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View Full Version : Would you accept this as an answer?



green ranger
09-05-2009, 09:54 PM
My DH, DS5, DD4, and I were in Disney two weeks ago, and ran into a major problem with a bus driver. I'll try to tell what happened without being too long. We were leaving Downtown Disney and it was a torrential downpour. Not just your typical Florida afternoon shower, but heavy, heavy rain. Being our 4th trip to Disney in the past four years, we know very well that you have to fold up your stroller before getting on the bus. My husband said that he'd wheel the stroller to the door of the bus and for me to get the kids out and right onto the bus to save them from getting extremely soaked. Well, the bus driver started to scream at us to get back and waving his arms saying you can't bring that onto the bus open. He was yelling at us like we were criminals. I said to him, "Excuse me, but we aren't bringing the stroller on. He's just wheeling it to the door. It's raining pretty hard." Well, I guess he had it out for us because when we arrived at the Wilderness Lodge, my daughter was out cold and we had so many bags from Downtown Disney. The rain had now stopped and my husband said to me, that he would get out with all the bags, the stroller and our son and that he'd come back to help me get our daughter off because I couldn't lift her myself because of personal problems. We were sitting in the seat right next to the back door of the bus. While he was doing that, I woke DD enough that she was able to walk with me guiding her and we were walking to the back door when my husband walked back on to help and the driver closed the back door with my son on the outside and us on the inside!!! My son was screaming, "Mommy, Daddy," and banging on the door with tears flying. I'm yelling, "Open the door!" You had to see the faces of the people waiting to get on the bus. If you know Disney transportation, you know the bus drivers are always looking in their mirrors to see if every one is off and he very well saw me still exiting with my daughter when he closed the back door. When my husband asked the driver why he did that, he just shrugged his shoulders. My husband asked him for his name to report him and the driver said, "Go ahead. I'll just tell them you exited."
A transportation manager called us and told us the driver would be spoken to. My husband called again when we got home to see what happened and the manager told us that he couldn't say what happened, but they handled it. What does 'handled it' mean? I'm shaking right now from typing the story and reliving it. Do I just let it go or do I call again?
Sorry this ended up being longer than I intended.

SBETigg
09-05-2009, 10:17 PM
I think confidentiality issues prevent them from telling you what kind of disciplinary action, if any, was taken. It was a terrible incident, and I'm sorry it happened to you. You handled it appropriately and made the complaint. I think now you have to let it go and just trust that it was handled properly. I would accept the information offered and move on. But again, I understand how incidents like this can really shake you, and I'm sorry you had to go through it.

Itchy
09-05-2009, 10:29 PM
In all my trips I have very seldom had a problem with one of the bus drivers. It is unfortunate that you had to find a bad one especially with the weather the way it was.

I would think that Disney does not need the bad press with poor driver relations. Customer service is Customer service and that should be what Disney is selling if they want you to be coming back.

Polynesian Dweller
09-05-2009, 11:37 PM
As a retired manager, I have to agree with SBETigg, confidentiality will mean they cannot reveal to you what the outcome was. The fact that they dealt with it means that they have taken some action within the terms of their labor contracts and undoubtedly those contracts would not let discipline, if any, be revealed. Not unique to Disney at all by the way.

It is regrettable when things happen to make a trip less than magical. But, you can take solace in the fact that you handled this well and took the appropriate actions and that Disney did have to 'handle' it and let it go.