OKW not up to standard

[jodifla]

Actually, there used to be comment cards in the units, but I haven't seen them for years.

Indeed. It seems like what they do instead is the online surveys.

I do think that if everyone would take time to report what's wrong in the units, life would be better for all of us.

And I feel like I understand where yo-ho-ho is coming from. You notice a couple of things the first day, then another thing, then another thing...and pretty much, it's a list! And who wants to take their vacation time to keep having problems solved.

I'd do what I could on the spot, particularly the clean sheets. Then I'd follow up with a letter, and most likely, pictures. I think showing goes a lot further than telling.

 

[smjj]

Other than twice being given a smoked in room when it was listed as non-smoking we have not had any issues worth mentioning. On both these occasions we complained loudly and quickly and we were moved. I have often wondered why people don't bring to the attention right away problems they encounter. I have also wondered if these complaints are brought up at the Members's meeting. We have never attended one but reading post from others who have, I do not remember any coments about them. Maybe if these issues are brought up in an open forum, they would be taken more seriouely, put them on the spot. I have always believed tha the door that squeaks the most get oiled first. We need to squeak more. Oh and by the way, did I mention the new menu at Olivia's really stinks. Yes, I did complain and was rebuffed by the duty manager. She stated the menu was changed by popular demand for new items(yeah - sure it was)..smjj

 

[bobbiwoz]

We checked out of BWV on Wednesday and were asked by a CM in the hotel lobby to take a very brief survey. It was done on a computer, asked for degree of satisfaction with the stay and a brief statement why that number was given.

Bobbi

 

[yo-ho-yo-ho]

Thanks Jodifla i'm glad someone can see were i'm coming from.


Merry Christmas Everyone !!!

 

[Dean]

We all see problems from time to time and there are times when we must decide whether to report it or just live with it. I'd say that about 80% of my DVC trips I end up leaving a list of maint items that need to be addressed at some point but not at that moment. And I'd say that when I've had issues that needed to be addressed, they were generally done appropriately. The main area I've seen them fall down on was when an item had to be communicated from one dept to another or one shift to another. I would certainly hope that one would report soiled linen's immediately. And I would feel that if it took someone 3 days to do so, it wasn't a big deal to them so why should it be to the CM. Still certain things need to be taken care of when reported no matter the rest of the information. So I guess I'm taking both sides on this one.

 

[WEDway2002]

The Olivia's menu changes have me really livid as well!

Hear! Hear!
On our last visit we were very disappointed in the menu changes ... the cuban sandwich was gone and so was the fried chicken!!!
We have been members for 12 years and always made sure we ate at Olivia's ... I'm afraid it may not be a priority anymore.

Dave

 

[drakethib]

We were at OKW a few weeks ago arrive on Dec 3rd.

The CM's were swamped (to include Housekeeping, baggage crew, etc). In my many trips to WDW, I have never seen the CM's as busy as they were. One of our last bags did not make it until about 11:00 PM that night.

This is the 1st time we had to wait until 4:00 pm (but the desk clerk earlier said she would "reward" us with Building 62, room 6223 (2 BDR dedicated) so it was worth the wait plus 4:00pm is check in time so I guess they did there part. The view of the fireworks at Epcot cannot be beat from here IMHO.

The room was in great shape, but the carpet could have been vacuumed a little more. In lieu of bothering the staff, I took 5 minutes and vacuumed the floor, no biggie, in all honesty it probably wouldn't bother most people. I am just a germ freak. Housekeeping made up for it during the week by being real friendly and "sliding" us a few extra towels.

The Beds slept well but we always bring our own sheets.

Ate at Olivas, yes the chicken is gone but I still enjoyed the other menu items. The beer was cold for sure. Oh yeah, one night while dining at Olivas I ordered a margarita and could not taste any alcohol in it. I told the waiter and he came back with a healthy dose of tequila and made it right

I will say, if anything had not met my standards I would have been at the front desk and had it corrected or would have been moved to a resort that met my standards.

We do pay a good bit for dues and we should expect a certain standard to be met. I think we all as DVC owners should help "keep the neighborhood" as it should be by immediately (and politely) letting management know of shortcomings.

Things do happen and it is up to us to "help" make them right.

OKW remains my favorite DVC resort and I really have no intention of going anywhere else.JMHO

 

[Disney Doll]

I've never thoguht Olivia's had great food. They had a couple of good individual dishes, but nothing was outstanding.

As fara s the rooms...the last time we stayed there we had a room with a few issues, but they were rectified. I did report them, and also got a reply from the management. I usually chalk it up to the fact that I am getting a room that is close to needing refurbishment.

We've been OKW'ers for almost 10 years and overall, the resort has been well-maintained. I wouldn't worry too much about your dues.

 

[Disney Doll]

I dont understand why you "excuse" these types of issues. A well-managed operation means that the customers dont have to be inspectors and report problems - they are solved before the customer arrives PERIOD. Do you feel similarly if you get a defective product at the store? Do you happily bring it back to the supermarket, tell them your problem, then go home with the good product with a smile on your face? If you accept these behaviors, then it becomes acceptable behavior on their part.

Well, seeing as how I am not perfect, I guess I don't expect anyone else to be perfect either. In any aspect of my life, I tend to deal with issues immediately in a polite way. I have yet to encounter anyone who does not respond to that.

Frankly, if I had issues with my room upon entry, I would contact Housekeeping/Engineering or whomever needed to be contacted, to rectify the situation. I wouldn't wait, nor would I feel the need to wait aorund once I had reported the issue. I would go out, enjoy my day, and come back hopefully to the problem corrected and if not, make another call and speak to someone with some authority.

 

[yo-ho-yo-ho]

Any views on the Poll i'm running Chuck ?

 

[Chuck S]

Honestly?

Polls on message boards are easily influenced and should certainly not be taken as proof of anything, positive or negative, given that anyone can vote in the poll, whether they've actually stayed at OKW or not. Pot stirrers and trolls love to heavily influence the negative side of almost any internet poll just for fun, just as they love stirring the pot in threads. Take all internet polls with a grain of salt.

 

[jerry557]

Yes. I was at OKW about 2 weeks ago and it does seem to be slipping. We had numerous issues, notifying everyone from front desk to management and not a single problem was ever taken care of.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Yes. I was at OKW about 2 weeks ago and it does seem to be slipping. We had numerous issues, notifying everyone from front desk to management and not a single problem was ever taken care of.

If your problem was with management and front desk, then you contacted the correct people, but if your problem was with maintenance or housekeeping, your call probably didn't reach the correct destination. Over the years, I have learned that calling the front desk gets you to a phone answering destination that is not even at the resort. If you have a houskeeping issue, it's best to call housekeeping directly from the room and follow it up by contacting the manager at the resort itself. Same for maintenance issues like my lightbulb. I contacted maintenance, and it was fixed litteral in minutes of my call.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I forgot to add that I hope several others are disappointed in OKW too, because that means I wont have any trouble adding more units and nights to my Thanksgiving ressie, should more folks decide to come to the wedding!

 

[Sammie]

I have to agree with Chuck but understand that one does not want to spend time on their vacation dealing with problems that should not be there in the first place.

But the realistic point is and that is what Chuck is saying, the problems were there so deal with them immediately so that you as a member are sure they are taken care of.

If the guest prior to you had taken care of some of the problems in the room you would not have had to deal with some of them.

The main reason I complain while there is, if you wait till you leave it does not get solved. You lose your validity by waiting. The proof is gone.

Right now, Disney is extremely short handed in Housekeeping and Maintenance and it is showing. They simply can not find enough workers to hire in the Orlando area. It is not going to get better, so only by being proactive with our "homes" can we assist in keeping them in the condition we want.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Jerry557,
I'd be interested in knowing what the "numerous issues" were ? Did u follow-up with anyone once back home ?
My recent stays at OKW have been great. I've been a Member since 2000 and have had 9 total stays at OKW to date. The only thing was this most recent stay, the pull out bed in the living room was horrible. It was the old style and really bad at that. The frame seemed bent. I went down to the front desk and told them and then followed up when I got home with an email. I hope the problem has been corrected. Other than that, we feel OKW has some of the nicest CM's around & we never had issues with housekeeping in 9 stays there.

 

[OneMoreTry]

Well in the two days that were left nothing was done about it apart from the restroom and towels, sheets were never changed.


Its easy for you to pick and choose points Chuck, i'm giving an overall view of my experience at OKW.



"You absolutely have the right to complain...but the time to do so is at the time of the incident/problem...and the sooner the better so it can be corrected"

So lets count up

1/ Stained towels - noticed when washed hands

2/ Stained sheets - noticed going to bed

3/ Dirty restroom

4/ Rotten meal at Olivia's and dirty floor

5/ Dirty Front Door

6/ Foods to Go sandwich - noticed when got back to room

7/ Trash not emptied

Count up how many minutes it would have taken to ring front desk or queue to speak to someone.

It seems to me 1,2,3 and 5 would be one call. "The room was not properly cleaned and needs some things taken care of before we can go to bed tonight. These are things that cannot wait until tomorrow." I admit it would be a hassle to follow up to make sure the problem was taken care of. If no one showed up within an hour I would have called back (or if I were not in the room I would have called from my cell to confirm).

Number four would not need a phone call during the vacation. Just point out to the CM.

Number six -- bummer. Just forget it for the trip and don't eat there again. I wouldn't. Complain when you get home.

Number seven another phone call. Oh well.

Then keep a list and contact management about your disappointment when you get home.


My two personal suggestions FWIW:

If you're the type to let something like this get under your skin -- and I guess you are -- then it is definitely worth the time it takes to address the problems while you are there, get them straightened out and then enjoy the rest of your trip.

You are much more likely to make a difference if you communicate displeasure with a smile and without accusation. Get the CMs on your team and they will bend over backwards for you. This will encourage them to serve other guests better, too. And it will improve your own mood also. I know -- I've done it both ways and I've learned.

 

[Disneydreaming6]

I stayed at okw in Oct. When we walked in our 2bd villa, it was beautiful. Then we took a closer look. Housekeeping left the bathtubs with the cleaner in it. the base of the toilet was filthy along with the floors in the bathrooms, 1 bathroom didn't even have towels in it. We turned the air up and a short time later, there was a huge puddle on the rug in the hallway. The place was run down a little and housekeeping was horrible. I went right to the front desk, within an hour they had no less then 4 people there fixing the problems.

 

[dumbo71]

I have to say, I've read this thread with great interest. It is no secret that I personally find OKW to be among the best DVC has to offer. Putting that aside, here goes.

This attacking of posters who dare post bad reviews or dare to question DVC is too much.

Chuck has more or less questioned Yo ho's validity in so many words. He has valid points about taking care of the problem with management immediately. Problem is he didn't follow his own advice and as far as I'm concerned comes off as quite the hypocrite in this thread. He also could be indirectly blamed for the condition of the OP's room.

I just bumped his trip report from OKW. He also encountered problems with cleanliness. Did he follow up with management????? Nope, he wiped down greasy counters and laundered dirty sheets. Has he followed up and complained the OP may have gotten a clean room. The squeaky wheel might have gotten enough grease to have the head of housekeeping reprimand the staff. Instead in an effort to be nice Chuck just cleaned it up himself. This solves nothing and in fact makes it seem acceptable.

I have no problem with Chuck's advice I just wish he followed it instead of attacking posters with problems.

Sorry Yo ho ho that you had these problems. Whether you should have complained really doesn't matter. It shouldn't have happened to begin with.

 

[crazy4claspooh]

We just got back on the 16th of Dec and I would agree the standard has gone way down. The Bathrooms were not that clean the walls had what looked like coffee stains on them. We had a 2B unit and the bathroom not in the MB was really dirty in corners. Our electric did nto work in the kitchen we called 2 times and then gave up and went on with our vacation. The Air Conditioner did not work ( Didn't bother me but DH got quite annoyed). Then to top it off I threw away a disp razor wrapped in the bathroom and house keeping cut themselves on it. Now I have to provide them with blood samples. I have no problem doing that I feel bad she/he got hurt but why were they going through my trash??? Anyway I still like OKW for the value but one more trip like that and we will pick a new resort.