Something stinks at AKV and its NOT the animals!

[hakepb]

I'm guessing that DVC did not immediately convert all rooms because the no-animal period was setup to be longer than necessary. If they got the animals back sooner, they would not have to refund points. (I'm assuming the developer is eating some Kidani 2009 UY points to make up the difference in a balanced system for the total year 2009. Who pays the developer? Memvbers (fees) or the new members buying points..)

I do agree that the OP has a right to be ticked.

But, I also found it a great thing to use the info on this board. I found out on this board, after booking my fall trip, that I might get a construction view, so I was OK with the construction/savannah view I got because this board prepared me in advance, and still had a wonderful trip...
(although as a guy it was not hard to convince me to have fun looking at tractors and animals)

 

[bobbiwoz]

Ah, for the days when there was just OKW, BWV, VB and HHI.

It wouldn't be the "good ole days" without VWL

Bobbi

 

[Hunclemarco]

This afternoon I made the comment to a MS Manager that DVC is becoming "not fun anymore" and for the first time we are actually thinking of selling our contracts. The reply was "do what you need to do", not we will fix it or as good as we try to be, mistakes happen.

As an uncle told me back in 1980,referring to a disgruntled CM, "She must have not taken her "Disney Happy Pills Today"....but anyways...

It does also bother me that a MANAGER said that to you. Who would a person go to if we wanted to take that to the next level?
Is this something that Jim Lewis should hear about?

I guess what worries me is that if management at this level feels this way, are they taking "direction" from their management as well? Kinda like "the son learning thier actions from the father" type illustration.

As i'm saying it, i'm really hoping that is not the case.
I know that as DVC members, they do have us locked in so to speak, and we do have a good product...but as was mentioned, we all feel we got a good product because of the Disney name. The Disney name became that "prestegious" because of excellent customer service. At a time where they're trying to drum up and KEEP business, i can't see why they would make a comment like that stated above.

I feel bad for anyone having to hear a statement like that.
Sorry these comments are a little OT.

 

[kiingor]

As an uncle told me back in 1980,referring to a disgruntled CM, "She must have not taken her "Disney Happy Pills Today"....but anyways...

It does also bother me that a MANAGER said that to you. Who would a person go to if we wanted to take that to the next level?
Is this something that Jim Lewis should hear about?

I guess what worries me is that if management at this level feels this way, are they taking "direction" from their management as well? Kinda like "the son learning thier actions from the father" type illustration.

As i'm saying it, i'm really hoping that is not the case.
I know that as DVC members, they do have us locked in so to speak, and we do have a good product...but as was mentioned, we all feel we got a good product because of the Disney name. The Disney name became that "prestegious" because of excellent customer service. At a time where they're trying to drum up and KEEP business, i can't see why they would make a comment like that stated above.

I feel bad for anyone having to hear a statement like that.
Sorry these comments are a little OT.

Maybe some of the Disney Stock holders on this board can bring this up to the board on the next meeting.... j/k

 

[Dean]

But Dean--don't you see the absolute inequity in that? I agree--I would not be surprised for this to happen too--but it is just WRONG. The only reason I would ever stay at AKV would be to have a savannah view room. If I made a reservation for a savannah view room at the beginning of my 7-month window--and got bumped for someone who made one much later--I would be angry too. It IS a big deal--if I wanted just a room anywhere I would have booked my 11-month priority at SSR (where I wouldn't get a choice as to anything other than room size anyway).

I see this is one of the risks of timesharing. I do think it's sad for the affected person but don't see it as truly unfair. Part of my intent on this post was to assist the OP in avoiding a nervous breakdown if it did happen. To me this is much like the airlines where they change your flight, your seats, etc.

I don't see that I am displacing anyone. I look at it as the people that booked after me, displaced me, so no I don't have a problem with AKV making changes to bring fairness back to the room allocation. Again, I had choices when I made this reservation and I had choices 30 days ago, now I feel they backed us into a corner where we don't have many choices.

You wouldn't be but Disney would be displacing someone else at much shorter notice than they let you know. Not necessarily that it would be the wrong thing to do, it would depend on specifics. If you had someone, or likely two someones or more, that booked say at or after the 7 month window and didn't own at AKV, it would be very appropriate to displace them, probably not just because they called an hour later than you. It's unlikely there's someone who fits both this criteria and the exact dates so they'd likely have to change around 2, 3, 4 or even 5 rooms to do so. It seems like they waited and made this decision when they would normally do room assignments at around 2 weeks out. A poor choice, just like with the concierge displacements which was a MUCH larger hit than is this IMO. Didn't they tell you they did use the criteria they were supposed to and you were one of the losers? Frankly I doubt they truly did but I got the impression that's what they told you. To me the important issue is the trend of poor choices and short notice planning when there was the opportunity to plan well in advance. If I were DVC, I"d push this up to Jim Lewis. He should talk to his counterparts at the DVC resorts to be sure this type of thing (poor planning, late notification) doesn't happen again when it's preventable as it was in this case and with the concierge displacements. If I were in his position I'd do that and get some type of written commitment that included other concessions like free DDP or concierge access where applicable if it did so there would be financial risk to the resort if they did something like this.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Well, we are down to 2 weeks before our Savanna view 2 bedroom trip, and no word yet that we wont be getting our view. I HOPE that's a good sign!!!

 

[Dean]

I guess I don't see why upon knowing the sunset savana would be closed, DVC didn't immediately convert all those bookings and/or available rooms to standard view. They had to have an idea long before this that the savana would have to be closed. I do think the delay is a bit intentional, as they know that few would be able to cancel a trip to WDW with that short notice, and they are dependent on the park income that DVC members generate.

Changing the computer system was likely not a good idea. This will have to be done manually on DVC's end. Do we really want IT doing temporary fixes when they don't have do, I don't.

actually, the OP indicated in the previous message that the issue of the savannah being closed was not on the radar when she booked. These threads are replete with messages from people indicating that they were able to book x view for so many days but have to move and are waitlisted for that view, etc. etc. I stand by my statement that the OP--booking exactly day by day at her 11 month window--should have been given first priority over someone who booked after an 11 month window--even if it meant moving the other people.

But she knew about it well in advance and even indicated they she knew it was a risk and felt home free when 30 days past with no notification, if I recall earlier in the thread. So she was willing to take her chances at 30 days, IMO, she made that decision to gamble. She had the info early enough to change to something else if the risk seemed too great.

 

[Inkmahm]

I always request Arusha savanna and I always get Sunset Savanna when I check in. Never fails. The one time I stayed in AKV concierge I requested savanna view and got pool view. In other words, I don't think the room assigning people at AKV ever even look at the requests.

Last time I was there I mentioned that I'd requested Arusha when I made the reservation 11 months before. At the front desk they told me they don't even SEE those requests until a few days before you arrive.


We're staying at AKV concierge again in March. I didn't even bother with a request for a view this time as I know the animals won't be on the savanna anyway. I think that may be why I was able to book concierge at less than 11 months in March. Works for me, I get to stay AKV concierge and avoid all the savanna view or not issues this time around.

 

[Dean]

If we as members wanted to buy into a poorly run timeshare, there are plenty to pick from.

We chose the DVC because it's Disney and we expected a higher standard from them. Sadly I see things getting worse and Cast Member mistakes are increasing and accepted as, "things happen".

During the past two days I have spent 2 1/2 hours on the phone with MS trying to get them to fix mistakes that MS made to our points. All three senior Advisers made additional mistakes which resulted in us losing our reservation for next December. Yes we are now on the waiting list, but that's not the point. If MS did their job correctly, we would have our December reservation.

This afternoon I made the comment to a MS Manager that DVC is becoming "not fun anymore" and for the first time we are actually thinking of selling our contracts. The reply was "do what you need to do", not we will fix it or as good as we try to be, mistakes happen.

I get the feeling that with all the new members, DVC has lost the need to keep us happy and satisfied.

Not at all like the Disney that we all remember.

As I said earlier, I see this is minor issues. But at least now you see why I've always looked at DVC as just another timeshare that happens to be on WDW property. A good one but not something that is in a different world like many have and still do.

Anyone who sees this as a big deal should sit down and write a well thought out single page letter to Jim Lewis. That is the way to affect change long term. All those other complaints will have an effect but not as much. If he gets a bunch of letters on this subject over time, esp from people that are not directly affected, it will change. It might anyway given they've had two similar issues this year at AKV. As a CEO of a company such as DVC, I'd see this is MY failing and would want to fix it as best as possible now and prevent issues in the future. I'd be embarrased, and I should be.

 

[Dean]

It wouldn't be the "good ole days" without VWL

Bobbi

From a service and special attention standpoint I'd cut it off before BWV and likely at just OKW.

 

[december14disney]

Hypothetically...what happens if say there are 4 rooms left with Savanna view after they close some of the rooms. And 4 people called at 9 AM at the 11 month window and are checking in on the 17th or earlier versus the 18th? Since DVC would never release that information how do you know that just because you called at 9 AM on the 11 month window you are automatically "secured" or have first dibs on what you want when there are over-laps of reservations of people who called just as early?

Just trying to understand the process...

I really think problems like this and the huge Concierge incident is because there are few rooms in Jambo. When Kidani opens there will be so much more availability...

 

[rsimon]

Changing the computer system was likely not a good idea. This will have to be done manually on DVC's end. Do we really want IT doing temporary fixes when they don't have do, I don't.

But she knew about it well in advance and even indicated they she knew it was a risk and felt home free when 30 days past with no notification, if I recall earlier in the thread. So she was willing to take her chances at 30 days, IMO, she made that decision to gamble. She had the info early enough to change to something else if the risk seemed too great.

First, not I'm not a she.

Second, I never considered it much of a risk based on DVC's notification stating that the rooms would be allocated "in booking date order". In the off chance that people beat us out on all the rooms, I figured that the 30 day (approximate) notice would be there.. Final plans were put in place AFTER the 30 days had passed by a few days not because we were thinking of the 30 day issue with sunset as we knew we had booked early to be pretty sure that wasn't an issue, but because we were within the 30 day window for cancelling with points.

I seriously was considering cancelling up until we made the arrangements with family to meet us there. I am saying that if they would have notified us at or around the 30 day period, we would have cancelled and never made the plans with family..

 

[Dean]

First, not I'm not a she.

Second, I never considered it much of a risk based on DVC's notification stating that the rooms would be allocated "in booking date order". In the off chance that people beat us out on all the rooms, I figured that the 30 day (approximate) notice would be there.. Final plans were put in place AFTER the 30 days had passed by a few days not because we were thinking of the 30 day issue with sunset as we knew we had booked early to be pretty sure that wasn't an issue, but because we were within the 30 day window for cancelling with points.

I seriously was considering cancelling up until we made the arrangements with family to meet us there. I am saying that if they would have notified us at or around the 30 day period, we would have cancelled and never made the plans with family..

My apologies for the gender change. Given the information, it sounds like it would likely have been just after 30 days even if they had stuck to their plan. If you didn't consider it a risk, you should have IMO, I would have. If they had notified you at 25 or 27 days which is when I would have expected had I been in that situation, would it have made any difference. If you push and are firm, but don't get upset, you may actually end up getting what you want. Hopefully this will work out and won't ruin your trip or cause any issues with family. Ultimately I think you and many readers of this thread have learned an important timesharing lesson. This is one of the reasons that I say and equal II or RCI exchange is not really an equal exchange. Too many varibles, too many things you can't control.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I guess the difference is I see this as a small item and you see it as a big one, different strokes. The only way they can fix it is take the room away from someone else who also likely planned and anticipated and it would be even shorter notice. Someone they've already judged deserved it more than you based on the criteria they're using. Not having a reservation on such short notice would be a big item, to me this is simply a bump in the road. But I do understand that you plan, talk up and build up certain things and it hurts to have it pulled out from under you. It seems obvious they gave you half information and were just trying to placate you. The truth is likely that someone assigned all the rooms with little worry about this issue and only then did they start to look to see who would be displaced. BTW, you're likely going to meet someone there who made a reservation much later, likely with non AKV points, and is in SV where you were supposed to be. Just prepare yourself.

I agree, Dean, and especially with the bolded part of the quote.

I don't see that I am displacing anyone. I look at it as the people that booked after me, displaced me, so no I don't have a problem with AKV making changes to bring fairness back to the room allocation. Again, I had choices when I made this reservation and I had choices 30 days ago, now I feel they backed us into a corner where we don't have many choices.

See, now I totally disagree with this. You ARE displacing someone because you are willing to cause a scene and stir the pot and throw a tantrum until they give in and take that room away from someone else and give it to you. How do YOU know that they would give it to someone who booked AFTER you??? You have no way of knowing that. I think it's more a result of a 1 bedroom versus a 2 bedroom. Bigger room, more guests, more difficult to switch around. Since 1 bedrooms book up last, there would be more choices moving people around in 1 bedrooms than in 2 bedroom units.

 

[rsimon]

Hypothetically...what happens if say there are 4 rooms left with Savanna view after they close some of the rooms. And 4 people called at 9 AM at the 11 month window and are checking in on the 17th or earlier versus the 18th? Since DVC would never release that information how do you know that just because you called at 9 AM on the 11 month window you are automatically "secured" or have first dibs on what you want when there are over-laps of reservations of people who called just as early?

Just trying to understand the process...

I really think problems like this and the huge Concierge incident is because there are few rooms in Jambo. When Kidani opens there will be so much more availability...

I am totally okay with this and the people that had a booking date prior to mine and are staying through my time have every right and should expect the room.. My only gripe, and AKV has confirmed this about their procedures, is that people checking in before me COULD and DO have booking dates after mine and get the room that I should be entitled to based on their published policy on this situation.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Okay everyone, here is an update and WOW have I learned a lot that I don't think many others know about when it comes to priorities, bookings with DVC, and how the rooms are blocked.

I have talked to the manager at AKV in charge of blocking the rooms and DVC managers (although I have not been allowed to talk to anyone in "member satisfaction"). DVC takes the reservations based on what they see as available at the time. So yes, we did day by day calling every morning as soon as DVC opened for this reservation.

Okay, now anyone else can make reservations for that same time as ours, after ours, and people can also make reservations where they check in prior to our arrival and that all effects what room you really get. Then at some point prior to the actual days, AKV people decide what rooms to block out for everyone based on the reservations they have. The priority placed on who gets what is based on when you made your reservation as everyone knows, but ALSO, who checks in first which I don't think many people know.

So, for example; I am checking in on the 18th, I made my reservation at the 11 month window and I have priority over most people checking in on the 18th for room assignments. However, anyone who is checking in prior to me (even if they made reservations after me) will get the best room available there at the time they check in. That will then bump anyone that checks in after that person into whatever room is available when they check in.

Okay, kind of makes sense and usually this wouldn't be a problem as savanah view is a savanah view. However, this time it does matter as they took away savanah view rooms after our reservation was made. Instead of reclasifying the rooms that were effected as standard view at that point and notifying people there reservation was not going to be a savanah view, DVC decided to let AKV work it out and notify people while they kept taking reservations for savanah view even though they didn't have them to give.

This is a HUGE problem considering the method they use on who gets first dibs on which rooms. Meaning someone that made an AKV reservation well after the 11 month window for a savanah view that didn't really exist now gets first dibs on the savanah view room because they check in before us.

So much for the 11-month home resort advantage. The ONLY advantage that provides you is availability, but it doesn't provide you with an advantage on room quality or view quality.

So, DVC manager say's they can't do anything talk to the AKV manager and the AKV manager won't do anything and will not let us talk to their manager. BTW, the AKV manager that I did talk to said they were working on notifying people 30-45 days out.. THAT didn't happen.. So, instead of making this right and prioritizing based on reservation time vs check-in time, I am in a "waiting" queue if someone cancels. Like that will happen..

The long and the short of all this.. DON'T believe the 11-month advantage gives you anything other than a room.. All the resorts do the room blocking this way and anyone checking in ahead of you can knock you into a room with a less than ideal view and is marginally classified as the view you selected. Also, on a busy weekend, it may be in your best interest to check in prior to the weekend so you get the better room selection.

I don't think any of this information is much of a surprise. It's kind of the way things work for DVC (and probably other timeshares). We have owned DVC for 12 years, and only once have we been "bumped". Oh, I have had a few units I didn't care for, but unless you own a specific unit for a specific week and must be booked in that exact unit each trip, you are going to have to take an occational "bad view" or less than desireable room.

 

[rsimon]

I don't think any of this information is much of a surprise. It's kind of the way things work for DVC (and probably other timeshares). We have owned DVC for 12 years, and only once have we been "bumped". Oh, I have had a few units I didn't care for, but unless you own a specific unit for a specific week and must be booked in that exact unit each trip, you are going to have to take an occational "bad view" or less than desireable room.

Well you missed the point.. The ONLY time the procedure becomes a real problem is when they have a situation like this.. Usually, they have X-room nights and they have booked X-room nights so they can divide them up however and nobody knows.. But in this case, they broke DVC's posted procedure on how the decision would be made and used their same room blocking system. However, this time they have X-room nights but they have knowingly booked Y-room nights and that's why this procedure becomes a bigger issue.

 

[Dean]

I am totally okay with this and the people that had a booking date prior to mine and are staying through my time have every right and should expect the room.. My only gripe, and AKV has confirmed this about their procedures, is that people checking in before me COULD and DO have booking dates after mine and get the room that I should be entitled to based on their published policy on this situation.

As I hinted earlier in this thread, this is somewhat a function of the flexibility of the system. IF DVC were only a weeks system and each room were assigned a specific check in day, this would not be an issue to the degree it is now. It would be a very simple process to assing units by order of priority and something they easily could have handled upon reservation. But having more of a hotel type reservation system causes this issue. They cannot reasonably look at the entire time the animals are gone, assign those units to those that booked day 1 then fill in the others after that. You take day 1 when the animals are gone and assing units, hopefully in an appropriate order. You go to day 2 and you do the same but only to units that are available those days, you do not look at the units that have anyone in them. Then you go to day 3 and so on. You never set them up to change rooms due to this issue. And you do not downgrade someone on Friday to upgrade someone on Sunday. Thus likely those checkin in on Sunday will be at a signficant disavantage compared to those checking in later or earlier. The best checkin days will likely be Wed through Fri.

 

[Dean]

Well you missed the point.. The ONLY time the procedure becomes a real problem is when they have a situation like this.. Usually, they have X-room nights and they have booked X-room nights so they can divide them up however and nobody knows.. But in this case, they broke DVC's posted procedure on how the decision would be made and used their same room blocking system. However, this time they have X-room nights but they have knowingly booked Y-room nights and that's why this procedure becomes a bigger issue.

I doubt she missed the point. It seems the point is that YOU were affected. If that were not the case, you would have had the same rant on the Concierge displacement recently. I know you have a million reasons why you should not have been affected and someone else should have been but that's not the reality. I understand that it hurts when you plan and you count on a timeshare to "do the right thing" and I realize there's no realistic way they can take the hurt away short of a GV with concierge access which isn't going to happen. And while you'd have thought they would have learned with the recent concierge issue, you'd also think that the members of this board would have learned the risks as well. I think you're confusing website postings with policy. Their policy decision was to let the usual room assignment authorities at AKV make the ultimate decisions and notifications just like they did with the concierge issues, the website posting was informational but should never be taken as absolute on something like this. And just like that incident, they did it poorly.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Well you missed the point.. The ONLY time the procedure becomes a real problem is when they have a situation like this.. Usually, they have X-room nights and they have booked X-room nights so they can divide them up however and nobody knows.. But in this case, they broke DVC's posted procedure on how the decision would be made and used their same room blocking system. However, this time they have X-room nights but they have knowingly booked Y-room nights and that's why this procedure becomes a bigger issue.

You also missed the point I made in an earlier post....It is likely the fact that you are in a 1 bedroom instead of a 2 bedroom that makes it more necessary to be moved. Since it's a lot easier to move people in a 1 bedroom (less people and more 1 bedrooms available).

I think Dean hit it right....You are only ranting because this effects YOU. Heck, it might effect me too, but I just haven't gotten any notification yet. It's not something I can do anything about (nor would I), and things are definitely going to improve once all of AKV is up and running. This is a little blip on the screen at the moment.