The original POP Fridge Swap! Planning moved to another thread - link inside!

[pooksma]

Carrie,

I just want to say that I hope to get to use the fridge but if not I will survive~just like I have on previous trips. A HUGE thanks to you for what you have done. I know it can't be easy to keep things organized when people aren't holding up their end of the bargain.

Here's hoping our ORIGINAL SWAP will continue

 

[Reagan&Co.]

Carrie-
Gosh, I really appreciate all this work you have done on this. I said I was willing to be a Fairy Godmailer and you wouldn't believe (actually, you would!) the response. So, thanks!

Is May 21-24 still open? Count me in, please. I have read all the rules!

 

[sandymandr]

Hey everyone, I see the boards have been busy with swap news. I tried five different times (and 5 different people) to find out about the fridges, and here is what I found out:
1) If a fridge goes unclaimed for a long time (several weeks), it is given to the next person who comes looking for one regardless of their name.
2) The CM's try really hard to get it right, but say there are so many fridges and people with different stories, it is hard to keep them organized.
3) Sometimes, when a person comes looking for a fridge, they just give them whatever one they can find.

So needless to say, I never found the fridge, but they said there were three of them back there the day before I left.
I had a wonderful trip regardless of the fridge, and I sincerely hope that Twende can get one. She was very helpful while I was there because I didn't have email access and she was updating me on what she knew.

Carrie, thanks for all of your hard work! I think we would all understand if you need to stop doing this

Good luck to all of you! And if nothing else, have a back up plan for the fridge...we took a collapsible cooler in our luggage and ended up just putting our milk in ice all week and it worked out fine. Come to find out Disney would have considered my nieces milk allergy and our need for lactaid a medical reason to get a free fridge! Oh well, good info for next time

 

[MOQu]

Come to find out Disney would have considered my nieces milk allergy and our need for lactaid a medical reason to get a free fridge! Oh well, good info for next time

That's how I usually get our fridge (DS3 has a dairy allergy) but since there are no guaruntees a fridge will be available, I was going to do the swap instead. (We also have two rooms and lots of people!)

 

[MyGoofy26]

I'm so sorry everything turned into a big mess. But you got some VERY useful information for us so thank you!

Hey everyone, I see the boards have been busy with swap news. I tried five different times (and 5 different people) to find out about the fridges, and here is what I found out:
1) If a fridge goes unclaimed for a long time (several weeks), it is given to the next person who comes looking for one regardless of their name.
2) The CM's try really hard to get it right, but say there are so many fridges and people with different stories, it is hard to keep them organized.
3) Sometimes, when a person comes looking for a fridge, they just give them whatever one they can find.

I haven't had a chance to check in for awhile but I am finally done with my Macy's job, so I'm down to my full time job and radio which gives me a little time to try and figure things out on how we can organize this. I haven't had anyone want to take over, but I think there may be a way we can keep things organized with minimal work so we'll try this for awhile. I know most people don't check in here regularly, so once I figure out details I'm PM everyone on the list. I hope to get something figured out soon, but I am leaving next Thursday for Disneyland so I may not get anything done til I get back since I have a hundred things to do between now and then.

So for the time being, if everyone on the list can just make sure that you have the information for the people after you and that the people before you have your information it'd really help move things along.

If someone is un-responsive and dates are creeping up, move onto the next family or let me know (post or PM) and I'll give them one last chance or (if it's way too late to fill the gap) remove them from the list entirely.

This will most likely be how this swap will have to run. I don't want to just stop - we have a perfectly functional fridge and lots of people willing to keep it moving. I'm hoping that everyone can get the info from each other and I'll figure out a few rules to try and keep these bumps from coming up (such as the above, removing anyone from the list who isn't responsive)

 

[bgula]

Carrie, besides the trip we're taking next weekend to POP, we're tentatively planning one for late October. If the dates for Oct. 25-28 are not yet taken, could I reserve that time as well? Let me know, please. Thanks!

 

[MyGoofy26]

Just found out that there was no fridge for our last swapper and she was offered someone else's fridge.

Honestly, I think the swaps are done. No amount of organization is going to help if the CMs are just handing the first fridge they find to the person that asks for one. I don't really blame them, this has probably turned into a LOT of work on their part with a dozen fridges moving in and out of storage.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. It seems almost pointless to try weeks at a time to track down the fridge just for it to get lost again a couple people later. What do you all think? I hate to leave everyone hanging, but it seems there is no way to make this fool-proof. Maybe just a no guarantees policy? Every man for themselves? Everyone keep in touch with each other and when it comes up missing, just keep giving the last name that was left on the box until it's returned to luggage services from another swap?

 

[bgula]

Does anyone know if the CMs store the fridges grouped together, or are they put wherever there is space? Personally I don't mind the fend for ourselves route, but I think the various swaps should be getting together and reinforcing that their people should be accepting the correct fridge ONLY and to turn down any others offered by the CMs. I would like to think that most of us on these boards are pretty responsible and could handle that.
I also realize that there are a fair number of swaps going on - don't know the actual number, but let's say 8. Most of the bookings are ranging from 4-7 days, so really, the CMs would have to pack away or release a fridge maybe once every day or so. This doesn't really seem to be that much to expect, especially when they're dealing with storing people's luggage day in and day out. Am I wrong to think this? I'm not putting everything on the CMs, but if we all are responsible, then these mistakes shouldn't be happening.

 

[msmayor]

Just found out that there was no fridge for our last swapper and she was offered someone else's fridge.

Honestly, I think the swaps are done. No amount of organization is going to help if the CMs are just handing the first fridge they find to the person that asks for one. I don't really blame them, this has probably turned into a LOT of work on their part with a dozen fridges moving in and out of storage.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. It seems almost pointless to try weeks at a time to track down the fridge just for it to get lost again a couple people later. What do you all think? I hate to leave everyone hanging, but it seems there is no way to make this fool-proof. Maybe just a no guarantees policy? Every man for themselves? Everyone keep in touch with each other and when it comes up missing, just keep giving the last name that was left on the box until it's returned to luggage services from another swap?

I'm just an innocent bystander here, not involved in any swaps, but I've watched these things unfold with great interest and wondered just how long it would be before things truly started going awry.

While this is a wonderful idea in terms of trying to save money, its very success is starting to depend more and more on the involvement of third-parties who have absolutely no vested interest in making sure these swaps go as planned: the CM's. You don't know them, they don't know you. The organizers who are trying to keep things on track really have no idea whether the boxes are remaining sturdy and properly labelled. If the fridge can't be found by the CM's, who knows if the swapper there to pick it up can really accurately describe just what the box looks like, and how it is labelled. I personally think the only real way to make sure they continue is direct hand-to-hand swapping, something that individual schedules simply don't allow for in every case.

I also think its asking a lot to use Luggage Services as a de-facto storage locker, free of charge, for those periods greater than 24 hours between swappers.

I also couldn't help but notice that many of swappers signing up have so few posts they can't even PM yet. I'm not saying they won't be responsible swappers, but if they haven't been around the DIS for very long do they really understand exactly what is entailed to make sure these swaps go as planned?

Then there is the matter of the organizer herself (or himself, if the case may be). Is it really worth the savings of spending $10/day to work as many of you do keeping things organized and moving, especially AFTER your own trip is done?

I also see that some of the swaps are starting to include toasters and electric kettles and whatnot. Has anyone considered that there may be fire code issues with respect to using anything more than a coffee pot with an automatic shut-off in your hotel room? I understand your desire to save money and be able to afford Disney, but the line has to be drawn somewhere.

Just my $0.02.

 

[MyGoofy26]

msmayor - you've pinpointed a lot of the concerns that I've had. Especially the reliance on CMs which is why I keep stressing that I don't blame them for grabbing the first fridge they find. When we started we tried to stress to everyone to be sure to tip those CMs well. They're providing a HUGE courtesy to us, it's the least we can do to pass along some of our savings to the CMs that help us.

As far as the issue of being allowed to hold things more than 24 hours, this is something that a few of us in the very beginning specifically asked the resort multiple times to make sure it was ok before we went forward. I had no idea, and I'm sure the resort had no idea, that so many people would do the same. I don't know if any of the dozen other swaps got permission, but we did ask multiple CMs about our particular swap.


Addressing this:

Then there is the matter of the organizer herself (or himself, if the case may be). Is it really worth the savings of spending $10/day to work as many of you do keeping things organized and moving, especially AFTER your own trip is done?

When I had the idea, it was to find a couple people around my trip that would split the cost - I had NO clue it would go this far. Once the idea took off, it wasn't just about saving money for myself. It was being able to help other Disney fans save a little money on their trips. When things were going relatively smoothly (we hit a few bumps here all along the way which easily remedied when where there were only 2 other swaps going on) I didn't mind the work that went into it because it felt good to give back to the "community" a little. With the recent chaos though it's been more frustrating than anything and feels like there isn't much that can be done. To be completely honest, part of me wants to just end our swap. I no longer feel comfortable being a part of something that has to be such a huge headache for those poor CMs and I don't feel like it's anything I can fix or make easier, but I don't want to let anyone down that I had already added to the list. The whole idea has gone out of control - not only the number of refrigerators being passed around, but like you said, all of the other swaps for other items.

If you haven't already, msmayor, perhaps you would repost on one of the stickied fridge swap threads so that everyone can read your thoughts because you do have a lot of valid points that I think everyone needs to think about before joining or starting yet another fridge swap.

 

[pooksma]

Carrie,

I would completely understand if the swap must be ended right now. I can't imagine how the CMs feel about handing over so many fridges. This thing snowball wayyy beyond what I ever thought and probably others as well. I plan to have a backup (the cooler bag) JIC.

 

[Tjaleks]

Carrie, I am also fine with the swap ending. Thanks for all your hard work.

 

[msmayor]

If you haven't already, msmayor, perhaps you would repost on one of the stickied fridge swap threads so that everyone can read your thoughts because you do have a lot of valid points that I think everyone needs to think about before joining or starting yet another fridge swap.

I went ahead and copied my post on the pinned thread.

Carrie...again, I'm only a bystander...but don't at all think you should feel you've let ANYONE down. Considering how long this particular swap appears to have run, those remaining on the list haven't paid dime-one to you. In reality, receiving the fridge has always been a gamble (because there's always the chance that with the swapper right before them the fridge craps out or gets dropped or something else), not a guarantee. Will it cost them more to get a fridge? Yes...but through no fault of yours. You were offering a favor, nothing more.

 

[kandmsmom]

I sent a PM to MyGoofy26. We would like to be a part of this fridge swap. We will be at Pop Century May 28th - June 4th. It looks like it is available May 28th - June 1st.

Please let us know what we need to do to participate.

Thanks

 

[MOQu]

So is the swap officially done? I need to get a request added to my reservation if it is.

 

[Reagan&Co.]

To everyone:
I had a request, too (May 21-24) but I was unable to PM Carrie (maybe she blocked it??!!I don't blame her ). So, I just contacted the people before me and after me to see if I could squeeze in the middle. They were fine with it
It actually benefits the requesters to take care of it themselves. For those that have read the thread, Carrie DOESN"T have time!!!! Bless her heart, she's been organizing this since, what...August???
Why don't you just PM the people next to you and make arrangements yourselves?
I hope I don't sound uptight. I am writing this so you all don't sit there, waiting, and not knowing if you'll get the fridge or not. Free Fridge Swap rocks!

 

[kandmsmom]

I have PMed

May 24-27: mitushib
and
June 1-8: Tjaleks

to see if I can fit in between them.

 

[mitushib]

kandmsmom u get it from me on 28th late night ok say about 9-9:30. ok

 

[pooksma]

So are we going to try to keep it going by PMs? If so- MoQu let me know what you plan to do.

 

[tjjkaser]

I wanted to send this note out and let everyone know that I will not use the fridge on June 11-16. I do not have enough posts, and do not see a way for me to have enough since I am not a very outspoken person, I just read these for hours every day. I am not able to PM anyone, and at the time I asked for it, I wasn't aware that I couldn't. I personally do not want to hinder the swap, especially since things are already so iffy. That being said, I will just leave the fridge be and let those that can contact one another get to use it. (Plus, I cannot seem to "find" tulsanurse in the thread to contact them for there pickup date of June 16th.) I appreciate this swap and the help that it is to so many!

Have a great Vacation!
Tina
tjjkaser

Pop Century June 2007: First Trip!