I recently used my RCI points to stay at the Divi Phoenix Resort in Aruba. The facility looked nice enough, and the one bedroom, 1 full bath, 1 shower bath 'appeared' to be just lovely at first sight. Sadly, upon closer inspection, apartment 754 was not the 'home away from home' we hoped and paid for. We arrived on a Saturday and were there for one week.
The microwave did not work at all. It took 4 days to get a working microwave. There is no stove in the unit, so we could not heat up our meals.
The washer/dryer could only accommodate 3-4 items of clothing, was a loud as a jet engine, and did not dry the clothes completely. I returned home with mildewed clothes. Also, the first use of the unit blew a circuit that cut the AC as well.
The jetted tub did not function at all for 4 days and only partially thereafter.
Upon our arrival, lights were burnt out in the kitchen and master bathroom and the bottom drawer of the chest of drawers in the master bedroom had broken off and was resting against the wall next to the dresser.
The A/C took one full day to cool the apartment; the apartment remained cool ONLY if we kept all the curtains closed, defeating the purpose of having an ocean view.
Our toiletries and towels were not refreshed daily, as advertised. It took 4 days to obtain adequate toiletries and towels.
The loud dishwasher merely rinsed the dishes; it did not clean them thoroughly, even though I wiped away all food items from the plates prior to putting them in the dishwasher.
Our room was not ready for check-in at 4PM. There was no place to store our luggage upon arrival and the bellman was nowhere in sight. The lobby was jammed with guests waiting for their rooms. When we obtained the keys to our room, the cleaning crew was still there and told us to wait outside.
The food in all the restaurants was excellent. The service was not. There is a 15% gratuity added to the bill, so the lack of incentive for superlative service might be the reason for the unsatisfactory service.
The spa services were exemplary, but the spa is not part of the Resort.
The convenience store prices were ridiculously high, even for an island where everything is imported.For example, sunscreen 50 was $27 for a bottle. The same bottle was $16 at a local convenience store down the street.
I lodged my complaints to the front desk early Sunday morning and was told all issues would be remedied that day. They were not.
I complained again on Monday morning. A repairman came and replaced the microwave, fixed the drawer and installed fresh light bulbs in the kitchen and master bath. He also showed us how to use the washer/dryer as the directions on the unit itself were unintelligible and the instruction booklet for the unit was non-existent. The jetted tub was not repaired. Towels and toiletries were not refreshed/replenished, so we grabbed some from a room cleaning cart in the hallway.
The 'new' microwave worked for one day before it began to beep constantly and malfunction.
The washer/dryer never functioned properly. When in use, we could not hear ourselves as the unit was excessively loud. The same held true for the dishwasher. It was very unsettling.
On Wednesday, after 4 days of complaining to the Front Desk, I spoke to Pearl, the hotel manager. She sent a repair crew to the room who replaced the microwave with one that actually worked. They replaced the control panel on the jetted tub so that some of the jets worked, but not all. The cleaning crew brought in extra towels and toiletries, so we had adequate supplies thereafter.
For the inconvenience of having a substandard room for 50% of our stay, Pearl authorized a $100 credit to our bill. Assistant manager Yvette told us to write to DIVI RESORTS home office in the USA if we wanted to receive additional compensation.
I contacted RCI and lodged the above complaints with "Mike", who told me no one has ever complained about his particular resort before and that RCI couldn't do anything to help me. He stated that I would have to contact DIVI RESORTS in the USA if I wanted to receive additional compensation.
It appears to me that RCI was eager enough to take my money for the privilege of using its time shares around the world, but thereafter, RCI will not take responsibility for the quality of services rendered to me by this particular resort. Since this is my first experience using RCI points at a resort, I cannot ascertain whether or not this shoddy customer satisfaction approach is the status quo. I hope not, but am not at all confident that such is not the case.
I am posting the above review on all my social media sites and other "Review Sites" as well as I want to urge other consumers to consider the treatment I received from the RCI Customer Service department before committing large sums of money to RCI and DIVI PHOENIX Aruba.
Sadly, my RCI membership might well be one of the biggest rip offs I've ever had the misfortune of experiencing. read more
