Maintenance fees go where?

[captainkidd]

Originally, we were going to rent points and stay at the Beach Club Villas. I then started reading these reviews and decided to go through Disney and just stay at the Beach Club itself.

http://land.allears.net/reviewpost/showproduct.php?product=9&cat=3

This would infuriate me. Granted, this is just a handful, but the comments about broken appliances, stained carpeting, crumbs on the floor, broken doors. With the amount of money you pay for DVC, this is inexcusable as is. But the amount you pay yearly for maintenance fees, this is simply unacceptable.

 

[captainkidd]

This doesn't need to turn into another "look how much money we're saving with DVC" thread. We've been there and done that. We're all well aware, if you compare apples to apples and you buy DVC without financing, it will save you money. This is about paying a continuous bill you had a choice in buying, and the money you're spending is not going where you're told it's going. If you're OK with that, that's fine. Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't have any of it.

 

[GoofGoof]

Originally, we were going to rent points and stay at the Beach Club Villas. I then started reading these reviews and decided to go through Disney and just stay at the Beach Club itself.

http://land.allears.net/reviewpost/showproduct.php?product=9&cat=3

This would infuriate me. Granted, this is just a handful, but the comments about broken appliances, stained carpeting, crumbs on the floor, broken doors. With the amount of money you pay for DVC, this is inexcusable as is. But the amount you pay yearly for maintenance fees, this is simply unacceptable.

Take those reviews with a grain of salt. Typically people post bad reviews when they have an axe to grind. I am sure some of this stuff is legit, but some is probably exaggerated or just plain made up. I have never stayed at BCV so I can't say specifically that I know one way or the other, but the cleaning services are shared between the hotel and villas so I would assume they would both have the same issues. As far as maintenance fees they should cover the cleaning and basic maintenance on the room. If someone majorly stained the carpet or broke the stove they should be charged at the time it's done. That should not have to be covered by maintenance fees. The problem is if the person before you didn't even use the stove you may be the first to realize its broken (besides the person who broke it). For all we know they fixed the stove right after the person complained about it but they can't fix things if they don't know they are broken. Issues with bad stains and food in the room are not excusable.

 

[Rob562]

I didn't notice any glaring issues when we stayed in a 1-bedroom at BCV last year. (We exchanged in through RCI)
About the only thing was that the freezer didn't have an automatic ice maker, which I thought they all did. (I seem to recall my friends' 1-bedroom at OKW had one when I visited them) Instead we had two dinky little ice cube trays. Blenders aren't standard equipment for the villas, but we called and asked for one and they delivered it in under 10 minutes.

This November will be our second DVC experience. Renting a 2-bedroom at SSR with friends through Dave's DVC Rentals. I'll keep an eye out for any issues.

-Rob

 

[captainkidd]

In the DVC resorts I've stayed in (Old Key West, Wilderness Lodge Villas and Boardwalk Villas) everything was working fine as well. The room at Boardwalk had clearly seen better days, but nothing was broken.

 

[ParentsOf4]

Is part of the problem the result of BCV being nearly always 100% booked? In other words, when does maintenance have the time to get inside rooms to fix and renovate things? There is so little time between check-out and check-in of the next guest that it is difficult to make sure everything is 100% clean?

Of course, there's always the "Disney has made cuts in service and maintenance" spiel but I was hoping to avoid discussing that on yet another thread!

 

[captainkidd]

Of course, there's always the "Disney has made cuts in service and maintenance" spiel but I was hoping to avoid discussing that on yet another thread!

Shouldn't have to be part of a DVC thread. Going to Disney is a choice. If you're not happy with their product, you don't have to go. But once you buy into DVC, you MUST pay maintenance fees. To me, it's a different ballgame. If Disney wants to let the other resorts and parks fall to pieces, they will be the ones to suffer in the long run. But to not put the money that they are collecting from DVC members where it is supposed to be going....I just don't have the words. It's no better than a city who collects excise tax on your car but doesn't take care of the roads for your city.

 

[DVCOwner]

I purchased DVC in 2002 and I have two friends that purchased also. We go on a Disney trip one every year and half and get four to five rooms each time. I think that I have had problems a couple of times with something not right in one of the rooms, but I call the first day and Maintenance repaired them while we were at the parks. I have never had a problem that was not fixed once I reported it. I did stay at BWV the year that renovations where underway and one of the rooms my kids where in had not been renovated. It did show its age; but it was clean and everything worked fine.

 

[slappy magoo]

If the negative reviews were the norm and not exceptions, I'd say it speaks volumes about BCV owners not paying enough in maintenance fees to cover the work that needs doing (including apparently a background check on employees that should know never to walk into a room if the only person there is a 14-year-old girl; no matter how honorable and work-related your intentions are, why set yourself up for something that could be interpreted or twisted to seem unseemly in our litigious age?).

But as has been said, more people tend to voice up when they things are wrong than when things are great, especially when it comes to online reviews. And people who are DVC members ("owners") may feel more compelled to complain when Vilas are not up to par ("where the heck is my money going to if I can't get hot water or a refrigerator that doesn't freeze our milk?"). Not making excuses, just wondering "aloud," as it were...

 

[dreamfinder]

Just like the hotels, most of the internal bits and pieces are usually rotated through on a schedule. That way they know what units are due for upgrades and help to keep everything cohesive. BCV could just be getting to the end of their cycle and are due for a rehab? I seem to remember similar complains about OKW 3-4 years ago, just prior to all the rooms there getting refurbed and updated.

 

[flynnibus]

This would infuriate me. Granted, this is just a handful, but the comments about broken appliances, stained carpeting, crumbs on the floor, broken doors. With the amount of money you pay for DVC, this is inexcusable as is. But the amount you pay yearly for maintenance fees, this is simply unacceptable.

You really find this any different from any other hotel reviews?

You would find these type of 'problem in my room' reviews virtually everywhere. The idea that this is a timeshare doesn't change the challenges of facilities upkeep in a hotel.

 

[ddbowdoin]

in my experience with BCV... nothing was broken or anything of the likes.

I've said it before, for the price we paid... it's no great shakes. But honestly, who is headed to Disney to be really, really critical of their resort? From what I experienced, nothing was broken... nothing was dirty. But a lot of people here will quickly dismiss me... "how can you say it's just a room?!?! All that space!"

Well yeah, you should get space for that huge cost per night.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

Another day, yet another thread where someone, ahem, is complaining about DVC even though DVC is not for everyone but serves a purpose for the people who can see the value.


Jimmy Thick- Meh...Eh?

 

[captainkidd]

You really find this any different from any other hotel reviews?

You would find these type of 'problem in my room' reviews virtually everywhere. The idea that this is a timeshare doesn't change the challenges of facilities upkeep in a hotel.

That's where you and I differ. Sure, if I'm paying money for a hotel room, I'd be annoyed if it wasn't clean or something was broken. But soon after checking out, it's over. With DVC, that next month, I'm gonna have money coming out of my bank account for maintenance fees. That's the part that would bother me.

After each guest departs, housekeeping is in there to clean up. If there's a broken shower head, then maintenance should be there to fix it before the next guest shows up. Same goes for a broken door handle. Those aren't difficult issues to fix.

 

[captainkidd]

Another day, yet another thread where someone, ahem, is complaining about DVC even though DVC is not for everyone but serves a purpose for the people who can see the value.


Jimmy Thick- Meh...Eh?

Another day, another thread where Jimmy adds nothing of value to the conversation.

 

[flynnibus]

That's where you and I differ. Sure, if I'm paying money for a hotel room, I'd be annoyed if it wasn't clean or something was broken. But soon after checking out, it's over. With DVC, that next month, I'm gonna have money coming out of my bank account for maintenance fees. That's the part that would bother me.

Your maintance fee or your hotel charge.. what's the difference? Both are what pay for upkeep and repairs. Both hotels and timeshares must maintain their property within their respective budgets.

Your thread would have been identical without the 'Maintenance fees go where' title. It could have been titled 'Are DVC resorts run down?'

You are so hung up on these fees - this issue is completely independent of timeshares or fees. It's about upkeep at a hotel and customer service for coping with issues.

It's nothing to do with timeshares or DVC or paying maintenance fees besides the fact some guests are going to be 'bound' to return to this property more than other properties.

How DVC maintains it's properties really isn't fundamentally different from another hotel - only in where the funding is fed from.

 

[Phonedave]

That's where you and I differ. Sure, if I'm paying money for a hotel room, I'd be annoyed if it wasn't clean or something was broken. But soon after checking out, it's over. With DVC, that next month, I'm gonna have money coming out of my bank account for maintenance fees. That's the part that would bother me.

After each guest departs, housekeeping is in there to clean up. If there's a broken shower head, then maintenance should be there to fix it before the next guest shows up. Same goes for a broken door handle. Those aren't difficult issues to fix.

As a DVC owner, I could not agree more. In my experience, I have encountered very few "broken" things in DVC units - mainly burnt out light bulbs - which were quicky replaced.

I have seen my share of worn out - or more accutately "wearing out" items. I have never seen anything that was downright threadbare or shabby. It IS a balancing act. Part of the dues go to maintainance and refurbishments. You want to keep dues low by not refurbishing every year, but you also don't want the place to go downhill. Is DVC "cheating" by going with high priced contractors and getting kick-backs - I doubt it. Does DVC go with proven contractors that don't give them trouble but may cost a bit more - I would not be suprised. Not to mention that hotel (commerical) furnishings tend to cost more than comparable furniture from say Bob's Discount Furniture.

I have always felt that for the level of upkeep that is done on property, my dues are just about right.


-dave

 

[Rivers Rowe]

Death, taxes, and the same guy making the same thread over and over.

 

[awilliams4]

Before we bought into DVC - we made sure to actually STAY in the Villas at WL for one of our vacations. As we always stay in the Main WL Hotel? We were able to make a pretty fair comparitive analysis....

What we found was - the Main Hotel is updated more frequently. The Villas were much more like "WL-5 years". Older, but FAR from substandard.

Now, we are new Villas at WL DVC members. And our nightly cost is roughly $80 vs $365 per night (and yes, it will take about 6 years to recoop our initial expense before we really see that). You see, we STILL bought in - and if the carpet is less new, or the TV is a little less stunning? We're happy - given a rough differential of $240/night, I can deal with this .

Agree.

What some don't appear to get is that there is some practicality and reality going on. What if Disney kept every spec of square foot spotless and every appliance replaced every year instead of every five years? HUGE increases in Maintenance Fees that would make DVC itself no longer practical.

OP, don't worry about BCV. Stayed there plenty of times and it is wonderful.

 

[goodanu]

Another checkmark in "the DVC is not for you column". Just keep on renting(or paying cash) and let us owners worry about where the fees are being used. If loose shower heads, broken door handle or burnt lightbulbs are so bothersome, then you should remain a non owner. Yes I do agree that an uncleaned room is unacceptable, and should be addressed to management. This would make me angry but I would get over it fast once the issue is taken care of. It won't ruin my vacation. And my guess is this is not the norm. To me these issues can be addressed with a simple phone call. In a perfect world these issues should be addressed before the new renter arrives, but I have to face reality that some things just get overlooked and I can live with that. It wont affect the way I feel about owning DVC.The amount of use these rooms see, there is bound to be some signs of wear, my guess this is seen months after a refurb too.

Ok here it is AGAIN....DVC is not for everyone. If these issues bother you, DON't buy or rent. Simple.