one poster} or just some and those who had to move were already called {as was told to another poster}??

I got the standard email on Sunday about my question going to the member services satisfaction team and I'll get a response within 5 business days. Nothing from then yet though. That's exactly what I asked though, which version of the story is correct and which isn't. I'm sure it is hard for them to answer because either way, they've lied to one of their DVC members.

 

[disneygal55]

I wish that CM's were updated with accurate information as things change so that people weren't given different answers from different CM's.

 

[Thumper4me]

I also got the call from Member Services last week. I have - make that had -a Boardwalk view studio for October 23rd-25th. I am so disappointed. We are staying in a two bedroom standard view with friends and their children for the first six days of our vacation and then were moving over to the Boardwalk view for some "alone" time.

I was told ALL boardwalk view was effected. I will be very interested to find out what is REALLY going on. Inkmahm, I am glad they returned some of your points. I got no such offer but am only staying for two nights although I also booked right at the 11 month mark. I guess my wheel didn't squeak enough.

Kelly

 

[Inkmahm]

I also got the call from Member Services last week. I have - make that had -a Boardwalk view studio for October 23rd-25th. I am so disappointed. We are staying in a two bedroom standard view with friends and their children for the first six days of our vacation and then were moving over to the Boardwalk view for some "alone" time.

I was told ALL boardwalk view was effected. I will be very interested to find out what is REALLY going on. Inkmahm, I am glad they returned some of your points. I got no such offer but am only staying for two nights although I also booked right at the 11 month mark. I guess my wheel didn't squeak enough.

Kelly

If there's one thing I've learned in life it's that if you don't ask, you don't get. The manager offered me the one night of points when I told him how disappointed I was that I booked righrt at the 11 month mark and this still got screwed up. What I asked for though was that it would be weekend night points returned (rather than week day). My guess is I would have gotten 12 but I got the 23 instead. I had 3 week night and 2 weekend nights booked so I think it's fair to ask for one of the weekend night's points. I can live with it.
Did they move you to BCV?

 

[Thumper4me]

I understand and don't disagree with your philosophy. I am thinking I should have explained better how disappointed I was.

Yes, I was moved to a Beach Club studio. I hope the pool makes up for the Boardwalk view!!

Kelly

 

[ftballfan7]

I wonder how they are going to eventually pay for all these extra points. I imagine that they will be considered a cost of the Maintenance and come out of Boardwalk's maintenance fees. I'm guessing it is a safe bet that Disney isn't eating the cost.

 

[disneygal55]

I just called member services and was told that if I didn't receive a phone call then I wasn't involved. When I told the cm that I read about several people getting calls about ALL the boardwalk views being affected for that time period she said that her manager denied this. What's going on here?

 

[IggyLans]

Ok. Our waitlist for BWV BW view came through recently. We're going Nov 12-20. When I talked to CM last week, and mentioned this "maintenance" issue with people being moved from BWV BW view to BCV, he came back with an answer that they will be replacing the roof and the completion date is Nov 6. So, I'm not sure what is going on.

 

[tjkraz]

Just another example of the acceptability of lack of quality in DVC’s management practices. As long as DVC can move members at will with no penalty to DVC or its managers, with the current management philosophy, this will continue. Some type for penalty for DVC would certainly help reduce this but is very unlikely under current management.

As I understand it, these refurbishments are outside of DVC's control. Large-scale maintenance projects are coordinated property-wide by their respective Walt Disney World departments. DVC is forced to deal with the schedules that are handed down to them...whenever that occurs. That is why AKV concierge guests were displaced on a month's notice last year and it appears something similar is happening here.

DVC is just one cog in a very large system and they aren't in a position of control. You could certainly argue that the entire system is broken, but DVC management doesn't have the authority or the clout to drive wholesale changes to the way Walt Disney World operates.

 

[Inkmahm]

I received a phone call from Joy in the MS satisfaction team. She researched my reservation and said there is no one else with the exact dates and room type as mine. NOT all boardwalk views are being affected at the same time. Rooms are being taken out of service in blocks. The order of consideration, according to Joy, was 1) Creation date of the reservation 2) Date of arrival 3) Occupancy of resort 4) Length of stay and 5) Room category. I have no idea what that means though and she really couldn’t explain how it worked, either. In the end, it doesn’t matter. The answer is that NOT all boardwalk view rooms are being affected and even though I reserved at 9 am 11 months out, my reservation was selected as one to be moved to BCV.

She also said that Disney felt moving displaced BWV people to BCV at least kept people near Epcot for F&W and that the pool at BCV would be a plus for most people since you can’t hop to it from other resorts.

 

[Dean]

I received a phone call from Joy in the MS satisfaction team. She researched my reservation and said there is no one else with the exact dates and room type as mine. NOT all boardwalk views are being affected at the same time. Rooms are being taken out of service in blocks. The order of consideration, according to Joy, was 1) Creation date of the reservation 2) Date of arrival 3) Occupancy of resort 4) Length of stay and 5) Room category. I have no idea what that means though and she really couldn’t explain how it worked, either. In the end, it doesn’t matter. The answer is that NOT all boardwalk view rooms are being affected and even though I reserved at 9 am 11 months out, my reservation was selected as one to be moved to BCV.

She also said that Disney felt moving displaced BWV people to BCV at least kept people near Epcot for F&W and that the pool at BCV would be a plus for most people since you can’t hop to it from other resorts.

I doubt you were the only reservation with that start date for all of the BW view rooms. You may indeed be the only one with the exact dates and room type. They have to look at the situation and make the best determination possible overall. As noted, start date is only one of the issues. Best to affect 10 people for 10 days each than 20 people for 5 days each.

 

[Inkmahm]

I doubt you were the only reservation with that start date for all of the BW view rooms. You may indeed be the only one with the exact dates and room type. They have to look at the situation and make the best determination possible overall. As noted, start date is only one of the issues. Best to affect 10 people for 10 days each than 20 people for 5 days each.

Except they seem to be doing the opposite. I'm there for 5 nights and someone else earlier in this thread was moved for their 2 nights. Under your theory, they'd be moving the people who are there a week or so instead of us.

 

[Dean]

Except they seem to be doing the opposite. I'm there for 5 nights and someone else earlier in this thread was moved for their 2 nights. Under your theory, they'd be moving the people who are there a week or so instead of us.

It's not really my theory, I was merely pointing out that was more to it than just the booking date or how far out one booked. IF you had people staying longer you could inconvenience less members but I wasn't saying that was the only factor or even that it should be the main one. They have to fit it together like a jigsaw puzzle considering all the factors.

 

[tjkraz]

Except they seem to be doing the opposite. I'm there for 5 nights and someone else earlier in this thread was moved for their 2 nights. Under your theory, they'd be moving the people who are there a week or so instead of us.

It may depend on how long they need access to a certain number of rooms. There's no sense bumping someone from a 6+ night reservation if they only need access for 5 days/nights.

Perhaps they need a certain number of rooms clear for a single work week (M-F) and selected the best matches for that. For the person registered 2 nights, there could be a similar 2-3 night relocation for the other part of that same week.

Just a guess.

 

[Thumper4me]

I am the member getting bumped for the 2 nights over the weekend.
I also booked at the 11 month mark. This is only our second reservation for this particular membership. We bought a 100 point Boardwalk resale specifically to get the Boardwalk view.

I guess what I am most upset about is that I was not told the whole truth. The manager I spoke with when I received my call indicated that ALL boardwalk view rooms were being moved. I sent an e-mail to DVC but have been referred to the satisfaction team and have not heard back from them yet. My e-mail referenced that not all members seem to be getting handled in the same way - point credits etc. I will follow up once I here something.

Thanks for letting me vent about my disappointment.

Kelly

 

[Inkmahm]

I am the member getting bumped for the 2 nights over the weekend.
I also booked at the 11 month mark. This is only our second reservation for this particular membership. We bought a 100 point Boardwalk resale specifically to get the Boardwalk view.

I guess what I am most upset about is that I was not told the whole truth. The manager I spoke with when I received my call indicated that ALL boardwalk view rooms were being moved. I sent an e-mail to DVC but have been referred to the satisfaction team and have not heard back from them yet. My e-mail referenced that not all members seem to be getting handled in the same way - point credits etc. I will follow up once I here something.

Thanks for letting me vent about my disappointment.

Kelly

You probably spoke to the same manager that I did, he INSISTED that ALL boardwalk rooms were being moved. I had asked if studio, one bedroom and 2 bedrooms were all included in the move and he said "yes."

Definitely be sure to ask about the points being returned, too. It made me feel like I'd at least gotten something for giving up that view that I love.