- Joined
- Jun 4, 2010
- Messages
- 4,930
- Reaction score
- 122
- Location
- Mansfield, TX
- Resorts Owned
- Palace View Branson (4 Lockouts), Grandview (Points), CMV (UDI), DVC (SSR 25)
We had a stay a couple months ago at Mystic Dunes in Orlando, and it wasn't a great experience. The problems weren't that bad in and of themselves, but the number of problems was troubling, as was the response I got from corporate when I tried to get some resolution.
1. When I went to check in, they had lost our reservation. It took about an hour, standing at the front desk, before they finally got me checked in.
2. The kitchen was very poorly stocked, with about half of the items missing and very worn nonstick pans. We only had one small trash can in the entire unit (instead of three). I called about the missing items (on our second day, when I first tried to cook) and they didn't come to replace them until the third day (and they only replaced about a dozen of the missing items -- nowhere near everything).
3. When the lady came to replace the missing items, my 2 year old was sleeping. She rang the bell three times, then pounded loudly on the door (picture a scene from The Big Bang Theory), then barged in with her walkie talkie blaring full volume, all in the 10 seconds or so that it took me to get (almost) to the door.
4. The floors were filthy. My kids feet (or socks) were filthy within minutes of taking their shoes off.
5. On Thursday, I was supposed to receive a package. It never came. I called about it on Friday and they didn't know anything about it. I checked again at checkout on Saturday, and they again said there was no package. I found the tracking information on my phone and it showed that it was delivered Thursday. They said they couldn't do anything about it without the name of the person who signed for it, so I pulled up the proof of delivery and gave that to them. Finally, they found out where the package was. It took over an hour for them to retrieve it, and it was almost TWO HOURS that we were waiting (with perishable food in the car). I asked to speak to a manager, and they never sent one.
6. After returning from the trip, I tracked down contact information for Stephen Cloobeck, the CEO, and wrote to him. He forwarded my email to the GM, who wrote me back with a complete "fluff" email that didn't address a single issue or attempt to make anything wrong.
7. I forwarded that response to Mr. Cloobeck, expressing my displeasure once again. He forwarded it to a regional director and we talked over the phone.
8. The regional director offered to give me 3 nights in a 2BR unit at any Diamond Resort to compensate me for the issues. I felt like that was fair, so I looked over the list of resorts they manage. I only saw one thing that could work in my upcoming travel schedules. I emailed him back. He called me and told me that the offer only applied to specific resorts.
9. A few weeks later, I received a certificate in the mail. The offer had been downgraded again, this time to a 1BR unit (at a specific list of resorts) and it had to be redeemed within a year. A 1BR won't work for my family. The specific resorts don't work. And my travel for the next year is pretty much already all booked. So it's a totally useless offer.
10. I emailed Mr. Cloobeck again, letting him know that they've failed over and over to make things right and failed every time, that if this was "The Meaning of Yes", I would hate to see no, and that I would never stay again at another DRI managed resort.
Is DRI really this incompetent, from the top down?
1. When I went to check in, they had lost our reservation. It took about an hour, standing at the front desk, before they finally got me checked in.
2. The kitchen was very poorly stocked, with about half of the items missing and very worn nonstick pans. We only had one small trash can in the entire unit (instead of three). I called about the missing items (on our second day, when I first tried to cook) and they didn't come to replace them until the third day (and they only replaced about a dozen of the missing items -- nowhere near everything).
3. When the lady came to replace the missing items, my 2 year old was sleeping. She rang the bell three times, then pounded loudly on the door (picture a scene from The Big Bang Theory), then barged in with her walkie talkie blaring full volume, all in the 10 seconds or so that it took me to get (almost) to the door.
4. The floors were filthy. My kids feet (or socks) were filthy within minutes of taking their shoes off.
5. On Thursday, I was supposed to receive a package. It never came. I called about it on Friday and they didn't know anything about it. I checked again at checkout on Saturday, and they again said there was no package. I found the tracking information on my phone and it showed that it was delivered Thursday. They said they couldn't do anything about it without the name of the person who signed for it, so I pulled up the proof of delivery and gave that to them. Finally, they found out where the package was. It took over an hour for them to retrieve it, and it was almost TWO HOURS that we were waiting (with perishable food in the car). I asked to speak to a manager, and they never sent one.
6. After returning from the trip, I tracked down contact information for Stephen Cloobeck, the CEO, and wrote to him. He forwarded my email to the GM, who wrote me back with a complete "fluff" email that didn't address a single issue or attempt to make anything wrong.
7. I forwarded that response to Mr. Cloobeck, expressing my displeasure once again. He forwarded it to a regional director and we talked over the phone.
8. The regional director offered to give me 3 nights in a 2BR unit at any Diamond Resort to compensate me for the issues. I felt like that was fair, so I looked over the list of resorts they manage. I only saw one thing that could work in my upcoming travel schedules. I emailed him back. He called me and told me that the offer only applied to specific resorts.
9. A few weeks later, I received a certificate in the mail. The offer had been downgraded again, this time to a 1BR unit (at a specific list of resorts) and it had to be redeemed within a year. A 1BR won't work for my family. The specific resorts don't work. And my travel for the next year is pretty much already all booked. So it's a totally useless offer.
10. I emailed Mr. Cloobeck again, letting him know that they've failed over and over to make things right and failed every time, that if this was "The Meaning of Yes", I would hate to see no, and that I would never stay again at another DRI managed resort.
Is DRI really this incompetent, from the top down?
