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candleshoe
01-01-2010, 12:52 AM
How do you contact Disney for complaints and what has been your experience in the past with them handling them. We just go back from a Christmas week at BLT and while overall had a great time there were 3 big issues that were extremely non-Disney and disturbing. I wanted to write a formal letter of complaint but don't know who to send it too. My DVC contact maybe? This may not be the right forum for this question I'm sorry. Has anyone else noticed a slipping in the usual Disney service with their recent trips? Overall it was extremely disappointning- I'll detail it in a future post...

DizneyRox
01-01-2010, 07:36 AM
Has anyone else noticed a slipping in the usual Disney service with their recent trips?
Wha wha wha? Disney Quality slipping? I'm SHOCKED!

NOT!

You can start with your guide, I've always just used the main [email protected] for anything, they tend to forward it on appropriately. I would be persistent... and make sure you outline what you expect. If you don't indicate you want to hear back (and provide information to do so) chances are you won't.

dumbo_buddy
01-01-2010, 09:23 AM
Wha wha wha? Disney Quality slipping? I'm SHOCKED!

NOT!

You can start with your guide, I've always just used the main [email protected] for anything, they tend to forward it on appropriately. I would be persistent... and make sure you outline what you expect. If you don't indicate you want to hear back (and provide information to do so) chances are you won't.

ditto.

three trips ago we had an issue at POR. i was very specific - names, dates, even times and said that i wanted to be contacted asap. three weeks later i received a phone call and even wound up being refunded one night. the issue warranted that though so don't expect money back.

sorry you have to deal with this! i agree that there has been a bit of a slip in customer service at WDW. that being said, the worst experience at WDW is often better than the best treatment i get someplace else including my local pathmark!

DH and i are taking our son on january 24th for a week. he will be 7 months then. i'm super nervous about it so i'm hoping that everything else goes smoothly, including disney service. :mickey:

cal5755
01-01-2010, 05:50 PM
I am sorry you had a bad experience with Disney. I would definately use the link and be as detailed with your experience as you can. I did have a huge issue one year especially with Disney transportation with a wheelchair. I used that link and listed times/dates and names in my email. I recieved a phone call within a week. They do take your complaints seriously and will forward your concerns to the proper department. The lady I spoke to was sympathetic to the situation and let me know that my email was forwarded to several managers. I also started the letter with how much I LOVE Disney and what it means to me and my family and ended my letter with some cast member names who made some magical moments during the trip so the whole e-mail was not a complaint. I hope that helps some... and let us know if you hear back from them.

SillySymphony
01-01-2010, 06:53 PM
Jim,

Like the other replies to your posting, I'm sorry to hear that there were "anomalies" to your vacation time. I think it's safe to assume that most Disneyphiles have experienced moments when the magic had waned a bit. You should know that Cast Members are occasionally required to be "re-dusted" through the "traditions" experience. It sorta "reboots" the Mickey Mainframe, if you will...

But...let's take a closer look for you and others who might read this and wonder how to best handle a situation that leaves you (or the family) feelin' a mite Grumpy...

First, no mater where you are on property, there is someone who is concerned with your experience even if you feel that the person you are presently dealing with isn't. These folk were once known in Disneyspeak as "Leads" (for the importance of their "role"), but today they will often be referred to as Area Managers, etc. Here's the most important point, though... Unlike the dissatisfaction you might have build-up at home over the lack of "power" your new vacuum has, your dissatisfaction has more "clout" and "import" if you seek out someone to speak with "in the moment". The reason, of course, is both simple and obvious.... complaints made "on the spot" are not in the best interest of business and warrant a more immediate response. Once you're home, well.... you're home. And to be honest, I haven't heard of many folks being flown back to Adventureland for an apology....

In general, Cast Members are really wonderful people... They're a lot like Doctors and Teachers... (hint, hint...) they want the best experience for everyone. Countless CM's go through their entire Disney work experience without ever raising the ire of a Resort or Day Guest. They deserve our thanks, appreciation and admiration. However, if you honestly feel that someone hasn't shown you or someone else the courtesy and respect due, take the time to rectify the matter then and there.

Oh... and have a great time during your next trip.... There's always another trip..!

DigitalDaredevil
01-01-2010, 07:58 PM
My experiences at Disney are usually positives and once in a while is there an issue that needs addressing. I do hold Disney to a higher standard as we are paying for that treatment, and that is one of the big reasons I go there. there are many reasons to go of course, but the service is usually unparalleled.
When we encounter a negative situation that needs to be addressed, we find someone to have it taken care of. This does two things: It fixes your immediate problem and makes you feel better about it, and secondly, it hopefully avoids the same situation being repeated for someone else.
Here is a good example of how things have been "fixed" for me:
A few years ago a group of 6 of us went to Akershus in Norway for Dinner. We arrived for our reservation and were seated. We waited about 15 minutes before anyone came to our table. A server saw that we had not had drink orders yet and said she would find our server. 10 minutes later, another server came to us and did the same. We asked for the manager. The manager came out and looked at our seating time card and saw that we had waited for 25 minutes without having our drink orders or had gotten food. The manager apologized and said that she our meals were on the house and that she insisted we have dessert and drinks.
We were assigned a new server and had learned that the young lady that was supposed to serve our table had left for the day without telling anyone.
The server that had to pick up the slack for her co worker leaving was awarded a HUGE tip from us as we didn't want the free meal, but just wanted the problem corrected. It still worked out to our benefit, but the server was very happy to receive a tip of a hundred dollars.
Whenever I have had a problem, Disney has done a very good job fixing problems. I rarely complain about things tough. I'm usually writing Disney for great CM customer service.

candleshoe
01-02-2010, 12:11 PM
Thanks for all the input- I've copied the email that I sent to my DVC contact a few days ago. (See below) As you can see, we did try to fix all of these problems at the time of the visit and while one of it did finally get resolved (the baggage cart issue), it was only with great pains and the manager not giving a very disney-like attitude towards the whole thing. Let me tell you, I am NOT one to complain and am always the 1st one to defend the Disney customer service to the end- I tell stories all the time about how they seem to go the extra mile and it's what keeps me coming back. That's what made these incidences that more upsetting. One isolated I could understand, but these were 3 things all in one week- all unlike anything I have ever experienced in Disney. We were postulating that part of it is an issue with BLT going through growing pains and not really being a distinct resort but run more like an outcropping of the Contemporary. I don't know, but I'm hoping it was just unbelievable bad luck. On a happy side, my DVC contact replied almst immediately, the middle of the day on a holiday (new years day)- saying that she is immediately forwarding my email to the appropriate people and she wants me to contact her as soon as I hear back from them. Anyhoo, here is the email that I sent, which goes into some detail as to what the issues were....

<<Hi!

We just got back from our Christmas week at the grand villa at BLT. Overall it was awesome, but unfortunately we had 3 separate customer service incidents that really left me sour. I've been going to Disney all my life and never had reason to complain, and now 3 separate incidents all happened in the course of 1 week- it was extremely disappointing. I was wondering if you could tell me who to direct my complaints to. I'll try to briefly summarize each issue:

1) The automatic blinds in the room didin't work. 1 of the big selling points of the grand villa is the full 2 floor window with the great view- one of the shades was stuck 1/2 way up. I noticed it within an hour of arrival and called maintenance. Someone came, played with the button, then left, never to be seen again. I called 2 days later (Wed Dec 23) and spoke to a manager- she ended up telling me that they needed a part and it would be shipped Friday. No one ever bothered to tell me this until now, and it meant our whole week went by without working shades- we never saw anyone come in to fix it. Her attitude was. "Oh well." Disappointing that a resort only a few months old already was having maintenance issues and they couldn't resolve mine the entire week I was there.

2) We had a "Neverland" christmas tree delievered by the Disney boutique. With it came a card that said to contact bell services for easy shipping home (see attached card I saved). Bell service had no idea what we were talking about and said they had never seen these cards before. After several calls and discussions/arguments with bell services/floral & gifts who seemed to be clueless on this whole thing, we ended up spending an hour on Christmas day taking every single fragile ornament off the tree ourselves, wrapping them in tissue paper, and dissembling the tree that we stuffed into our car (luckily we drove down.)

3) The last day I wanted a luggage cart to carry the luggage down. This is a very long story, but they gave us an extremely hard time about getting a cart wihtout a bellhop.I spoke at length with a manager named Steve. It's not a money thing, I'm not cheap, i simply like to do things and pack things in my own time for check out. They gave several lame excuses why they could not do this, such as a safety issue. This one is an obvious lie as at the value and moderate resorts they are more than happy to let you lug your own baggage. Are they implying that they only care about the safety of their luxury guests? I know it is simply that they were nickel and diming me and wanted a few extra bucks for the bellhop. It was made clear when the manager finally said, in a condescending tone, "Fine. I will send a NON-TIPPING cast member to your room with a cart." WHom, by the way, I did tip and she was very grateful. He made it clear that he was doing me some super-big favor and never to expect it again. His exact words "Don't ever expect us to do this again".

I can certainly give you more details on these incidents if you want, especially the last one as I was so upset I wrote down the entire conversation as soon as I got off the phone with Steve.>>

wonderalice23
01-03-2010, 11:35 AM
I love my WDW but I have had moments every now and again. Our most recent issue was not that big of a deal - I had bought some of the packaged popcorn one day, and loved it (Cheddar Ranch, if you want to try it!). For our drive home, I decided to get another bag to "ease the withdrawl" LOL. Well it tasted funny.....so I looked and it had expired 2 days previous. I emailed Disney, just to ask that they check dates on food. Imagine my surprise when I recieved a call from management apologizing and telling me they would send me some more in the mail!!!! I received 2 bags the next week, nice and fresh. All this for a not so good bag of popcorn. I guess at least the managers do a great job of addressing complaints! Good luck!

dumbo_buddy
01-09-2010, 07:19 AM
Thanks for all the input- I've copied the email that I sent to my DVC contact a few days ago. (See below) As you can see, we did try to fix all of these problems at the time of the visit and while one of it did finally get resolved (the baggage cart issue), it was only with great pains and the manager not giving a very disney-like attitude towards the whole thing. Let me tell you, I am NOT one to complain and am always the 1st one to defend the Disney customer service to the end- I tell stories all the time about how they seem to go the extra mile and it's what keeps me coming back. That's what made these incidences that more upsetting. One isolated I could understand, but these were 3 things all in one week- all unlike anything I have ever experienced in Disney. We were postulating that part of it is an issue with BLT going through growing pains and not really being a distinct resort but run more like an outcropping of the Contemporary. I don't know, but I'm hoping it was just unbelievable bad luck. On a happy side, my DVC contact replied almst immediately, the middle of the day on a holiday (new years day)- saying that she is immediately forwarding my email to the appropriate people and she wants me to contact her as soon as I hear back from them. Anyhoo, here is the email that I sent, which goes into some detail as to what the issues were....

<<Hi!

We just got back from our Christmas week at the grand villa at BLT. Overall it was awesome, but unfortunately we had 3 separate customer service incidents that really left me sour. I've been going to Disney all my life and never had reason to complain, and now 3 separate incidents all happened in the course of 1 week- it was extremely disappointing. I was wondering if you could tell me who to direct my complaints to. I'll try to briefly summarize each issue:

1) The automatic blinds in the room didin't work. 1 of the big selling points of the grand villa is the full 2 floor window with the great view- one of the shades was stuck 1/2 way up. I noticed it within an hour of arrival and called maintenance. Someone came, played with the button, then left, never to be seen again. I called 2 days later (Wed Dec 23) and spoke to a manager- she ended up telling me that they needed a part and it would be shipped Friday. No one ever bothered to tell me this until now, and it meant our whole week went by without working shades- we never saw anyone come in to fix it. Her attitude was. "Oh well." Disappointing that a resort only a few months old already was having maintenance issues and they couldn't resolve mine the entire week I was there.

2) We had a "Neverland" christmas tree delievered by the Disney boutique. With it came a card that said to contact bell services for easy shipping home (see attached card I saved). Bell service had no idea what we were talking about and said they had never seen these cards before. After several calls and discussions/arguments with bell services/floral & gifts who seemed to be clueless on this whole thing, we ended up spending an hour on Christmas day taking every single fragile ornament off the tree ourselves, wrapping them in tissue paper, and dissembling the tree that we stuffed into our car (luckily we drove down.)

3) The last day I wanted a luggage cart to carry the luggage down. This is a very long story, but they gave us an extremely hard time about getting a cart wihtout a bellhop.I spoke at length with a manager named Steve. It's not a money thing, I'm not cheap, i simply like to do things and pack things in my own time for check out. They gave several lame excuses why they could not do this, such as a safety issue. This one is an obvious lie as at the value and moderate resorts they are more than happy to let you lug your own baggage. Are they implying that they only care about the safety of their luxury guests? I know it is simply that they were nickel and diming me and wanted a few extra bucks for the bellhop. It was made clear when the manager finally said, in a condescending tone, "Fine. I will send a NON-TIPPING cast member to your room with a cart." WHom, by the way, I did tip and she was very grateful. He made it clear that he was doing me some super-big favor and never to expect it again. His exact words "Don't ever expect us to do this again".

I can certainly give you more details on these incidents if you want, especially the last one as I was so upset I wrote down the entire conversation as soon as I got off the phone with Steve.>>

curious if you ever heard something from disney.

Ian
01-11-2010, 11:51 AM
I'm actually interested to hear if you've ever gotten a response. As a BLT owner I'm a little upset to hear how things are running thus far ......

candleshoe
01-11-2010, 09:19 PM
I'm actually interested to hear if you've ever gotten a response. As a BLT owner I'm a little upset to hear how things are running thus far ......

DVC was very good about getting back to me. I spent 1/2 hour on the phone with the representatitve explaining everything in detail. He said that his job is too forward these details to the upper powers-that-be so that corrections can be made and this should never happen again. BUT, basically that's where it ends I shouldn't expect any further contact or feedback. No compensation was offered and I didn't ask for any and I don't think it was in their power to do so...
He did shed light on the luggage cart incident explaining that it is, in fact , about the money- the bellhops are union and it's in the company policy that if there is any potential tipping situation they HAVE to send a bellhop. I told him that while I don't like that answer at least I could respect the honesty in it instead of the CM feeding me lines and trying to deceive me about the real reason. There was basically a lot of customer service/communication failures. Given that I have a significant 50 year investment in BLT I hope that this was just some crazy weird bunch of coincidences. One thing my wife mentioned too, which was true...she feels that even though BLT is right next to MK, she doesn't fet that "wow" when she enters it- mostly due to the fact that there's no lobby just a little reception room. It lacks that festive feel of the lobbies at boardwalk, AK, FW, GF, pretty much everywhere else. She says it doesn't really feel like you're in Disney but just another nice hotel that happens to be inside WDW if that makes any snese- it did to me when I thought about it...
I also have realized that it's pretty difficult to stay anywhere else except your home resort as pretty much everything fills up before the 7 month period when you can resot hop. While I love BLT I joined DVC hoping I could experience all of the resorts at some point but it looks like that could be difficult wihtou wait lists and other such nonsense. Oh well. Still love Disney, always will.

DizneyRox
01-11-2010, 10:31 PM
I think all of the DVC resorts have underwhelming lobbys. Take AKL for example. Jambo House is breathtaking, while Kidani is nice.

I'd rather they not spend so much on thing that aren't needed, but I think that's what you are noticing.

Your experience with customer service is pretty much what I expected. Typical Disney these days.

Ian
01-13-2010, 08:35 AM
Thanks for the follow-up. I'm sorry to hear that their response was ... err ... less than magical, though.

I have to say it about mirrors the experience I had at SSR one time when I had a bad, bad experience with a cast member that I later found out was legendary in her ability to irritate guests (Hattie, I believe her name was).

Sometimes I wonder if being a DVC member is all it's cracked up to be. I kinda feel like there's a little "gotcha" on their part that relieves them of any responsibility of satisfying you as a guest.

Disneyfamilyof3
07-16-2010, 09:15 PM
If you are headed to WDW, don't read this. It is not my intention to spoil your excitement. But,if you have been treated badly at WDW before, you may want to read this. I wish I had found this thread before I wasted over $5,000.00 this past May. DVC sales monitor Intercot: so,if I am flamed,I will assume it is someone who works at Disney.
There was no bigger Disney fan than I. Nine new families go because of our recommendations. I never had a single complaint about ANYONE who worked at WDW. In fact, I always believed that every single cast member I ever dealt with always went well beyond any expectation I ever had. I have a son with Asperger’s Syndrome, and I credit WDW with lots of wonderful breakthroughs for him.
Our newest “favorite” Disney hotel was the Beach Club Resort.It had casual elegance, an unbelievable pool, and unbeatable location. We had stayed at the BCR two other times without any incident.
Our third visit to the BCR occurred this past May. Disney is advertising 2010 as the year of celebrations. What better place to go for our wedding anniversary and son’s birthday combined? And while every other place and cast member on Disney property rose to their usual above and beyond outstanding service, a few staff at the BCR ruined every single day of our stay, except one. Keep in mind, I don’t think I have ever lodged a complaint against anyone, at Disney or anywhere else.
During our stay at the BCR this May, the staff at the hotel started our vacation by telling us in a very belligerent tone that our standard view room wasn’t ready, and check in was at 4 pm. Even though I was bewildered at the tone of voice and even though I knew check in was at 3 pm, I said, ok, just asking, no big deal. We dropped off our bags, and walked to Epcot. Hours later, while we were having a great time, I received a call telling me that our room wasn’t ready. In fact, the room that we had chosen from a list they had given us to choose from, had been trashed by people who stayed there the night before. I asked about the state of the mattresses. The manager on the phone hesitated and didn’t answer. We were then offered another standard view room instead, and we were checked in a little after 3 pm. The next day, my husband discovered that the front desk had “lost” my husband’s credit card information! He had placed a cc on our room key at check in, and was put in embarrassing situations when he discovered the room card had no charge priviledges. BCR called us and told my husband that he needed to place a cc on the room key. When he replied that he already had, he was subjected to a very nasty, smug cast member who made my husband angry enough to complain to a wonderful manager, who reimbursed my husband the amount he (the manager) deemed fair. My husband came back totally pixiedusted! Day three was great, no problem.
Day 4, the day before our wedding anniversary, we came back from lunch to discover that my beautiful bathing suit was missing from my room! So, while my family went to see a flower power concert at Epcot, I spent the evening dealing, once again, with the BCR managers. I was reimbursed the depreciated value of my suit, because it was a year old, and I told them that. From this point on, I was getting upset at the BCR, but was trying to be a lady.
But, now my Asperger Syndrome son is afraid to leave his camera equipment in the room: he’s afraid of theft and “people looking through my stuff”. And, my time in Stormalong Bay is gone, ½ the reason we booked at the BCR to begin with, because it seemed that finding a one piece swimsuit in my petite size on Disneyworld property was impossible while I was there.
After the disappearance of my suit was reported to management (my suit was NEVER found), housekeeping did not give us service, which we felt was retaliatory for the complaint about the missing suit. We base this on the fact a male housekeeper told my husband in the hall, “YOU don’t want housekeeping!” very rudely, the day after we reported the suit missing. For two days, we would call housekeeping when we left the room, not to return for 6 or more hours, because we REALLY needed service. No one came. Finally, when we no longer even had toilet paper (not to mention towels, shampoo, or soap); I broke down. I asked a manager in the lobby if it was too much to expect for a Deluxe Disney resort to provide toilet paper? I burst into tears. I just wanted to go home. The manager kept telling my husband that he was too busy, with a hotel at 40% capacity, to be bothered with what he considered our small issues. He snidely accused my husband of wanting to “profit” from this situation (?!?) That night, at dinner, my son had a full meltdown at the Polynesian, where we went for dinner, and locked himself in the men’s room for hours due to the stress . A wonderful young man who worked at the front desk of the Poly helped us talk my son out of his anxiety attack and into a cab back to the BCR, where we slunk back to our room feeling horrible about being trapped there. To this day, I pray for that young man, and the waiter at Le Cellier, who was the only one to acknowledge our anniversary with two glasses of surprise champagne. No one at the BCR cared. In fact, when we told them it was our anniversary, they treated us like we wanted something. Uh, yeah, we wanted what we paid for: deluxe service. I believe everywhere on earth, that does include toilet paper!
The same manager who was rude and insulting, continued his coercion until we went home. I cried several time in the remaining two days, particularly after said manager insinuated that there never WAS a swim suit!! I burst into tears, and gave a minute description to the Yacht Club manager, who was a lovely person who tried to comfort me. The nasty manager at the BCR made it a point to show up to crow triumphantly at our departing backs as the Magical Express drove us away. When I told this man that I intended to write a letter of complaint, he laughed and said, “Go Ahead!” in a way that told me that he knew he could act with impunity.
He was right. I wrote no less than three letters to customer service. With the second letter, I asked to be reimbursed for the days at the hotel (minus the days the first manager reimbursed), at the discounted price that we paid and I listed. I also stated that, instead of money, I would be receptive to reimbursement in the form of another deluxe hotel stay for 5 days. I already knew that 40% capacity was considered a hardship: they had the rooms. Stupid me, I thought it would be a cheaper way for them, considering their mark up on their prices; and the fact that we usually spend tons of money on other things down there, anyway. They would still turn a profit. It would have been a way to show us that we wouldn’t be abused a second time around. I would never consider paying them another $5,000 and placing myself in their power unless they made some gesture. Had Disney shown good faith and remorse for destroying our anniversary, they would have been pleasantly surprised: it is the principle for me. No one in my family even wants to go back, and we don’t have the time anyway. Instead, the woman on the phone said they felt they did all they were interested in doing, and insinuated she had my letters, so to shut up and just take it. I found that puzzling, as I have no problem with what I put in writing at all, including the suggestion to be reimbursed. I believe that it is the right thing for them to do.
Although the person who was delegated the responsibility of our complaint promised to call us last week, she never did. Instead, I had to email. At that, she called, and said she believed the BCR, and they felt they reimbursed us enough with the suit and the first manager. I guess when that manager at the BCR encouraged me to write my complaints, he knew nothing would be done. I guess they felt that reimbursing us for the trashed room, lost cc information, nastiness, and a missing bathing suit granted them immunity from further outrageously bad customer service! My family had to go use the pool bathroom because we weren’t even given toilet paper. At a deluxe hotel!
We are being painted as mercenary for wanting reimbursement for the discounted price we paid for the hotel only. That’s actually funny. The BCR destroyed our vacation and celebration, and WDW doesn’t care. They didn’t back us, the guests, at all. The pixie dust bubble was popped right in front of my face.
We had been to WDW 11 times before where nothing bad happened. Unfortunately, when things did go wrong, WDW did not feel accountable for our time, effort, planning, money, and trust that has been destroyed by some of their BCR staff. The woman on the phone even had the nerve to tell me, smugly, that they would continue to take our money for future trips.When I said it for what it was,they just want our money, she said, “Yup”. Needless to say, I have informed my travel agents. They said , “YOU, of all people, have a problem with Disney??’, and after listening, told me Disney’s behavior toward me and mine was disgusting.
I hope no one here ever experiences what we did. But, I’d like to hear about it if anyone else was ever treated this badly.

faline
07-16-2010, 09:23 PM
Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience.

Disneyfamilyof3
07-16-2010, 09:38 PM
Thank you, Faline. It broke our hearts. We loved Disney, and we don't understand why they treated us like this.:(:confused:

BellesRose
07-16-2010, 10:43 PM
That's horrible, I'm very sorry! Disney has always fixed any problems that happened, but on our very last trip we went to the Beach Club to eat at Beaches n Cream and had the worst experience that we've ever encountered from Disney, and it was the first time they didn't fix it. It was very disappointing and we decided that we will not return to the restaurant that we'd been visiting for years. It does not change my opinion of Disney overall, but I definitely don't feel as good about the Beach Club anymore. If you ever make it back, check out the Wilderness Lodge or Saratoga Springs. Those two resorts have always gone above and beyond in customer service. We've always had problems at every other resort except for these two. Again, wish the outcome of your trip had been better!

Disneyfamilyof3
07-16-2010, 11:23 PM
Thank you for responding, BellesRose:)
It's nice to see such kindness from Disney fans (who still rock), even if not from certain Disney upper management,...It is my personal belief that the regular castmembers, the people who work hands on everyday with WDW fans should be the managers, and the managers should be forced to work with the fans for a little while to remember why they are working at WDW (and the regular castmembers should be getting the managers salaries, too).If that were the case, I'd return tomorrow. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the regular castmembers, and if any are reading my posts, I want to say "Thank you" for being so wonderful. It is very hard for me to accept the fact that I tried to deal with WDW management and guest relations honorably: and all that did was give them a chance to treat me with contempt.It is inexcusible. BTW, I would have loved to have tried the Wilderness Lodge,.and the Poly,..*and* Old Key West:D Unfortunately, I don't think I wll be going back. Whereas certain managers were all too willing to apologize verbally; they were very careful not to put anything in writing, or make good on their commitment to us as their guests.What are they so afraid of? I used to work in Customer Service, and I wouldn't have dreamed of treating people in such a seedy, dreadful way. I have been reading around on the Internet, and I was actually surprised to see other incidents posted about the BCR...somehow, I thought that I was the only one, that for some reason, we were singled out. That's too bad.

Disneyfamilyof3
07-17-2010, 12:03 AM
BellesRose, I forgot to ask: when were you last at Beaches and Cream when this incident happened?

Disney4us2
07-17-2010, 12:06 AM
OMG.... how terrible. Disney usually has great customer service. I hope in time you will try a different resort, or stay off property and still enjoy WDW. I was sad to hear about your horrible experience with the Beach Club resort.

I stayed at the value...All Star Movies and had wonderful experiences. I left some papers on the DME (we were the only ones on the bus). The CM checking us in went all out, called her leads and they got my papers (for the trip..all the info) and had it sent all boxed up to our room. I was so amazed. We are moving up to CBR in December and I hope they are as good as ASMO.

BellesRose
07-17-2010, 02:02 AM
BellesRose, I forgot to ask: when were you last at Beaches and Cream when this incident happened?
It happened in April 2010.

This is part of the reason why I want to become a CM. I've had some bad experiences that really ruined my day, and I've had some wonderful CM's that I can still remember from years ago. I want to share some of the magic with guests who appreciate Disney just as much as I do like the ones I experienced, and hopefully if I come across any guests that are not pleased, I can help make their day a little better.

Disneyfamilyof3
07-17-2010, 03:56 AM
Hiya Marci,

You were a CM at Disneyland? How cool! I have always wanted to see DL.

Warning: rant ahead; sorry,still upset:mad:

The more I think about what happened to us at the BCR, and how we were treated by Guest Communications when we lodged written complaints, the more upset I get. It was bad enough that the BCR's mismanagement of staff, lapses in housekeeping protocol (if that is what did indeed happened with my suit, my friend thinks my suit may even be sitting in someone's drawer!), and a real nasty bully of a manager ruined our hotel stay,..but our attempts to gain justice, whether it was reimbursement or a formal , written apology was treated so outrageously. Was it REALLY NECESSARY of their managers to belittle us and treat us with contempt? At first, I thought, "What did we do to deserve this?", but then I realize that's what they want us to feel,..because we had valid complaints and they don't seem to want to do the right thing for a wronged guest.That's why the managers are banding together, and saying who knows what about us . But, whatever it is, they feel it gives them license to break even more commitments (to not call us back as promised, etc) and to treat us with contempt. This, when one of the manager's in question, never even met us! I never talked to this woman once! Yet, she complained that we kept her on the phone for over 45 minutes. I am in the process of getting my husband's cell phone records as we speak, because there is no way this manager was on the phone with my husband for 45 minutes. The other manager bald faced lied about things he said to us right in front of me. Later, I researched this person online: he had co founded a company that specializes in "viral marketing". Looked to me like it was a nice phrase for "email spam". That's the person they put in charge of BCR guests, and who's words are believed over a BCR guest who spent a ton of money because they wanted to swim in Stormalong Bay and have easy access to Epcot for 7 nights.The facts are: our family has spent over $60,000.00 and 9 years of our vacation dollars at Disney , and brought many friends and family who've done likewise, and this loyalty means NOTHING TO THEM.I think the managers that we've dealt with since the disappearance of my swimsuit have behaved in a sleazy, thuglike manner,with blatant arrogant indifference, when there are serious complaints. Instead of seeing that we still tried to deal with them honorably and politely, they responded with banding together, and hurling ridicule. It is only now, two months after this happened, that I am writing about this on Intercot. That's because any attempt of ours to be heard has been received with scorn. I really, really hope that this doesn't happen to anyone else here, and I would be very interested to know if anyone else was ever treated this way.

Disneyfamilyof3
07-17-2010, 04:11 AM
BellesRose,

I am so sorry to hear about your experiences. I think you would make an absolutely wonderful CM; and WDW would be very lucky to get you onboard!

You were at WDW a month before we stayed at the BCR. What is going on with them down there?! You said that this was the only time that they didn't right a wrong for you? Even my son wondered if that area has a new manager,..? It just seems like the BCR area is so completely changed from even Fall 2009. It has been my observation that many cast members over there look really unhappy. We noticed things like one of Stormalong Bay's lifeguards practically yelling at guests to see their room key,..as they were EXITING the pool area! The man who accepts the baggage at check in just glowered at everybody. I saw him completely disregard questions put to him, and just stare at the person in an angry way. i feel really badly; I hope that they are getting paid, or that they don't have to deal with the same manager we did,..that would certainly explain a lot. When we had our difficulties, some castmembers bluntly told me that they did not like the manager who was mean to us,..alternately, a few said they "loved" the one who treated us well. I guess castmembers would be subject to the same personality types as the guests. Except the poor castmembers still have to smile and put magic in a guests experience.

When you become a cast member, i hope that you get to work somewhere in the world where you get treated really well. I can't think of another time or place that I've experienced rude, nasty behavior; so hopefully, that will still hold by the time you get there. Do you have any spot in partcular you'd like to work? I talka lot with castmembers, many have told me that they get stationed *everyweher*. they may start off selling popcorn at a stand outside (happened to a poor Canadian guy who wasn't used to the Florida heat), and then they may be moved to being a wait staff at Le Cellier,etc. They really move people around from what I've been told. One time, my son became ill at the AKP. A cast member drove us back to our resort, the Yacht Club, in a white courtesy van. As we drove, he asked if we remembered the theatrical performance of "the Sword and The Stone", because he had acted in it!:cool:

DizneyRox
07-17-2010, 08:00 AM
Couple things...

Viral Marketing is not Email Spam... Very different things... It really seems like you're trying to find everything wrong with the situation(s). I'm not trying to dismiss the situation either, just saying that the rabbit hole doesn't go down as far as you think.

In general though, you're right, Disney service is a far cry from what it used to be, but I don't think it's as much about them trying to get you than it is about ineptness of the Cast Members they are hiring now. Most CMs that everyone sees are really just front line, minimum wage workers that aren't getting the training necessary to do their jobs the Disney way. I think upper management THINKS they things are fine without the appropriate training, however guests are routinely running into problems like yours and it's really fouling up the works so to speak.

With profits not where they need to be, you'll definitely see less done to compensate guests for problems. So, I do think that they are instructed to just apologize without taking ownership of the problem and move on. That's just how it goes now.

But I wouldn't tear yourself apart worrying about it. I've been telling people to speak with your wallet. That's really the only way that Disney will hear what guests are saying. The problem with handling things that way is, one person doesn't make a difference.

Next year, we're cruising, I'm finding better value there than Disney these days.

dnickels
07-17-2010, 10:23 AM
To echo some of the things that Rox wrote,

-Viral Marketing isn't spam, think more of how the 'Blair Witch Project' was advertised. Wikipedia even has an entry on Viral Marketing.

-When choosing between conspiracy theory and incompetence, always go with incompetence. While it's certainly possible that some of the managers just got together and said 'let's not help this family / let's ruin their vacation' the most likely problem is just incompetence, or maybe lower down the scale, poor training combined with a particular set of circumstances. It's really crummy when it happens to any of us, but sometimes it happens.

-Money talks. It doesn't mean staying away for a year or two, it means truly leaving the mouse behind. I see a lot of complaint threads where people threaten to never go back to Disney and they either have a next trip listed in their sig line, or they're posting about planning another one a month later.

Truly I'm sorry about what happened, but I'm not sure that replaying it over and over and digging into the managers backgrounds is going to make it any better. We can't always control what happens to us in life, but we can control how we respond to it. :cloud9: I would take those vacation dollars elsewhere for good and not look back.

BellesRose
07-17-2010, 01:35 PM
One thing I thought of...Disney probably has so many guests scamming them, that maybe they aren't taking care of the real problems as much. I believe your story is completely true and credible; however, I remember when I was in kindergarten and my best friend was always going on long vacations to Disney. One day, my mom finally asked my bff's mom how they afford to go so often, and her response was "Complain about every single thing until the entire trip is free. I don't remember the last time we paid!" Now, while I don't believe her entire trip was free every time they went, I do believe back then Disney would take care of you, whether your complaints were valid or not. I'm willing to bet they get complaints on a daily basis of things that have "gone missing" or people just wanting their money back because of this and that. In this economy, Disney would be losing money and going bankrupt if they gave into guests. Between that and lack of training, the managers don't know how to deal with these situations. Unfortunately, this hurts those of us that have real reasons to complain. It's the way of the world these days...selfishness and lying and a me-me-me attitude are not hard to find. It's sad, really. Thankfully, Disney usually does make things right for those who are honest, and bad experiences are still rare, even if they are becoming more common.

Disneyfamilyof3
07-17-2010, 02:03 PM
Hello Everyone

DisneyRox, you make a lot of sense. I was really upset yesterday because after promising to call my family last Friday or Monday, the manager at Guest Communications never did. I had to email her, and then she called me with this smug, nasty attitude saying she believed the BCR management. So she deliberately didn't call back out of disrespect.it is what I've seen on some Disney managers ( castmembers were fine, it was 2 or somanagers and a housekeeper)

BellesRose, Its a shame your friends mother had that attitude. Now, when people like me complain (1x in 9 years);... This is how I get treated.

But, like you said, money talks; and they won't be getting mine again after their behavior. I think the way they chose to end things will never be forgotten by me,.. I am thoroughly disgusted. I know their attitude is that people complain, and then come back, but this family won't.

I noticed that this thread started January 1 st,... I wonder if the fact that Roy O Disney died in December 16,2009, has something to do with the arrogance and incompetence of these managers? No quality control stop anymore?

Disneyfamilyof3
07-17-2010, 02:13 PM
Dnickels, sorry, I forgot to thank you, too.

I was really upset last night, that's why I put a warning sign. I continued to post, however, because I'm curious how others were treated.

The managers were not ONLY incompetent: they were very nasty. The good manager said it best, before the suit was taken: his exact words, I can't quote, becauseit was something that could be recognized, and I would hate to see him get in trouble: but he said something like," There are some really bad apples that work here at Disney. They need to be culled away before they spoil the rest", he said that after the issue with the trashed room/ lost cc info. This manager knew exactly what was going on,... he had told us if we come back for the Epcot FW festival, he'll bump us up to concierge. Sometime, all a good manager has to do is be nice. We won't be back, but his words still soothe, you know?

I've already relayed what happened to us; and all I can say is that you don't find out first hand how things were,... the quality I saw above others with two managers was arrogance. The second was coercive. Things at changing in WDW, sadly

Disneyfamilyof3
07-17-2010, 02:25 PM
PS: my husband agrees with the idea that it was incompetence from the word go. I'm already moving on,... well,.. I might write two more letters one to Jay Rasula, the other to Robert Iger. I don't want anything anymore,at least not another stay down there to replace the one they ruined,just the satisfaction of having the last word with this situation. My other letters were addressed to Meg Crofton, btw. They were delegated to Heather Havey, manager of guest communications. I have everyones email address, in case anyone needs them.

So, DisneyRox, where do you like to vacation now, lol? What happened in WDw for you that you are a bit more cynical?

DizneyRox
07-17-2010, 04:57 PM
So, DisneyRox, where do you like to vacation now, lol? What happened in WDw for you that you are a bit more cynical?
The reality at Disney is all about Wall Street. I understand that and I don't let it get in my way of enjoying WDW. Unfortunately, I'm a DVC member, so I get to look forward to declining service for many years to come. I don't drink the Kool-Aid... As someone else mentioned, a lot of people like to complain yet are planning their next vacation in the next thread.

I have routinely written to Disney about problems, sometimes I get responses, many time not. It's a shame these days that customer service there is declining like EVERYWHERE else. Customers are treated like they are criminals and that someone is doing them a favor.

My expectations of Disney are set very low. That way I'm not disappointed. Even then, sometimes they reach an all new low.

Unfortunately though, many of the people you mention writing to are part (some might say they are the cause) of the problem.

Roy was not really part of the decision making process either. Disney hasn't been a family run company for some time. They were just able to hide it better in the past. All decisions now revolve around profit, and ROI.

Disneyfamilyof3
07-17-2010, 05:52 PM
DizneyRox, I am so sorry... You know, this past trip, we had taken the DVC tour and came sooo close to plopping down 18.5 grand for Old Key West. At that point, we were between the suit being taken and no TP, and before talking to the bad manager at BCR. The response from the saleswoman was," Were you reimbursed for the suit,if so, how much?" The coldness of the response was odd. It dawned on me right then and there that she had no idea at all that it wasn't about the suit so much as the wasted time trying I find another one piece in a size six or even 4. The next day, we saw the DVC salesperson again. We had mentioned the day before we wanted to see the OK vac. apartments, which were not shown during the tour at SSR. As if we'd spend close to 20 grand to buy something sight unseen?? The whole thing, on top of everything, made me research people opinions about DVC; and that's when I read this thread!!! The next day, I told the DVC salewoman what I read on this list,and asked if DVC owners had any say in anything. She became nervous, and the driver of the van started whistling, lol. Growing up with all males, I always saw that as a dead give away of nerves.

At that point, the DVCsalesperson gave me a weird look, and told me that DVc people monitor many of the boards. When I asked if Intercot was one, her eyes lit up with recognition. I've wondered if Intercot is owned by WDW,.. I always thought it was owned by Magical Journeys. Anyway, around this time, the manager we complained to about having no TP, soap, or towels,essentially ended all of our interest in DVC. The saleswoman DID tell me that owners had some sort of meetings, and that they did read the boards, which has resulted in them rennovating DVC properties every 5 years instead of 10 now.

At any rate, DizneyRox, feel good knowing that your words and others, right on this thread, were used to confront DVC sales when they thought they were closing us in. They had to listen, because I hadn't plopped money down yet.

I truly hope that things will get better. I had always seen Roy Disney as a man who would occasionally resign as a way of having some sort of power in a situation he was locked out of. However, I have to say, at least his co plaint resignation letters were wonderful, lol. Perhaps that why the WDW animators may be back, if I'm not mistaken? I notice Walts daughter makes wine somewhere in Ca, and seems to have No interest in WDW.

Disneyfamilyof3
07-17-2010, 06:04 PM
I don't know if I stressed this: my number 1 concern, I said to the DVC saleswoman, was that if this were a RE deal, as advertised, then why do so many members on WDWboards have absolutely NO say, no voice? I specifically said that I didn't want to sign on the dotted line, give them lots of money, and have no commitment from WDW at all to listen to any concerns.

I found what you said about the root of the problem interesting. Would you know how long the people I've mentioned have been at the helm? Including the main manager of BCR? It would explain a lot, I'm sure.

I am even considering making a website after contemplating one of your emails: one voice, one check for $5,000. Does nothing. But how about a website for people who loved Disneyworld, but got the shaft? A website that is polite, but that merely states we are unhappy with your disregard after you cashed our check. We are going to vote against your disregard by NOT spending x amount ofdollars at WDW this year. Maybe things would turn around. I believe that if things continue the way they are, everyone will have something like this happen,... because they know they can get away with it.

I have to talk to my cousin about this: he is a lawyer for Disney ( or ABC). I'd be quite curious what he would say. I haven't yet, because I'm not close with that side of my family, and I don't want to appear like I'm asking for anything. I'm also embarrasse about how we were treated.

faline
07-17-2010, 06:29 PM
I've wondered if Intercot is owned by WDW,.. I always thought it was owned by Magical Journeys.

Intercot is not owned by Disney or by Magical Journeys though Magical Journeys is a sponsor.

Disneyfamilyof3
07-17-2010, 07:04 PM
Maybe the Swan and Dolphin Hotels? I think I did read that somewhere on here. My son has always wanted to stay at the Dolphin,... ever since we ate at Todd English: which was one of the most amazing restaurants in a place where there are many amazing restaurants.

I'd even thought about staying there, or the BWI, but I was amazed to read reviews about the latter that were akin to my experiences; but maybe one day we will visit the Dolphin.

Maybe one day there will be management that will rediscover the ideals that made things at WDW so cool, and then we'd come back. Even my son said," Lets just wait til this management changes". As of now, I have received no reassurance that what happened lastMay won't happen again, so I'm not returning until I get that reassurance, orthere is new management. I just don't trust them anymore. And I'm angry that they gave me cause not to trust them: I would have preferred to stay in my little fantasy bubble

Anyway, if anyone here is going to WDW soon, splurge at Todd English if you like seafood: and get that volcano like desert that the wait staff lights on fire. It's amazing!