Riviera direct - poor experience so far

[Icarus846]

Anyone else get a bad experience dealing with DVC direct?
I am in the early stages of buying my first DVC direct contract for Riviera, and so far I am not getting a good feeling about this and it’s giving me second thoughts. Been contemplating DVC for some time now, but feel the time is nigh. I reached out and had a phone meeting with DVC on September 10, 2 days before their promotion expired. The sales guide did a decent enough job answering my questions and concerns, and told me they would honour the promotion for another week after it expired and there would likely never be another deal as good. Fantastic. He then emailed more details including a cost sheet for Riviera. 2 days later I checked the website and seen another new promotion was running. I emailed back my contact with DVC asking about the new promotion, and he called me back and said it was even better than previous. Okay? He sent me the new price sheet, but when comparing the two, it was not as good as the older deal. When I asked to clarify how it was better, short response, it just is. Went back and forth for a while and all his email were short, and not detailed. lots of short non detailed responses. When I’m about to spend $40+ K, I expect a little attention to detail. Call me crazy I guess. Anyway, he figured out later he sent me the wrong price sheet, and sent me another with a better deal as originally stated. Which made me think, how many price sheets does he have? Am I still getting the best deal? This whole process is not going as I thought it would, and I am seriously second guessing this purchase.

Anyone else go through something similar or can help put my mind to rest?

 

[CastAStone]

Anyone else get a bad experience dealing with DVC direct?
I am in the early stages of buying my first DVC direct contract for Riviera, and so far I am not getting a good feeling about this and it’s giving me second thoughts. Been contemplating DVC for some time now, but feel the time is nigh. I reached out and had a phone meeting with DVC on September 10, 2 days before their promotion expired. The sales guide did a decent enough job answering my questions and concerns, and told me they would honour the promotion for another week after it expired and there would likely never be another deal as good. Fantastic. He then emailed more details including a cost sheet for Riviera. 2 days later I checked the website and seen another new promotion was running. I emailed back my contact with DVC asking about the new promotion, and he called me back and said it was even better than previous. Okay? He sent me the new price sheet, but when comparing the two, it was not as good as the older deal. When I asked to clarify how it was better, short response, it just is. Went back and forth for a while and all his email were short, and not detailed. lots of short non detailed responses. When I’m about to spend $40+ K, I expect a little attention to detail. Call me crazy I guess. Anyway, he figured out later he sent me the wrong price sheet, and sent me another with a better deal as originally stated. Which made me think, how many price sheets does he have? Am I still getting the best deal? This whole process is not going as I thought it would, and I am seriously second guessing this purchase.

Anyone else go through something similar or can help put my mind to rest?

It sounds like your guide got confused. If you don’t trust them you can call the main line and ask for a new one.

If you got it in writing that they’d honor either pricing for 7 days, you should get it. But it sounds like you don’t need to?

Typically there’s 4 pricing sheets per resort at any given time - new owner cash, new owner financing, add on cash, add on financing.

Currently, however, they have 12 possible sheets, per resort, as they have 2 additional offers. The first is an additional promo now called Welcome Home, which gives you $1000 off of 150 or more points - BUT to qualify, you have to have a cash booking already made.

They also have a referral bonus discount of $500 if someone refers you (happy to refer if it will help you out).

So now they have
New member cash
New member Financing
Add on cash
Add on financing
New member cash Welcome Home
New member financing welcome home
Add on cash welcome home
Add on financing welcome home
New member cash with referral
New member financing with referral
New member cash with welcome home and referral
New member financing with welcome home and referral

For each of FOUR different resorts they’re selling.

So I can appreciate how they sent you the wrong one.

 

[CastAStone]

(There’s also an additional current offer if you are actively on a Disney cruise, but it’s not worth taking a Disney cruise you weren’t planning to in order to get the offer)

 

[CastAStone]

And you can sell back your first years points to Disney for $20 per point at closing, which further reduces your cash outlay, although it delays your gratification. But that’s not really a deal, that’s roughly market rate for renting out Riviera points.

 

[Doberge]

There's also a good bit of confusion at the beginning of a new promotion and this sounds like it was the first day.

I'd buy or not buy based on the product itself more than feelings toward a guide. If it's the right fit for you then go for it. But if wanting more comfort then take the suggestion to find a new guide. They'd rather reassign you than risk losing you so don't worry about asking to switch. All that said, I can't even remember who my guide is now because many have left in the last year, I think I'm on my third or fourth. And when I did buy direct it wasn't even through my guide because he was furloughed so I dealt with a substitute.

 

[cjkeating]

As someone else has said just ask for a new guide if you aren't happy.

I bought direct via phone/email from the UK a couple of years ago a my guide couldn't have been more helpful and responsive.

 

[Icarus846]

It sounds like your guide got confused. If you don’t trust them you can call the main line and ask for a new one.

If you got it in writing that they’d honor either pricing for 7 days, you should get it. But it sounds like you don’t need to?

Typically there’s 4 pricing sheets per resort at any given time - new owner cash, new owner financing, add on cash, add on financing.

Currently, however, they have 12 possible sheets, per resort, as they have 2 additional offers. The first is an additional promo now called Welcome Home, which gives you $1000 off of 150 or more points - BUT to qualify, you have to have a cash booking already made.

They also have a referral bonus discount of $500 if someone refers you (happy to refer if it will help you out).

So now they have
New member cash
New member Financing
Add on cash
Add on financing
New member cash Welcome Home
New member financing welcome home
Add on cash welcome home
Add on financing welcome home
New member cash with referral
New member financing with referral
New member cash with welcome home and referral
New member financing with welcome home and referral

For each of FOUR different resorts they’re selling.

So I can appreciate how they sent you the wrong one.

Thank you for this detailed reply. Brings many things to light for me. Again, thank you.

I am no longer in a rush to sign with the new promotion, but I will likely sign in a couple weeks once I get everything lined out. Will happily accept your referral, Thank you! I would hope there is a little something in it for you as well?

Looking forward to joining the DVC family.

 

[Doberge]

Thank you for this detailed reply. Brings many things to light for me. Again, thank you.

I am no longer in a rush to sign with the new promotion, but I will likely sign in a couple weeks once I get everything lined out. Will happily accept your referral, Thank you! I would hope there is a little something in it for you as well?

Looking forward to joining the DVC family.

@CastAStone can get a "dining experience," which would be great to hear about because I know nothing about about it. I think I read something like min $120 value?

It also says that you, the buyer, can save $500 on top of other incentives. Some other terms and conditions like min 150 points but at cost you were talking about that sounds satisfied.

 

[CastAStone]

@CastAStone can get a "dining experience," which would be great to hear about because I know nothing about about it. I think I read something like min $120 value?

It also says that you, the buyer, can save $500 on top of other incentives. Some other terms and conditions like min 150 points but at cost you were talking about that sounds satisfied.

Yes that’s my understanding of the deal as well. I of course appreciate any “dining experience” but also just am happy to offer to save someone $500.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

I hope the guide explained the Rivera resale restrictions..

 

[Disstevefan1]

It sounds like your guide got confused. If you don’t trust them you can call the main line and ask for a new one.

If you got it in writing that they’d honor either pricing for 7 days, you should get it. But it sounds like you don’t need to?

Typically there’s 4 pricing sheets per resort at any given time - new owner cash, new owner financing, add on cash, add on financing.

Currently, however, they have 12 possible sheets, per resort, as they have 2 additional offers. The first is an additional promo now called Welcome Home, which gives you $1000 off of 150 or more points - BUT to qualify, you have to have a cash booking already made.

They also have a referral bonus discount of $500 if someone refers you (happy to refer if it will help you out).

So now they have
New member cash
New member Financing
Add on cash
Add on financing
New member cash Welcome Home
New member financing welcome home
Add on cash welcome home
Add on financing welcome home
New member cash with referral
New member financing with referral
New member cash with welcome home and referral
New member financing with welcome home and referral

For each of FOUR different resorts they’re selling.

So I can appreciate how they sent you the wrong one.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Just to make one point very clearly... there's no negotiating with DVC. The price with the applicable promotion that you qualify for is the price, period. There's no mechanic for a guide to swindle you or quote you something higher than some better deal you might be able to find elsewhere. It sounds like he just legitimately attached the wrong document when he sent you that follow-up email.

 

[CastAStone]

Just to make one point very clearly... there's no negotiating with DVC. The price with the applicable promotion that you qualify for is the price, period. There's no mechanic for a guide to swindle you or quote you something higher than some better deal you might be able to find elsewhere. It sounds like he just legitimately attached the wrong document when he sent you that follow-up email.

This is true, but for something like Welcome Home, they are supposed to tell you about it if you already qualify, but they aren’t exactly supposed to tell you that you can save another $1000 by making a fake 1 night reservation for next fall at All Star Music and then cancel it once your closing is complete. That kind of stuff you need to learn on a message board.