Please recommend a GOOD Guide !

[ScottOKW2K]

Could anyone recommend a guide that picks up the phone when you call or at least responds quickly to your message, and is prompt and accurate in meeting your requests ? I'm not going to name names but our present guide has been a less than pleasant experience lately.

Here's some backgound - we own at OKW ( purchased resale in 2000 ) with a June use year [this is important later]. We've stayed at AKL four times and have always thought that if DVC ever built there it would be the perfect place for us to add-on. Fast forward to a few months ago when we received a call from the new DVC guide that had been assigned to us. We thanked him for the call, and also mentioned our interest in a future AKL DVC. At this time the boards had rumors of both AKL dvc and Contemporary dvc floating around.

February rolls around and AKV becomes official. Hot diggity dog !! our favorite non-dvc property will now be DVC ! We talk about it, look at the finances and decide to call our guide. Spoke to him a few times and then decided to do an add-on 2 weeks ago. Requested a total of 150 points to be divided as follows - 100 point contract to be financed , 10% down and 50 point contract paid outright with both contracts having an october use year. With this use year we would be able to go through Thanksgiving, Christmas and the Spring Break times within our 100% banking deadline.

Waited a week, no charges on the credit card and nothing from the guide. Called him and the contract had not been submitted ! A few days off / sick / computer problem was the reason. I let it slide because I know they have been busy with all the interest in AKV and my own daughter was home with strepp so I could empathise with the sick part. I get the DVC Fedex box today. One 150 point contract, June use year.

Hello !! Was I talking just to hear myself speak ?!? At NO point did I express that I wanted a single contract of 150 but 2 contracts totaling 150 and had stated numerous times that I wanted the use year for the add-on to be october - NOT the same as the primary contract ! Needless to say we are at this time at a minimum somewhat irritated. 'Bout ready to take my guide and throw him in front of the next Disney bus ....

So - can you help a fellow DVCer ?

 

[jemiaule]

Love my guide, I can usually get him on the phone, if I can't he calls me back very quickly. I appreciate the fact that on his voicemail he states what his hours are and what days of the week his working that week.

He doesn't sales pitch or give me vague answers. If I ask him something I will get a straightforward response. (Ok, except when I asked him if CRV was going to happen! )

Anyway, his name is Mike Brunson 1-800-827-1474

As far as your situation; it is my understanding that Disney will only sell you a contract that is in the same UY as your current one(s). We have contracts we bought directly from Disney and ones we bought resale and the resale ones have a different UY. When we bought AKV Mike asked us which UY we wanted. If you want a different UY you have to buy resale and you will have a different membership number.

As far as your guide doing one contract, not calling you and sending out the paperwork that is just bad. S/he should have called, explained that they will not sell you a different UY and then worked with you on what you wanted to do.

 

[Chuck S]

Since your OKW use year is June, I don't think you can get an October use year for AKV unless the 150 is all on one contract as a new Master contract.

Any contract under 150 is considered an add-on for your June use year. That may be what is gumming up the works.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Since your OKW use year is June, I don't think you can get an October use year for AKV unless the 150 is all on one contract as a new Master contract.

Any contract under 150 is considered an add-on for your June use year. That may be what is gumming up the works.

That was how i unstood it as well.

As for a guide, in our experience, Jim McCoy has been extremely responsive to us (and it took us 3 years to buy in).

 

[lisaviolet]

Love my guide, I can usually get him on the phone, if I can't he calls me back very quickly. I appreciate the fact that on his voicemail he states what his hours are and what days of the week his working that week.

He doesn't sales pitch or give me vague answers. If I ask him something I will get a straightforward response. (Ok, except when I asked him if CRV was going to happen! )

Anyway, his name is Mike Brunson 1-800-827-1474

Ditto.

 

[jemiaule]

Ditto.

Hope so...you are the one who recommended him to me!

 

[JodyTG]

I love Judy Kaufman. She's very quick to call me back and has even called me back on her day off. She's great!

 

[ScottOKW2K]

As far as your situation; it is my understanding that Disney will only sell you a contract that is in the same UY as your current one(s). We have contracts we bought directly from Disney and ones we bought resale and the resale ones have a different UY. When we bought AKV Mike asked us which UY we wanted. If you want a different UY you have to buy resale and you will have a different membership number.

Since your OKW use year is June, I don't think you can get an October use year for AKV unless the 150 is all on one contract as a new Master contract.

Any contract under 150 is considered an add-on for your June use year. That may be what is gumming up the works.

Thanks for this information. We have called our guide and are waiting for his call back. I can understand and accept the restrictions mentioned above but I wish that this had been communicated to me by our guide during the whole process. My wife and I have talked it over this morning and have decided that having the separate contracts is more important to us than the october use year - we'll probably end up giving one of them to our daughter sometime down the road . I know that this will blow over and that all the discounts/promotions/ect. are still in effect.

My main disappointment is that I look upon Disney and DVC as my stress relief from the "real world." The last thing I expected from this is for it to contribute to it. Guess I need to take a hit of pixie dust and think "there's no place like home away from home, there's no place ....."

 

[dianeschlicht]

Our current guide is Rob Shapiro, and he has been very good about returning phone calls concerning AKV.

Our first guide was Randy Kruegar, and he was FANTASTIC for a guide. I'm not sure why our guide keeps changing, but DVC has changed our guide on us 5 times in 10 years!

 

[DVC Grammy]

My one recommendation is NOT OURS!
But I certainly wish you the best in getting your AKV contract the way you want.

 

[magicmommy]

Ditto.

Double Ditto!!!!

P.S. He wouldn't tell me about CRV either!!!

 

[jemiaule]

Double Ditto!!!!

P.S. He wouldn't tell me about CRV either!!!

LOL, did he give you his usual amusing non commital answer? I love teasing him when he does that to me! Gotta love a guide who can take a good teasing.

 

[KT27]

Love my guide, I can usually get him on the phone, if I can't he calls me back very quickly. I appreciate the fact that on his voicemail he states what his hours are and what days of the week his working that week.

He doesn't sales pitch or give me vague answers. If I ask him something I will get a straightforward response. (Ok, except when I asked him if CRV was going to happen! )

Anyway, his name is Mike Brunson 1-800-827-1474

As far as your situation; it is my understanding that Disney will only sell you a contract that is in the same UY as your current one(s). We have contracts we bought directly from Disney and ones we bought resale and the resale ones have a different UY. When we bought AKV Mike asked us which UY we wanted. If you want a different UY you have to buy resale and you will have a different membership number.

As far as your guide doing one contract, not calling you and sending out the paperwork that is just bad. S/he should have called, explained that they will not sell you a different UY and then worked with you on what you wanted to do.

I second Mike Brunson! We love dealing with him!

 

[magicmommy]

LOL, did he give you his usual amusing non commital answer? I love teasing him when he does that to me! Gotta love a guide who can take a good teasing.

You know he did......LOL

 

[pennst8r]

Just joining in here to see if my guide's name shows up!

We're in the process of buying.....or at least we would be if our guide would call us back! I waited over a week for my first call. I've had to call the main # a few times before getting any call--I guess they nag her after I call them. I've left messages saying we want to buy before the prices change.

I know it's a busy time, but geesh! Should I ask for a new one? DH is in sales and can't believe she'd treat us like this.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

Our guide and I finally did talk Saturday afternoon. He checked his notes as we read him the details of the contract that arrived. As everyone knows the contract was wrong. He told us to just tear up what we have and a new set of contracts would be issued. Per our original requests it will be AKV 2 contracts - 100 points financed / 50 points paid outright with October use year for both contracts. He stated that a different use year was no problem.

So for now we will just wait and see. Most likely this will be our first and only contract purchased straight from DVC, but no because of this. We simply have no interest in owning CRV if it ever comes to pass, and by the time we would want more points (not likely) anything we want would be available on the resale market. We now own at the two dvc resorts that make us feel most "at home" and with 400 points that should have our small family of three well taken care of.

I'll update this post when I receive the paperwork. Hopefully it will all work out well in the end. Many thanks and pixie dust to all that responded. Gotta love the nice community here !

 

[blossomz]

Our guide is fantastice! Susie Farnsworth

 

[rayzke]

Ours is....

Nikki Auxmueller (sp?) she was fabulous when we purchased our little slice of home....

 

[KristiKelly]

Our guide is Gib McCain, he has always called us back when we have had questions. I called him a couple of mo. ago when I first heard about AKV and he called back a few weeks ago when he was finally able to "talk" about it. He has always been friendly and no pressure.

When he called back a few weeks ago to tell me about AKV at the end he said "but I'm sure you already know all of this from Disboards"

 

[speakupjc]

Scot McDonald is the best. He even gave me his cell number, office number and home number. If you want a guide who is reachable, cares about your needs and gives you advice that will meet those needs then you need Scot as your guide.