Stayed in a non Disney Timeshare Yuck!

[Guads6]

We didn't use points for this we just payed cash. It was very run down. Burn marks on tables, stains on the carpet, knobs missing off closets, the corner of the coffee table was broken off. We haven't stayed at a DVC property yet. We will in May. But I have read some pretty scary room problems here and after seeing this Timeshare this weekend I'm getting really scared. Is it the philosophy that when you own a timeshare you can trash it and then the maintence you pay should fix it? Who's fault is it when a unit gets damaged? Is it the owners fault or the property for not using maintence fees to repair it? Now, I'm not hoping for the worst when I arrive, in fact I hope to god to have a wonderful villa and a wonderful time, but if it's a wreck I will be yelling! I pay over $1,200 a year in dues and for that I expect to find a room in good condition with minimal wear. Am I wrong to feel this way?

 

[TexasAggie]

Most people never post the positives of their stay. You just hear the negatives. In our 6 years of DVC ownership at BWV and our 10 years of coming to the World, we have always been more than satisfied with our rooms, both at the BW and the other hotels on site.

If you do find a problem, just contact management and they will fix the problems, just do not wait till you get back to your other home to do so.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I spend nearly $2000 in dues each year and have never gotten a room that was trashed. We find an occasional problem now and then, call maintenance or housekeeping and they come and take care of it.

We've taken 14 trips since 1997 and have never had a badly maintained room at WDW.

 

[jcanary]

We have been owners since the DVC came into existance and I have never had a maitenance problem. Unlike many other resort, most timeshares that are Marriott and Hilton are like DVC, regular maintenance is done. I believe it may be almost every 5 years or so they start redoing villas, etc. You won't see that at all other timeshares in Orlando. You will not be disappointed in you upcoming DVC stay.

 

[Doug Wolfe]

I think the negative comments here are few and far between. Frankly, some of the complainers are professional whiners.

Is DVC utopia? No. But I think it is among the best out there. If you go in looking for imperfection, you will find it because nothing is perfect.

I have always had a wonderful experience with DVC. Have fun!

 

[crisi]

It also depends on your expectations.

Its probably not realistic to assume there will be NO wear and tear on a room. Scuff marks on the wall, scratches in the table....the rooms aren't shiny new. But we found our room to be clean and in good shape.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by Guads6
We didn't use points for this we just payed cash. It was very run down. Burn marks on tables, stains on the carpet, knobs missing off closets, the corner of the coffee table was broken off. We haven't stayed at a DVC property yet. We will in May. But I have read some pretty scary room problems here and after seeing this Timeshare this weekend I'm getting really scared. Is it the philosophy that when you own a timeshare you can trash it and then the maintence you pay should fix it? Who's fault is it when a unit gets damaged? Is it the owners fault or the property for not using maintence fees to repair it? Now, I'm not hoping for the worst when I arrive, in fact I hope to god to have a wonderful villa and a wonderful time, but if it's a wreck I will be yelling! I pay over $1,200 a year in dues and for that I expect to find a room in good condition with minimal wear. Am I wrong to feel this way?

I wouldn't worry as to this applying to DVC unless you're the type that can tolerate no annoyances. I am curious as to the name of the timeshare you stayed in that was this poorly maintained.

 

[llp479]

We also stayed in a non Disney Timeshare, a Marriott, this past summer. We stayed in a 2bdrm for $150/night. Try doing that through CRO at any of the Disney resorts. My point is, people who pay more for a room will hopefully take better care of it.

The unit we had was not in horrible shape, but certainly wasn't DVC. The furnishings reminded me of a corporate appartment. However, when we compared notes with my sister who owns at this resort, the furnishings we had weren't the same as the units she has stayed in. So perhaps they keep a set number of units for cash reservations that they pay for the upkeep, not the member MFs.

In the more than 10 trips we've taken over the last 5 years we have yet to have a room that was "trashed." We've certainly had some maintenance issues, but nothing that was horrific, or due to someone's misuse of the unit. Everything that we reported was fixed, or corrected promptly.

 

[Lisa P.]

There is a huge range of quality in timeshares. Could be like anything between Days Inn and a Ritz-Carlton. Where did you stay?

Btw, this is the value in joining TUG and reading the reviews before staying at one of them. It's good to have an idea of what to expect ahead of time.

 

[Mickey527]

I have also tried a few off site Time shares before being lucky enough to buy into DVC. I could tell you horror stories about the condition of the rooms and surprises I have found in the "clean" beds and bathrooms.
I have stayed at DVC many times using my own 170 points and using points I have been able to "rent" from other DVC members. I have never had problems that I myself could not fix.
I have stayed at all of the WDW DVC resorts. Each time the rooms have been clean and furnishings in good condition.
I did have a problem at OKW last June while staying on the 1st floor. A snake came crawling under the front door. There is a good inch of space between the door and the porch. I had maintance come and check out the snake which my boys had chased onto the patio and they moved us to the 3rd floor after my request.
We stayed at BCV during opening day and the only problem I had there was a loose know. I always carry a tool kit and I tightened the knob without a problem. My many stays since then have always been great.
My home resort WLV is beautiful. The only problem I had was they gave me the studio without a balcony. The person I traveled with is a smoker and he had to go down to the front porch for his cigarettes, not a problem for me but I did request a balcony. I can't tolerate the smell of a smoking room so he has always smoked on the balcony. He cleans up his mess by the way and would never flick his butts off the balcony.
My last stay at BCV was great. I was with a Picky person who was looking for something to complain about. She did a mini inspection to try and find something to complain about. She owns at another off property time share and is always telling me how great her place is compaired to Disney.
She found one strand of hair in the bathroom. We are both blonds and this was a long dark hair. I told her to get off her high horse and get real, everyone sheds. The shower was very clean as was the rest of the room. It appeared to me that housekeeping had shed a hair and it stuck to the shower wall. No biggie in my opinion.
I would take any DVC resort over a off property Time share anytime, just as I would stay at any of the All Star Resorts over any of the off property hotels in that price range. The Disney quality is visable. Peggie

 

[ducklite]

We've had over a dozen stays between VBR, BWV, and BCV since we first bought in 1997, and Id say that we only had one that I was really upset over the condition of the room.

I've had a few times that I've noticed problems, some needed more or less immediate correction, while others I dropped a note to the management at the front desk as I checked out.

I wouldn't worry about it, in the rare case that there is truly a problem with the room, DVC is good about getting it quickly taken care of.

My biggest problem lately has been the slowness in response to housekeeping and maintanence requests, particularly at the BCV. But once they do tend to the problem they get it all fixed up like new

Anne

 

[jodifla]

We've been members for 8 years and have never had a bad room. We've had some that were missing some things, like dishwasher detergent, but housekeeping brings them up right away.

Our rooms have always been really clean. I've been surprised to hear otherwise from people on the boards. We have had a few maintenance issues, but those, too, have been addressed quickly (once a toilet stopped up, for example).

 

[mitros]

We have stayed several times with friends and/or relatives at non Disney timeshares, and resorts that are half the age of, say, OKW, for instance, look like they have been there a long time. The upkeep just isn't there.