OKW Problems

[kkmauch]

My brothr checked in to OKW on Thursday evening. He called me yesterday to ask me to put in a formal complaint to Disney about the service he has received thus far. Apparently, the CMs he has come in contact with throughout the last couple of days, from the check-in desk to the bell services guy who picked up his golf clubs an hour and a half late, have all been sub-par. He made his own complaint, but didn't feel like it really made a difference. I know it must be poor service because he rarely complains about anything and has never complained about Disney service.
Does anyone have a suggestion on who to call? Member Services? Is there an e-mail address I should write to?
Thanks all!
I am sure this is rare and won't happen to us again, but I'd like to be sure he receives great treatment the rest of his trip.

 

[RobDoc]

IMO, any complaints need to come while at the resort by the individual(s) who has been directly affected. Anything you submit will be second hand information.

I would suggest that he go to the front desk and speak to one of the CM's there and if he still feels that no one is addressing his concerns, ask to speak to a manager (there is always at least one manager on duty).

It's a little unclear from your post what your brother's complaints were, but he should be the one to address them directly while at the resort. This gives them an opportunity to correct the problem in an appropriate fashion.

Good luck!

 

[Pa@okw95]

I have to agree with Doc, he should make the complaint himself. It might help to understand that OKW is not like a first class hotel or resort, service is lacking when compared to a top notch resort. The front desk at OKW is usually pretty good but they are suffering I believe from the resort being over used with people just staying there for the lower points. The bell captain and any help he or she may have is lacking also. I would never expect them to pick up any luggage for me, they do deliver it from the front area, but anything else may take time, there just is not many of them working there like there used to be for good reason, they are not needed by most guests.

 

[CarolA]

Tell him to hike to the front desk and ask for a manager. Or dial zero.

A second hand complaint from you proabably is not going to get much attention (the theory being if the guest was really upset they would do something) Based on what you have so far it wouldn't go very far. They need details etc.

Now I have never had rude service at OKW.

 

[Disney Doll]

I would agree that if he is having a problem, he should deal with it while he is there. That is when you get the most satisfaction.

You might want to call the management yourself, to let them know that a potential member is not getting a very positive view of the DVC system.

 

[MiaSRN62]

It might help to understand that OKW is not like a first class hotel or resort, service is lacking when compared to a top notch resort. The front desk at OKW is usually pretty good but they are suffering I believe from the resort being over used with people just staying there for the lower points.

You always give me a chuckle Pa when you say stuff like this.
Couldn't be further from the truth from my experiences. We wouldn't keep going back if we didn't receive top notch service (we've been to BWV & VWL and keep going back to OKW). The CM's at OKW have always been some of the most caring and attentive we've encountered in WDW. I can cite several cases where they went above and beyond their "call of duty", so to say, to help us in very recent years. Sorry you feel this way about them Pa, but I don't feel you speak for the majority of us OKW owners. Of course EVERY resort messes up sometimes......noone's perfect.....and I agree with Doc & Carol that the OP's brother should address the situation now, while he's still there.

 

[FredS]

Okay, I have to admit that I am puzzled as to why your brother, staying at a resort and having some problems, would call you to make a complaint for him? Is he staying on your points and thinks only the owner can complain?

I agree with the other posters that he simply needs to speak to a manager at guest services. We are not very "needy" while at OKW since we generally handle our own luggage, but my experiences with the staff have been very good to excellent. I would be very surprised if his contact with management would not resolve any problems.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I agree with everyone else here. We have had nothing but good service from everyone at OKW. Granted, we rarely use bell services since we usually have a rental car and are willing and able to take our own luggage down and put it in the trunk. We did use bell services once when we did not have a car, and they were wonderful.

 

[doccath]

Just wanted to add my two cents. We have owned OKW from the beginning and absolutely love the service. It is not quite as glitzy as BWV and VWL where we also own points. But we have always had great service. My child got very ill one year when we were at OKW and they couldn't have done enough for us. Extended our stay since he was in the Florida Childrens, kept calling to check in on us, sent us food. The CM there are fabulous, it made us buy more points that year. Every resort can have a bad week, your brother just hit one, but overall OKW does live up to the Disney magic.
Tell him to contact the manager and I would bet it is dealt with right there
______________________________________________________________
28visits and counting
May 05-BWV
June 05- back again to BWV

 

[SlyHubby]

We just returned from OKW having been there Sun-Fri last week. As usual, the service we received was top-notch. Part of the problem with the experience your brother is having could be that it is spring break now and Disney and the resorts are loaded to capacity and with so much happening, I could see how it easily would strain employees and services.

During our stay:
- Daughter's birthday - CM makes note at check-in, makes small talk with daughter, learns Cinderella is her favorite princess and ballons and Cinderella-signed 5x7 picture magically show up in our room on the birthday date.

- Had problems with high-speed internet connection. CMs had no idea what the problem could be (I don't hold that against them). Turns out I had to move some wires and power on/off the Cisco router plugged into the wall. But, prior to stumbling upon the solution, housekeeping dropped off network cable thinking I may just not have had one. Note, this was in the time span of when we went out for dinner and came back a couple hours later.

We have had stays at other DVC resorts where we have encountered the infrequent sub-par service - but, never so bad that we needed to complain.

As you say, it is rare, and, obviously when it happens to you it makes a bigger impact.

 

[Alexander]

I think doccath has a very important point.....Service at OKW may not be as glitzy as BWV and VWL where they are also dealing with hotel guests. Since these people are paying mucho cash, they want them to come back so they tend to give top-notch service. OKW is only a DVC resort and they know we're comin' back!

I'm not making excuses for poor service if that's what truly happened, but remember it is a very laid back, relaxed environment. If you need something done pronto, you've got to be specific and tell them. Heck, I doubt if anybody in Key West, FL gets anywhere on time! I can't help but wonder if the brother's expectations were too high. We do tend to put WDW resorts, escpecially the DVC resorts really high on a pedastel (sp?) and maybe the brother was expecting service like you'd receive at a really high-end hotel. Mind you, you pay for it too. What it costs you in "solicited" tips is a fortune!

 

[SlyHubby]

I think doccath has a very important point.....Service at OKW may not be as glitzy as BWV and VWL where they are also dealing with hotel guests. Since these people are paying mucho cash, they want them to come back so they tend to give top-notch service. OKW is only a DVC resort and they know we're comin' back!

I don't agree with this. We stayed at BCV after DVC moved in and received the sub-par service there.

 

[jaysue]

Interesting perceptions - we just stayed at OKW, and found the CM's to be friendly, warm, funny and willing to answer questions etc. - this was quite consistent. At BCV/BC, we always find a mixed bag of CM attitudes ranging from great to downright sullen. If CM attitude and service was the sole criteria for the decision where to stay, we would always stay at OKW.

Having said that, we rent a car and tend to take care of our own luggage etc. so we have not had an opportunity to experience the bell hop type services.

Good chuckle on the lower points theory - we stay at OKW to enjoy the bigger units, have a more relaxed experience and have some nice views, not to save points.

cheers
jaysue

 

[MiaSRN62]

we stay at OKW to enjoy the bigger units, have a more relaxed experience and have some nice views, not to save points.

I agree 100% ! If it were, say, the BWV that had the lower points, we'd still choose to stay at OKW. The size of the villas and the porch/balcony (we love that all 5 of us can sit out there together) are a huge deciding factor for us---also the beauty of the resort as a whole.

 

[kkmauch]

Wow---what a reposne from everyone!
First, let me make a few things a little more clear. My brother did speak with the manager on duty at the front desk. He did not feel that he was given an adequate answer or resolution and receoved a very rude reply. So, he called me to ask that I make a complaint for him being the owner of the points he is using to stay there. We don't expect any grand gestures, just a friendly appology. I just want to let the people at OKW know that he recieved less than stellar service.
Secondly, we had GREAT service at OKW in December. We loved it there and that is why i suggested my brother, an avid golfer, stay there over his spring break. He was told by bell services that on the days he was golfing he should call them and they would come pick up his clubs and then he could get them when it was time for his shuttle to take him to the courses. That's the only reason he called to have them picked up--he was told to.
Ok, so now that everyone has had the chance to defend OKW, does anyone have a suggestion aside from Member Services on whom I should contact? Please understand I am not looking for him to get some kind of immediate reconcilliation, I just want them to know he dind't receive the type of service we have come to expect from Disney. That said, the service seems to be better now as I talked with him last evening. We really did love OKW in December and we will be back to visit again.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

My brothr checked in to OKW on Thursday evening. He called me yesterday to ask me to put in a formal complaint to Disney about the service he has received thus far. Apparently, the CMs he has come in contact with throughout the last couple of days, from the check-in desk to the bell services guy who picked up his golf clubs an hour and a half late, have all been sub-par. He made his own complaint, but didn't feel like it really made a difference. I know it must be poor service because he rarely complains about anything and has never complained about Disney service.
Does anyone have a suggestion on who to call? Member Services? Is there an e-mail address I should write to?
Thanks all!
I am sure this is rare and won't happen to us again, but I'd like to be sure he receives great treatment the rest of his trip.

That stinks. I guess the front desk and ask for a manager?

 

[MinnieGirl33]

wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

Give that a try. Otherwise, if I remember correctly, the snail mail address is:

WDW Guest Comunications
P.O. Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL

1). Things can't be corrected unless the appropriate partys are made aware of the situation.

2). If we don't keep our expectations reasonably high & hold people accountable for service provided we'll all be commiserating a few years from now about "the good ol' days".

I would definately persue.

Keep us posted.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Ok, so now that everyone has had the chance to defend OKW

I think several of us (me included) were defending OKW from the comments that Pa made.....not what you had mentioned about your brother. I acknowledged, as did several here, that the problem should indeed be addressed and that no resort is perfect. They ALL have off days. We didn't realize your brother had already spoken to the front desk manager at OKW. The way he was treated was indeed unacceptable and I see that someone has since posted the address and email link to whom you can address this. Good luck and let us know how you make out with a response.

 

[hmansure]

We were at OKW from Sunday - Saturday last week and encountered a variety of levels of customer service. The majority of the CMs were friendly and helpful, but there were a few that didn't seem to care one way or another - this was particularly true at Good's Food to Go.

 

[vernon]

Without knowing more of the details it's impossible for anyone to say whether the "complaints" your brother has are justified, an understandable misunderstanding between a guests expectations and a CM's ability to achieve those requests, an unrealistic expectation of service, or someone (either your brother) or the CM(s) having a bad/busy day. OK so bell services told him to call them and they'd collect the clubs, did he give them adiquate/specified notice? Was he told (or did he ask) how long it may take to collect them. Did he tell bell services that time was an issue? (maybe they expect people to call a long way ahead of needing bell services) Was this about the time that many guests check out ( i.e. at a very busy time for bell services)
As far as receiving a "rude reply" from a manager, again it's possible that he met another CM having a bad day, although either he had a very bad run (possible) or his own behaviour set up how the CM's responded to him. An aggressive opening from him is likely to have made the interaction a confrontational one.

In my experience at a place like Disney one off bad encounters do happen from time to time, back to back bad encounters with multiple staff are extremely rare without some sort of responsability falling on the guest's attitude and input. Now I understand it can be frustrating when you have a problem with one CM, but if you start your conversation with the next CM ( the one you're expecting to sort things out) in an aggressive or confrontational manner , it dramatically increases the chances that the conversation you embark on hoping to clear up a problem is going to escalate the problem.

Maybe it's a lesson everyone should heed, but personally I'd NEVER rely on bell services (or any other third party) if I had time constraints on something like getting to an airport, or to a tee time. I'd call bell services to collect the stuff in plenty of time, if they weren't there by the time I had to leave, I'd take my stuff with me and make my way to my destination. Maybe the desk manager ( like me) thinks he was making a big fuss about nothing, JMHO.