Ready to sell DVC, not happy with it

[disneynutz]

I felt the same way you did upon my recent return. We thoroughly loved our stay at BCV. It's when we moved over to AKV Kidani for 3 nights that I became disillusioned with DVC; not the properties, but the customer service.

Short story: My AC was not working properly. I complained, apparently too nicely, every day for 3 days and nothing was ever done, nor did anyone communicate with me about it. I truly felt like they could have cared less since I wasn't a "regular" paying customer. And I did send them an e-mail about it on June 11th and still have yet to hear from anyone, other than the canned response.

I too have considered selling at this point . . . and still might . . . I'm just trying to make sure that's what I really, really want to do. Then the next day I'm thinking about adding on at BLT. What's up with that?

Lack of customer service and poor Cast Member attitude starts at the top and works it's way down. The fact that we are members and not paying Guests works against us. Disney has made their money buy selling us our points and they know that we have to use them or lose them.

They also know that we will be buying food, park admission, and other Disney items when we vacation at least once a year. If we decide to sell, we have to find someone else to take our place, so Disney/DVC will always have plenty of members.

 

[Chuck S]

I have not experienced any major problems with DVC rooms, though I have had some with maintenance issues that obviously were not addressed by those that had previously stayed in the room.

For instance, on our recent stay at OKW, the studio was, overall, in excellent shape, and quite clean. But the light in the closet was burned out and the phone had a lot of static because the handset cord needed replacement. I called about the phone, and was told that regular maintenance didn't handle the phones, that was a different department, but she would report it.

Later that afternoon, I noticed the burned out light, I happened to see a maintenance cart parked near our villa, so I simply told the guy in the cart. While the light was being changed, a communications guy showed up with a brand new phone and replaced the entire unit.

Now, of course, major repairs have to be scheduled, so they can take the room out of service...but they can't fix what they don't know about.

While I do agree that we will all likely see increasing maintenance issues as our resorts age, I disagree with the assumption that they are letting maintenance slide in favor of sales. Maintenance is paid by our dues, the sales division is funded by sales, the two do not share revenue streams, thus one is not being cut "in favor" the other.

 

[reedycreek]

Again, I appreciate all your feedback. Let me be clear, the condition of the room was the straw that broke the camels back. Moreover, Disneys reactions to my complaints was even worse.

I had been thinking about selling for a few months now as I am just generally fed up with the lack of service and unfilled promises of the benefits from DVC. DVC changed in the short 5 years I have been a member, and I do not see improvement in the immediate future.

I'd rather have "some" of the cash invested in this decision back, and do not feel that that money combined with the annual dues justifies a good decision for us anymore. We will still visit WDW 1-2 times a year, but I feel that we get much better service, a better product, and are happier when purchasing cash reservations.

 

[Chuck S]

Again, I appreciate all your feedback. Let me be clear, the condition of the room was the straw that broke the camels back. Moreover, Disneys reactions to my complaints was even worse.

I had been thinking about selling for a few months now as I am just generally fed up with the lack of service and unfilled promises of the benefits from DVC. DVC changed in the short 5 years I have been a member, and I do not see improvement in the immediate future.

I'd rather have "some" of the cash invested in this decision back, and do not feel that that money combined with the annual dues justifies a good decision for us anymore. We will still visit WDW 1-2 times a year, but I feel that we get much better service, a better product, and are happier when purchasing cash reservations.

Then, by all means, I would sell. Timeshares, and DVC in particular, aren't everyones cup of tea. As far as unfulfilled promises, what any timeshare, DVC included, promises is spelled out in our purchase agreements and offering statements. While I'll gladly take additional discounts and perks, but to expect more than what they are obligated to provide is not realistic.

As far as BWV not reloctaing you, they are correct that DVC guests are not usually located to "regular" non-DVC resort rooms, however, in your case, they could (and should) have relocated you to a DVC Villa of comparable size at BWV, or even another DVC resort, refunding or deducting any difference in points. I have found that the staff at many of the hotel/DVC resorts are really not up to speed on the actual differenes between DVC and regular hotels. Add that is a staffing/training issue that should be resolved ASAP.

 

[bgraham34]

Now could you have at the time of stay complained to Member Services or would that not do anything? I am just curious of what a course of action should be for us going forward for those who experience a similar issue.

 

[helloconnie]

Okay, so this is disturbing. We have not signed our paperwork yet and now I am seriously reconsidering. We prefer 'higher' end vacationing and if the condition of the rooms is not going to live up to Disney standards AND complaints fall of deaf ears, sounds like we need to rethink.

Also, maybe there should be an organized letter / calling campagin to the President of DVCs office regarding this situation. DVC members are paying for upkeep in the maintenance dues. If enough people flood his office with calls about (1) the upkeep, (2) lack of service once it is brought to someones attendtion at the resort and (3) the lack of response from further complaints to Member Services, maybe he would feel compelled to act.

Certainly, the potential of loosing new contracts would also cause alarm.

Ready, set, call....

 

[disneynutz]

I have not experienced any major problems with DVC rooms, though I have had some with maintenance issues that obviously were not addressed by those that had previously stayed in the room.

For instance, on our recent stay at OKW, the studio was, overall, in excellent shape, and quite clean. But the light in the closet was burned out and the phone had a lot of static because the handset cord needed replacement. I called about the phone, and was told that regular maintenance didn't handle the phones, that was a different department, but she would report it.

Later that afternoon, I noticed the burned out light, I happened to see a maintenance cart parked near our villa, so I simply told the guy in the cart. While the light was being changed, a communications guy showed up with a brand new phone and replaced the entire unit.

Now, of course, major repairs have to be scheduled, so they can take the room out of service...but they can't fix what they don't know about.

While I do agree that we will all likely see increasing maintenance issues as our resorts age, I disagree with the assumption that they are letting maintenance slide in favor of sales. Maintenance is paid by our dues, the sales division is funded by sales, the two do not share revenue streams, thus one is not being cut "in favor" the other.

But it sure seems that sales get more attention from Lewis than maintenance does.

Do you think that Disney limits that amount of maintenance preformed to keep the dues lower and thus easier to sell?

Don't you think that the Mousekeepers need to do a better job reporting room issues and not rely on the Guest who are supposed to be on vacation. The Mousekeepers use the phone to report the room ready, shouldn't they have called in the phone report, or isn't it important to them. Where is the supervision? Do they ever do room inspections?

We were at OKW and a drawer was missing from the kitchen and the dishwasher wouldn't drain. We reported it to maintenance. The next day two guys showed up and said that the drawer had been broken a couple of months ago and one of them said that he thought that he had seen it in one of the shops. They played with the dishwasher and got it to drain. Didn't the Mousekeeper notice that the dishwasher was full of water? We never saw the drawer and the dishwasher broke the next day.

 

[disneynutz]

Okay, so this is disturbing. We have not signed our paperwork yet and now I am seriously reconsidering. We prefer 'higher' end vacationing and if the condition of the rooms is not going to live up to Disney standards AND complaints fall of deaf ears, sounds like we need to rethink.

Also, maybe there should be an organized letter / calling campagin to the President of DVCs office regarding this situation. DVC members are paying for upkeep in the maintenance dues. If enough people flood his office with calls about (1) the upkeep, (2) lack of service once it is brought to someones attendtion at the resort and (3) the lack of response from further complaints to Member Services, maybe he would feel compelled to act.

Certainly, the potential of loosing new contracts would also cause alarm.

Ready, set, call....

They aren't going to lose many, if any contracts over this. Most people just accept what happens.

Part of the problem is that for new owners, you expect certain things whether or not they are spelled out in the legal documents. DVD does a excellent job of setting the stage for sales. Clean cut, friendly, professional Guides. Preview Center and models kept in pristine condition. Music and smells piped into the Preview Center and models. Mickey Mouse.

We expect that same attention to detail and professionalism to be given to all DVC proprieties. Unfortunately they are not.

I need to also point out that at many resorts, The resort staff doesn't work for the DVC, they work for the regular hotel and their department is paid a fee to check in Guests and maintain the DVC side of the house. They really don't have a vested interest in doing a better job. What's the worst that can happen, DVC bringing in their own people, never happen. Where's the incentive to do a better job?

 

[Chuck S]

But it sure seems that sales get more attention from Lewis than maintenance does.

He is more than just a DVC executive employee, he is also a Disney executive, who would have bonuses and perks based on the income performance of his division. DVC's "income" is sales driven.

Do you think that Disney limits that amount of maintenance preformed to keep the dues lower and thus easier to sell?

It is possible, but I think there are many issues in play as far as maintenance. Including some guests (both renters and owners) that are simply destructive. Also, overall, DVC resorts seem to operate on a lengthened full rehab schedule compared to cash resorts to save fees, coupled with greater overall occupancy rates, we are likely to see rooms in need a bit more often than if we were staying in a cash resort.

Don't you think that the Mousekeepers need to do a better job reporting room issues and not rely on the Guest who are supposed to be on vacation. The Mousekeepers use the phone to report the room ready, shouldn't they have called in the phone report, or isn't it important to them. Where is the supervision? Do they ever do room inspections?

I think housekeeping staff pretty much have their hands full just getting the units ready by 4 o'clock, considering the conditions that I have seen of some vacated rooms. It would be extremely costly to members to have every room inspected by a supervisor between each guest.

We were at OKW and a drawer was missing from the kitchen and the dishwasher wouldn't drain. We reported it to maintenance. The next day two guys showed up and said that the drawer had been broken a couple of months ago and one of them said that he thought that he had seen it in one of the shops. They played with the dishwasher and got it to drain. Didn't the Mousekeeper notice that the dishwasher was full of water? We never saw the drawer and the dishwasher broke the next day.

The drawer you mentioned certainly should have been repaired before your stay, especially if it had been missing "for months." But drains can clog at anytime. Unless the dishwasher was leaking water all over the floor, the housekeeper may simply not have noticed.

As for the phone, the static was an intermittent problem, depending upon the position of the handset cord. The cord needed replacing, but that is another instance of where a housekeeper may not have noticed, or may have assumed it was not a problem with the phone, but just normal occasional static. We used to get a LOT of static on our land line that the phone company never seemed to be able to fix, they kept telling us it was our house wiring. We switched to Vonage and the line is clear, so it wasn't a problem with our house wiring or phones.

 

[DVC Mike]

Surveys show that the majority of DVC members (including me) are generally happy and satisfied with their DVC membership.

While you may be in the minority, that doesn't matter. If you are really that unhappy with DVC, then I would sell it. This year, with the economy being what it is, is not a good time to unload your membership. I would advise renting your points until the economy improves, and using the cash to book your Poly stay.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[DeeCee735]

OP, what was the room number please? Did you post a room report on these boards so that everyone here can be notified?

Sounds like you haven't been happy with your purchase for awhile now, as you mentioned in your posts. If I wasn't happy with any purchase, I'd sell/return, etc. whatever it took to get out of an unhappy situation.

That being said, we've been members for 10 years. I've NEVER had a problem with any room or any service. I once called maintenance about a broken cabinet, and they fixed it within an hour. We've stayed in BWV, OKW, Hilton Head, AKV. All of them exactly what we asked for. I can't say I've ever seen anything dirty. A little bit of wear on a cushion or curtain, yes....I actually look for these things, no one else in my party notices any of it. Were things ever worn out to a point that they were noticeable without hunting for them.....no, not at all. ALL of our stays have been exactly what we expect. Excellent service from cast members, beautiful accommodations and tons of fun with every trip. We definitely feel we got what we paid for and more.

Two very positive experiences that go over and above.....one trip my daughter and her friend got sick while we were there. Apparently the virus going around school the week before we left did not evade them, they got it the second day we were there. Thankfully it was a 24 hour thing, but because of it we lost a day of the trip.....called housekeeping in the middle of the night for disinfectant spray, clean towels, sheets and garbage bags (gross), and they were there in a heartbeat (of course we explained our situation). The next day...the manager comped us park passes for one day for our entire party, so we took a few more of our points, added a night (we did NOT have to move to a different room), and used the comped park tickets to make up the day we lost, (and they were park hoppers).

Another trip, it was POURING rain and we had to get to a character meal in Grand Floridian. We were running late and just missed the bus, so we had to wait for the next one, putting us just behind our ressie, and we had a party waiting for us. The CM at the bus stop, (don't really know why he was there), stayed in touch with the bus dispatcher to keep us updated as to how long we had to wait (it was a 15 minute wait, not a big deal considering the buses can run longer than that), and he called the restaurant, spoke to the reservation desk and told them our name, our situation and had them update our waiting party. It made being late so much less stressful!

I'd vote for DVC anyday, but understand that you're not happy, and you should sell. Good luck with your sale....

 

[Minnie49]

We have been members for almost five years at SSV. We have repurchased twice since our original purchase so obviously we were satisfied. Traveling with family was our reasons to purchase. We have stayed the majority of the time at Saratoga but have tried most of them. We did not buy Saratoga just to stay at other DVC properties but that was one of the reasons the high cost made us buy. That is the reason, IMO, they call it "club". If we did not make plans going into the seventh month before departure, why not try another resort. That is what the DVC Club is all about. We have also gone to VBV and HHV. All of have home advantage and plenty of time before others can book if that is our choice. That is any timeshare. We had our first room disaster last year at OKW. We had a broken air conditioner. From the first day it did not seem to cool the room. The the third night we woke up hot and got up in the middle of the night to a wet floor It was located in the ceiling and was leaking. The rug was soaked when we got up in the morning. I called maintenance and they said someone would fix it that day. They had no rooms to change us. We went to a park with family. When we got back, the rug was soaked, the room was HOT, and there was a ladder in the room! I called again and this time was not happy. It was 11:00 at night. Someone came and said it had been turned off and probally needed a part which could not be fixed until the next day. This was July! Another hot night and wet rug to boot. I called immediately in the morning and expressed my displeasure. They did fix it that day but the rug remained damp for the rest of our stay. Would this have happened this way if I was not a DVC Member. I think not. I do believe we would have been moved. The manager offered to give us a full room ceaning instead of just towels and garbage as it was the fourth day. Big deal. With the mess in there they would have had to do that anyway. They had to put a hose of some type to dry it. Luckily we were at a park again. That was our first real disaster room problem and we our thoughts were " and we just purchased more points for this!" Anyway we calmed down and still are glad we bought.

The real issues to us are naturally maintenance, and all the give aways on rooms (extra nights), and free food plans at different times to the "paying" customers. I call us paying, paying, and paying customers! We realize some people are terrible about carelessness at a hotel and ruin furniture, rugs, etc with those careless ways and that Disney has no control of and we can expect some issues during our stay of stains (although they should be the kind not removable), etc. although we would prefer not to. There should be never be any mold, IMO, for sure. That is unacceptible. As for all the giveaways, it does not seem fair that we do not get some "promos" once we are members. It becomes a matter of paying guests can stay at the villas or other Disney locations with a free mealplan at a certain times of year (or free nights) while we are staying and paying for the mealplan at the same time. That is a big issue to us. Then one wonders why are we paying all this maintenance plus the original cost. Yes we have "perks" but they do no compare to a better deal on the mealplans. We are also annual passholders and many of our "perks" are the same as DVC. Does anyone agree with this complaint. We do believe maintenance is the biggest issue naturally!

 

[Opie100]

I think this is a good thread because it gets into what is considered a reasonable expectation (and response) when things don't go right.

We rented points for our first four DVC nights ever this May (and first family trip to WDW). Night 1 at BCV, there was a recurring noise in the room that we couldn't figure out. On calling the front desk, they asked us if it was the elevator. I told him it couldn't be, given how far we walked from the elevator to our room. 2 minutes later I realized that he was right - there was another elevator on our end of the building (we were in studio 566). I called them back and said they were right and no need to send anyone up - there were no other rooms available anyway, but at least we knew what it was.

Day 2 we stayed at BWV, and we were placed next to an extremely large noisy family - we were able to move, albeit to a room that didn't smell very good. We asked if housekeeping could come by with their "magic spray" while we were out, and they did, and it was solved. Room was then fine, and we didn't have a lockout any longer (studio).

Day 3 & 4 we stayed at Kadani, and noticed a smoke odor by the HVAC near the door. We called the front desk, and eventually got a call back from the manager, who apologized, said that they were mostly booked, and offered $50 room credit. We thought that was an appropriate mgmt. response, even though housekeeping and maintenance never came like promised to replace the HVAC filter.

Bottom line: we are waiting on ROFR right now for BCV points to become new DVC members. We had issues each night with something (or someone) but always felt appropriate effort was made to improve the situation. I will say, if I had to live 2 days without A/C in my room like a previous poster, I would have waited to speak with a manager (or higher) until I got substantial room credits.

 

[reedycreek]

Now could you have at the time of stay complained to Member Services or would that not do anything? I am just curious of what a course of action should be for us going forward for those who experience a similar issue.

Actually we complained to the BWV people twice with no response. The third time I was so frustrated with the entire situation that I spoke to the hotel manager. She pretty much said her hands were tied, and that the renovations would begin soon. She reminded me that this was not the Disney standard, etc etc etc.

When we returned to our room after having dinner that night, we had a plate of fruit with a big chocolate Mickey waiting for us. It was certainly a nice gesture, and made me feel like my complaint was validated, but I was still very unhappy with what we experienced.

I did not contact member services as we were on vacation, and I did not want to get into another 30 minute discussion about our complaint at the time.

 

[reedycreek]

OP, what was the room number please? Did you post a room report on these boards so that everyone here can be notified?

Sounds like you haven't been happy with your purchase for awhile now, as you mentioned in your posts. If I wasn't happy with any purchase, I'd sell/return, etc. whatever it took to get out of an unhappy situation.

I believe the room number was 2530. First floor, villa side, make a right after the gift shop, about 10 rooms on the right.

LATE ADDITION:

I forgot to add something important about our experience this trip. Two nights in a row, we personally witnessed very un-Disney like events on the actual boardwalk. Both times it was about 11pm, and a bunch of very intoxicated kids were doing breakdancing in front of the hotel asking guests for money. They were also soliciting women very loudly and offering to pay them money, etc. Like I said this happened two nights in a row! No Disney security, no Disney management to intervene. I asked the hotel manager about this and she apologized and said she knew about it. But nobody did anything about it as I watched the kids get into a cab after 10 minutes of this nonsense on their own. I know this doesn't have much to do with DVC, but I wonder if it is another sign of budget cutbacks and layoffs at WDW.

 

[Disney_Villain]

The best thing you can do is write to the DVC Member Satisfaction Team and tell them what happened to you.

We've had only small issues with our DVC resorts (as have many members that post on DIS). What happened to you is not the norm for DVC. If I ever experienced your issues, I'd follow-up with the above contact before selling.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you have more than one contract, sell one and then see how you feel. We are members from 1997, had five contracts, got disappointed and sold off two of them. We still have plenty of points, but we might sell another contract later one, maybe all of them.

We will never add any more points, only sell them. We were extremely disappointed in how Kidani Village looks and were very glad we didn't buy any points there.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

We bought our initial contract in 2002. Ever since our first stay in September of that year, I have screamed from the rooftop- "Housekeeping is the weak link in DVC".
The villas are "surface clean", but take a gander under the toaster, or take a close look at the bed sheets (just examples). You will see my point.

They also wadded up the reservation procedure, but that's for another thread.

Is DVC perfect? No. Is it good enough? Yes
That said, more should be expected from a prime timeshare, especially when it carries the name Disney.

On a side note- When we check in my wife actually spends an hour cleaning the room. Sad but true.

MG

 

[kim_d]

I think if you aren't happy then by all means you should sell...DVC should be something you enjoy.

That being said we owned DVC for 7 years and have stayed at all the DVC resorts (except Treehouse and BLT) and never had an unaccpetable room- all have been clean and in working order. Any issues that might have occurred (i.e. AC not cooling properly) were addressed in a timely manner.

 

[gkrykewy]

We were extremely disappointed in how Kidani Village looks and were very glad we didn't buy any points there.

Wow, you are really on a personal quest re: Kidani. I think you should add it to your signature.