WOW - lots of reports lately of pushy Guides!

[Crystal_27]

Is anyone else surprised at the number of reports of pushy Guides lately for new owners? I know that The DIS community is only a small portion of all DVC owners, but I don't remember reading about the types of scenarios that I'm reading about when we bought in (particularly when the new owners seem to take it as a matter of course). It seems the norm to try and pressure someone into making a decision, or try and sell them on a resort that isn't their first choice (especially baffling is when the Guides are pushing VGC or HHI to those who want to vacation at WDW every year). I'm sure that the Guides are under a lot of pressure but GEEZE!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

We had friends sign up for the tour in January to get the $100, and were also very interested.

Well...the day of the tour was the same day that they found a bug infestation in their room and on their kids. Ewwww!!!

So, they decided to send us with the husband on the tour while the wife had all kinds of Disney CMs coming in and out of their hotel room. She said that Disney was very good, but IMHO they could have done much better.

Anyway, the wife was kind of disappointed to know that she couldn't get the $100 even though she missed the presentation due to the bugs!

The guide was very insistent that they come back later in the trip, for them to get the $100. They wanted to do that...but the bugs continued to be an issue. Matter of fact they had to dispose of their luggage after returning home.

I know the high pressure tactics work on a lot of people, but for some of us...my friend included...high pressure tactics turn some people off!

Also, for what its worth...my guide in 2002 was a little more high pressure than I would have liked...and we eventually bought resale.

 

[tjkraz]

I can't speak to the quotas DVC sets for its staff but they do have Guides who have thrived in the role for many, many years without resorting to high-pressure tactics or misdirection.

Having been in a management position, I've learned first hand that you can thoroughly train employees and try to instill a certain work ethic and philosophy. But when left to their own devices, the results are often unpredictable.

There are good Guides and there are bad Guides. Fortunately the bad ones don't seem to stick around very long.

 

[ssawka]

Our guide, who is a DVC veteran, was quite the opposite. At times I did not even feel like we wanted the sale. He was extremely helpful and courteous, but not once did he ask "so, are you interested." He was basically there to answer questions as I presented different scenarios to him. It was really nice! Maybe it was because he is a DVC veteran, maybe it's because we did everything over the phone, maybe it is because I was a referral from my brother who had the same guide, or maybe it was because he knew it was going to be an easy sale.

 

[goofy4tink]

My dh was in WDW with a work conference. One of the brokers he took has been very interested in DVC. My dh really wanted to check out BLT (since I bought there but he had never seen it) and his broker friend was interested in it as a purchase. I told dh to make an appt for a tour, rather than try to just show up..in case they got held up at a park or such.
Well, his broker friend booked the tour and off they went. But, evidently, the friend has been talking/working with a DVC guide. He didn't give it a thought when he booked the tour. But that booking must have connected with the guide because the guide called him, on his cell phone and was not a happy camper. He told the broker that he was the guide of record and he didn't appreciate his (the broker) going around him to book a tour...and that any business generated should be to his credit, not some random tour guide.
Now...those weren't his exact words but it's pretty close. My dh's friend (the broker) was really put off by the attitude. He wasn't planning on sitting down and buying that afternoon..he just wanted to see the property.
Of course, dh did remind him to use us as a referral if/when they decided to buy.
I know my old guide was really good...no pushiness at all. But she retired. Now we have a new guide. He seems to be pretty decent, although we haven't had much contact as of yet.

 

[dburg30]

I'm sure with the way the economy has been, they have possibly made changes that make it appear more pushy then before. I will admit though that our guide was not pushy at all. I had done some checking into it, but didnt think the Mrs. would be interested in it. One day I said something about going and checking it out, and she agreed. After we took the tour, I asked some questions and we left, she asked me why we hadnt looked into this before . The guide never asked us if we wanted to buy. At that point I think both he and I figured it was just a tour. Well, we bought the next day

So at least Nov 08 our guide wasnt pushy at all.

I do wonder if it's the guide(s) that are pushy or if DVC has, as I mentioned, changed their training to a different strategy?

 

[JenSop]

Our guide isn't pushy at all. I still remember going in for our initial tour in 2006. I went in with the mentality I would if we were car shopping. (I'm usually the "tough one" with sales people, since I'm a small woman, I've learned to not let people walk all over me.) Well, she NEVER was pushy, and when I went in to a bit of a defensive stance, she said that if it didn't sound right for us, that we could leave at any time. Even after that tour, she didn't really contact us at all. WE contacted her a year later to buy in.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have a TON of pressure on them right now with the sales. I've worked part time retail for YEARS, and I can attest to feeling pressure from the people at the top to make sure you achieve your numbers! It's all about the numbers. And if people are feeling that their jobs are in jeopardy if they don't bring their numbers up, I would expect them to get a bit more aggressive.

 

[disneynutz]

As the DVC becomes more popular and continues to grow, the demands made by Disney Corporate continues to grow also.

As a Guide you either make sales or you are asked to leave. The Senior Guides know how to work the system. The newer Guides tend to be more pushy.


Bill

 

[Just Granny]

We were at BLT in Sept '09 for our granddaughter's 1st birthday. Our DD & SIL went on the tour, and later DH & I did the tour with the same guide. (We have owned a non-Disney timeshare for over 15 years, so our guide really didn't have to 'sell' anything to us.) The following day we went back to get the ownership paperwork completed. When Miss Guide asked if she could do anything to 'welcome us home', I mentioned in passing how much our granddaughter loved Tinkerbell. We had wanted to get her autograph, but couldn't imagine standing in a 90-120 minute line with a 1 yr old. Right away, Miss Guide said she would get Tink's autograph along with a couple of other items and mail them to our house for granddaughter's birthday (which was Sept 23). As of today -- no Tink autograph. Miss Guide was also adamant that we call her to book our first vacation. But when I called her to make arrangements, she didn't want to talk to me at all. I know the guides have their normal day to day responsibilities, but she was actually pretty rude to me -- even telling me that I could have just called the DVC member services instead of her. It was presented to us that she would be our point of contact for DVC, but evidently that is not the case.

 

[surfer_ed]

I used to always get a call form my guide when I stayed. Did not hear anything on my last stay...funny thing was on that stay my wife and I started to think about an add-on.

I have not been able to reach him and sent memeber services three emails since my reutrn asking to get a call and one month later still no call...

 

[connorlevismom]

We were at BLT in Sept '09 for our granddaughter's 1st birthday. Our DD & SIL went on the tour, and later DH & I did the tour with the same guide. (We have owned a non-Disney timeshare for over 15 years, so our guide really didn't have to 'sell' anything to us.) The following day we went back to get the ownership paperwork completed. When Miss Guide asked if she could do anything to 'welcome us home', I mentioned in passing how much our granddaughter loved Tinkerbell. We had wanted to get her autograph, but couldn't imagine standing in a 90-120 minute line with a 1 yr old. Right away, Miss Guide said she would get Tink's autograph along with a couple of other items and mail them to our house for granddaughter's birthday (which was Sept 23). As of today -- no Tink autograph. Miss Guide was also adamant that we call her to book our first vacation. But when I called her to make arrangements, she didn't want to talk to me at all. I know the guides have their normal day to day responsibilities, but she was actually pretty rude to me -- even telling me that I could have just called the DVC member services instead of her. It was presented to us that she would be our point of contact for DVC, but evidently that is not the case.

That is terrible! You don't tell someone that you are going to get Tink's autogrpagh and a few other things and send them for a childs birthday and then blow it off. That is just cruel. I know the child might not have known about it but YOU did and it was an expectation of yours that she follow through.

Kristine

 

[gkrykewy]

We experienced some (apparently atypical) pressure when we bought in 2007. Our guide told us there was a 48-hour deadline following our vacation, after which we would no longer qualify for the incentive pricing. Obviously not true.

But all's well that ends well -- we've been extremely happy with our membership, and have since bought an add-on with the same guide.

 

[tjkraz]

We experienced some (apparently atypical) pressure when we bought in 2007. Our guide told us there was a 48-hour deadline following our vacation, after which we would no longer qualify for the incentive pricing. Obviously not true.

But all's well that ends well -- we've been extremely happy with our membership, and have since bought an add-on with the same guide.

Perhaps not so atypical. There was a time when DVC did enforce those incentive windows after a tour. Used to be a lot of threads here from people who were frustrated over not being able to get the incentives reinstated after the time limit had passed.

It's been a couple of years since they did away with the deadline. Seems like it was probably around 2007. Good riddance, too. I always thought it was DVC's sleaziest practice. They never warned people about it in advance and folks who made their first inquiries from home could get the same offer with no time limit.

I could see them offering a bit of an extra discount for buying immediately following a tour (like another $2 per point), but it was silly to put a time limit on the same discount available to those who first contacted DVC by phone or email.

 

[connorlevismom]

Perhaps not so atypical. There was a time when DVC did enforce those incentive windows after a tour. Used to be a lot of threads here from people who were frustrated over not being able to get the incentives reinstated after the time limit had passed.

It's been a couple of years since they did away with the deadline. Seems like it was probably around 2007. Good riddance, too. I always thought it was DVC's sleaziest practice. They never warned people about it in advance and folks who made their first inquiries from home could get the same offer with no time limit.

I could see them offering a bit of an extra discount for buying immediately following a tour (like another $2 per point), but it was silly to put a time limit on the same discount available to those who first contacted DVC by phone or email.

We bought in Feb 2006 and did not have this deadline. Our guide sent us on our way with our information and told us to take it with us and look it over before we decided anything. He never gave us a deadline.

Kristine

 

[disneynutz]

DVD is currently going through some growing pains.

They just got a new boss, and hired a bunch of new Guides. The new Guides are only trained on BLT, AKV, and VGC, so that may be the reason that some prospective buyers are told that other resorts aren't available for purchase.

Bill

 

[tjkraz]

We bought in Feb 2006 and did not have this deadline. Our guide sent us on our way with our information and told us to take it with us and look it over before we decided anything. He never gave us a deadline.

Did I forget to mention that they weren't very consistent in applying the deadline?

Like I said, I can't remember exactly when it was phased-out. Approx 3 years ago sounds about right, but it could have been further back. .

There definitely was a time when most people touring were given a time limit by which they needed to commit or would lose the incentives. Every couple of weeks people would start threads on the DIS asking if there was a way to get incentives reinstated, or if there was a way to extend the time limit that was communicated.

I still remember one poster who ended up adding the name of a sibling to the contract and having all of the paperwork sent to the sibling's home address because it was the only way to get the $8-10 discount applied.

 

[gkrykewy]

Did I forget to mention that they weren't very consistent in applying the deadline?

Like I said, I can't remember exactly when it was phased-out. Approx 3 years ago sounds about right, but it could have been further back. .

There definitely was a time when most people touring were given a time limit by which they needed to commit or would lose the incentives. Every couple of weeks people would start threads on the DIS asking if there was a way to get incentives reinstated, or if there was a way to extend the time limit that was communicated.

I still remember one poster who ended up adding the name of a sibling to the contract and having all of the paperwork sent to the sibling's home address because it was the only way to get the $8-10 discount applied.

Interesting, thanks for the info! Glad to hear that our guide wasn't sleazier than average for that time period

 

[Just Granny]

That is terrible! You don't tell someone that you are going to get Tink's autogrpagh and a few other things and send them for a childs birthday and then blow it off. That is just cruel. I know the child might not have known about it but YOU did and it was an expectation of yours that she follow through.

Kristine

Thanks Kristine! I didn't know if I was/am just being too nit-picky or what. Our guide seemed so sincere at the time -- especially since she had just made a very easy sell! I still have her card with her direct 800#, but she seemed so put out when we were making this year's reservations. My husband wants to add-on in the next year or so, but we are very reluctant to go through this "guide" for anything else. We still love Disney, and really do not believe this is accepted practice of the Disney Corporation.

 

[papertraveller]

Well they are clearly gunning for business now. We just received a mailing that includes nine business-card sized handouts that we're supposed to give to our friends, with our guide's name right there at the top.
We have no issues with DVC, and are happy with our purchase. But we've never heard from him since buying ...

 

[Just Granny]

Well they are clearly gunning for business now. We just received a mailing that includes nine business-card sized handouts that we're supposed to give to our friends, with our guide's name right there at the top.
We have no issues with DVC, and are happy with our purchase. But we've never heard from him since buying ...

When we bought last Sept, our guide had told us to be sure to call her when we were booking our first trip as 'owners'. So, we did ... and she told us basically not to call her anymore but to go through owner services for all business. Our family is die-hard Disney fans, and we know the value of owning and staying on-site. We really wish we would have known about DVC 4 years ago when we began staying on-site at GF. (My husband says that he will call the guide when we purchase our season passes in the next couple of months --- because she is 'supposed' to be our point of contact. We'll see what happens ...)