More Crappy customer service from Starwood Reservations

VegasBella · Jul 18, 2014

It's really very simple: good customer service people want to say "yes, sure" but sometimes can't. They will actually try to say yes and be helpful.

Bad customer service people want to say "no" and won't even try.

It's part just personality but it's also frequently influenced by the customer service culture of an organization. Management is kind and helpful or management is not.
Just my opinion.

csxjohn · Jul 18, 2014

DeniseM said:
Yes - Florida

Yep, we have the Mason-Dixon line then there's that Georgia-Florida border.:rofl:

DeniseM · Jul 18, 2014

VegasBella said:
It's really very simple: good customer service people want to say "yes, sure" but sometimes can't. They will actually try to say yes and be helpful.

Bad customer service people want to say "no" and won't even try.

It's part just personality but it's also frequently influenced by the customer service culture of an organization. Management is kind and helpful or management is not.
Just my opinion.

This doesn't have anything to do with saying yes, or no - I'm just looking for competent service:

-the ability to process a reservation accurately

-the ability to answer questions about a reservation accurately

That's all

vistana101 · Jul 18, 2014

I agree! There are too many times when I call up and know more than the rep. And I find there is also a lot of inconsistency between reps, with some being able to request certain things, or reps giving different information etc. Typically elite services is very good, but when I called this past week they were not friendly, and they did not ask any questions about requests or special events. They seemed pretty eager to get off the phone with me!

rickandcindy23 · Jul 18, 2014

It's great when I have to educate the Starwood guide about the rules of reserving our deeded weeks. We only own SBP and one SDO. We own lots of SBP and are pretty familiar with the process of reserving.

There are some great people at Starwood, don't get me wrong. Pamela and Paula are excellent. A few are mediocre, and when one or two particular people answer the phone, I feel like I should just hang up and call back in a few minutes.

oneohana · Jul 18, 2014

DeniseM said:
OK - so I just called back and tried to confirm for the renter, and the Rep. could not verify the view - even though it's on the first page of the confirmation.

I said, "The confirmations says it's Ocean Front."

Her response - "Well it might not be, it depends on when the reservation was made"

REALLY??? Then why does the confirmation say OCEAN FRONT????

If the confirmations says OCEAN FRONT why would you want verbal confirmation from an incompetent person?

DeniseM · Jul 18, 2014

As I explained above, my renter was trying confirm her reservation and could not get a straight answer from reservations.

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SLC · Jul 18, 2014

I called Starwood yesterday to inquire about internet speed at St. John and was told that they didn't have internet. I called the resort directly and was told that they did in fact have internet and it was available at various speeds. It took and extra 15 minutes out of my day.

LisaRex · Jul 18, 2014

oneohana said:
If the confirmations says OCEAN FRONT why would you want verbal confirmation from an incompetent person?

People who rent tend to be skittish about renting from strangers. They like to be able to call and verify things directly from the source. It makes the person renting out their unit look untrustworthy, and possibly shady, when Starwood reps say things that contradict what we know to be true.

DeniseM · Jul 18, 2014

Exactly...

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rickandcindy23 · Jul 18, 2014

Lisa, that is very true.

I think it's odd for Starwood to not want to cooperate with anyone trying to verify a reservation. How likely is that person going to buy while at the resort, knowing how difficult management can be? Can you imagine anyone buying after getting the runaround from Starwood? I cannot.

DeniseM · Jul 18, 2014

My guest that had to call 3 times yesterday before anyone could confirm her reservation. She said she made a complaint about their poor customer service.

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VegasBella · Jul 18, 2014

DeniseM said:
This doesn't have anything to do with saying yes, or no - I'm just looking for competent service:

-the ability to process a reservation accurately

-the ability to answer questions about a reservation accurately

That's all

It does, actually. For example, "can you please process this reservation accurately?"
"Sure, I'm happy to help.
Or
"No, I'll pretend to try but I don't care enough to learn how to do it right."

And
"I have a question about my reservation, can you answer it?"
"Sure, I'll try my best and if I'm unsure I'll ask my supervisor for help. I'm not afraid to say 'I don't know, let me find out' because I want to be helpful"
Vs
"No, I am not interested in actually helping you. I can't be bothered to learn how to do my job well."

rickandcindy23 · Jul 18, 2014

VegasBella, what point are you trying to make? I don't understand your post.

When you rent a specific unit type and view, the guide needs to confirm that unit type or view to the person who is renting the week from the owner; otherwise, you look like you (the owner) don't know what you are renting. Or you look like a scammer, as LisaRex so aptly said.

Ken555 · Jul 18, 2014

I could be helpful and answer the questions in this thread, but I have another call with higher priority so I'm going to go now.

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YYJMSP · Jul 19, 2014

LisaRex said:
That is new then. Because I was told in the past when I tried to reserve a specific week, that if I owned OF, I could only book OF. I couldn't downgrade my view, even I wanted to.

I would assume the same -- if the units in your view category are all gone during your home resort period for the week you're trying to reserve, then you're out of luck. Try another week...

If SVN lets you book in to another view category, you're cutting in to another owner's inventory pool. :annoyed:

More Crappy customer service from Starwood Reservations

VegasBella

csxjohn

TUG Review Crew: Expert

DeniseM

vistana101

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rickandcindy23

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oneohana

DeniseM

SLC

LisaRex

TUG Review Crew

DeniseM

rickandcindy23

TUG Review Crew: Elite

DeniseM

VegasBella

rickandcindy23

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Ken555

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YYJMSP