Terrible DVC Experience!

[corpcomp]

Hahaha. I've been told by Florida natives that they are NOT called roaches. They are palmetto beetles. They look they same to me, though. Either way, I don't want to have bugs in my room. I once made the mistake of leaving the deck door slightly ajar at VWL and upon returning to the room in the evening, the wall looked like something out of Its tough to be a Bug. Did not sleep well that night!

Yeah I used to live there and encountered them all the time. I once hit one with a fly swatter, it looked up at me, took the swatter out of my hand and chased me around the room. They have no fear and are about impossible to kill.

 

[disneynutz]

While compensation is a nice gesture it can get old.

We had a delayed room ready at SSR, 7:30PM, went back and forth, was told that we were incorrect that the room had been cleaned and that a runner had been to the room and verified that it had been cleaned. They finally sent a front of house manager to the room who ordered a special cleaning crew because the room was never cleaned.

He asked us what we would like as compensation, I unloaded on him, shared most of our recent issues with rooms at all of the resorts and told him that we were tired of compensation and all we wanted was for people to do their jobs and give us a clean, maintenance free room. He agreed that that would be nice but then he would be out of a job.

Pretty much sums it up, room issues are an excepted reality for the DVC.

Bill

 

[deedisneydream97]

I have never experienced anything like that, Bill. Although I was "attacked" by a sofabed at BWV, was locked into a bathroom at BLT for 45 minutes, and had a broken washer/dryer for a couple of days at BLT. I never seeked any "compensation". Stuff happens....I am not the only person on vacation. Things will not be taken care of immediately....kind of like when something breaks in my own home. I find it interesting that I have spent a lot of time at DVC and have never had such terrible things happen like some of the things I see reported here.

 

[disneynutz]

I have never experienced anything like that, Bill. Although I was "attacked" by a sofabed at BWV, was locked into a bathroom at BLT for 45 minutes, and had a broken washer/dryer for a couple of days at BLT. I never seeked any "compensation". Stuff happens....I am not the only person on vacation. Things will not be taken care of immediately....kind of like when something breaks in my own home. I find it interesting that I have spent a lot of time at DVC and have never had such terrible things happen like some of the things I see reported here.

Might be bad luck, might be because we have more DVC stays than most people so our chances are greater.

Bill

 

[luckyman_apd]

Might be bad luck, might be because we have more DVC stays than most people so our chances are greater.

Bill

I think you hit the nail on the head here. We only have 125 points, and we stretch them whenever we can "we've gotten far off the plan when we purchased....but that's ok) and obviously probability plays a factor here. If you're there more often, you're bound to have a greater chance of being the one who finds the problems. I think another thing is the level of acceptance everyone has. Some people (myself included) will accept more than others, and some have higher levels of expectations. This is not a judgement or criticism of anyone, just an observation. My brother and I are different. He will take issue with things at a hotel that I don't find as big of a deal. A friend of mine....We limit our travel with them because I feel nothing is good enough for her (I'm not exactly sure what the heck her expectations are sometimes). There are also some people who go out of their way to find problems "looking" for compensation. We've all met them.

Bottom line, if you have a problem, no harm comes in reporting it. It can only help.

BTW, 2 years ago we rented a beach house that was listed as pet friendly.....and one of the beds in the house CLEARLY had a pet who had peed on the bed. I don't usually complain about anything, but I was LIVID. I think the only time in my life I DEMANDED some kind of compensation.

 

[deedisneydream97]

I use my DVC at least twice yearly...sometimes 3 or four times. Have never experienced "filthy conditions" that people have posted about here. We have close to 700 points. Aluani twice, Saratoga once, Beach Club once, VWL once, BLT too many times to count, BWV too many times to count. And three cruises...not using points, but taking advantage of discounted rooms offered to DVC members when ships are not at capacity. So I would say that we use DVC quite often. Doesn't mean I have not had to call housekeeping or maintenance...but mostly because previous occupants have wandered off with irons, frying pans and pot holders.

 

[jo-jo]

Decmber 2013 we went for New Years for three days. During the entire time our magic bands would not work. Had three replacements, could not get into the room, parks or buy food with them. I wrote to Disney customer service asking for compensation. T hey agreed and gave me three free nights plus multipark passes for our next time down at any DVC except Grand Floridian. So tell them the circumstances and be specific in what you want re compensation. They will work with you if it is all documented as mine was in their system.

He asked us what we would like as compensation,

Bill

We were at BCV a few yrs ago. the plan was go to room, watch a dvd while DH napped. I tried and tried and tried to get the DVD to work. I tried for about 1/2 hr. Our luggage came, ask the guy with bell services. Ask housekeeping. It turned out it was plugged in, but the wires weren't connected to the TV. That involved moving furniture to hook everything up. My DH and housekeeping did it. Then toaster didn't work and something else which I can't remember. The next day I went down to the front desk and told them it's just not right to have all these things go wrong. (Who would have thought the wires weren't connected). The CM ask what can they do from me. I looked at her like a deer in headlights. Ummm I don't know, I just wanted you to know things should work correctly. The CM then said she was putting a hundred dollar credit on our account. I never thought with saying this was wrong, I want X.

Shortly after BLT opened we were there on our first stay there and I walked in and I thought the sofa had fridge on it. Thought it was a different style. After looking closer, the edge of the sofa was so torn, along the width of the seat ( like under the cushion) the fabric was just hanging down. The pillows looked like they had 30 lbs of stuffing for a 20 lb. pillows. Seams torn here and there. I took pictures and went to front desk. Nothing happen. Repeat a few times. After three days, we got a message while at the parks. We hope we are happy with the outcome. Get back to room and nothing was done. Back to front desk. On the day we were leaving I spoke to the manager. He told me he had told fixit guy to take care of it and then manager was off for a few days. Fixit guy never did a thing, but manager ASSUMED that he did. The manger apologized and we got NOTHING. If they had given us a few fast passes on day two I would have been happy. The CM as the desk tried to help, she slid our room charges printout toward the manager, but as I said we got nothing.

I know as in the toaster, that could easily be overlook, but all the DVD wires being disconnected??? Who thinks to check for the wires when on vacation?? The sofa should have be reported by housekeeping that it needed repair.

 

[Sammie]

As to the DVD wires being disconnected, that is very likely due to the previous guest. People just do not put things back the way they find them.

 

[beer dave]

I use my DVC at least twice yearly...sometimes 3 or four times. Have never experienced "filthy conditions" that people have posted about here. We have close to 700 points. Aluani twice, Saratoga once, Beach Club once, VWL once, BLT too many times to count, BWV too many times to count. And three cruises...not using points, but taking advantage of discounted rooms offered to DVC members when ships are not at capacity. So I would say that we use DVC quite often. Doesn't mean I have not had to call housekeeping or maintenance...but mostly because previous occupants have wandered off with irons, frying pans and pot holders.

Agreed-- 550 points 4 trips a year for the last 12 years and never had these types of experiences.

 

[MsMagical]

We've had a couple of issues over the years but nothing that I would take major issue with (broken drawer, bathroom that needed better cleaning, leaky sink, things like that). (Side note: Why do none of the kitchen sinks have the rubber catch above the disposal?..) Any issues we have had have always been resolved. Maybe this is because I always go directly to the front desk to get any issues fixed and I always follow up promptly on those issues if they are not resolved to my satisfaction. It rarely takes time out of my vacation to do this and, for me, it is worth it to ensure we have a nice vacation. I also never take issue with the behavior or attitude of cast members. If someone is crabby or rude, it probably isn't about me so I don't take it personally. Even if it is about me, I don't really care. I am always calm, very polite but firm on what I need done. If I feel I'm not being taken seriously, I won't hesitate to escalate. That said, I've only had to escalate an issue once at a DVC resort and it was promptly managed after escalation. I have an HR background though so maybe that helps me navigate my way through fixing issues.

OP, this sounds like a tough experience. I hope you give SSR another chance someday. It really is a lovely resort and most of the cast members are kind and pleasant.

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

Here at Treehouse Villas now. Read about OP's experience a few days before getting here and was expecting the worst. Happily, everything is in working order. Even got my location request fulfilled.

 

[Fastpassminus]

Yeah I used to live there and encountered them all the time. I once hit one with a fly swatter, it looked up at me, took the swatter out of my hand and chased me around the room. They have no fear and are about impossible to kill.

These were babies so definitely an infestation. I thought Palmettos were just one off bugs who wandered in from outside?

 

[bumbershoot]

I know this is harder to do when staying at a far-flung villa like the Treehouses, but you would have gotten a much faster response to your issues had you walked to the front desk and spoken to someone. Calling "the front desk" actually means you're talking to an offsite call center, not a CM at SSR's front desk.

Yes, absolutely.

When I press Housekeeping I get Housekeeping, and they are quick to respond (like when we didn't have a spatula while in the middle of making breakfast), but pressing Front Desk doesn't get you to the front desk. Gotta walk or drive on down there.

We stayed at BWV once in a 1BR unit, room 1001, which is either the last or second to last room on the first floor. We were there over Christmas. I like to rent a 1 BR because of the in-room washer and dryer. The first day we were there, the shelf on the refrigerator door fell off, spilling the water in the pitcher we had put there. No problem. We grabbed the towels, and that was when we discovered that the dryer in our room didn't work. Called maintenance about the dryer. Took them until the night before we were leaving, which was Christmas eve, to replace the dryer. Of course, we usually pack only half the clothes we need on a trip, and wash midway through. So, I spent one evening of the trip in the laundry, which a hike from our room, of course.

Our first time at BWV was a one-night stay. Got a one bedroom *specifically* so I could do a bunch of laundry easily. We were having a weird trip where we started at Disneyland, then flew out and had the rest of the trip at Universal. Not wanting to go to a laundry room and pay for the laundry, we used the points. And the dryer was broken. Sigh.

Checkout day we ended up staying to swim and dried the clothes in the laundry room. I wrote to DVC after and they refunded the points between a studio (which is basically what we got) and the one bedroom. That's all I wanted.

They have no fear and are about impossible to kill.

Hairspray. Coats their shells and they suffocate, from what I remember from my mom's time in Miami.



The MB thing...that's a glitch. I'm not even sure they need to "link" bands at all. Some CMs want to link them all, some take one. The ones that take multiples say it's the only way, but I've noticed NO difference. Sometimes the MBs glitch and sometimes they don't.

 

[tgropp]

Yes, we did have a vacation at VWL that was less than magical but after they got all the facts, I was compensated fairly. We had many a fantastic vacation before that and after that. Unfortunately, it is bound to happen. I was upset at the time but it passes when you have a wonderful vacation the next time there

 

[Hollymom1229]

We've had problems on 3 trips out of more than a dozen for which we called to have something taken care of. First was at SSR in October of 2007. Over the course of multiple days we had problems with the room keys deactivating themselves for various members of our party. It was a guessing game which of the 6 room keys for our 2 bedroom would work each day. Then on the one day that we specifically got back to the resort at noon to rest before going to MNSSHP for the evening none of the keys worked. It took 3 hours before they could get us into our room, which meant my 1 y.o. niece didn't get a much needed nap before we had to head back out for a 4:30 LTT ADR. When we spoke to the manager he was incredibly apologetic, put a $100 credit on our account, and gave us a pass so my MIL could have a scooter for free for the rest of the week.

In January 2008 at BWV, my friend and I got our room late and wanted to order room service. Except the phone in the room didn't work. We went to the front desk and talked to the manager on duty. He had us order from the room service menu through him, comped the bill, and made sure maintenance came up to replace the phone the next day.

These first two are great examples of how to handle with wonderful customer service problems that crop up. These experiences are why our problems on our trip at WLV this past December are still rankling, as they have honestly never been addressed despite conversations with the front desk manager, member satisfaction, and our DVC Guide. Everyone has blown us off with a so sorry to hear that, we'll talk to someone. It's honestly a joke. Problems included: Bell Services lost our milk in the fridge and replaced it with spoiled milk - twice. Despite staying 8 nights our room never got a full cleaning or even trash and towel service - the front desk manager kept telling me I was wrong about how this works. We had multiple issues with cast members at concierge having no idea how to do anything. It was like they weren't trained on anything. When we told them who to call they told us we were wrong or that they didn't have the number. It was honestly a customer service fail and these were just at the resort.

I'm really hoping our next trip, which won't be until late September 2016, will show a marked improvement.

 

[bellablue2]

so sorry....complain formally to the powers that be.

 

[smjj]

This is what I just sent to DVC via the DVC members link:

I am writing this after another post on one of the many websites I am a member of about Disney and DVC in particular. The theme I am beginning to see more and more often is the lack of maintenance at the DVC resorts compared to the way it was. More and more DVC members seem to talking about broken this's and worn thats and how long it takes to get things fixed or cleaned. We ourselfs had this occur on our last trip when we stayed at OKW in a 3 bedroom villa near HH. We had the freezer not working and it took two trips and a whole day to resolve and then in our bedroom there was a drawer that was broken and the repair person said they had no matching replacement and we had to go the entire trip with it broken. Please send this email along to someone who has the ability to make sure that the thousands we have spent on the initial purchase and the many other thousands we spend each year is being spent on keeping our home in the state of repair we expect it to be kept in and do your cost cutting somewhere else. We are staying this June in a 2 bedroom villa at BC and I hope we do not have any issues but if we do I will make sure to see the onsite manager to discuss these. Thanks in advance....

I actually got a call on this yesterday from a DVC cast member. She was very nice and wanted a little more details about our trip to OKW where I detailed the problems we had(see above). She said they do listen and try to respond to issues as mentioned above and allowed me to talk about DVC and how they are preforming compared to "the way it use to be". I felt good about the conversation and hope it was not just one of those PR moves knowing I would probably go back online like I am doing now but she did sound sincere. I voiced these same problems on a few of the FB boards I am also involved with and she stated they do read these boards and FB. If nothing else I felt better after talking to her...smjj

 

[ParrotBill]

We've had numerous great stays as SS. Our one bad stay (out of dozens) was a 1BR at BVC, with a room that was not properly clean and a broken freezer that was not fixed until the last day (sounds familiar!).

 

[rocketriter]

Member Satisfaction: dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com

We have experienced similar issues at almost all of the resorts over time. I am convinced that that is just Disney's way of doing DVC business and eventually everyone will experience similar issues, it's not will it happen but when.

Bill

There's no predicting "next time," but nothing like this has happened to us and I'm sorry to hear it happened to you. It's certainly not appropriate and you're entitled to a make-good from Member Services. For the other side of the coin: last week we stayed at Kidani in AK. On our arrival, we were greeted at the lobby door by a cast member who knew our names and sat us on sofas to review our pre-checkin information, which he already had open on an iPad. He even pointed out that while our assigned room met our requests it was an awfully long walk down the hallway, and offered to change the room if we'd prefer. We did, so he cut the walk length in half with another room that was ready for move-in (it was 3:45 pm). This was the best checkin experience we've had at any hotel, anywhere, and we thought it might be a new standard for DVC. I'm sorry to hear that this is not the case at every resort.

 

[disneynutz]

There's no predicting "next time," but nothing like this has happened to us and I'm sorry to hear it happened to you. It's certainly not appropriate and you're entitled to a make-good from Member Services. For the other side of the coin: last week we stayed at Kidani in AK. On our arrival, we were greeted at the lobby door by a cast member who knew our names and sat us on sofas to review our pre-checkin information, which he already had open on an iPad. He even pointed out that while our assigned room met our requests it was an awfully long walk down the hallway, and offered to change the room if we'd prefer. We did, so he cut the walk length in half with another room that was ready for move-in (it was 3:45 pm). This was the best checkin experience we've had at any hotel, anywhere, and we thought it might be a new standard for DVC. I'm sorry to hear that this is not the case at every resort.

The iPad check in seems to come and go and only works if you do online check-in. Maybe with direct to room they will do more of the iPad check-ins. Each resort GM seems to set their own policies.

Bill