Rude, incompetent CM

[germanhc]

So am in the middle of my 180 days calling for ADR when I connect this morning at 7:05. A very rude cast member refuses to make my ADRs stating that since I don't have a hotel confirmation, I can't make a reservation 180 days out. She was obviously wrong and would not hear`of it. She refused to ask a supervisor and even refused to give me her name stating "I gave it to you at the start of the phone call!" I finally got it out of her and included it in an email complaining about her. I Hung up, called again and got one of the two ADRs I wanted. This CM is capable of ruining people's vacations due to her incompetence. Her rudeness is a whole other issue. Anyway, just venting.

[AbeeNormal]

I'm so sorry.:(

I sure hope you got all of the reservations you were looking for. :)

[btuskan]

Sounds like you got the CM that my teaching partner got on Friday night. My partner is planning her first disney trip in years, so being the veteran that I am I offered to help with the dining reservations. Anyway, we called (they're going in Jan.) and I said to the first CM (who was wonderful) please don't laugh but do you have anything at CRT from jan 25 to feb 2. She said yes I have a 9:50 on the 25th. I got so excited and yelled for Cyndi to get her credit card. Bad news, she didn't have it. But the CM took all of her info and said she would hold the reservation for 24hours. So Cyndi went home that evening and called and got the CM that you must have spoken with because she told Cyndi that she couldn't do that and what was her resort reservation number and you can't book an ADR without it and that the first CM we spoke with should be fired for taking a reservation without a CC. Anyway, my poor teaching partner didn't know what to do. She came back to school the next and said...she was sooooo mean! But she got the reservation!

[IloveDisney71]

That is so sad. I'm sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience. I've never had a rude experience. I have learned however, that some CM's know more than others. If I don't get the answers I need, I always hang up and try again. I'm glad that you at least got one of the res. you wanted.

[LoriMistress]

So am in the middle of my 180 days calling for ADR when I connect this morning at 7:05. A very rude cast member refuses to make my ADRs stating that since I don't have a hotel confirmation, I can't make a reservation 180 days out. She was obviously wrong and would not hear`of it. She refused to ask a supervisor and even refused to give me her name stating "I gave it to you at the start of the phone call!" I finally got it out of her and included it in an email complaining about her. I Hung up, called again and got one of the two ADRs I wanted. This CM is capable of ruining people's vacations due to her incompetence. Her rudeness is a whole other issue. Anyway, just venting.

Why didn't you ask for a supervisor?

[Mickey 101]

I'm so sorry to hear about the glitch in getting your ADR's. What about a local FL resident who will never have a resort reservation? :confused: Hopefully it is a newer cm who is still being monitored for quality. At least you knew to hang up and try again. Have a great trip! :mickey:

[Iluvpooh]

:tink: Here's a little Pixie Dust for you.

Sorry that happened. Lately it has not been uncommon to get a CM that knows less about things than I do. I recently had a Dining CM tell me I could see Cinderella at Akershus in Norway. I told her I thought she was getting 1900 PArk Fare and Akershus confused. She acting like I was dumb or something. After the call I asked to be connected to the comments line and let them know about her not being trained properly.

[Natazu]

Bummer. Maybe it was one of the QA recorded phone calls and she'll get what she deserves.

[CaptainJessicaSparrow]

I thought Cindy was at Akershus?

Not that I'd eat there...the food smells funny. Which is a shame because I really want to see Ariel with legs.

[Ian]

Sadly, situations like this are becoming all too common in WDW. If they don't do something about the (lack of) quality in their cast they're going to start paying the price soon.

More and more often you're seeing people coming here venting about bad cast. I've been around here a long time and I can tell you that this is a relatively new development. Even 5 years ago, we didn't see half the cast complaints we see today.

It's gotten to the point now where virtually every WDW vacation I take, I come home having to write a complaint letter because of bad treatment I received. My last stay just a week or so ago, I had a very similar experience to yours where the CM refused to turn me over to a manager and refused to give me her name. Very frustrating ...

I'm sorry you had to deal with this. I hope you're able to get everything taken care of and your vacation goes off without a hitch! Please let us know what, if anything, you get in terms of a response from Disney.

[germanhc]

I did ask for a supervisor, the CM response was "no supervisor is available to speak to you." During the follow-up phone call I could have asked to speak to a manager but I had to get to work. The thought of spending more time on the phone that morning was not appealing to me.

[playdead88]

wow! i just had a similar experience - i called for cindy's bfast - at 7:02 and 4 sec - i got a cm on the phone and the 1st avail was 10:15 - i said wow there isn't anything earlier and she started yelling about how there are only 75 operators and there were 100 people on hold and that if i didn't want the reservation i needed to make my mind up now - i said its ok i'll take the 10:15 we didn't have a choosen time by any means i was just surprised that they went that quick i meant nothing by it and was grateful to be able to make the ressie - so im thrilled i got my CRT but i didn't have a great time with the cm.

[#1donaldfan]

I'm sorry to hear that !!!!! I've never had a bad experience with a CM, in that respect. I'd hate to have to get "sideways" with someone at Disney....that's just not natural........better luck next time....:mickey:

[bleukarma]

I have a feeling that reservation agents bad attitudes reflects what they go through with their managers. I had my interview on Monday for reservation agent and it was the worst interview I have even experienced. I walked out of the interview feeling so bad about myself. The manager that I interviewed with did nothing but shred my resume apart and when I would answer her questions she would respond with something like “that’s your answer??” It was the biggest waste of time I have ever had with Disney. If my resume was that bad then why did I get called back for a second interview?? But I learned that I would not want to work for a manager like her!!!! I wrote a letter to Disney telling them about my experience (it was that bad!). Hopefully they will get cheery, competent managers in there that will start hiring competent CM’s instead of people just like them.

[SurferStitch]

I'm so sorry you had a bad experience...I've honestly had nothing but great experiences.

I did have one that had me laughing about a month ago, though....

I had this male CM, and he was so friendly and helpful. We were joking around while I was making a couple ADR's for our upcoming trip. When we were finished he wished me a great day and hung up....or THOUGHT he hung up....

I was waiting for the survey because I wanted to give a glowing review, but could actually hear the CM on the other end....he never transferred me. I heard him (nicely) saying, "Ugh....I don't know how I'm going to get through the day. I'm so not in the mood for this..."

Well, I burst out laughing and quickly hung up. I thought it was so funny because even though he might not have wanted to be there that day, he NEVER let it show. He was AWESOME! :thumbsup:

[chamonix]

So [I] am in the middle of my 180 days calling for ADR when I connect this morning at 7:05. A very rude cast member refuses to make my ADRs stating that since I don't have a hotel confirmation, I can't make a reservation 180 days out. She was obviously wrong and would not hear`of it. I am not sure what you meant by you were in the "middle of my 180 days" but as I understand it, while anyone can make an ADR 180 days out from the date they want to dine--ONLY resort guests with reservations can make ADRs for any days beyond the 180 days. If you do not have a resort reservation, you will have to call back the next day to make an ADR for 180 days from that day. You have to make a phone call each and every day to make your ADRs, unless you are a resort guest--who are given the perk that they can make ADRs for their entire trip in one call--even if it technically means making an ADR more than 180 days prior. Clear as mud, lol??

So, the CM may not have technically been wrong...depending of course, on what day you were calling, and for what days you were trying to make an ADR for. As you later said:

I Hung up, called again and got one of the two ADRs I wanted. This CM is capable of ruining people's vacations due to her incompetence. Perhaps the reason you only got one that you wanted in that call was because it was the only one a non-resort guest could on that date. (?)

All this being said, there is no excuse for the CM being rude, and believe me, I have had lots of really rude CMs on the phone, so I feel your pain! Good for you for reporting it.

[mttafire]

So am in the middle of my 180 days calling for ADR when I connect this morning at 7:05. A very rude cast member refuses to make my ADRs stating that since I don't have a hotel confirmation, I can't make a reservation 180 days out. She was obviously wrong and would not hear`of it. She refused to ask a supervisor and even refused to give me her name stating "I gave it to you at the start of the phone call!" I finally got it out of her and included it in an email complaining about her. I Hung up, called again and got one of the two ADRs I wanted. This CM is capable of ruining people's vacations due to her incompetence. Her rudeness is a whole other issue. Anyway, just venting.
"dont sweat the small stuff". Learn it live it.:thumbsup:

[Jared]

Honestly, that's embarrassing. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that Cast Member because her behavior was inexcusable.

Writer a letter and please report back with the response.

:nono:

[mttafire]

I got a tell ya, It getting a bit old to hear all the folks saying "write a letter..Write a letter." Look, Things dont always go just so peachy in life. We all want to see the world wearing a pair of rose colored glasses. In all the visits i(we) have made to Disney World and Disneyland i havnt encountered ANY reason to so nit picky. I completely understand sometimes things go a bit bad or we encounter "self defined" rude C.M.'s .But jeez...A letter? I guess i look a life differently than some. Life is short and i love every minute of it. All this complaining is is getting nausiating. None of it seems like it comes with merit. Just my :twocents: Regards, Shawn
P.S. You have to understand, I get to deal with "families that lost their homes due to fires, Trauma runs involving accident victims and just alot of unfortunate situations. Complaining about these petty issues to me just seems....:fit:

[germanhc]

To clarify, I was calling to book exactly 180 days in advance as I have done for the past 4 days and will continue for the next 4. The ressie I was asking for was 180 days from the day I made the phone call. There is no way she was unclear about that. She even told me I couldn't make a reservation 180 days out. When I asked when did she think I could make reservations, i got the response, "I don't know, but you can't make reservations 180 days in advance without a reservation confirmation."

[germanhc]

In response to MTTAfire, I'm a surgeon and have dealt with many unpleasant things from trauma to cancer and death. People are allowed to expect some degree of professionalism from the people that they deal with, no matter what they do. That includes a CM taking reservations. If a 3 and 6 year old have their heart set on something, maybe it is worth sweating the smalll stuff for them. You never know what can happen in the future and you can get the most out of life sometimes by sweating some of the small stuff.

[Iluvpooh]

I thought Cindy was at Akershus?

Not that I'd eat there...the food smells funny. Which is a shame because I really want to see Ariel with legs.

Cinderella is not at Akershus just 1900 Park Fare (dinner) and Cindy's Royal Table.

BTW-The food at Akershus for breakfast is typical American stuff.(Bacon & Eggs, Panckaes, ect..)

[mttafire]

In response to MTTAfire, I'm a surgeon and have dealt with many unpleasant things from trauma to cancer and death. People are allowed to expect some degree of professionalism from the people that they deal with, no matter what they do. That includes a CM taking reservations. If a 3 and 6 year old have their heart set on something, maybe it is worth sweating the smalll stuff for them. You never know what can happen in the future and you can get the most out of life sometimes by sweating some of the small stuff.
Dont sweat the small stuff....Learn it, Love it, Live it. It makes a much happier life. As a F.F./Paramedic i do respect your abilities as a surgeon. One of my best friends is a Board Certified General Surgeon (M.D.)with a fellowship in Gastoenterology.

[illini]

I have a sinking feeling that it was Cindy's that you didn't get, huh? That stinks.

And while I try not to let things get to me (I'm big on not noticing what other people do on vacation), I would have been upset about this, too. I don't think it's pompous at all to expect the CM to have correct BASIC information. As in, "the MOST BASIC information." Rule #1. I've never written a letter to complain to Disney, only to praise, but this would have made me mad enough to write. Disney needs to know about this lack of training.

I'm sorry you didn't get the ADR you were hoping for. Keep calling back and surely something will open up.

[illini]

P.S.
Cindy does sometimes show up at Akershus, but it's not typical from what I understand. We've seen her there, and I've seen other reports of her being there.

[germanhc]

It actually wasn't cindy's, it was the fantasmic dinner package at a reasonable time. We're not fans of dinner at 4:30. We've been to Cindy's several times and the girls prefer Akershus. They prefer that breakfast but also like belle in the fancy dress. Also have to note that we once did se Cindy @ Akershus. It was an unexpected surprise that I'm sure doesn't happen often. For some reason Cindy replaced Jasmine that day.

[SurferStitch]

When I asked when did she think I could make reservations, i got the response, "I don't know, but you can't make reservations 180 days in advance without a reservation confirmation."

Wow! She is SO wrong.

I made all of our ADR's 180+10 for our December trip back in June, AND....I was never once asked for a reservation confirmation. They simply asked if I was a resort guest, and I said I was. They then asked for my phone number (so all ADR's were stored under one identifying number), and that was it. I got all of my ADR's.

:shrug:

[Ian]

I did ask for a supervisor, the CM response was "no supervisor is available to speak to you."That seems to be the standard answer they give these days. I had an issue with the staff at SSR and got the same answer back.

[JPL]

It really is a shame to see this type of decline in service from a company that marketed their customer service plan as a model to other companies. The wrote books on the subject as well maybe they should dust them off and reread them. But I hate to say that until people stop going to WDW and complain more about the service nothing is going to be done about these problems.

[chamonix]

Wow! She is SO wrong.

I made all of our ADR's 180+10 for our December trip back in June, AND....I was never once asked for a reservation confirmation. They simply asked if I was a resort guest, and I said I was. They then asked for my phone number (so all ADR's were stored under one identifying number), and that was it. I got all of my ADR's.

:shrug:is it possible that the phone number you gave pulled up your room ressie #?

It's obvious though, that the CMs can be inconsistent. First rule: if you don't like the answer you are given, hang up and call back! (especially when you know you are right and they are wrong) I have dealt with really bad CMs on the phones over the years. So much so, that it's seemed like a rare thing for me to have good/pleasant experience with them! :confused: Thankfully the past few times have been better/good experiences.

[disneymom2000]

I think this is a domino effect of the Dining Plan. Everyone is so intent on making their ADR's without being flexible and there are only so many reservations per timeframe. Unfortunately, not that I am saying anything bad about the boards, but people here push certain restaurants so hard that people think that if they can't get those certain ADRs their whole vacation will be ruined. No where have I been that offers as many choices as WDW. All that said, the CM was way off on her attitude. I have had to deal with several rude people on the phone that I have taken to recording all my phone conversations so I can always refer to information if the caller won't clarify something (such as their name). I can always erase if I don't need any information from it.:thedolls:

[Polynesian Dweller]

To clarify, I was calling to book exactly 180 days in advance as I have done for the past 4 days and will continue for the next 4. The ressie I was asking for was 180 days from the day I made the phone call. There is no way she was unclear about that. She even told me I couldn't make a reservation 180 days out. When I asked when did she think I could make reservations, i got the response, "I don't know, but you can't make reservations 180 days in advance without a reservation confirmation."

Some of the problem is the fact that WDW has been changing its rules and not always making it clear to even their own staff. When we did our ADRs in the summer I ran into some similar things. Rules on ADRs had recently changed but the CMs didn't seem to know. So, I couldn't make the ADRs for my entire trip (I should have been able to do so) and had to call back. The CM gave me similar responses to yours. She wasn't rude, just uninformed.

I didn't sweat it. Made the three calls I needed to and got my ADRS. Disney's a business with all the issues of all businesses. Some info isn't communicated well, some CMs are better than others etc. etc. I just deal with it and enjoy my trip.

[Ian]

Some of the problem is the fact that WDW has been changing its rules and not always making it clear to even their own staff. When we did our ADRs in the summer I ran into some similar things. Rules on ADRs had recently changed but the CMs didn't seem to know. So, I couldn't make the ADRs for my entire trip (I should have been able to do so) and had to call back. The CM gave me similar responses to yours. She wasn't rude, just uninformed.

I didn't sweat it. Made the three calls I needed to and got my ADRS.I'm not sure if you read some of the updates the OP made to the story throughout this thread, but I gotta tell ya ... I see rude and incompetent written all over it.

It's one thing if the person is simply mis-informed. But if you're a Disney reservations hostess and you have someone on the phone who's got a problem ... YOU GET A MANAGER!!

If the issue was simply one of her being mis-informed, asking a supervisor or a manager for clarification would have solved the problem right there.

There's absolutely no excuse, in this day and age of computer software, for people to be "misinformed." They all have the same system that tells them and lets them do the same things.

In addition, she should have asked someone if, for some odd reason, she truly wasn't clear on the rules. Which, by the way, have been this way for months now. It's not like they just changed recently. But the OP clearly said that his request to speak with a manager was rejected out of hand. There's no excuse for making your guests call back to a phone line that's a toll call multiple times just to make dining reservations at your resort. It's a disgrace to begin with that they don't have a toll free number!

[joanna71985]

I thought Cindy was at Akershus?

Not that I'd eat there...the food smells funny. Which is a shame because I really want to see Ariel with legs.

Cinderella can show up at Norway, but very rarely.

[WheresWalt]

When I get a "bad" ADR rep (which you can usually tell within a couple minutes), I just tell them to forget about it and call back in. One day I had to do this twice in a row before I got a friendly and competent person. Third time was a charm.