As members aren't we entitled to a fair Wait List system?

[wdwfan1]

Last year I was checking on line for a day I was waitlisted for. I chose book this resort but did not continue. Instead I immediately called Member Services. They then borrowed the points I needed and I wa able to complete he reservation.

 

[holula]

Going to add a waitlist story to the thread! It makes me want an automated system NOT someone manually changing things as they make mistakes and then DVC takes 45 minutes to fix a mistake they created after a lot of complaining.

We originally had three reservations. Oct 1-3 VWL, Oct 3-5 SSR, Oct 5-7 BLT, as that was all that was available when we booked at about 5 months out. All in studios and that took a lot of work. We wait listed night of Oct 3 at VWL and Oct 4 at BLT, and neither were set up to cancel the existing SSR reservation.

The VWL Waitlist comes through for the night of the 3rd. Great! Except, not so great. Whoever approved our Waitlist cancelled the WHOLE SSR reservation, leaving us with no studio room the night of Oct 4. Of course it's a Friday the night before the ToT 10k, so studios are sold out. Only a 1 bed at SSR available which would leave us with no points for 2013 UY, and I don't want to use that many points for a 1 bed.

After 45+ minutes on the phone with DVC, they did magically find us a studio at OKW. But the WL should never have been cancelled in the first place and I never should have had to spend 45 minutes explaining my situation to an unsympathetic cast member. (A supervisor eventually fixed it for us.)

 

[disneynutz]

As with most things in life, the more complicated things are and the more people that you need to deal with greatly increases your chance of a screw up.

Buy where you love to stay and book at 11 months out or be prepared to pay premium dollars for "I hope I get it and that they don't screw it up".

Bill

 

[BUDDYBEAR]

YES UE ARE

 

[Sammie]

There is a lot of wrong information in this thread.

First: it runs continuously unless the entire system is down. It does not run manually, sorry that information is not correct.
Second: it has to be an exact match, if you want a 4 night reservation and you see a 3 night that is available, that is not a match.
Also matches categories, such as BW views, and BCV the layout of the two bedrooms, queens, sofa beds, etc. Again has to be a perfect match.


It is not perfect, yet it fills thousands of wait lists accurately though so the majority of the membership is pleased with it.

 

[disneynutz]

There is a lot of wrong information in this thread.

First: it runs continuously unless the entire system is down. It does not run manually, sorry that information is not correct.
Second: it has to be an exact match, if you want a 4 night reservation and you see a 3 night that is available, that is not a match.
Also matches categories, such as BW views, and BCV the layout of the two bedrooms, queens, sofa beds, etc. Again has to be a perfect match.


It is not perfect, yet it fills thousands of wait lists accurately though so the majority of the membership is pleased with it.

I have been told by more than one manager that the wait list program is run at night after MS closes. I was also told that the program creates a list of matches that are manually processed by CM's.

What's the real deal?

Bill

 

[Dean]

I have been told by more than one manager that the wait list program is run at night after MS closes. I was also told that the program creates a list of matches that are manually processed by CM's.

What's the real deal?

Bill

This is far more in keeping with the info I've gotten and clearly it doesn't run continuously in a functional way.

 

[Sammie]

I have been told by more than one manager that the wait list program is run at night after MS closes. I was also told that the program creates a list of matches that are manually processed by CM's.

What's the real deal?

Bill

Might have been that way in the past, but not now.

 

[Breyean]

This is far more in keeping with the info I've gotten and clearly it doesn't run continuously in a functional way.

I think the evidence sort of shows it doesn't run continuously, but who knows?

And going back to the pre online booking days, how many posts were there by happy campers who reported they just happened to call MS to check on the status of their wait list, been put on hold, and then told it "just" filled. Chances were, that room was open, sitting there waiting for either a CM to grab it for a member who called in, or by the matching program at some later time. By calling, members had the CMs do what we can now do ourselves online - check for new openings at any time.

Seems the system was about the same then as now, with the addition of online checking making it more obvious to more people that there's probably a lag in a room opening and their wait list getting filled, either manually by a CM while on the phone (who does a real time time check that we couldn't do ourselves before) or by this mysterious matching program.

 

[Sammie]

I am sure there is a delay in the process between match and notification and maybe notification is done manually. Which would mean someone could see a room online as being open but has not been notified, and yet they did have the room.

Are there flaws, sure as with anything.

 

[Sammie]

I truly beleive this is correct especially considering what happened with me just today.
I have been on a wait list for a 1bdrm at AKV concierge for a while. I check availablity several times a day and did so last night and nothing was. This morning around 10 am I checked and the nights before and after mine suddenly showed available, but not the night I needed, the big X there. I found this kind of odd and hoped that meant that I got my night, but had no email. It bugged me all day and later I checked again and it still showed the same. I did notice that my waitlist was not showing on the member home page as it had before so I decided to call MS about 5pm. Sure enough , my waitlist had matched, it just had not been processed yet. She took care of it right then while I was on the phone. So I for one am very happy with the way the system works flaws and all and hope they don't discontinue it!

I am sure there is some delay, not sure how long, between the match being made and notification.

During that time while you were waiting to be notified that room was actually yours which is why you got your wait list, which is good.

I agree that the system while probably not perfect, works at a very high percentage of success.

Glad you got your room.

 

[buzz5985]

Going to add a waitlist story to the thread! It makes me want an automated system NOT someone manually changing things as they make mistakes and then DVC takes 45 minutes to fix a mistake they created after a lot of complaining.

We originally had three reservations. Oct 1-3 VWL, Oct 3-5 SSR, Oct 5-7 BLT, as that was all that was available when we booked at about 5 months out. All in studios and that took a lot of work. We wait listed night of Oct 3 at VWL and Oct 4 at BLT, and neither were set up to cancel the existing SSR reservation.

The VWL Waitlist comes through for the night of the 3rd. Great! Except, not so great. Whoever approved our Waitlist cancelled the WHOLE SSR reservation, leaving us with no studio room the night of Oct 4. Of course it's a Friday the night before the ToT 10k, so studios are sold out. Only a 1 bed at SSR available which would leave us with no points for 2013 UY, and I don't want to use that many points for a 1 bed.

After 45+ minutes on the phone with DVC, they did magically find us a studio at OKW. But the WL should never have been cancelled in the first place and I never should have had to spend 45 minutes explaining my situation to an unsympathetic cast member. (A supervisor eventually fixed it for us.)

I was informed by MS that if you have 2 waitlists and one comes in the other is cancelled. Its the reason why I changed the way I had my waitlist.

 

[holula]

I was informed by MS that if you have 2 waitlists and one comes in the other is cancelled. Its the reason why I changed the way I had my waitlist.

I had two waitlists but they didn't cancel my other waitlist, they cancelled my existing reservation.

 

[rlduvall]

I was informed by MS that if you have 2 waitlists and one comes in the other is cancelled. Its the reason why I changed the way I had my waitlist.

I guess that would be true if they were waitlists for the same nights, but I have had waitlists come through without the waitlist for the night before or after being cancelled.

I had two waitlists but they didn't cancel my other waitlist, they cancelled my existing reservation.

Every DVC member's nightmare!

 

[disneynutz]

IMO you are dealing with CM's that are making their best guess of what you want to do and some make mistakes.

Life is much easier when you don't need to deal with people who may or may not do what you want.

We decided to buy where we love to stay, book at 11 months and never transfer points or do a wait list.

Bill

 

[LSchrow]

We decided to buy where we love to stay, book at 11 months and never transfer points or do a wait list.

Bill

unfortunately, "stuff" happens though.
we WLed a bit into the 11 month mark because hurricane sandy left us with no power (electricity, heat, hot water, cooking, etc). we could only charge our cels in our cars, but as gas became scarce (tankers couldn't deliver) had to use them sparingly.

thankfully, we aren't suffering from the aftermath - many are still rebuilding and/or homeless. WLing is insignificant in comparison

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

IMO you are dealing with CM's that are making their best guess of what you want to do and some make mistakes.

Life is much easier when you don't need to deal with people who may or may not do what you want.

We decided to buy where we love to stay, book at 11 months and never transfer points or do a wait list.

Bill

Since they ask when you set up the waitlist if you want it to replace a reservation I don't see how there is guessing involved?

 

[disneynutz]

Since they ask when you set up the waitlist if you want it to replace a reservation I don't see how there is guessing involved?

That would be in the "some make mistakes" category.

We are under the assumption that the CM's are special people. fully trained. The reality is they are no different than you and me. Some like their job, some hate it. Some care about the work that they do, others could care less. The fact that they work at Disney doesn't change human nature.

Bill

 

[taaren]

FWIW, I had a wait list come through yesterday. I checked availability the night before around 10p (P.S.T), then again before I left for work at 10:30a, and none of my nights were available either time. I got an e-mail at 12:39p that two of my four nights that I was looking for had come through. So someone cancelled in those two hours and it matched my wait list and e-mailed me. Sounds like that transaction at least, worked the way it should have. (I wait listed at ~10 months out at my home resort.)

 

[sunshinehighway]

I'm new to dvc but have been fortunate to have two waitlists come through and come through very quickly. In both cases I added the waitlists in the morning and by 4/5 in the afternoon they had come through. They definitely don't match waitlists at night after member service has closed.