Who is trying the Owners Locker? Why or Why Not?

[LIFERBABE]

How do you spell relief?

I too thought we wouldnt have much use for the OL. We drive mostly, we stay 2 weeks at a time and I have a Sams Club card and Im not afraid to use it!

That said, I am always in a state of unpack. Why unpack it and put it away if it is going back to WDW in a few months? I normally start packing a few months in advance anyway.

I am a beta tester, and I immediately had a place for all that stuff we take back and forth. I had a large suitcase and a small suitcase full of stuff, it all fit in the locker and now when I think about packing for next months trip, its not a "worry", but a relief, because I know all the little things and wants are already there waiting for me and I dont have to go shopping again for the same things. We could pretty much go with the clothes on our backs and have everything we need once there. We will probably take 2 suitcases total next month and thats for 4 of us for 2 weeks.

It is a matter of convenience and we all know, at Disney, we are alot more about convenience and relaxation than we are at home. At home we are thrifty and cost conscious, at Disney it is all relative. A $13 mug is a good price, $100 for a family dinner out is reasonable, etc.

So far Im enjoying the service and not worrying about all those little things I left in our OL.

 

[goofy4tink]

Hey Gang,
There has been a lot suggestions about pricing and we have listened. The best thing to do is go to our website and see just what the cost is.

www.ownerslocker.com

There's a one time fee for buying a Locker and then it's just $99 per year which includes one free visit per year. Certainly it's not for everyone but for a lot of people who come to WDW often, it can make life a LOY easier.

And the real beauty of it is, once you have your Locker, you wind up leaving things here that you'd never haul back and forth. Things that make you feel more at home when you're here.

John

Hi John...Just curious. Now that I've come to my senses and realized just how much stuff I could leave in Orlando, rather than lugging it back and forth, what would happen, if God forbid, you guys decided to close up shop? While I figure this most likely wouldn't happen, I was just curious. I have some things that I would leave there, that I wouldn't want to lose...Disney seasonal festive stuff, clothing, etc. Just curious.
Looks like I'll be booking a container in the next week or so. And I'll have an extra duffle for all those extras I buy down there since I'll be leaving so much behind!!!

 

[Muushka]

I was wondering. Have you ever considered having an alternative for those who drive? Maybe just storage and allow the mobile people to come pick up their box and bring it back when leaving? And charging less for that option?

 

[jdvm]

Warning: lengthy post ahead!!

I think this candid discussion about Owner’s Locker is very healthy and if I have learned anything in my career, it’s how to listen.

Owner’s Locker is about convenience and it’s not for everyone. People have enjoyed their vacation clubs before we came into the picture and they will continue to enjoy them whether they become Owner’s Locker Members or not. In fact, we have been amazed and impressed with the strategies people have come up with to make their time here in Orlando more enjoyable.

I really had to twist the arm of a friend in New York to become one of our Beta Trial Members. She comes to WDW several times a year and had a dedicated suitcase with towels, sheets, a vase for flowers and lots of other things she only uses here. She also enjoyed her pre-visit ritual of filling small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, etc because she liked her own brand. She had a strategy that worked and she was reluctant to change it. That ritual got her “in the mood” for her trip. Well, now she keeps all of those items---and more in her Owner’s Locker and describes our service as addicting. If we didn’t exist, she would still enjoy coming to Orlando and her suitcase would work just fine.

As you can read at greater length on our blog, I came up with this idea because I came to Orlando regularly with four daughters and found a way to store things here between visits. I was looking for convenience and I was also looking for ways to make our stay feel more personal. Clearly it’s nice not to have to pack toiletries. But I like having a really nice corkscrew, a few bottles of wine a small food processor and a Brita water pitcher here. Our kids have a game console in there. I really wouldn’t pack those things and I wouldn’t ship them back and forth. But it’s nice to have them here.

The convenience of Owner’s Locker will make sense for some people and others will feel it’s unnecessary and to be honest, there’s no right and wrong here.

Just like my friend’s special suitcase, other people like to ship things here. You should see the huge pile of boxes being shipped out of the Fed Ex/Kinko’s near Crossroads every Monday morning. I hope that people will compare the convenience of have a Locker waiting for them when they arrive and automatically picked up when they leave with that of packing a box and taking it to the shipping company before you leave and then having to deal with shipping it back home on your way out of town.

Now, about cost and whether we’re going to be around. I’m a bit uncomfortable replying to this, as I’m shy by nature, but I want to be candid. I’ve had a lot of responsibility in my career and I know how to build a business. I have poured considerable time effort and money into developing Owner’s Locker. It may seem like a simple concept, but I think the Beta Trial members can tell you that it is really a VERY complicated operation and we have made sure that we do it in an extremely efficient manner. I tell myself that this is people’s vacations that we’re dealing with and there is NO margin for error. In building the business, we have been cost conscious where we could be but we have gold plated items that have to be top notch. Like our warehouse management system that tracks all Lockers with barcodes and what I think is a killer website. This is not a cheap business and I think once you see the quality of the Locker and experience the service, many of you will conclude that is good value for money.

Lastly, I don’t do things that I don’t plan to stick with. This business is my dream. I and several investors have put a lot of money into developing it and I can assure you that if I didn’t have the confidence that we would be around, I wouldn’t waste your time or mine even starting it up.

Thanks again for your comments.
John

 

[goofy4tink]

Thanks John!!! I think I'm just like your friend...have a WDW cardboard box with all my Disney stuff in it. It's all part of the tradition of getting ready to go. However, I think I can get used to having that stuff waiting for me in my room!!! I'm sure I'll find another tradition to fill the void!!!
Thanks for your lengthy post. My dh is a normally cynical type person, and of course wondered if I was going to have to make a last minute trip to Orlando to retrieve my box of things before it was carted off by your creditors!!! I'm looking forward to signing up....off to do that now. Looking forward to a long relationship with my 'purple box'!!!

 

[magicmommy]

A Beta Trial member checking in and here is our story. I read about the service awhile back and signed up as this year we had 3 trips planned. We are DVC owners and plan on at least 2 trips per year. Sometimes it is DH and I sometimes it is me and the girls and sometimes with our 2 teenaged boys. When I told DH I signed up for the trial he of course said we don't need that, so of course I did not listen. We arrived at SSR on our April school vacation with our 2 kids and the rest of my family was arriving for another 2BR unit on Sunday. I packed a 6TH suitcase for stuff I wanted to keep in the locker...Can you tell I pack light??? We checked in at midnight and went back to the desk in the morning for our luggage and our locker...they said it was not there so I decided to call Brian at OL who had given me his cell just in case. I wasn't so much worried about getting the locker but as a Beta trial member I thought I should report it. Brian told me he had delivered it and was at the BW and would be right over....sure enough the locker was there and then Brian popped in to meet us in person. What a nice guy and I wish he and John all the best. Well we have so much stuff in that locker and DH thinks it is the greatest so much so that we are really thinking of getting a second one. We never rent a car at WDW but my parents had one so in addition to what I brought down I also have 2 wine glasses in case we stay in a studio, 2 lovely bottles of Merlot and a bottle of baccardi. We have a sewing kit a first aid kit and so much stuff I can't believe it all fits...nothing like having everything you need at your fingertips....John and Brian thanks!!!!!

 

[Greysword]

Ok, I'm kind of daft. So does one visit mean one trip from the storage facility to WDW or is it s round trip thing (delivery and drop off)?

Thanks!

 

[dznymom1]

I am another very happy Beta Tester and I will absolutely continue the service when my trial is up. I usually fly down 3 or 4 times a year - sometimes it's just me, sometimes with DH & kids, and sometimes with Sis or friends. I have tried shipping boxes which is a big fat PITA and generally costs me a small fortune because I procrastinate and have to pay a premium price to get my stuff there on time. I usually don't rent a car, so I am at Disney's mercy if I need anything like medication, bandaids, or toiletries. I also have the WDW only stuff (ponchos, coffee filters, laundry tablets, unmbrellas, etc) I always had to drag back & forth. I tend to overpack, but I detest dragging luggage around. I am down to a single rolling carry on now! These days I fire off an email to Brian & John, and when I get to my resort the front desk tells me I have package. My Home-in-a-Box is delivered to my room, and VOILA I am HOME On go my fuzzy slippers, out comes the wine, corkscrew and Mickey wine glasses and I am in full vacation mode. There is no doubt that my Owner's Locker has enhanced my vacations

Oh, and I have never met John or Brian, but my experience thus far has been excellent and I feel totally confident in them.

 

[jdvm]

Actually a very good question, Chris. We define a Visit as removing your Locker from storage location in our warehouse, delivering it to your resort so it is waiting for you when you arrive AND picking it back up when you depart and placing it back into storage in our warehouse.
John

p.s. thanks for all of the kind comments from our Beta Trial Members. I know this is a new service and in many ways we're in unknown territory but the great feedback from people actually using the service is VERY gratifying.
j

 

[goofy4tink]

All signed up. I loved the comment about the Mickey wine glasses....how ever did you know what was going in my box??!! Have a nice long list of things to bring in Aug...I'll have to cart duplicates since I'll be heading to the port for a cruise, but I'm going to have a ton of room for nice things to bring home now!!!!

 

[Inkmahm]

All signed up. I loved the comment about the Mickey wine glasses....how ever did you know what was going in my box??!! Have a nice long list of things to bring in Aug...I'll have to cart duplicates since I'll be heading to the port for a cruise, but I'm going to have a ton of room for nice things to bring home now!!!!

We plan on getting our locker Dec 1 when we are at AKL for the night before our 4 day cruise. Then we'll take the locker WITH us on the cruise and bring it back for the 4 nights we'll stay at BWV after the cruise. Maybe you don't need to bring duplicates afterall.

 

[murcor]

:

At home we are thrifty and cost conscious, at Disney it is all relative. A $13 mug is a good price, $100 for a family dinner out is reasonable, etc.

LOL...but so true

 

[kathyseb]

Another member checking in.

For all you disbelievers that this is not for you, read on.

We visit WDW three times a year.

And we drive each trip.

We drive a truck, so space is not a problem for us.

Just DH and myself.

Do we need a locker? We thought not. But we are learning the error of our ways.

We have used our locker twice now. The first time we were newbies and really had not put a lot of thought into it.

So yes, when we checked out last December, we tossed some things into it, but barely covered the bottom of the locker.

When we went back down last month, we were a little better prepared.

Since it is just the two of us, we always stay in a studio. Since the first trip as DVC members in 2003, I knew we could not properly heat up our left over Uno's pizza on paper plates.

We spent a lot of time looking for plates to take down with us. All the cute ones were not microwave safe.

We ended up getting Correll. We also take silverware and Mickey Mouse juice glasses down.

With our Owner's Locker, we can now store all that stuff with Brian and John and not have to worry about it.

We have things in our locker that we only use down there. As others said, coffee filters, rain ponchos, a spare set of camera batteries (we have gotten caught twice down at WDW with dead batteries.), soap, shampoo, first aid items.

We also have a set of blue champange glasses that have made every trip with us for the last 14 years.

We left the glasses there along with a cork screw and a bottle of wine.

We met up with John when we were there last month and he asked us how we could bare to let the glasses out of our sight.
We told him we had entrusted them to him.

And that is the truth. After following the company for the past eight or nine months, it is obvious they have poured their heart and souls into making it right. They are more than willing to listen to peoples suggestions. They treat you like part of their family.

We have now started to take things we never would have even thought about taking. A casserole dish to warm things in the microwave. I just bought a set of kitchen towels to leave in the locker on our next trip.

You receive an email, or a text message that the locker is staged and ready for delivery. We got that message before we left home (I think it came through on a Thursday and we checked in on the following Sunday). By the time we got home, we had another message that the locker was picked up and back at the warehouse.

The cost has to be weighed against a lot of factors. Your time is one, but were you throwing things away because it was half empty and why cart it home with me? Or the cost of shipping a box down there?

All this takes is a visit to a website to schedule a visit and they take care of everything else.

Price? Everything has a price. This is our vacation and I guess we don't want to be bothered by the little things.
Owner's Locker allows your time down at the World to be a little less stressful.

 

[DVCconvert]

Not a member...BUT;

I think it's a fantastic idea, and priced correctly - espeically for those who visit WDW more than once per year.

As to the credibility of the company, I feel very comfortable in saying that I can personally vouch for John. You can trust him to do what is right by his customers.

Personally, I hope and expect that Owners Locker will be a sucess, and that their storage options (maybe to include cars) will increase as time goes on!

 

[bavaria]

I am the atypical Owner's Locker owner. I am a single traveller who travels to Orlando anywhere from 2 to 10 times per year, on both leisure and business travel.

I am away from home up to 300 nights/year, and I have learned that vacation is not a time to skimp on comforts from home.

My locker is filled with items which make me feel like I am at home, from a duvet to sandwich maker to milk frother for my morning latte.

The cost is in line with what I currently pay to ship items all around North America while travelling.

And like Convert, I can personally vouch for John - he is an entrepreneur who has discovered a new type of business, and will do everything to ensure that things work well.

 

[graygables]

I, too, am a beta tester. We flew our last trip, but most are driving with a cargo trailer, so room/airline restrictions are usually not a problem. The best part to me is the not having to buy new ponchos, water bottles, ears, etc, b/c they got forgotten at home. I also packed some special mugs, plus the basics: coffee, tea, sugar, creamer, dish soap, room/fabric spray. We put in a large Brita water filter b/c none of us like the water and we hate paying for what comes out of the tap for free. We just refill our cheapie water bottles with cold, fresh, filtered water and we're good to go! The locker really is a good size, and if you pack it right, you can get a LOT in there. Oh, and I never understood why people would bring their own sheets, but I gave it a whirl this last trip and WHAT A DIFFERENCE it made in our rest levels! No more stiff, itchy, flat sheets popping off underneath us in our Princess and the Pea-esque sleep! Without the Locker, I probably never would have bothered, but my sheets are now safely ensconced, waiting for our next trip. It really is a brilliant concept.

 

[bavaria]

I was watching a CNN Intl piece with Richard Quest about business travellers who 'live' in more than one place (Sometimes my life feels like I am running the Amazing Race). Many of us store things in different locations, or own two sets of everything.

One of the questions was 'where is home? - where your clothes are? where the family is? etc'

My answer to that is that I make 'home' whereever I am, and that is why I have so many items from home with me. My locker allows me to do that more easily than in other locations (and I hope that one day John will be so successful that I will have a locker in Chicago and DC as well.... )

On a travel related board, we were talking about toiletries on the road, and I made it clear that I always take enough of my favourite brands. Why should I smell differently, or feel less comfortable when on vacation? After all, vacation is when you should feel BEST, and not like you are living on borrowed items....

 

[La2kw]

With upcoming trips planned DW and I were discussing using their service. Have any of you guys done it? How was it? What do you think of the price$$$$?
Thanks,
Chris

Too expensive. Shipping by UPS is much cheaper.

 

[wdwstar]

We are Beta Trial Members too, and we have used it once so far ( leaving our things in the locker). We are going back in june, oct, dec/jan. so far and when i think about packing for each trip, i get the feeling of RELIEF, like LIFERBABE said. All i have to pack for each trip will be clothes and shoes, sounds like a dream come true ! I have to confess i dont like packing and it takes me days, now that all the odds and ends that we need will already be there for us and waiting upon arrival will be great. we have kids swim noodles to queen air mattress, sheets to laundry soap and all the usually stuff.
right now the only complain i have, where can we upgrade to a bigger locker so we can do away with bringing suitcases

Thank you for this great offer to be one of the Beta Trial Members.

 

[jdvm]

Thanks for the kind words, wdwstar!!!

We're already working on future Lockers including ones for golf, tennis, Christmas and clothes. The clothes Locker will be a biggie with an area to hang clothes on one side and shelves/drawers on the other.

We'll also soon be introducing what we call "Out of the Box" where we'll store just about anything (no kids) that won't fit in one of our Lockers--like bicycles, a canoe--or even a car!!

Stay tuned

John