Referrals

[Cyndibear]

Hi!

I didn't know how the DVC referral benefit worked. Thought that if you had someone that was planning on joining DVC, they just needed to give your info to their guide and write it on their contract. Boy, was I totally incorrect.

I did not know that it was MY responsibility to notifiy MY guide that person so and so was interested in/may be interested in purchasing DVC. We were burned on 2 referrals.

First time was someone we met on a cruise and we reconnected via Facebook, they were interested in joining DVC and she asked me a couple of questions....then asked if she could use me as a referral so I said yes. After they joined, we waited and waited to hear from DVC about our referral bonus...nothing. That was several months ago. I have a co-worker at work who is very interested in DVC...we met with her and her husband, discussed the ins and outs and they did purchase when DVC had their holiday incentives. They also listed us as a referral. Dh phoned our guide to find out about the first referral and let her know about this second referral......little did I know that we were not listed as either person's referral. For the first referral we were okay with the person that received the credit, but for my co-worker, it turns out to be someone that listed them back in 2001!!!!! They haven't spoken for like 5-6 years! Totally crazy and unfair. My co-worker contacted her guide and the referral may be changed but I just wanted to let others know what could happen. I thought it was the buyer's choice for the referral person, not the owner. Crazy!!!

Cyndi

 

[Sandisw]

I had heard that once you are listed as someone's referral, you will always be that person's referral if they buy at any point in the future. I know I have 3 or 4 people who went and took the tour and gave my name but didn't buy at the time. I was told that if they ever do, I will still get the credit.

But, in the few referrals that I have gotten, I have never once called my guide to tell him ahead of time. The buyers told their guide who then listed me.

The only involvement my guide had, since some of the buyers had their own guides, was when one of my referrals wasn't showing up. There was a glitch, similar to yours and the wrong person's name was listed instead of mine. He was able to get it fixed, but it took about 4 months to get my referral bonus.

I hope things work out for you!

 

[vicki_c]

I have multiple referrals and never had to do a thing. I gave my friends / refer-ees my name and city/state and my guide's name. Next I got a letter saying they toured, and for the ones that did purchase, then I got a letter saying they bought and my bonus showed up on the DVC member website.

You should not have to do anything with your guide.

But once anyone talks to a guide, (1) that is their guide forever unless the person leaves DVC or the member requests someone different and (2) referrals bonuses are no longer offered. The referral thing only works if they use your name the very first time ever that they talk to a DVC guide.

And I guess, going along those lines - the owner that rightfully gets the referral is the first person who referred that buyer to DVC. Your co-worker must have given that other owner's name at some time in the past; I don't think owners can do it the way you are describing that I have ever heard. If so, I'll be calling up tomorrow and listing my entire neighborhood as potential referrals!

 

[mdsd8700]

We just purchased last June and listed our friends as our referral when we contacted our guide to purchase. Our friends also never had to call their guide at all. I don't remember how long it took, it was several months but they received an e-mail telling them we had used them as a referral and they received the credit.

 

[Cyndibear]

And I guess, going along those lines - the owner that rightfully gets the referral is the first person who referred that buyer to DVC. Your co-worker must have given that other owner's name at some time in the past; I don't think owners can do it the way you are describing that I have ever heard. If so, I'll be calling up tomorrow and listing my entire neighborhood as potential referrals!

That's what I thought BUT according to our guide, we as owners can give her names and addresses of anyone romotely interested and their names will be linked with ours for "fifty years". My co-worker did not give this person's name, ever. I think I am just going to fax my guide the entire phonebook for the state of PA. Wow! The amount of referrals I could obtain.

Cyndi

 

[disney67]

I got burnt with when they gave a 50.00 referal for names and i was mad .
but got lucky went too the special shoe in Chicago in may when my friends bought i was with them and they made sure they told the guide they bought from that i was getting the referal or they said the deal was off .

 

[bumbershoot]

That's what I thought BUT according to our guide, we as owners can give her names and addresses of anyone romotely interested and their names will be linked with ours for "fifty years".

That doesn't sound at all right, and I'd probably go above their heads, to make sure that this was the proper procedure (and if not, to make sure that the higher-ups know that your guide is doing this).

 

[goofy4tink]

I've had my name used several times so far..as the referring member. The first time I got a nice letter from my guide telling me that so and so had used my name as a referral and that if they indeed ending up buying our guide would be back in touch with us. They didn't end up buying.
Then...last Nov I got a call from a friend of mine who said they had just had the DVC tour and were thinking seriously of buying BLT..they were staying at the Polynesian. She said that she had given my name as a referral. So...I don't hear anything, other than another notification that my name had been used as a referral. Dec comes and goes...my friend and her dh have bought BLT. I asked her how she was doing...last weekend. She said they had already banked their 2010 pts. Well...now I'm concerned because they have banked points and I have heard nothing about any referral awards. I emailed DVC, asking about it. They emailed me back, telling me that they did indeed have a record of our friend's buying and we were the referring members, and they could see that the reward cert was more than 30 days old and had not been redeemed..so they were sending me what I needed via snail-mail. Not sure why there was a reward cert that had never been redeemed..first I had heard of it. I have to wonder what would have happened if I hadn't pursued the issue.

 

[jngwright]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the benefit for the member? I know that we are not eligible for the benefit in our home state, but am just curious!

 

[LaurenT]

Hi!

I didn't know how the DVC referral benefit worked. Thought that if you had someone that was planning on joining DVC, they just needed to give your info to their guide and write it on their contract. Boy, was I totally incorrect.

I did not know that it was MY responsibility to notifiy MY guide that person so and so was interested in/may be interested in purchasing DVC. We were burned on 2 referrals.

First time was someone we met on a cruise and we reconnected via Facebook, they were interested in joining DVC and she asked me a couple of questions....then asked if she could use me as a referral so I said yes. After they joined, we waited and waited to hear from DVC about our referral bonus...nothing. That was several months ago. I have a co-worker at work who is very interested in DVC...we met with her and her husband, discussed the ins and outs and they did purchase when DVC had their holiday incentives. They also listed us as a referral. Dh phoned our guide to find out about the first referral and let her know about this second referral......little did I know that we were not listed as either person's referral. For the first referral we were okay with the person that received the credit, but for my co-worker, it turns out to be someone that listed them back in 2001!!!!! They haven't spoken for like 5-6 years! Totally crazy and unfair. My co-worker contacted her guide and the referral may be changed but I just wanted to let others know what could happen. I thought it was the buyer's choice for the referral person, not the owner. Crazy!!!

Cyndi

Cyndi..who told you it's your responsibility?
I used a friend's name when I bought and made sure she followed up when she didn't receive her credit..they gave it to her.
I also discussed DVC with a family on line at Soarin....thy gave my name and phone number to their guide and wound up buying..I never even knew they actually went on the tour until Disney sent me the notice asking which reward I wanted...

 

[LaurenT]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the benefit for the member? I know that we are not eligible for the benefit in our home state, but am just curious!

IN Ny they give you a choice..I received a $200 gift card...used it for F&W festival...

 

[twinklebug]

There is too much misinformation in this thread to respond to just one post so I'll just put out what I experienced:

I first looked into DVC after I rented points. I toured SSR and gave the name as the person I rented from as my referral at that time.

Years later I was in a position to buy in, however my son's GF's family was very into DVC and I wanted to use the father as my referral. My guide changed the information without a problem. The father got the credit for the referral, got the gift card and even passed the card onto my college boy to use for buying his Christmas gifts.

The owner used as the referral does not need to be involved or even be aware at all to receive credit. Anyone who tells you otherwise simply has no idea how to use the computer system.

The referral name can be changed, IF it is done before the purchase takes place. I'm not sure if it can be changed anytime after and don't think add-ons get referral credit anyway so there would be no point.

As for changing your guide, yes you can & at any point, except for in the middle of a purchase. If you and your guide don't click you can call and request a new guide. I've even heard folks tell of being able to request the one they'd like although I've always been happy with guides I've been assigned to.

 

[LaurenT]

I've had my name used several times so far..as the referring member. The first time I got a nice letter from my guide telling me that so and so had used my name as a referral and that if they indeed ending up buying our guide would be back in touch with us. They didn't end up buying.
Then...last Nov I got a call from a friend of mine who said they had just had the DVC tour and were thinking seriously of buying BLT..they were staying at the Polynesian. She said that she had given my name as a referral. So...I don't hear anything, other than another notification that my name had been used as a referral. Dec comes and goes...my friend and her dh have bought BLT. I asked her how she was doing...last weekend. She said they had already banked their 2010 pts. Well...now I'm concerned because they have banked points and I have heard nothing about any referral awards. I emailed DVC, asking about it. They emailed me back, telling me that they did indeed have a record of our friend's buying and we were the referring members, and they could see that the reward cert was more than 30 days old and had not been redeemed..so they were sending me what I needed via snail-mail. Not sure why there was a reward cert that had never been redeemed..first I had heard of it. I have to wonder what would have happened if I hadn't pursued the issue.

If you log into your DVC Members account, you'll see any credit there and can redeem it on-line....

 

[Cyndibear]

The problem happened when both people gave my name as a referral BUT someone else had given THEIR name first so they won out. Taken from Disney Vacation Club Sharing The Magic Program Terms and Conditions:


"In the case of multiple names on an Introducing Member's deed, the Reward will be issued to the Introducing Member mentioned and registered by the Introduced Guest. In the event of a duplication of the source of a referral, the Introducing Member who is first registered by DVD will have precedence and will receive any Rewards resulting from that referral becoming an Introduced Guest (unless the Introduced Guest notifies DVD of a change of Introducing Member before the Redemption Form is issued)."

The problem is that the Guest didn't know that there was already a Member listed as a referral on their account when they gave our info so the other person gets the credit because it was AFTER the Redemption Form was issued because we were waiting for our notification that we never received.

Cyndi

 

[Sandisw]

The problem happened when both people gave my name as a referral BUT someone else had given THEIR name first so they won out. Taken from Disney Vacation Club Sharing The Magic Program Terms and Conditions:


"In the case of multiple names on an Introducing Member's deed, the Reward will be issued to the Introducing Member mentioned and registered by the Introduced Guest. In the event of a duplication of the source of a referral, the Introducing Member who is first registered by DVD will have precedence and will receive any Rewards resulting from that referral becoming an Introduced Guest (unless the Introduced Guest notifies DVD of a change of Introducing Member before the Redemption Form is issued)."

The problem is that the Guest didn't know that there was already a Member listed as a referral on their account when they gave our info so the other person gets the credit because it was AFTER the Redemption Form was issued because we were waiting for our notification that we never received.

Cyndi

That's really too bad. You think that there would be a way for that to show up when a guide enters the information. For example, if your friends gave your name and the guide types it in, something comes back that there is already someone listed. At leat then, your friends could have said, No, thats not who we want.

 

[twinklebug]

That's really too bad. You think that there would be a way for that to show up when a guide enters the information. For example, if your friends gave your name and the guide types it in, something comes back that there is already someone listed. At leat then, your friends could have said, No, thats not who we want.

As I mentioned before, the guides can see who is there as the referral before entering it - it's just one field in the system that links the account to an existing member, they either keep what's there (it shows the name) or edit/replace it. Apparently the buyers didn't insist loud enough that Cyndibear was to get the credit, forcing the Guide to learn how to edit the field. My change to the referral name worked because I insisted on the change and I had a great guide who wasn't afraid to try new things.

In all transactions that involve money or kickbacks it really falls back on us (in this case, the buyers) to make sure everything is as it should be. Ask the buyer to double check that their guide put your correct info into the system before they sign on the mickeys.

 

[goofy4tink]

If you log into your DVC Members account, you'll see any credit there and can redeem it on-line....

That's what I assumed as well. Kept checking and nothing was showing up. Wonder why.