My BCV Disaster!

[dtuleya]

We were really thinking of renting a fellow DISser's points and staying here next year, but with all the bad reports, I think we'll either stick to the regular rooms or stay at BWV. Sorry you had such a bad experience. Glad we didn't buy into DVC at BCV two years ago when we got the itch.

 

[CRobin]

Originally posted by RuthnPaul
Getting the resort we want at the 7-month mark or getting that room location we requested may involve a bit of luck.

IMHO, getting anything that you want, request-wise, at any booking window is becoming sheer luck.

That is no consolation to the OP, and I won't repeat other postings about the deplorable service they received.

But, at the end of the day, DVC has a problem with room assignment. They have difficulty honoring requests and they have difficulty honoring the 4:00 check in time. Couple that with ill-managed managers and front desk CM's and this is just a recipe for disaster.

"Room Ready" was a bust, if it ever worked at all.

 

[d-r]

As someone else already said, I would have dug right in to that stuff, thinking that they had really gone above and beyond with the pixie dust to make up for the late check in -

 

[sgtdisney]

I have to agree with the others, you handled that better than most probably would have. The comment to your daughter by the manager was uncalled for and exceptionally rude. Let us know what happens. It is a given that sometimes requests for views can't be met, but your situation goes way beyond that issue.

If that food was open, i.e. the cheese platters and stuff, there is no reason why they didn't just give it to you. I can't imagine that they would even consider delivering open food to another room that they left sitting with someone for over an hour. They should have left you some of the stuff and apologized for the confusion.

Keep us posted on the replies from Disney on this. What happened to you wasn't right.

 

[DemoBri1]

First of all, let me preface this response by stating that I own all of my DVC points at BCV, and we had a wonderful stay there this past December.

Now...getting back to the OPs comments. There's not much you can do about the requests. We all hope that we get at least 1 or 2 of our requests, but like they say there's no guarantee. However, there is no excuse for the actions of the hotel staff, particularly the idiot who called himself a manager.

I hope beyond all hope that you took down his name. Making a smart comment like he did to your daughter is totally uncalled for. You are there to have a good time, and in some instances to pay his salary. What I think this idiot forgot was that he was supposed to be working for you, and not the other way around. If you do have his name, I would hound anyone related to DVC as long as I could, including Mr. Jim Lewis, until some sort of punishment is brought down on this person. If someone in his position made a comment to one of my family members like that, I don't know if I could have held back like you did.

We have a large gathering planned coming up in November, and I'm hoping that this is an isolated incident. Looking out on the resale boards there's not alot, if any, BCV points up for grabs, so maybe that is a tell-tale sign that is. That doesn't make up for your experience, and I do hope you'll give BCV another chance.

I do hear comments such as this coming from members who have stayed at BWV and WLV, but not much from OKW members. I'm still sticking by my original opinion that a majority of the problems with these DVC resorts are due to the fact that they share staff with a main resort. I will be anxious to see how the service at SSR pans out in a year or so, seeing that like OKW, it is independent of a main resort.

Brian

 

[manning]

I'm hoping that this is an isolated incident

Unfortunately there has been quite a few isolated incidents popping up at BCV.

 

[rinkwide]

Originally posted by manning
Unfortunately there has been quite a few isolated incidents popping up at BCV.

Excellent reporting everyone. If you could all keep it up a little longer maybe I'll get my waitlisted ressie there.

 

[Desperado]

Well, whether it was my place to or not, I've submitted highlights of several BCV concerns recently discussed to the new satisfaction manager, with a description of the bad publicity that BCV is getting. I await thier response.

 

[Pumbaa_]

I am so sorry to hear about your troubles checking in and your treatment. You are a better person than I. If I were in your shoes and received that treatment. I am afraid a few of the lovely gifts for NOT your family would have been 'liberated'. And enthusiastic and verbose thanks would have been my response to a call from tke manager. I guess you can come and pry them out of my children's hands...

We own points at BCV and I have stayed tehre twice. I probably will not stay there again. The first trip I asked for top floor Epcot view, received bottom floor on the road (or so it seemed). We moved the next day to the room we originally requested and willingly paid the cleaning fee.

The 2nd time I was there as an add on to a trip with friends and had a quiet pool view right over the door to the pool near the elevators on the 2nd floor.
It was the nicest room and location, it was just like the lithograph we have of BCV. Loved it and would always ask for that view.

It is not our favorite resort though, feels way too much like an afterthought, not crazy about the breakfast choices or the out back feel to the resort.

We stay typically at the BWV or OKW. Much more home away from home feel for us.

I hope DVC management for BCV responds appropriately and we start seeing less and less of these types of posts.

 

[Patty3]

I am glad that you did make lemonade out of the lemons you were handed. The remarks made to your daughter by the manager were totally insensitive and down right rude. What kind of Disney Magic is this for children to see a room decked out with all sorts of goodies only to be told that they were delivered to the wrong room. Since they were delivered to your room, the manager should have said that he was sorry for the inconvenience and please enjoy them with my compliments. I too had a problem in May. BCV is one of our home resorts and I made our ressies at the 11 month mark. Our requests were not granted and I was told that it did not matter when your ressie was made that the room assigners do not even look at the date when assigning rooms. The first room that we went into was not clean. There was popcorn on the living room floor and the room had not been dusted. The second room was not all that clean either. I did complain to MS and I have not heard squat. Please let us know how you make out and thank you for sharing!

 

[castleri]

While the situation was handled poorly it might be that the food and "gifts" had actually been paid for by whoever was supposed to be in that room to begin with. I have seen a number of posts from people asking how they can arrange to have things in the room when they arrive or as gifts for family members who are celebrating a special event. I know of one family that had meals ordered for delivery to their room so that they would be able to eat as soon as they got there. Good thing the room and food was ready at the same time. I do think the manager could have been much more diplomatic and as a gesture of good will have provided something for the children to give them a magic moment. I have had only good experiences at BCV. We did have to wait for our rooms on each of the 3 stays but never past 4 so really can't complain and we just checked in and then used the pool. I have contracts at OKW, BCV and SSr and OKW is my favorite but hope to have good experiences at the other two also.
Please do contact someone - with enough comments when things go wrong maybe they will get the message and find out how to make them go right. My negative comments so far have been limited to the survey after our last stay about the bus service at BCV last October - The villas and CMs have been great when we were there. Am glad you did not let it ruin the trip and what a great way to end it. I did AKL with some "found money" last Christmas (12/25-12/28) and thought it was well spent.

 

[bounceytigger]

Wow, wow WOW!

First, let me say "kudos" to you for making a great trip out of a rotten situation! And good for you for keeping a positive attitude for your kids!!!! I don't know that I would have been able to keep my cool as well as you did if I were in the same situation. (I have a feeling I would have been camped out on the manager's office doorstep, ranting and raving until they rectified the situation! Not exactly the calm-&-relaxed approach that's better for the blood pressure...)

Secondly, please keep us posted as to what transpires when you finally hear back from customer relations. I'm a new DVC'er, and at this point, I'm a little hesitant to try out BCV... Hopefully management starts listening to these stories/complaints soon, and starts doing something to make the service at BCV more consistent. There are lots of great experiences posted on this board about peoples' trips to BCV.....but there are way too many poor experiences mixed in, it seems.
I hope your next trip to BCV (whenever that will be?!?) is a million times better than this one! You certainly deserve it!

 

[DanPadavona]

Patsal-

You must write to the satisfaction manager regarding this situation. I would also consider writing to the company itself considering how management reacted.

You should be given something in return for your troubles. I am uncertain what is appropriate restitution; however you are due something more than an apologetic response. Many companies would offer you a free couple of nights on property, though I doubt Disney will go so far.

I own BCV points through DVC, though so far our 3 vacations have been spent at the Boardwalk instead. I remain leery of BCV considering the amount of complaints. We do plan to stay there next summer, so we shall see.

I'm sure everyone wishes your next trip will be magical enough to erase this memory.

 

[Dean]

Bet you anything they gave the room originally assigned to you to someone else in the interim.

 

[crisi]

Originally posted by starmaker2000
I have noticed that there are way too many complaints about BCV. I have one comment: Why should management do anything when they aready "have your money"? There is no accentive to do the right thing in regards to the "surprise gifts" .

Because WE are DVCs best salespeople. We are the ones that chat with others in the line to Splash Mountain or the pool about how wonderful DVC is. We are the ones that convince coworkers and friends to join. WE are a big part of the reason DVC exceeded Disney's expectations - and that is because DVC has traditionally excced ours.

But when the rooms aren't cleaned, or when they are juggled around, or when you can't get in an hour past check in time. When maintenance doesn't get fixed or management is flippant towards your problems, you DON'T spend your vacation telling everyone how wonderful DVC is. In fact, after a experience like Patsals, you might be more likely to sit next to SAB and tell your neighbor how much you regretted spending all that money.

(Patsal, for next time, have someone check into BCV early - with rooms being assigned "room ready" I think you are better sending DH over to check in at 9:00 or 10:00.)

 

[CRobin]

Originally posted by Dean
Bet you anything they gave the room originally assigned to you to someone else in the interim.

Wouldn't surprise me at all, Dean.

Start up problems are one thing, but this appears to be more than a training / learning curve issue @ BCV. Way too many complaints, and removing complimentary gifts from a room due to the screw-up of the resort?

Incompetence of Room Assignment and the Front Desk.

Resort Manager making smart aleck comments to the child of a guest.

Look for a change of management real soon @ BCV.

Originally posted by rinkwide
Excellent reporting everyone. If you could all keep it up a little longer maybe I'll get my waitlisted ressie there.

If more reports like this keep coming, you will have no trouble clearing that waitlist.

 

[stacy6552]

I feel your pain, sister! Been there, done that, bought the "help, someone stole my pixie dust" T-shirt.

Go look up our SSR report if you want to feel any better.

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by Dean
Bet you anything they gave the room originally assigned to you to someone else in the interim.

That's what I think, too. But I still don't quite see how this can happen based on my BWV expereiences.

When we check in, we always get room keys even if the roomisn't ready. I know there is a magnetic strip on the back of the room key card than ties it to a specific room. We never go back to the front desk - just call to find out the room number. So how can they give our room away without having to re- program our keys?

Does anyone know for sure how the lock/card system actually works? I just can't believe the computers program the locks rather than the keys. That seems convoluted and expensive to me.

Best wishes -

 

[CRobin]

Originally posted by CarolMN
When we check in, we always get room keys even if the roomisn't ready. I know there is a magnetic strip on the back of the room key card than ties it to a specific room. We never go back to the front desk - just call to find out the room number. So how can they give our room away without having to re- program our keys?

Carol, I believe that is true, but only once they have given you your key. They know the room number, and it is encoded on the key, they just won't tell it to you until Housekeeping has confirmed it is cleaned.

But, if you have been pre-assigned a room and then check in, and someone else has "bumped" you (now having been given keys to "your" room) they just put you on the list for the next room available.

 

[tamu91]

quote....
"But, if you have been pre-assigned a room and then check in, and someone else has "bumped" you (now having been given keys to "your" room) they just put you on the list for the next room available."


I'm new to all this so let me get this straight. Does this mean we should check in as early as possible to get the best room available? This doesn't sound right either. Since the front desk will not tell you which room you are getting until mousekeeping has cleared it, what's to stop the front desk from giving away your room to somebody else checking in behind you.
This process seems very random and purely based on luck and perfect timing.