The keys to our room got deactivated!!!

[lshaw]

This past friday night, we were staying at Old Key West and had gone to a late dinner at the California Grill- it took us a very long time to get back to our room from the Contemporary after, and it was almost 1:00 am when we reached Old Key West by bus. Needless to say we were extremely tired and when we put our keys in the door, they didn't work! They were somehow deactivated! (both of them)... I then had to call the front desk from the number on the key to the world card (it was too far to walk back) and they apologized and sent someone right over with a master key- we then had to go to the front desk in the morning to get NEW keys. The Manager contacted me and actually gave me back my points for both Friday AND Saturday night- 38 pts total- perhaps because we had just that very day added pts to our contract- who knows, but that was great customer service- they could have just said "oops. sorry about that"....anyway, thats about 4 nights worth of pts on a Sunday thru Thursday stay!

 

[bobbiwoz]

How wonderful that you had such great pixie dust!

 

[CarolAnnC]

If you put your keys near your cell phone, they can deactivate. This happened to us before at WLV. We did not get back points, but we also weren't upset since we knew it was probably our fault and not the resort's. You also want to be sure to not place them near other credit cards with the magnetic strips...

 

[lshaw]

If you put your keys near your cell phone, they can deactivate. This happened to us before at WLV. We did not get back points, but we also weren't upset since we knew it was probably our fault and not the resort's. You also want to be sure to not place them near other credit cards with the magnetic strips...

We had been staying at the resort all week and were supposed to check out on friday and go to Port Orleans for two nights (all out of points) but then decided to add another contract and use the points instead of paying out of pocket- so we had to check OUT of our room that morning and check back IN to the same room with new keys- the front desk told us that it had something to do with their computer system and the new reservation- I'm sure if this were 7:00 pm they would not have given us back our points. We also bought annual passes a few days before that and I lost my annual pass the FIRST time I used it at Animal Kingdom! They gave me another one immediately. What a great stay!!!

 

[moredisneyplease]

at least you got points back!!!

 

[drusba]

The most frustrating incident we had that was similar is that once at BWV we checked in, got room keys and went to room (near end of boardwalk view rooms) and they did not work. Went back to front desk, they gave me new ones, went back to the room and those did not work. Made another trip back to front desk, gave us new ones and also sent up engineer. Those did not work. He used a master key, got it open and then concluded that the door mechanism itself needed to be replaced, which they did that day. It was one of those times where I sure wished my room had been much closer to lobby.

 

[lshaw]

at least you got points back!!!

I know, right??!! It must have been our turn for pixie dust!

 

[Mert]

Thats why we all love disney because of stories like that ! Shame about the inconveinence BUT GREAT RESPONSE.

 

[disneydenisel]

We have had our keys deactivate at BCV before. We just went to the front desk and got new ones (it's not very far to walk). Great that you were sprinkled with pixie dust, and congrats on adding on points !

 

[wildernessDad]

This happened to us recently as well and it was at OKW. All our keys would not work on the second day. And they were replacement keys as they didn't work on the first day either. Had to have new keys twice.

And we each had our own key. Do not suspect that they all were demagnetized accidentally.

 

[lshaw]

This happened to us recently as well and it was at OKW. All our keys would not work on the second day. And they were replacement keys as they didn't work on the first day either. Had to have new keys twice.

And we each had our own key. Do not suspect that they all were demagnetized accidentally.

Too much of a coincidence that BOTH keys do not work all of a sudden!

 

[noahandcjsmom]

This happened to us too except they would not work when we wanted to get into a park and we had to stand in this SLOW moving line on our first day there waiting to get new cards. It all worked out fine and it was the best vacation ever. Really that was the ONLY thing on the whole 10 day vacation that was not PERFECT!

 

[TisBit]

We had been staying at the resort all week and were supposed to check out on friday and go to Port Orleans for two nights (all out of points) but then decided to add another contract and use the points instead of paying out of pocket- so we had to check OUT of our room that morning and check back IN to the same room with new keys- the front desk told us that it had something to do with their computer system and the new reservation- I'm sure if this were 7:00 pm they would not have given us back our points. We also bought annual passes a few days before that and I lost my annual pass the FIRST time I used it at Animal Kingdom! They gave me another one immediately. What a great stay!!!

The way the electronic locks work is that if you get issued a new key, the first time you use it, it will wipe out the old key from the memory. The locks are not updated via wireless, etc...but actually get their programming from the key you use (it tells the lock when it is valid, if it is new and what key it replaced, etc). It sounds like maybe the transition between keys might have messed up the code or it was not coded right to begin with. Another thing that could have happened (which is usually the problem) is that someone else is mistakenly assigned that room as well as you, when they arrived and swiped their key, it deactivates all of yours, they see the room is not clean or occupied and return the desk and get a new room....when you return your key is dead and you have to have get new ones.

 

[CdnKayDee]

The way the electronic locks work is that if you get issued a new key, the first time you use it, it will wipe out the old key from the memory. The locks are not updated via wireless, etc...but actually get their programming from the key you use (it tells the lock when it is valid, if it is new and what key it replaced, etc). It sounds like maybe the transition between keys might have messed up the code or it was not coded right to begin with. Another thing that could have happened (which is usually the problem) is that someone else is mistakenly assigned that room as well as you, when they arrived and swiped their key, it deactivates all of yours, they see the room is not clean or occupied and return the desk and get a new room....when you return your key is dead and you have to have get new ones.

That's interesting to know about someone else's key being swiped deactivates your own. Bet that happens ofter.

 

[lshaw]

The way the electronic locks work is that if you get issued a new key, the first time you use it, it will wipe out the old key from the memory. The locks are not updated via wireless, etc...but actually get their programming from the key you use (it tells the lock when it is valid, if it is new and what key it replaced, etc). It sounds like maybe the transition between keys might have messed up the code or it was not coded right to begin with. Another thing that could have happened (which is usually the problem) is that someone else is mistakenly assigned that room as well as you, when they arrived and swiped their key, it deactivates all of yours, they see the room is not clean or occupied and return the desk and get a new room....when you return your key is dead and you have to have get new ones.[/QUOTE

That does not make me feel secure at all! To think that this might happen often! (room assignment and key error)

 

[twinklebug]

OP, I think it's great that pixie dust was sprinkled your way. It's the little stories like this we don't forget and make us realize how well Disney has taught their CMs to treat the guests.

A couple of years back I got a reservation through wait listing day by day. As the days came through (and I'm amazed they did) The system connected all the days as one reservation. When the time came, I checked in for the entire stay all at once, but little did I know, in the system the days were all coded as separate stays. All three room keys were partially deactivated mid-day when it hit the "new reservation" causing way more problems than I can recount with room access and charging privileges. I didn't get anything for our problems - in fact the front desk manager had a tense tête-à-tête with me over a single stupid margarita that was charged 4 times to the room that I never received (it kept telling the CM it was declined) Did any of us know they "Can't" remove alcohol purchases even if made in error? It turned out that every attempted purchase made it onto the room charge and We had over a hundred dollars of bad charges from dinner at R&C, kids purchases for b-day surprises for me and that drink. What the front desk manager did instead of removing the drinks was to remove the price of a different purchase - one that was for about the same price as the drink X4. I really wished I had that margarita after that experience.

My point is: just be aware when connecting reservations that the room keys might experience bumps. I no longer lock up the credit cards in the room safe and depend on just the room key.

OP, I think it's great that pixie dust was sprinkled your way. It's the little stories like this we don't forget and make us realize how well Disney has taught their CMs to treat the guests.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I should have a free week.

I had one room at OKW that the keys worked about 1 time before I had to truck back to the front desk. All kiinds of issues went on and I barely got an apology LOL! That was the same visit where the first room they sent me to wasn't cleaned.... Some visits are just that way!

And it's not true that 'swiping" a key in the wrong room door deactivates it.... Trust me we had three rooms an swiped the wrong key all the time. Evenutally we would get it right and get in If we had the RIGHT key in the RIGHT room then it worked.. We finally took a sharpie and wrote on them in BIG letters the room number. (Long story, but we each had a key to the other's room... no charging and our "fear of theft' was less then our frustration that in the dark it's very hard to read the names and figure this thing out!)

 

[thereinertfamily]

We have had nothing but GREAT service at Old Key West it beats Bay Lake by far. On a visit there they forgot to give us our parking pass just as I was putting luggage in the room here comes the lady who checked us in with the parking pass. We have been treated like Royalty every time we have stayed there Manager has come out to meet us to make sure we were properly taken care. We have even received a phone call prior to our trip to make sure a certain room was ok with us.