*Updated, Post 25* When is BWV slated for renovation?

[LoveBWVVBR]

I wonder if I have lower expectations than others. My SIL and her family stayed at BCV for the 1st time in the summer of 2012. We had BCV booked for Jan 2013 and they warned us that the rooms were gross (dirty and run down with lots of broken things). SIL swore I would not be happy (we stayed in condos at the beach in NC with them a couple times and they were old worn out cheap condos...like built in 1980 and not renovated since. I complained at how gross they were but SIL seemed fine with them. The hundreds of roaches scattering across the deck when you turned the porch light on was really disturbing). Anyway, she was not happy at BCV and probably won't stay there again. I was a little concerned for our trip in Jan, but we went and fell in love. It's my fave DVC resort. Our room was definitely 'lived in' and the fridge ran loud and the 2nd bedroom bathtub faucet dripped heavily. But I was not at all grossed out to walk around barefoot or climb in between the sheets (like I have been at some gross motels...and those beach condos we rented). I was very comfortable there as I have been in all the DVC villas we have stayed in (10 of them thus far...2 more coming up in a couple weeks at AKV and will be the last DVC resort on the East coast to try for us...except GFV).

I doubt it...it's more likely you and your SIL got 2 different units in different states of repair/disrepair. We have had some great DVC units over the years, including at BCV...at this point, it's the luck of the draw IMHO. Over time, if things aren't reported or maintained, they go downhill. Some units get overlooked time and again, and then you end up with a unit like the one we just had. We've had lived-in units...those are fine! Clean and maintained with some wear showing is to be expected. Dirty and not maintained is not expected.

 

[CarolMN]

OP- Sorry you got a room in bad shape and have had bad luck on previous trips, too.

We're here now at the BWV and our 1 bedroom villa is just fine. We've never had any bad rooms like you describe - just minor things like a missing remote or burned out light bulb. We've been staying once or twice a year since 1999.

Hope your luck improves!

 

[disneynutz]

I think that there are different factors at work here.

We assume that Disney cleans and does room maintenance based on need, I expect that it is based on budget.

Disney makes it's money selling timeshares, not cleaning and maintaining rooms. They want to keep the dues rate low to attract sales so they set a lower than necessary budget number other wise they would do a better job. It's some how to their advantage to deal with guests that get a bad room and complain then to do a better job. Maybe the "oh we are sorry" credits come out of a different account.

As I have posted on other threads, to us Disney is a magic vacation that we wait all year for, for the front desk, mousekeeping, and engineering, it's just another day at work.

Bill

 

[DisDaydreamer]

I'm pretty much in line with most. We've owned BWV since 1998 and I don't recall a bad stay in any way at any resort. But then again, we stay at Best Westerns and Hampton Inns when travelling. That really can put things into perspective for one.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Just wanted to update that DVC called me back after I sent an email with the unit pics. They seemed genuinely alarmed at the state of that unit too and said that the pictures were very helpful. From the sounds of it, they get a lot of complaints about BWV, but honestly it didn't sound like they got a lot of PICS to back up the complaints. If you get a bad unit, take pictures and send them to the email address on this thread. That is what will ultimately force the necessary renovations.

Also, I found out that the maintenance $$ from the dues is given to the resorts which then decide how to proceed with renovations. At BWV I was told the opposite...that they had to wait on DVC for the ability to do renovations. At this point, it does not sound like a large-scale interior renovation of BWV is forthcoming in the near future. As a result, we will likely sell the BWV contract. It's a bummer for sure, but we just don't want to stay there again unless they renovate. Anyways, that is my update...for us DVC was great while it lasted, but we are moving onto resorts that aren't a total crap-shoot when we check in.

 

[Deb & Bill]

... At this point, it does not sound like a large-scale interior renovation of BWV is forthcoming in the near future. As a result, we will likely sell the BWV contract. It's a bummer for sure, but we just don't want to stay there again unless they renovate. Anyways, that is my update...for us DVC was great while it lasted, but we are moving onto resorts that aren't a total crap-shoot when we check in.

That's not surprising since they just did a full scale renovation a few years ago. It will probably not be for another ten or more years.

 

[disneynutz]

Just wanted to update that DVC called me back after I sent an email with the unit pics. They seemed genuinely alarmed at the state of that unit too and said that the pictures were very helpful. From the sounds of it, they get a lot of complaints about BWV, but honestly it didn't sound like they got a lot of PICS to back up the complaints. If you get a bad unit, take pictures and send them to the email address on this thread. That is what will ultimately force the necessary renovations.

Also, I found out that the maintenance $$ from the dues is given to the resorts which then decide how to proceed with renovations. At BWV I was told the opposite...that they had to wait on DVC for the ability to do renovations. At this point, it does not sound like a large-scale interior renovation of BWV is forthcoming in the near future. As a result, we will likely sell the BWV contract. It's a bummer for sure, but we just don't want to stay there again unless they renovate. Anyways, that is my update...for us DVC was great while it lasted, but we are moving onto resorts that aren't a total crap-shoot when we check in.

I have learned that Disney has a reasons for everything and we just don't know what they are. DVC knows the state of the rooms, they get contacted all of the time. If they were really concerned, they would have someone in the villas doing occasional spot inspections. There is a reason that they don't do a better job, we just don't know what it is.

Another item to be noted is that the same conditions exist at all resorts so it's not just a problem with one resort, it must be policy.

I have heard the, "DVC is responsible", no "the resort is responsible" game before, it's easy to blame the other guy just to get rid of us and we will never know the truth.

If owner satisfaction was the driving force instead of selling profit, we would see a different result.

Maybe we should address our comments to Iger with pictures?

Bill

 

[wulfekamp]

I have had a few rooms over the years that showed some wear and tear. The worst was a 2 bed room. After 3 call to ***** all the issues were fixed. I wanted to make sure the next people staying there didn't have to deal with it.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

I have had a few rooms over the years that showed some wear and tear. The worst was a 2 bed room. After 3 call to ***** all the issues were fixed. I wanted to make sure the next people staying there didn't have to deal with it.

That was my gut feeling too...I didn't want the next person checking in to get a unit in that condition.

 

[Deb & Bill]

That was my gut feeling too...I didn't want the next person checking in to get a unit in that condition.

That's why you call Engineering/Maintenance when you find the problem. They will come and fix it quickly in most cases.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

That's why you call Engineering/Maintenance when you find the problem. They will come and fix it quickly in most cases.

The unit needs to be taken out-of-service to be maintained IMHO. We called housekeeping...obviously not the right department in hindsight. However, short of moving us, not sure what engineering/maintenance could have done on the unit immediately??? Hopefully housekeeping was able to get the unit reconditioned before assigning it to anyone else...hopefully. I will never really know though.

ETA - Wait, housekeeping said that they were going to contact engineering about the laundry room door and they hoped that engineering would be able to come right out and fix it. They never did. That said, it was Thanksgiving weekend, so maybe they were short-staffed. The laundry room door was the least of that unit's issues though.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

I have learned that Disney has a reasons for everything and we just don't know what they are. DVC knows the state of the rooms, they get contacted all of the time. If they were really concerned, they would have someone in the villas doing occasional spot inspections. There is a reason that they don't do a better job, we just don't know what it is.

Another item to be noted is that the same conditions exist at all resorts so it's not just a problem with one resort, it must be policy.

I have heard the, "DVC is responsible", no "the resort is responsible" game before, it's easy to blame the other guy just to get rid of us and we will never know the truth.

If owner satisfaction was the driving force instead of selling profit, we would see a different result.

Maybe we should address our comments to Iger with pictures?

Bill

I agree with your post 100%. The thing is, aren't the dues for a specific resort supposed to pay for the maintenance/renovations at that specific resort? So, theoretically, maintaining an existing resort should have nothing to do with building/profiting on a new one??

The "resort is responsible" no "DVC is responsible" thing was new to me. I think it's likely a collaboration on some level. Either way, the ball is getting dropped. Spot inspections would help, as would inspecting every single unit on which they get a complaint. That would probably go a long way towards getting the really bad ones renovated.

At this point, I give up as I don't see improvement on this issue anytime in the near future. Disney has location...maybe they think that that is enough. Maybe for a lot of people, that IS enough and they are willing to overlook the condition of the units. Or maybe I've just stayed in too many Marriotts and Wyndhams and know that units CAN be maintainted to high standards on much lower dues than I pay for my DVC points

 

[LSchrow]

maybe I've just stayed in too many Marriotts and Wyndhams and know that units CAN be maintainted to high standards on much lower dues than I pay for my DVC points

in may, my brother, sil & dad were staying at marriot harbour lake while DD & i were at the BWVs.
DB owns marriot (aruba), but paid cash (i don't recall exactly how much, only that it was really cheap for a 2 bdrm).

all of us noted a HUGE difference in units - but just the opposite of what you saw/felt
MHL: bathroom had many broken/cracked tiles (floor and wall), mold and/or missing grout in corners of shower & floor, small & cheap peeling/chipped laminate vanity, and very low-end fixtures & hardware (faucets, door & drawer knobs - looked like a gas station bathroom with a shower).
the kitchen was much nicer, with granite, mid-grade cabinets & fixtures, & SS appliances. the bedrooms were "serviceable" - not great, not horrible.
both the couch & carpet had some stains & wear, there were holes in screens, but the LR was in decent shape otherwise.
outside the units needed maintenance: garbage bags on the walkway (for 2+ days), cracked & buckling pavement & parking lot, dead shrubbery, litter (food wrappers, empty cups, beer bottles, etc), peeling paint.
worst was at night: the parking lot & outside of units were almost pitch-black as most outdoor fixtures were not working, and there was no security whatsoever (we visited multiple days at various times, and didn't see a single security guard patrolling).
we did notice that the resort entry and many common areas were immaculate & perfectly maintained (the areas that potential buyers are shown).

like many others, we don't simply accept DVC because we don't know any better. personally, we simply haven't seen such disrepair at any DVC resort (and only once or twice in over 50 years of travel) as we did at MHL.

personal experiences, preferences, and opinions differ, but also matter greatly - enjoy, whatever your decision

 

[DebbieB]

I agree with your post 100%. The thing is, aren't the dues for a specific resort supposed to pay for the maintenance/renovations at that specific resort? So, theoretically, maintaining an existing resort should have nothing to do with building/profiting on a new one??

In a way, they do have an incentive to keep dues down. If dues go up a higher percentage, you are less likely to add-on or buy points at a newer resort. BWV has consistently been in the 3% range for increases each year.

I do expect them to make the most of the dues money they get. They should be keeping up with basic maintenance, a room should not be in the condition you described. I don't want them to switch out stuff when not necessary, like people were complaining that the DVC resorts did not get flat screen TV's at the same time as the regular resorts.

 

[crisi]

The "resort is responsible" no "DVC is responsible" thing was new to me. I think it's likely a collaboration on some level. Either way, the ball is getting dropped. Spot inspections would help, as would inspecting every single unit on which they get a complaint. That would probably go a long way towards getting the really bad ones renovated.

I suspect both are true in their own way.

The resort has to pay for the renovations, so they need to have the capital account that has been funded by dues at a sufficient state to start.

But DVC (and in some cases another Disney division) is providing the staffing resources - for a full scale renovation, they have the decorators that pick the carpet, the project managers, the contract supervisors, the purchasing staff that negotiates for the new carpet, etc. - I'm sure the construction work is contracted out, but if the project managers and decorators are booked on getting the Grand Floridan open, there isn't anyone available to oversee doing a renovation at another resort.

I know when I was a project manager in corporate America there were a lot of times where my customers had funding, but we didn't have project management staff to run the project. Or we had funding and a project manager, but legal was booked out six months for contract work. Or we had a project manager and legal available to work on the contract, but funding....yeah, they couldn't actually pay for it when the rubber met the road. Or we had funding, a project manager, a legal team - and we were going to bring in contractors to do the code, but there wasn't anyone available to supervise the coders other than the project manager - who had no idea what good development looked like.

So the run around you are getting may be a matter of perception - DVC may be saying "yeah, we'd be happy to schedule some renovations when the resort gets funding" and the resort may be saying "well, DVC needs to get the darn thing on their schedule."

 

[A1A1]

When I am on vacation at WDW, I think of myself as an owner, not so much as a guest. As an owner, I empower myself to report issues in need of attention. I think it is my responsibility as an owner of the property to make sure things are as good as they can be. I don't believe maintenance or housekeeping can know every detail or item that we think needs attention. You know when you see the same things laying around your house every day, they don't stand out as much. You get used to seeing them laying around. People with "fresh" eyes can see things that when we are rushed we don't necessarily see.

I always report things. I would hope that other owners do too, so that my resort is well kept for my visits.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

In a way, they do have an incentive to keep dues down. If dues go up a higher percentage, you are less likely to add-on or buy points at a newer resort. BWV has consistently been in the 3% range for increases each year.

I do expect them to make the most of the dues money they get. They should be keeping up with basic maintenance, a room should not be in the condition you described. I don't want them to switch out stuff when not necessary, like people were complaining that the DVC resorts did not get flat screen TV's at the same time as the regular resorts.

Well, that must have worked on us, because we did add on at Vero years ago That is like the highest-dues resort too! It's true though...if my BWV dues had gone up a ton every year I wouldn't have wanted to add on.

We will likely keep that add-on contract even if we sell BWV contract, unless we get a unit like the BWV unit at Vero in the future

I don't think I'd even notice if a unit had a flat-screen or regular TV lol. I do notice if the grout is so dirty that I can't tell what color it is supposed to be though, so yes, I do expect basic maintenance upkeep with the dues.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

When I am on vacation at WDW, I think of myself as an owner, not so much as a guest. As an owner, I empower myself to report issues in need of attention. I think it is my responsibility as an owner of the property to make sure things are as good as they can be. I don't believe maintenance or housekeeping can know every detail or item that we think needs attention. You know when you see the same things laying around your house every day, they don't stand out as much. You get used to seeing them laying around. People with "fresh" eyes can see things that when we are rushed we don't necessarily see.

I always report things. I would hope that other owners do too, so that my resort is well kept for my visits.

I think that there is something to this also, but those "fresh eyes" could come in the form of an outside team brought in for either spot inspections or for inspections of all units.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I think that there is something to this also, but those "fresh eyes" could come in the form of an outside team brought in for either spot inspections or for inspections of all units.

Our dues would pay for the outside team to conduct inspections.

 

[disneynutz]

I think that there is something to this also, but those "fresh eyes" could come in the form of an outside team brought in for either spot inspections or for inspections of all units.

Like I said, there are other things at work here that we are not aware of. Taking care of room and resort problems are not high on their list.

Bill