Would you complain (should I complain) about a poor stay?

[pangyal]

We are just on our way home from the Grand Californian and were so disappointed. This is actually the first time I have considered possibly asking for some points back due to negative experiences in a DVC stay, and am looking for some feedback.

When we arrived, we learned that the pool was closed and completely out of service. We had not received a letter or email. My son was super upset (he's 7, what can I say, the magnetic draw of pools is still strong!) and the lovely CM at the front told him that he could go and use the monorail slides at the Disneyland Hotel. She also very generously offered us dinner vouchers to apologize for our not being told about the pool refurb.

When we got to our room (construction/pool view, lol), my mum slipped on the plastic that was stretched in front of the elevators (no warning signs). This was at almost midnight, so we chalked it up to late night preparation for the following day, but weren't quite sure why there was plastic inside until we got into the hallway and saw that half of it was sheeted off with plastic.

Okay, so they are working on the whole floor, no worries, we have park tickets and my mom (who didn't buy tickets) can hang out at the resort since they are only working on the pool right? Nope- the construction was all over our floor (3rd) plus right outside the window. This is not the hotel's fault, to be fair, as they can't control who gets pool view and I am sure we are not the only ones who requested either Redwoods or PP view and got pool. It was just annoying that we weren't told about the amount of construction in general (or at all). We also ended up nearly bailing multiple times on the hallway plastic and learned to leap as soon as the elevator doors opened in order to avoid the plastic on the floor.

There was no kettle, our coffee maker was broken, the kitchen was missing half the amenities in terms of dishes and cooking utensils, and the pullout couch was broken, so my mom had a horrible sleepless first night as they said they had to wait until morning to replace it. They agreed when they saw it that the mattress on it was very clearly warped. We asked if we could instead just switch rooms and they said they were fully booked (of course, with only 69 units!).

We headed over to Disneyland Hotel the next day after DL when our son begged for the slides. Nope, Monorail slides were down for construction as well for the foreseeable future. So, we went back to the GCV to our villa to find that the venting was somehow not working and there was a warm cooking smell hanging in there for the rest of our trip. We tried to just keep the doors open, but it got chilly.

The master bathroom door for the shower appeared to be in its final stage of life somewhere and let out an unsettling crashing noise when opened.

On Monday and Tuesday nights, we were all awakened at regular intervals to the sounds of what sounded like Hades dragging live souls down to the Underworld, coming from the pipes, into the early morning.

On Wednesday, we received a notice that the water would be shut off overnight. We encountered more of the same creaking agony coming from the pipes as the preceding nights.

On Thursday night, our last night, the pipes were quieter, so perhaps whatever they were working on had been fixed.

I don't know if GCV usually runs any kids' activities, but they weren't even doing that.

I would like to know if these concerns can just be chalked up to bad luck or if more seasoned members can guide me with regards to what we should have done to handle these issues better, if anything? Are we being overly sensitive?

Would it be reasonable to request some points back? I'm aware that we received the dinner vouchers; however, that was as an apology for not having notified us of the pool being out of service, so I'm not sure if we should stop there or push on for a partial refund of points.

Sorry so long. Any thoughts?

 

[adisneyaunt]

Awful service, and if it were me I would speak up. I think it's Always better to bring it to someone's attention as it is unfolding but you seem to have documented well.
So yes. I agree, that was not Bad luck.. that was an utter complete lack of Caring and poor service all around.
Good luck!

 

[PatMcDuck]

Wow, that sounds pretty bad. I have stayed at VGC many times, never had any real problem except being given a ground floor room despite requesting upper floor. (they moved us the next day, we were there for 6 nights. It is a safety issue that we cannot have the ground floor, my adult special needs son reach the child proof door latch. The doors open to the outside with no railing or barrier).

I usually think not to make such a request, but you have quite a long list there. I think I would have complained more while I was there, but not sure what could have been done. You may not get a points adjustment, but I think your feedback is valuable.

 

[Uncranky Donald]

Bummer, I'm so sorry you had so many issues on your trip I would certainly say something,dinner vouchers or not. My parents, aunt and uncle were burglarized in their DVC room once and all they got were dinner vouchers, til this day I can't believe they didn't complain further I think you can request anything you'd like, what you'll get who knows, but I think it's important that they know what you experienced. The water going off I've had happen a few times at WDW, but not being told about the construction is pretty crazy on top of everything else. Good Luck with giving your feedback

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't know why you wouldn't have complained with each thing at the time.

The pool info has been public for a decent amount of time. Even wdw doesn't always manage to get a letter out each time.

I get that checking a website periodically does not come naturally to some, but since Disney has never been perfect it's good to do just that.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/hotels/grand-californian-hotel/recreation/

From January 2017 through fall 2017, it is possible that you may see and hear construction as we make improvements to Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. To minimize any disruptions, activities that may create noise will not start earlier than 9:00 AM.

• Room refurbishments will occur from January 2017 through fall 2017.
• The pools and poolside cabanas will be closed for refurbishment from January 2017 to spring 2017. The pools and waterslides at the Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel will be available for your enjoyment, and poolside cabanas at Disneyland Hotel will be available for reservations.
• The Great Hall lobby will be refurbished and access will be limited beginning June 2017 through early August 2017. Some Guest rooms will not be available during this time.
• The Craftsman’s Club concierge lounge will be temporarily relocated from early August 2017 through early October 2017.
• 
  To learn more about these refurbishments, please call (714) 956-6425. Guests under age 18 years must have parent or guardian permission to call.
  

 

[pangyal]

I don't know why you wouldn't have complained with each thing at the time.

The pool info has been public for a decent amount of time. Even wdw doesn't always manage to get a letter out each time.

I get that checking a website periodically does not come naturally to some, but since Disney has never been perfect it's good to do just that.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/hotels/grand-californian-hotel/recreation/

We actually did mention everything each time and were given apologies.

At the end of the stay, I went to the front desk to make sure that our complaints had been noted somewhere and there was nothing on record at the front desk. Our airport ride was coming so I couldn't stand there and go over everything yet again.

That website mentions nothing of ongoing water pipe issues, rooms/hallways being out of commission, or the Disneyland pool slides being down.

 

[disneynutz]

Disney tends to paint a picture of perfection and we have learned that if Disney bothers to post info or send letters about construction, you should expect the worse and hope for the best.

Bill

 

[rlk]

All those thing sound awful. I would certainly contact DVC member services.

This past August, we experience several issues while staying at BCV. BCV was finishing up renovations, so I overlooked the noise and minor disruptions. What I could not overlook was the noise from workers ripping down an elevator shed on my floor (our room was very close to elevators) at 11:55pm. I tried to overlook that the door to our room was not hung or measured correctly and therfore it took the strength of two people to pull it closed or push it open. They tried to have maintenance repair it, but they couldn't because they needed to replace the whole door frame.

I spoke to a DVC manage who happened to be in the BCV lobby one morning and she very kindly offered to give us back our points for 2 nights.

 

[pangyal]

Thank you, all!

Would anybody know the best way to contact the appropriate department to request a review of the situation?

 

[disneynutz]

Thank you, all!

Would anybody know the best way to contact the appropriate department to request a review of the situation?

email dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com

Bill

 

[lisaviolet]

I am so sorry to hear about your stay OP. What a disappointment when there is such anticipation for a lovely trip. Not to mention money spent.

Satisfaction team. I have had wonderful stays for over a decade at DVC. But I had one really awful stay. And it was for two weeks. I'm not exaggerating to say I had daily issues. It was bizarre, a perfect storm.I honestly felt like I was working for Disney, instead of vacationing. As I dealt with each issue at the time as well. My issues on that holiday started even before the vacation with member services. I have had not had one stay like that before or since. But I knew the higher ups needed to and would be interested in knowing all the issues. And I certainly didn't want another member to experience what I did.

This is where you are going to get differing opinions. People have had such good conversations with the satisfaction team. Ongoing ones, or it would not be linked.

I did not. I felt like I was talking to rude brats on two different occasions. And young immature ones at that. I did not get a phone call back from my letter and called in to inquire further. When I was getting nowhere with two different employees, simply of being heard and not accused of erroneous matters I immediately stopped the conversation and asked to put on to a higher up. It got worse. I was told I was the problem since I had issues with two employees. Absolutely ridiculous.

I did not stop. And lucked out by contacting the manager of one of the resorts where there were various issues.

He was astonished that I had gone through so much on vacation, was not taken care of after the fact and he put me to a very high level. We had great communication.

I had a great conversation with the next contact as well. I also gave credit where credit was due as well, as is always smart when conveying issues. I did let the last person know that the communication with member satisfaction was as poor as the vacation. And that I was leaving him with the trust that that issue would be discussed, and dealt with, as well. Or even better, that it was a taped conversation. And they could hear for themselves, without my or the two employees take on the matter. I also straightforwardly asked for what I thought was a decent and fair compensation for me being on vacation helping Disney figure out their own issues - before, daily during and after the fact. I did not get what I asked for, but did receive something.

So if you get a wonderful conversation with membership satisfaction, as many members do , fantastic. But my point is if you don't get anywhere, keep moving up the chain.

 

[disneynutz]

The reality is that to us Disney is a very expensive once in a while vacation and Disney has sold us on how wonderful they are. To Disney they are a business and we are the money spenders. Not to say that they can't provide a great time but odds are that at sometime during your years of vacations there, you will have issues. Also the more often that you vacation there your chances of issues increases.

DVC is a third party to resort issues. They have no control of what the resort or housekeeping does. They can contact them on our behalf but little more. They might refund some points but don't count on it, the resort may give room credits or fast passes but don't count on it. Usually it's up to the CM and what mood they are in.

Bill

 

[Anal Annie]

I'm sorry to read that you had so many issues. We always seem to have a few things on each of our trips to WDW too. Our 1 and only stay at VGC was fine but it was only for 2 nights. We never get the views or locations we request (including at VGC and Aulani which were both disappointing but what can you do). Our trip to SSR in January was not without a couple of complications in our studio either. The carpets were wet for the first night and day - apparently they had just been cleaned. But it was a shock that night when we took our shoes off to hit a wet floor. You would think they would give them a day to dry before putting someone in the room to stay. The larger bottom drawer in our tv / dresser unit was broken off the rails which limited our storage space as it was unusable. I did report it at the front desk before we left and hopefully it will be repaired. If there were missing items in the kitchen or a coffee pot not working I would have most certainly called housekeeping immediately and asked for replacements. I'm sure they would have brought them as we once had a toaster that wouldn't work and I called for a new one and it was no problem to have it replaced.

My one question tho about your pool issue (probably everybody staying there now is also disappointed) is what would you have done differently if they HAD sent you a letter letting you know ahead of time of the pool closure? Would you have canceled the trip and rebooked for another time?

I would definitely write to member satisfaction though. I have found them to be pretty responsive in the past. Although you may not get compensation with returned points...never hurts to ask.

 

[pangyal]

I'm sorry to read that you had so many issues. We always seem to have a few things on each of our trips to WDW too. Our 1 and only stay at VGC was fine but it was only for 2 nights. We never get the views or locations we request (including at VGC and Aulani which were both disappointing but what can you do). Our trip to SSR in January was not without a couple of complications in our studio either. The carpets were wet for the first night and day - apparently they had just been cleaned. But it was a shock that night when we took our shoes off to hit a wet floor. You would think they would give them a day to dry before putting someone in the room to stay. The larger bottom drawer in our tv / dresser unit was broken off the rails which limited our storage space as it was unusable. I did report it at the front desk before we left and hopefully it will be repaired. If there were missing items in the kitchen or a coffee pot not working I would have most certainly called housekeeping immediately and asked for replacements. I'm sure they would have brought them as we once had a toaster that wouldn't work and I called for a new one and it was no problem to have it replaced.

My one question tho about your pool issue (probably everybody staying there now is also disappointed) is what would you have done differently if they HAD sent you a letter letting you know ahead of time of the pool closure? Would you have canceled the trip and rebooked for another time?

I would definitely write to member satisfaction though. I have found them to be pretty responsive in the past. Although you may not get compensation returned points...never hurts to ask.

I cannot imagine stepping onto a soaking wet floor! That sounds awful.

If we had known about the pool closures and lack of activities, we probably would have bought tickets to DL for my mom as well using the Canadian promotion that was on in the fall so she would have had something to do, and we would have planned out our days differently- perhaps with more dining reservations or maybe a tour of LA booked ahead of time. As it was, we ended up sitting around the room a lot since DL was too busy and all the tours were booked up weeks ago.

We did get our items replaced in the kitchen, but it was a pain to have to call Housekeeping and have somebody wait in the room for every item that was found to be missing each and every time.

 

[bumbershoot]

We actually did mention everything each time and were given apologies.

At the end of the stay, I went to the front desk to make sure that our complaints had been noted somewhere and there was nothing on record at the front desk. Our airport ride was coming so I couldn't stand there and go over everything yet again.

That website mentions nothing of ongoing water pipe issues, rooms/hallways being out of commission, or the Disneyland pool slides being down.

You didn't mention that you complained each time in your OP. Impossible for a reader to know that.

I haven't read anything about a long term closure if the slides in the Disneyland forum. So I might doubt the people who indicated that they were 100% closed.

I am lucky in that I dislike the Grand. I will stay at motel 6 before I stay there. On the Disneyland forum there are years of complaints about how bad it is during construction and the water pipes and everything. In my research for our one stay there (where I learned that the only nice part of it is the lobby) I knew that there would be construction. And it was noisy.

I'm not saying don't write in. Im simply not surprised by all of it.

And I wish you had mentioned that you had complained about each and every thing. Learning to jump while getting out of an elevator is a level of acceptance that didn't sound like you had been fighting back at the time.

 

[alisonslp]

It is doubtful you will get anything after the fact but I still would write a letter to ensure it is documented in case anything happens in the future. It is always best to deal with any problems in the moment and to request/demand amends right then. If you had explained your situation about your mother not having any place to relax, they may have offered discounted park tix for her instead of or in addition to the dinner vouchers. But reality is that Disney posted the refurbishments on their site. An email or letter is a great addition but isn't guaranteed. I always check the alerts periodically. Sometimes nothing can be done but at least I can prepare myself and family. As for the pipes. That's annoying and I would have gone down to the front desk and requested a CM/manager come up and listen to it. If it disrupted my sleep significantly, I would have requested amends. Noise during the day is acceptable for construction. Noise when I am trying to sleep is not.

As an aside - I always go around the rooms at the start of every vacation to make sure everything that we would want is there and in working order. That way I can take care of any repairs/replacements all at one time. BTW - no reason to have someone wait in the room for a CM to bring up the items. They will show themselves in and replace/repair the items.

 

[pangyal]

Great input, thanks everyone! It sounds like sending some friendly, constructive feedback in order to hopefully avoid having these issues possibly recur for other guests is the way to go, rather than requesting compensation or simply directing criticism. I guess we have just been lucky in that we have not experienced so many issues at once in previous stays, so this surprised us.

 

[Dean]

We are just on our way home from the Grand Californian and were so disappointed. This is actually the first time I have considered possibly asking for some points back due to negative experiences in a DVC stay, and am looking for some feedback.

When we arrived, we learned that the pool was closed and completely out of service. We had not received a letter or email. My son was super upset (he's 7, what can I say, the magnetic draw of pools is still strong!) and the lovely CM at the front told him that he could go and use the monorail slides at the Disneyland Hotel. She also very generously offered us dinner vouchers to apologize for our not being told about the pool refurb.

When we got to our room (construction/pool view, lol), my mum slipped on the plastic that was stretched in front of the elevators (no warning signs). This was at almost midnight, so we chalked it up to late night preparation for the following day, but weren't quite sure why there was plastic inside until we got into the hallway and saw that half of it was sheeted off with plastic.

Okay, so they are working on the whole floor, no worries, we have park tickets and my mom (who didn't buy tickets) can hang out at the resort since they are only working on the pool right? Nope- the construction was all over our floor (3rd) plus right outside the window. This is not the hotel's fault, to be fair, as they can't control who gets pool view and I am sure we are not the only ones who requested either Redwoods or PP view and got pool. It was just annoying that we weren't told about the amount of construction in general (or at all). We also ended up nearly bailing multiple times on the hallway plastic and learned to leap as soon as the elevator doors opened in order to avoid the plastic on the floor.

There was no kettle, our coffee maker was broken, the kitchen was missing half the amenities in terms of dishes and cooking utensils, and the pullout couch was broken, so my mom had a horrible sleepless first night as they said they had to wait until morning to replace it. They agreed when they saw it that the mattress on it was very clearly warped. We asked if we could instead just switch rooms and they said they were fully booked (of course, with only 69 units!).

We headed over to Disneyland Hotel the next day after DL when our son begged for the slides. Nope, Monorail slides were down for construction as well for the foreseeable future. So, we went back to the GCV to our villa to find that the venting was somehow not working and there was a warm cooking smell hanging in there for the rest of our trip. We tried to just keep the doors open, but it got chilly.

The master bathroom door for the shower appeared to be in its final stage of life somewhere and let out an unsettling crashing noise when opened.

On Monday and Tuesday nights, we were all awakened at regular intervals to the sounds of what sounded like Hades dragging live souls down to the Underworld, coming from the pipes, into the early morning.

On Wednesday, we received a notice that the water would be shut off overnight. We encountered more of the same creaking agony coming from the pipes as the preceding nights.

On Thursday night, our last night, the pipes were quieter, so perhaps whatever they were working on had been fixed.

I don't know if GCV usually runs any kids' activities, but they weren't even doing that.

I would like to know if these concerns can just be chalked up to bad luck or if more seasoned members can guide me with regards to what we should have done to handle these issues better, if anything? Are we being overly sensitive?

Would it be reasonable to request some points back? I'm aware that we received the dinner vouchers; however, that was as an apology for not having notified us of the pool being out of service, so I'm not sure if we should stop there or push on for a partial refund of points.

Sorry so long. Any thoughts?

IMO this would be a valid complaint, I'd use the email link provided above. As posted, it sounds like a refund of all or almost all points would be in order.

 

[lisaviolet]

Great input, thanks everyone! It sounds like sending some friendly, constructive feedback in order to hopefully avoid having these issues possibly recur for other guests is the way to go, rather than requesting compensation or simply directing criticism. I guess we have just been lucky in that we have not experienced so many issues at once in previous stays, so this surprised us.

Best of luck with everything.

It's important to let them know what is not working, for all of us.

______________________________________________

And I too had never experienced anything like I did in those two weeks. But I've had probably four or five stays since and have had wonderful stays. And I've made a conscious choice to share the great customer service.

 

[lovin'fl]

I had a construction stay, week long stay, at BWV that had issues too. I went to desk twice but kept getting nowhere. Then on check out I asked to speak to manager who then came out and greeted me in line. So I loudly went down my list of issues. And she offered to give us back 1 night's points on both of the rooms we had booked, and only one room was an issue so I felt it was fair compensation. So, OP, you should complain.