Something stinks at AKV and its NOT the animals!

[rsimon]

We have reservations at AKV (home resort) for Jan 18th - 24th that we made at 8:00am CT at the 11 month window to reserve the room.

We just received a call from DVC telling us (two weeks out) that we will NOT get the savana view we reserved and specifically requested but will be on the sunset savana where the animals are not out right now because of the construction. Of course they offer the refund on points, but they gave us a stupid excuse that we were beat out by others who booked earlier. Now I recognize there are others that booked earlier arrivals, but I asked if there were ANY days in the week we were there that we could have the "good" view and were told no.

So, something stinks with this. There is NO WAY that we were not near the top of the reservation list, but forgetting all that, DVC knew what order things were going to be in if we were not going to be able to get what we wanted when we booked. Even if they didn't, they surely knew before now. I believe they waited until the last minute to notify us because we really wouldn't have any options to rebook. If we cancel, the points go into the 30 day bucket and all the DVC properties for that time are now booked except places like OKW.

I am only asking that they would have given us more notification, but the way they played this, it really smells of something that is not quite right with how they are deciding who gets the "good" views and the notification process. At least DVC could do something more for not giving us more notification and a chance to decide what we want to do instead of just downgrading us with virtually no notice.

Anyone else getting notified lately?

 

[Deb & Bill]

Call and ask to talk to someone from Member Satisfaction.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I agree with you that it doesn't seem right, and I agree with Deb & Bill that you should call Member Satisfaction.

Bobbi

 

[rsimon]

Thank you for the guidance.. We will definitely be doing that and I will post the outcome.. We were told that this DVC rep's boss will be calling us tomorrow, but I'll make the other call if that doesn't happen or have a favorable outcome.

 

[Nikisha421]

such short notice . i thought they claimed they would be calling "no less than 30 days out??"

sorry though that you didnt get what you wanted...i will probably be in the same boat for my Feb '09 trip!

 

[rigsby25]

This happened to us in a different way. Only 3 days before we were to fly out for our family reunion in an OKW Grand Villa, they called and said they were "upgrading" us to SSR. We own at OKW and we LOVE OKW and all year we had been sending pictures to our family and everyone was really excited. I called them ready to scream if I had to, but they told me it was a mistake. Some one had reserved me in the wrong room. Some one pushed a wrong button. We needed handicap access, and SSR was the only place left with HA. There was nothing we could do. How do you cancel travel arrangements for 12 people 3 days out? So we just went and made the best of it. We haven't till this day been able to book the Grand Villa at OKW. That was our chance in a lifetime I guess.

 

[Tozzie]

I don't see where your gripe is, this was a possibility and the time frame to notify was approx 30 days before do if it was two weeks or 29 days your points would still be in holding. The announcement even stated if this was not good to make other arangements.

 

[DebbieB]

such short notice . i thought they claimed they would be calling "no less than 30 days out??"

sorry though that you didnt get what you wanted...i will probably be in the same boat for my Feb '09 trip!

Here is the notice from the member website:

REMINDER - Animal Acclimation Affects Sunset Savanna View

As the development of Kidani Village continues at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas, crews are preparing to complete the new savanna and acclimate the animals to their new habitat.

To accommodate this important process, animals are not scheduled to be on Sunset Savanna from January 15, 2009, through April 15, 2009. As a reminder, Members and Guests who reserve a savanna-view room during this time will be advised of this process, and confirmations for those bookings include a notation to that affect.

Approximately 30 days prior to arrival, the resort will determine, based on occupancy and booking date order, which Members will be assigned to a Sunset Savanna view room. Affected Members will be notified, and after their stay, will receive a Vacation Point credit reflecting the difference between a savanna view and standard view (no additional compensation will be given).

If this process is not acceptable to you, please consider alternate stay dates or resorts. Also remember that animals on the other savannas can be viewed from multiple public locations at the resort.

I agree that something doesn't sound right. Another member posted that they got the call and they had made their reservation at 8 months. The only thing that I can think of is the 18th is Sunday of MLK weekend, perhaps people in the other rooms are checking out on Monday. What size room did you book?

 

[CarrianneB]

It's probably because a lot of people booked for the MLK weekend. I know that I am coming in on Thursday the 15th and leaving on Monday. I haven't gotten a call (yet ). I booked at 11 months as well so if lots of others did the same thing that may have impacted your room assignment.

 

[Tozzie]

Here is the notice from the member website:



I agree that something doesn't sound right. Another member posted that they got the call and they had made their reservation at 8 months. The only thing that I can think of is the 18th is Sunday of MLK weekend, perhaps people in the other rooms are checking out on Monday. What size room did you book?

It may also depend on the size Villa booked. I still don't see the issue this wasn't something that was sprung on people it was posted on the member website.

I have a savannah view room booked for March and I am well aware I may not get a Savannah view weather they notify me in February or the day I check in, I know it is a possibility.

I also don't think the OP would have been able to book somewhere else on points for that weekend even if he was notified 30 days out being MLK weekend.

 

[rsimon]

I don't see where your gripe is, this was a possibility and the time frame to notify was approx 30 days before do if it was two weeks or 29 days your points would still be in holding. The announcement even stated if this was not good to make other arangements.

My gripe is this.. There are a finite number of villas that are NOT on sunset and I understand that.. But the fact that we made the reservations first thing on the first day that you can make them and they are telling us NOW 2 weeks out that we will be on Sunset and there is no other availability?

Sorry, but I don't buy it.. someone, somehow, screwed things up or it is not truely a first come first served system as they claim. And IF it is not, and IF it is as they truely claim, they would know the day you make your reservation what the availability was. In fact, our reservation was noted that we do NOT want Sunset and they gave it to us anyhow. If they knew we were going to get it, it would have been reasonable to expect them to call us as soon as it was clear and let us know..

THAT is my gripe.. not that I didn't get what I wanted, but that they could have notified me and knew way in advance if it was truely a first come first served system.

 

[rsimon]

Here is the notice from the member website:



I agree that something doesn't sound right. Another member posted that they got the call and they had made their reservation at 8 months. The only thing that I can think of is the 18th is Sunday of MLK weekend, perhaps people in the other rooms are checking out on Monday. What size room did you book?

We booked a 1 bedroom and we booked the very first day we could.. Now.. I will give you that there is overlap and keeping us from getting the "good" rooms on the Sunday and even Monday.. But we asked specifically, why can't we get a different room later during the week. They said, they were all taken. Well, I am sure that is true, but it seems that since we booked sooner than the people checking in after the 18th, we should get preference over those rooms and also the people that booked before us, could only get 7 days and so there had to be sometime that rooms opened up in our favor..

I guess as a "consolation" we were told "You are at the top of the list if there is a cancellation".. but I am not holding my breath for that one..

 

[DebbieB]

If you can't resolve it, talk to them when you get there. I think the reason they do not return the points until after your stay is because there might be a cancellation and you could be moved. I stayed in conceirge with friends in June and we requested savannah view but all that was available was pool view (there is no guarantee of view in conceirge). It was my friend's 50th birthday celebration and she was really bummed. We talked to them at check-in and again the next morning, they were able to move us over the second day.

 

[rsimon]

It may also depend on the size Villa booked. I still don't see the issue this wasn't something that was sprung on people it was posted on the member website.

I have a savannah view room booked for March and I am well aware I may not get a Savannah view weather they notify me in February or the day I check in, I know it is a possibility.

I also don't think the OP would have been able to book somewhere else on points for that weekend even if he was notified 30 days out being MLK weekend.

When we got notified today.. We specifically asked.. is there ANYWHERE else we can stay in a 1 bedroom.. the answer is no.. So basically, we are stuck.. IF we had gotten notice sooner, who knows.. but I know what I am being told now.. and I also know we didn't get 30 days notice or even close to that.. The fact that we booked at the 11 month window, you would expect that you would get what you were looking for, but we also had a note on our reservation specifically saying that we didn't want Sunset and so a simple notice whenever they decided we weren't going to get it would have sufficed for me.. NOT 2 weeks before we leave..

 

[Lexxiefern]

I am sorry this is happening to you and I agree it sounds fishy. I had a studio booked over columbus day weekend at Boardwalk (boardwalk view). I booked it 11 months out at 9am. When I checked in I was given a village green view in a room technically considered pool/garden view. When I got home and checked online they had changed my reservation to say I booked pool/garden view!! Needless to say I contacted member satisfaction - who were awesome - and they gave me a very generous refund.

Definately talk to member satisfaction and I hope you are able to work it out.

 

[BurghFan111]

I agree this is a poor practice. DVC should block rooms when booked. I know the entire travel industry from hotels to airlines overbook capacity expecting cancellations (poor policy). Some decide who they are going to stick it to based on check in order, others do it based on repeat customers or who they think will be easiest/cheapest to appease or move.

 

[disneynutz]

We have reservations at AKV (home resort) for Jan 18th - 24th that we made at 8:00am CT at the 11 month window to reserve the room.

We just received a call from DVC telling us (two weeks out) that we will NOT get the savana view we reserved and specifically requested but will be on the sunset savana where the animals are not out right now because of the construction. Of course they offer the refund on points, but they gave us a stupid excuse that we were beat out by others who booked earlier. Now I recognize there are others that booked earlier arrivals, but I asked if there were ANY days in the week we were there that we could have the "good" view and were told no.

So, something stinks with this. There is NO WAY that we were not near the top of the reservation list, but forgetting all that, DVC knew what order things were going to be in if we were not going to be able to get what we wanted when we booked. Even if they didn't, they surely knew before now. I believe they waited until the last minute to notify us because we really wouldn't have any options to rebook. If we cancel, the points go into the 30 day bucket and all the DVC properties for that time are now booked except places like OKW.

I am only asking that they would have given us more notification, but the way they played this, it really smells of something that is not quite right with how they are deciding who gets the "good" views and the notification process. At least DVC could do something more for not giving us more notification and a chance to decide what we want to do instead of just downgrading us with virtually no notice.

Anyone else getting notified lately?

You should also send a email to Member Satisfaction and summarize the mistake. I just got off the phone with the Group Manager over Member Satisfaction. She told me that many problems never get fixed because no one brings them to their attention.

When the upper management gets the official report of satisfaction contacts and the list only has a few line items, they assume that everything is great. No people problems, no computer problems, everyone loves the 90 window for ADRs, and we love the RCI change.

Here is the link to Member Satisfaction: dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com

 

[DebbieB]

I agree this is a poor practice. DVC should block rooms when booked. I know the entire travel industry from hotels to airlines overbook capacity expecting cancellations (poor policy). Some decide who they are going to stick it to based on check in order, others do it based on repeat customers or who they think will be easiest/cheapest to appease or move.

The problem with this issue is that I don't think they had planned the animal move 11 months ago. I'm not sure when it came up, probably sometime this past summer. They could have blocked the rooms & notified people then, when they had a chance to book something else if they wanted.

 

[bobbiwoz]

You booked 11 months to the day. That was at a time when there wasn't this "11 month from day of arrival, plus a week" reservation. I truly think that you should get the savannah view, even if it means that someone who booked the day before and didn't get to ms before you did for that particular night. You shouldn't have to live under today's rules when you did what you had to do for the time you were booking.

Now if you weren't booking day by day, and you called to book the whole reservation back from your check out day, MAYBE all of the other savannah views were taken, but I don't think so. I've even been able to get a studio in December at VWL within that first 11 months of the booking date. There are so many savannah view rooms...MS should go back and check the time/dates of those other reservations, I think.

Bobbi

 

[sparkyboy]

Sorry but this does sound a little suspect. Let dvcsatisfaction know your concerns. Try to summarize in bullet points your concerns and also keep the emotions to minimum. We had issues in Sept. and Sheila phoned and was extremely helpful from DVC membership. Good luck.