Services are being stripped

[keishashadow]

But we know who 80% of the calls will be from, right? "I have a tree outside my window blocking the fireworks." "I paid a lot of money for this membership and now you are going to charge me for towels?!" "I requested a high floor and ended up on the third floor." "I should get free dining." "When I bought there was valet parking." (call made three years AFTER the switch) And "Can you teach me to close the blinds?"

One of the great things about some Disney vacation offerings in the incredible level of customer service. The cruise is fantastic with the stateroom host and your servers. Adventures by Disney was absolutely delightful in the time and effort our guides put forth in making our trip wonderful. But we paid relatively through the nose for those vacations when you compare what we spend on our DVC vacations.

Rooms should be clean. Sometimes they aren't and I think that complaint happens often enough that its a problem the management needs to get a handle on. And plenty of people do have REAL problems. But there is the occasional demand to trim the tree so you can watch fireworks, too.

i used to own a housecleaning business, im the type when traveling that checks the floor behind the toilet (old habits die hard), i've never been disappointed with DVC as to room overall cleanliness.

a great customer service rep can deal with a situation in a manner that's not to your satisfaction and still leaves you with good impression of their company. Sometimes all it takes to satisfy a customer is that their complaint is 'heard' vs being resolved as to their original expectations.

jmho, all DCL servers aren't extraordinary, nor are CMs; but it certainly is a pleasure to experience it the majority of the time every trip.

 

[JimMIA]

Complaining about non guaranteed perks ...is simply petty and short sighted in my book.

Especially when the complaints are SO TRIVIAL.

Violation of the sacred "Golden Half-Hour Rule" to deliver a pillow??? Seriously - that's just laughable. It's a pillow, for goodness sake!

Did the OP suffer some egregious harm -- was there a life-threatening sleep emergency?

There are legitimate issues to raise with DVC, but this thread trivializes them.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Especially when the complaints are SO TRIVIAL.

Violation of the sacred "Golden Half-Hour Rule" to deliver a pillow??? Seriously - that's just laughable. It's a pillow, for goodness sake!

Did the OP suffer some egregious harm -- was there a life-threatening sleep emergency?

There are legitimate issues to raise with DVC, but this thread trivializes them.

ITA!

 

[twinboysmom]

I have to say that I am amazed at some of the responses to this thread. I believe that expressing frustration at the loss of some perks is perfectly acceptable and am unsure as to why this provokes anger and the need to ridicule others in some. It appears to me that some people see Disney and DVC through rose colored glasses and any negative comment places some people in defense
I have had mostly good stays since 2004 when I became a DVC member but those that have been bad have left a mark that is not easily forgotten. Three years ago I stayed with my in laws in a one bedroom unit in SSR. We let them have the master and took the sleeper sofa. We had stayed at another resort the night before and did not arrive to our room until close to midnight after 17 hours of WDW fun. The sleeper was broken. I called immediately and was told it would be a "few hours" to have it fixed. We were tired and asked them to come the next day and fix it and took the cushions off and slept on the floor. We came in the next night around midnight again and it was still broken. I called again and was told that bit would not be able to be fixed or replaced that night. Once again a night on the floor. We checked out the next day thankfully. I never received an apology or any response to an email I wrote complaining about this. Does this make me a "pompous whiner" or is this just a "trivial sleep emergency?"
If you haven't have a bad experience consider yourself fortunate. Remember that DVC is a business and is designed to make money.

 

[wdwdano@yahoo.com]

Originally Posted by JimMIA
Especially when the complaints are SO TRIVIAL.

Violation of the sacred "Golden Half-Hour Rule" to deliver a pillow??? Seriously - that's just laughable. It's a pillow, for goodness sake!

Did the OP suffer some egregious harm -- was there a life-threatening sleep emergency?

There are legitimate issues to raise with DVC, but this thread trivializes them.

It's not just a pillow, its an example. There are plenty of them in this thread. I don't ask for much. Thank god it wasn't a spa tub, refridgerator, sliding glass door, or sick child. I feel for those people and I am really sorry to hear that has happened to them.

 

[wdwdano@yahoo.com]

I have to say that I am amazed at some of the responses to this thread. I believe that expressing frustration at the loss of some perks is perfectly acceptable and am unsure as to why this provokes anger and the need to ridicule others in some. It appears to me that some people see Disney and DVC through rose colored glasses and any negative comment places some people in defense
I have had mostly good stays since 2004 when I became a DVC member but those that have been bad have left a mark that is not easily forgotten. Three years ago I stayed with my in laws in a one bedroom unit in SSR. We let them have the master and took the sleeper sofa. We had stayed at another resort the night before and did not arrive to our room until close to midnight after 17 hours of WDW fun. The sleeper was broken. I called immediately and was told it would be a "few hours" to have it fixed. We were tired and asked them to come the next day and fix it and took the cushions off and slept on the floor. We came in the next night around midnight again and it was still broken. I called again and was told that bit would not be able to be fixed or replaced that night. Once again a night on the floor. We checked out the next day thankfully. I never received an apology or any response to an email I wrote complaining about this. Does this make me a "pompous whiner" or is this just a "trivial sleep emergency?"
If you haven't have a bad experience consider yourself fortunate. Remember that DVC is a business and is designed to make money.

Great points.

 

[disneynutz]

What I don't understand is that as DVC owners, we are paying for the poor cleaning, maintenance, front desk, and transportation. Why Disney doesn't focus on improving these services that we pay for is beyond me.

It really gets my dander up when I read that members feel that they have to clean their own rooms upon check in. We often will completely wash all of the dishes that we intend to use after finding dirty dishes in the cupboard.

Disney could make the DVC a very special 5 star club. It could be done if they wanted to, but for some reason, they choose not to.

Bill

 

[dianeschlicht]

Disney could make the DVC a very special 5 star club. It could be done if they wanted to, but for some reason, they choose not to.

Bill

It used to be.

 

[kim_d]

It used to be.

Sometimes when I read these threads I wonder why my experiences are so different from many of the posters.

We have been DVC members for 8 years and I truly don't feel like there has been a decline in services since we purchased in 2002. I don't think DH and I have ever been truly disppointed with a DVC (or WDW) vacation. Sometimes there are minor issuses during vacation, but nothing that I would hold against DVC. I don't know if my expectations are lower than others, that I am simply a half-full kind of person or I truly haven't had a bad experience.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Sometimes when I read these threads I wonder why my experiences are so different from many of the posters.

We have been DVC members for 8 years and I truly don't feel like there has been a decline in services since we purchased in 2002. I don't think DH and I have ever been truly disppointed with a DVC (or WDW) vacation. Sometimes there are minor issuses during vacation, but nothing that I would hold against DVC. I don't know if my expectations are lower than others, that I am simply a half-full kind of person or I truly haven't had a bad experience.

I agree with your post, but those little "extras" that used to make it 5 star are gone. We used to have cloth napkins, big thick colored towels, etc. etc., and now things are getting a bit "run of the mill" and worn looking from lack of care. I have not had a truly disappointing stay at DVC either, but there IS a difference in how things look and in the service.

Now, since this thread was originally talking about perks, I don't think perks are anything to get upset about. Perks are just that....something to entice outsiders to become insiders. They never have lasted long, and have changed often....as I would expect.

 

[TDC Nala]

Some of the changes are likely from people stealing the cloth napkins and nice towels. Read a thread not long ago about people stealing the Ipod docking alarm clocks they put in the rooms now, and occasionally stealing the DVD players. Wonder how long those things will last. Other changes are cost-cutting. Yes, there's been a decline, in the parks and restaurants too. But it's not bad enough to regret the purchase (at least not yet)

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I truly haven't had a bad experience.

I can't comment on how it was in the beginning, I've only been a member since 2000. I've never had a really bad DVC experience either, unless finding lots of crumbs in the OKW sofa bed and no vacuum cleaner, can fall into that category. My last 7 stays (within 2 1/2 yrs), OKW (2) AKV (1) BWV (1) VERO (1) and SSR (2) have all been great (even if they did stick me in the Carousel area in Feb). Each stay I found clean rooms, nice check in experiences. I've never had a villa that was so run down that it was a disapointment. The so called perks that go along with DVC had nothing to do with my initial purchase so it's not been a big deal for us when they've come and gone. We're certainly happy when we can utilize a discount or 2 during a trip, it's a plus, gravy as one poster called it.

In my lifetime there haven't been too many things that I've bought and 10 years later, still felt that they held the same value or in fact increased in value. I consider the addition of new resorts an increase in value, it increases the variety in my vacation possibilities.

But that's just been my experience and my opinion, I can certainly understand that it may differ for the OP. As for me, I just keep looking forward to our next stay with the same anticipation and excitement I had back in 2000 when I became a DVC member!

 

[tjkraz]

I agree with your post, but those little "extras" that used to make it 5 star are gone. We used to have cloth napkins, big thick colored towels, etc. etc., and now things are getting a bit "run of the mill" and worn looking from lack of care.

If we're going by textbook definitions, I don't think any Disney resorts have ever met the five star criteria.

Nevertheless, I do understand what you're saying about reductions in quality. However in fairness I think those losses need to be balanced by gains made elsewhere. Just off the top of my head, we've received upgrades in things like sofabeds, most resort mattresses, iHome radios in the villas, sleeper chairs, extra bathrooms in newer resorts, better patio furniture, better cookware, appliances, flat panel TVs, and so on.

Heck, even the addition of new resorts is a major plus for the program. Sure the cynic would respond that the only reason we have more resorts is because those greedy suits at Disney want to make more money. But those who bought into OKW nearly 20 years ago did so with the knowledge that it may be the ONLY resort that would ever be available. Now they have 9 more native destinations with more on the way.

I would count myself among those who are mystified by most others' experiences. Our vacations have not all been flawless, but Disney has handled every issue encountered with the appropriate level of attention and care.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of these threads is that (in my opinion) it gives a distorted impression of the service offered by Disney resorts. There are something like 4000 DVC guest rooms in the entire program at this point. That means tens-of-thousands of members + family staying at a DVC resort every week.

Disney isn't going to have a perfect track record with regard to maintenance and housekeeping no matter how hard they try. I don't mean to trivialize the experiences of those who received a dirty room or broken appliance, but those instances are still far in the minority.

When members run into problems they should absolutely send emails or letters and speak to management about the problems. No argument there.

But the best thing folks can do to protect themselves is gain a better understanding of how to get problems resolved and, even better, prevent problems from occurring in the first place.

One of our family doctors has a sign in the lobby which reads "your lack of planning does not constitute our emergency." Not exactly the most customer-friendly slogan, nor is it anything I would expect to hear from Disney. But it's a pretty good philosophy to keep in mind.

If you know you often need extra pillows, check them when you arrive and call immediately--don't place a call 5 minutes before bed and expect them to arrive in seconds. Check for important amenities like hairdryers, cooking utensils, towels and dishwasher soap well BEFORE they are needed. 99% of the time housekeeping and maintenance will have done their jobs and all of these items will be present. But a little advance planning helps guarantee that you aren't left with a pancake you can't flip because someone swiped the spatula.

Although it's been said a million times, anytime you have a problem that isn't resolved promptly on the first attempt, PLEASE go to the resort front desk and speak with a manager personally. I cringe every time I read stories from folks who called maintenance over and over again without getting the problem resolved. Just get a manager involved. Come to an agreement over the timeframe in which the problem will be addressed. If the don't perform, camp out at the front desk until they DO perform. (I've never had to make repeat follow-up visits to the front desk but it just mystifies me as to how people allow problems to continue for days on end instead of insisting on a proper resolution.)

 

[bytheblood]

I think it's pretty clear that the thread went from perks to service when several PPs said the only thing our DVC contract promised was a room.

Sometimes when people start talking about things that annoy them, they get worked up about other things. It is called human nature.

I try to give people the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Disneypubgal]

If we're going by textbook definitions, I don't think any Disney resorts have ever met the five star criteria.

Nevertheless, I do understand what you're saying about reductions in quality. However in fairness I think those losses need to be balanced by gains made elsewhere. Just off the top of my head, we've received upgrades in things like sofabeds, most resort mattresses, iHome radios in the villas, sleeper chairs, extra bathrooms in newer resorts, better patio furniture, better cookware, appliances, flat panel TVs, and so on.

Heck, even the addition of new resorts is a major plus for the program. Sure the cynic would respond that the only reason we have more resorts is because those greedy suits at Disney want to make more money. But those who bought into OKW nearly 20 years ago did so with the knowledge that it may be the ONLY resort that would ever be available. Now they have 9 more native destinations with more on the way.

I would count myself among those who are mystified by most others' experiences. Our vacations have not all been flawless, but Disney has handled every issue encountered with the appropriate level of attention and care.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of these threads is that (in my opinion) it gives a distorted impression of the service offered by Disney resorts. There are something like 4000 DVC guest rooms in the entire program at this point. That means tens-of-thousands of members + family staying at a DVC resort every week.

Disney isn't going to have a perfect track record with regard to maintenance and housekeeping no matter how hard they try. I don't mean to trivialize the experiences of those who received a dirty room or broken appliance, but those instances are still far in the minority.

When members run into problems they should absolutely send emails or letters and speak to management about the problems. No argument there.

But the best thing folks can do to protect themselves is gain a better understanding of how to get problems resolved and, even better, prevent problems from occurring in the first place.

One of our family doctors has a sign in the lobby which reads "your lack of planning does not constitute our emergency." Not exactly the most customer-friendly slogan, nor is it anything I would expect to hear from Disney. But it's a pretty good philosophy to keep in mind.

If you know you often need extra pillows, check them when you arrive and call immediately--don't place a call 5 minutes before bed and expect them to arrive in seconds. Check for important amenities like hairdryers, cooking utensils, towels and dishwasher soap well BEFORE they are needed. 99% of the time housekeeping and maintenance will have done their jobs and all of these items will be present. But a little advance planning helps guarantee that you aren't left with a pancake you can't flip because someone swiped the spatula.

Although it's been said a million times, anytime you have a problem that isn't resolved promptly on the first attempt, PLEASE go to the resort front desk and speak with a manager personally. I cringe every time I read stories from folks who called maintenance over and over again without getting the problem resolved. Just get a manager involved. Come to an agreement over the timeframe in which the problem will be addressed. If the don't perform, camp out at the front desk until they DO perform. (I've never had to make repeat follow-up visits to the front desk but it just mystifies me as to how people allow problems to continue for days on end instead of insisting on a proper resolution.)

Well Said!

 

[CNPHILLY]

If you haven't have a bad experience consider yourself fortunate. Remember that DVC is a business and is designed to make money.

Why should I consider myself fortunate to get what I paid for and not have a problem? Shouldn't the people who have had the problems consider themselves unfortunate?

The fact that I haven't had a problem during one of my stays does not mean I look at Disney and DVC through rose colored glasses. It literally means I haven't had a problem. I don't know why that's so hard to understand, or why people like me are categorized as somehow having "overlooked" something.

Just because there are stories out there of things that go awry does not mean that the people who have had the problems constitute the majority. In fact, I would guess it is just the opposite.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Why should I consider myself fortunate to get what I paid for and not have a problem? Shouldn't the people who have had the problems consider themselves unfortunate? ....

But there are problems, and then there are problems. What I might not consider a problem, another member may consider it to be the worst thing in the world.

I never consider washing all the dishes. If I find a dirty (and we've never had a dirty dish) dish, I'd wash that one and that one only. Nothing to concern the resort manager about.

 

[dmoore22]

I agree with your post, but those little "extras" that used to make it 5 star are gone. We used to have cloth napkins, big thick colored towels, etc. etc., and now things are getting a bit "run of the mill" and worn looking from lack of care. I have not had a truly disappointing stay at DVC either, but there IS a difference in how things look and in the service.

I agree to an extent. We just returned from OKW and, for once, I did see noticeable wear and tear. This was confined to a high traffic area on the carpet. Rather than blame the wear on lack of care I prefer to think of it as from overuse and, in some cases, abuse and petty vandalism. It is obvious that cost cutting measures are running across the board at the Disney Parks. It wasn't so long ago that items such as napkins, cups, umbrellas, ponchos, etc., reflected the park/resort in which they were acquired. Now they are a generic "Disney Parks." As for the loss of perks, I haven't really noticed. We lose one and it is replaced with another. I feel I'm still ahead compared to what we had when we first bought in.

 

[CNPHILLY]

But there are problems, and then there are problems. What I might not consider a problem, another member may consider it to be the worst thing in the world.

I never consider washing all the dishes. If I find a dirty (and we've never had a dirty dish) dish, I'd wash that one and that one only. Nothing to concern the resort manager about.

I think I may be missing your point, because I am not sure how this affects my view. Are you saying that I may have had problems but that they were so minor that I didn't classify them as problems? Let's try this again...I have not had a problem.

I don't get it. For me, as another poster said, the bottom line is that if you have a problem, you go to the manager and you have them rectify it or you deal with it because it isn't a big deal (in which case it is dismissed easily). It's no different at any other hotel or resort, where all of these things also happen. It's unfortunate that it happens to some, but it hasn't happened to me, and I think that I am in the majority rather than the minority. It strikes me that people who have a bad experience for them personally often try to paint it as some kind of systemic problem, when it really isn't.

That said, I think everyone's differing views have been made clear (on a variety of issues) and I am exhausted from this thread, so off I go into happier ones.

 

[DebbieB]

I can't comment on how it was in the beginning, I've only been a member since 2000. I've never had a really bad DVC experience either, unless finding lots of crumbs in the OKW sofa bed and no vacuum cleaner, can fall into that category. My last 7 stays (within 2 1/2 yrs), OKW (2) AKV (1) BWV (1) VERO (1) and SSR (2) have all been great (even if they did stick me in the Carousel area in Feb). Each stay I found clean rooms, nice check in experiences. I've never had a villa that was so run down that it was a disapointment. The so called perks that go along with DVC had nothing to do with my initial purchase so it's not been a big deal for us when they've come and gone. We're certainly happy when we can utilize a discount or 2 during a trip, it's a plus, gravy as one poster called it.

In my lifetime there haven't been too many things that I've bought and 10 years later, still felt that they held the same value or in fact increased in value. I consider the addition of new resorts an increase in value, it increases the variety in my vacation possibilities.

But that's just been my experience and my opinion, I can certainly understand that it may differ for the OP. As for me, I just keep looking forward to our next stay with the same anticipation and excitement I had back in 2000 when I became a DVC member!

I've been a member since 1999 and can't say I've had a really bad experience either. I think too many people look at the negative and overlook the positive. I remember 10 years ago when we were begging for a 10% discount on AP's. We got way more than that! The only perk that we have lost that I used was valet parking and that was only a couple times a trip. I love the free internet! It doesn't matter if many hotels give it free, when I was at Disney I had to pay for it! Now I don't! I don't want to pay increased dues for plush peach towels or cloth napkins, could care less.

As you mentioned, the biggest positive is when I bought the only choices were Old Key West or Boardwalk. Now we have 7 options at WDW! I've stayed at all except BLT and SSR.