Pts. juggling and struggling...who else has this problem?

[jimmytammy]

According to our math we should have 70 pts left in use yr 04. MS tells us otherwise. According to them we have 47 left. Im not doubting them. They are going to send us a fax showing all our activity since joining. Makes me think a add on is in our future but dont want to do it til we know its what we need.

Is this poor pts management on our part, could MS be wrong, has anyone else faced this besides us?

Sounds like the makings for a good soap opera!! At least on one days taping anyway.

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

"Good luck" with the fax printout

they send you. It is very difficult to read and comprehend.We try to keep track and verify with MS every 4-5 months, and after every reservation to see we correspond with their numbers.

We also use Caskbill's and Dave Fredricks pt tracking programs.MS is correct probably 98% of the time but maybe Richyams will tell you about his experience with MS where they did make a big mistake with his pts.

 

[DebbieB]

One thing I always do - after every transaction with MS, I go over my point balances by use year to make sure their records match mine. That way you can catch a mistake quick. I have heard cases of MS making mistakes, especially when you make changes to reservations, so check over their figures.

 

[JoeMikeB]

We thought we had "lost" some points along the way and asked for a detailed statement. We were cautioned the detailed statements are not the easiest thing in the world to interpret - and they were oh so right about that. Particularly when you have made multiple purchases of points over the years, have banked and borrowed, paid for some days during a stay, etc.

My wife is an accountant's daughter and that is the kind of challenge she just loves. But, it took the two of us a couple of hours to dig our way through and comprehend the statements. The end result? DVC was exactly correct and we had used those points. I don't know if I was more disappointed that we didn't have the points to spend or pleased that DVC was accurate. I think I would have been far more disappointed had DVC been wrong.

OKW in 15 days (and we had to buy some points in order to go, but it will be worth it when we get there).

 

[jimmytammy]

Thanks for all the encouragement and quick replies. We got the faxed statement and after a couple of hrs, my DW who used to work for an acct. firm(and who by the way doesnt really care for this kind of challenge) figured out DVC was accurate in their numbers. I like JoeMikeB was relieved that DVC was right and dissapointed all at the same time that we were wrong in our calculations.

We have learned a valuable lesson from this. DW and I agree, do as Nick and Debbie say: get a detailed statement after each use so as to keep track in a more timely manner. Otherwise, I can see myself old in 2042, trying to get in that last vacation, completely confused as to why I dont have pts left, reviewing statements dated back to 12/02. That would pretty much consume that whole 2042 yr.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

This is a good example of why a basic "account look-up" would be great for the internet.

 

[jimmytammy]

Johnnie

Are you talking about direct from DVC? This would be great although our dues would probably see an increase. How much of an increase would be the question. Great idea though! We could have used it today

 

[Disney Doll]

I jusy keep a simple running tally that I record after every transaction and conversation.

Example(with made-up figures):

200 Points received 9/1/02
- 72 OKW 1/3-7/03 2BR
____
128
+ 22 Cancelled 1/7/03@ OKW-points returned to account
____
150
- 150 VWL 1BR 5/22-28/03
____
0 Points remaining for 2002 Use Year

I've never been off with my points tallies (and I've been a member since 197!) and it's a simple system. I usually also include the date I make the reservation and the name of the CM I speak to.

Good luck with whatever system you use.

 

[DebbieB]

I just verbally confirm my balances, I don't ask for a written statement. I only have 1 contract, so it's pretty simple, our figures have always matched.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

Originally posted by jimmytammy
Johnnie

Are you talking about direct from DVC? This would be great although our dues would probably see an increase. How much of an increase would be the question. Great idea though! We could have used it today

Just something that lets you look up information about your account, like what reservations you have etc. I'm always paranoid that a reservation will get deleted and I won't find out until check-in. It would be great to see each reservation along with the combination of points used to make it. We have 7 add-ons three resorts, two use years, banked, borrowed and transferd points.

I've gone to the larger size post-it notes now.

 

[RobDoc]

While I agree that online access to account information would be great and is past due, I use a checkbook program (MS Money) to track my various DVC accounts. I just set up an account to match each DVC contract and track points by"writing" a check or making a deposit. I also confirm each reservation transaction with MS and verify every account at that time.

Thus far, it has worked quite well.

Enjoy!

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by Johnnie Fedora
We have 7 add-ons three resorts, two use years, banked, borrowed and transferd points.

Thats why we like to keep things simple with our 2 resorts.......same use yr, same banking deadlines,same amount of pts at each(300).

 

[FriendsOfEeyore]

Doc... You always have the best ideas... If I had as many points as you do, I would need many checkbooks!!! But my notes and Bill's program wrk great for my one little contract.

 

[rocketriter]

A clean Internet points look-up, based on a mirror of the database that MS itself uses now to look up our points, might save Disney more money (in time wasted answering our phoned-in questions about points) than it would cost (in programming and maintenance). A lot of banks and other businesses have already learned this lesson. My guess is that DVC membership will grow enormously during the next two years, making an Internet look-up an absolute necessity. Hang on tight. We'll see it come, along with a reliable online reservation system.

 

[eva]

Doc, what a great idea! We already use MS Money to track our buget and accounts. I never thought about using it for our 4 DVC accounts. What a perfect solution. I'm going to get right on that today.

 

[anniet]

I use an excel spreadsheet to keep track of my points and what I paid for them. And in another column I plug in what Disney's rack rate of the rooms would be.

Boy does that make me feel good!!!

 

[WOW]

You must be careful with MS-----about 6 years ago they did not banks points that I told them too. I made a reservation the same phone call and was able to prove to them that I did call so they reinstated the points (I hope it wasn't the 1 time magical one that we are allowed). I did have the CM's name and date I called. I always do that. But as recommended above I always verify things with them. That was the only problem I ever had. Everything else has always been correct.

 

[RobDoc]

When banking points, MS should always provide a "banking number" (it will start with BKxxxxxx). If they don't offer the number, make sure to ask for it. I always write down that number as a reference, but have never had a later problem.

With each phone call to MS, I always verify the totals in each contract.

 

[Laurabearz]

Originally posted by WebmasterDoc

With each phone call to MS, I always verify the totals in each contract.

I do this too. We have 2 use years, 3 resorts, 5 contracts total. I double check everything at the end of each phone call... as well as triple checking which contract to use for each reservation.

I also write down every number they give me.