Anyone had any uninformed CM cases?

[Master Yoda]

having ambition was the main point of that post Richard...going into a job at Walt Disney World, one should know that there is a certain standard that is to be expected :brick:

That is great in a perfect world but we do not live in a perfect world. If you can find 65,000 people that not only live up to Walt's ideals, live close to WDW and are willing to work for what Disney's pays then you need to be head of Casting. They have positions that must be filled or the place will not function.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

They've been around since at least 2006.

I'll see your "since at least 2006" and raise you a "since at least 2002."

('Nuther former CP who vaguely remembers Tell-a-Casts being passed around by managers at the beginning of shifts.)

 

[devoy1701]

That is great in a perfect world but we do not live in a perfect world. If you can find 65,000 people that not only live up to Walt's ideals, live close to WDW and are willing to work for what Disney's pays then you need to be head of Casting. They have positions that must be filled or the place will not function.

guess i have a utopia idea in my head then... I would think that WDW would have different hiring practices than Walmart or say McDonald's...maybe '74 has been right all along..

 

[Wilt Dasney]

guess i have a utopia idea in my head then... I would think that WDW would have different hiring practices than Walmart or say McDonald's...maybe '74 has been right all along..

They aspire to. But Richard is right that the real world demands of staffing the place don't allow 100% fidelity to the idea of what a perfect CM should be.

 

[Master Yoda]

guess i have a utopia idea in my head then... I would think that WDW would have different hiring practices than Walmart or say McDonald's...maybe '74 has been right all along..

WDW has simply gotten to big for its own good. If WDW consisted of nothing more than MK and Epcot I think it would be possible to staff it with Disney freaks that only cared about doing the absolute best job that they could. In its current size I just do not thank it is possible.

I have seen a similar situation in my own company. I work for a small company that prides itself on quality. We typically deal with high end builders who expect it. During the housing boom we were so busy that we had no choice but to hire people that did not measure up to our standards. We use to joke that new hire interviews went like this....

"Do you know what a truss is?

"no"

"If I show you one will you still remember what it is tomorrow?"

"Probably"

"Great! You're hired!"

We had not choice but to hire warm bodies to take care of more menial tasks and quite frequently they would screw up even the simplest thing.

WDW has been in that situation for a long time and there is little chance that they will ever be out of it. Let us also not forget that most of the CM's work their a$$ off and really do care about their jobs and the Disney way of doing things. The number of times that I have run into a bad or even adequate CM's pales in comparison to the number of times that I have run into great ones.

 

[polymissy]

Hi, everyone. First post, so i hope I do this right.
I was activating my annual pass in January, and the cast member at the MK ticket window, upon seeing my 3 year old's Princess Tiana shirt, pulled us over to have the girl behind the window sign it. Obviously this cast member behind the window plays Tiana when not being behind the ticket counter. Poor "Tiana" looked mortified as she ducked out of sight ASAP while saying she can't sign while not in costume. Talk about crushing a kids dreams...Tiana works in a ticket stand?...

Needless to saythe cast member who directed us to our autograph session was the most uninformed cast member I've encountered!

 

[devoy1701]

Hi, everyone. First post, so i hope I do this right.
I was activating my annual pass in January, and the cast member at the MK ticket window, upon seeing my 3 year old's Princess Tiana shirt, pulled us over to have the girl behind the window sign it. Obviously this cast member behind the window plays Tiana when not being behind the ticket counter. Poor "Tiana" looked mortified as she ducked out of sight ASAP while saying she can't sign while not in costume. Talk about crushing a kids dreams...Tiana works in a ticket stand?...

Needless to saythe cast member who directed us to our autograph session was the most uninformed cast member I've encountered!

as a mother did you give uninformed CM a death stare??? I think it would have been warranted...

 

[Tom Morrow]

Hi, everyone. First post, so i hope I do this right.
I was activating my annual pass in January, and the cast member at the MK ticket window, upon seeing my 3 year old's Princess Tiana shirt, pulled us over to have the girl behind the window sign it. Obviously this cast member behind the window plays Tiana when not being behind the ticket counter. Poor "Tiana" looked mortified as she ducked out of sight ASAP while saying she can't sign while not in costume. Talk about crushing a kids dreams...Tiana works in a ticket stand?...

Needless to saythe cast member who directed us to our autograph session was the most uninformed cast member I've encountered!

:brick::brick:

Did you ask to speak to a manager?

 

[devoy1701]

They aspire to. But Richard is right that the real world demands of staffing the place don't allow 100% fidelity to the idea of what a perfect CM should be.

WDW has simply gotten to big for its own good. If WDW consisted of nothing more than MK and Epcot I think it would be possible to staff it with Disney freaks that only cared about doing the absolute best job that they could. In its current size I just do not thank it is possible.

I have seen a similar situation in my own company. I work for a small company that prides itself on quality. We typically deal with high end builders who expect it. During the housing boom we were so busy that we had no choice but to hire people that did not measure up to our standards. We use to joke that new hire interviews went like this....

"Do you know what a truss is?

"no"

"If I show you one will you still remember what it is tomorrow?"

"Probably"

"Great! You're hired!"

We had not choice but to hire warm bodies to take care of more menial tasks and quite frequently they would screw up even the simplest thing.

WDW has been in that situation for a long time and there is little chance that they will ever be out of it. Let us also not forget that most of the CM's work their a$$ off and really do care about their jobs and the Disney way of doing things. The number of times that I have run into a bad or even adequate CM's pales in comparison to the number of times that I have run into great ones.

OK, I get that not all CMs fit the bill nowadays. But regardless...I still don't think that you should defend CMs who don't know the answers to simple questions like "where do I get an EMH wrist band and say that it's the managers responsibility to inform the CMs of these kinds of things. EMH is a part of standard operation at this point. Lets blame it on lack of personal drive, not "you can't expect a CM to know something a manger didn't tell them!"

 

[polymissy]

I was in such shock about what had just happened, i couldn't even process it. I think I was as confused as my 3 year old. Plus, i was in the middle of activating my first ever annual pass, so as bad as it seems now, it wasn't gonna get me down! And, by the looks of the other cast members behind the counter, I'm pretty sure she learned her lesson.

But seriously, a little bit of common sense please!

That girls behind the counter did look exactly like Tiana though! Good pick to whoever hired her!

 

[crazydaveh]

I expect quality customer service at the parks, and usually get it. I also expect quality service wherever I go. Do I get it? Half the time. Does it really make my day a poopy day? Not really. It's all in how you take it.

I"ve been told the wrong this and that many times at all the parks in Orlando, it's many factors that play into it and many have already been listed. If it's major, I take action, if it's moderate I deal with it there, if it's minor, I think, if this is the worst part of my day, it's not really that bad of a day.

Remember the front line CM's and employees at all the Orlando parks make diddly squat and many work an additional job to support their families or lifestyle.

Just try not to be mean to them if they screw up... After all, we've all screwed up and it's not fun to be yelled at. Think of it this way, would you rather be told something wrong about a time at Disney or a wrong time for a meeting at work? You know what, you're not at work so it could be a lot worse.

Start slamming me.... NOW.

 

[TURKEY]

I can confirm all front desk/registration CMs do not know how to apply different credit cards to different room keys. If I didn't have more to do, I would have argued as I high as I had to go to get them to assign different credit cards to different keys. It wasn't worth the hassle.

You are right. It is a major hassle and if you don't pay real, real close attention, then you'll have someone else trying to get in your room.

It can be done, but it can create a mess for the front desk (if you have to change rooms), but also housekeeping.


The folio that prints tells exactly which key card charged what. It's easier for a cast member to add up totals and then take payments on 2 different cards than possibly crash your reservation, rebuild it from scratch, and try again.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

The most uninformed CMs I have ever come across were at the Halloween Party last year. If you work at the Halloween Party, you should at least be aware of what's going on around you. My husband and I were asking simple questions such as where to find a certain character and we got many different answers. For example, we knew Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs were going to be coming out to Fantasyland but we didn't know where to line up. We asked a CM (who was working in Fantasyland) and she told us they would be coming out on Main St! Can you imagine if we actually went to Main St. looking for a line?
At another point, we exited the Woody/Jessie/Bullseye meet and greet in Liberty Square and asked a CM where the next closed meet and greet was. She said Frontier Goofy over by Splash! Even we knew that Goofy only does that meet and greet during normal park hours. Goofy's only gig at the Halloween Party is at the dance party in Tomorrowland. I feel bad if there were people who were actually following the advice these CMs were giving out.

 

[devoy1701]

The most uninformed CMs I have ever come across were at the Halloween Party last year. If you work at the Halloween Party, you should at least be aware of what's going on around you. My husband and I were asking simple questions such as where to find a certain character and we got many different answers. For example, we knew Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs were going to be coming out to Fantasyland but we didn't know where to line up. We asked a CM (who was working in Fantasyland) and she told us they would be coming out on Main St! Can you imagine if we actually went to Main St. looking for a line?
At another point, we exited the Woody/Jessie/Bullseye meet and greet in Liberty Square and asked a CM where the next closed meet and greet was. She said Frontier Goofy over by Splash! Even we knew that Goofy only does that meet and greet during normal park hours. Goofy's only gig at the Halloween Party is at the dance party in Tomorrowland. I feel bad if there were people who were actually following the advice these CMs were giving out.

Woody/Jessie/Bullseye meet and greet is in the Diamond Horseshoe in Frontierland on Halloween Party nights.... just saying! :wave:

Does Goofy really not have a meet and greet on party nights???

 

[RiversideBunny]

I once met a Cast Member who did not know the capital of Peru.

:animwink:

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Woody/Jessie/Bullseye meet and greet is in the Diamond Horseshoe in Frontierland on Halloween Party nights.... just saying! :wave:

Doh! That's what I meant! That's what I get for rushing

 

[raven]

Let me just say that every CM you encounter isn't going to know all of the answers to your questions. If you go up to a CM at a food cart they might not know where to find a character. Most likely they haven't been told (only because it isn't needed in their area of work) or they haven't been in the park much themselves to know. Don't hold that against them. Like I said before, Guest Service is your best bet.

Once while walking to my detail during a late EMH at Epcot, a guest asked me how late Character Spot was open. I couldn't answer it because I didn't know (I work 3rd shift when the park is normally closed). But I was able to direct them to someone that was able to answer it for them. It doesn't mean I am uninformed, it's just that I do not need to know that information on a day-to-day basis because it doesn't partain to me.

 

[Tom]

Let me just say that every CM you encounter isn't going to know all of the answers to your questions. If you go up to a CM at a food cart they might not know where to find a character. Most likely they haven't been told (only because it isn't needed in their area of work) or they haven't been in the park much themselves to know. Don't hold that against them. Like I said before, Guest Service is your best bet.

Once while walking to my detail during a late EMH at Epcot, a guest asked me how late Character Spot was open. I couldn't answer it because I didn't know (I work 3rd shift when the park is normally closed). But I was able to direct them to someone that was able to answer it for them. It doesn't mean I am uninformed, it's just that I do not need to know that information on a day-to-day basis because it doesn't partain to me.

The part in bold is KEY!

You didn't know the answer, but you knew who did - and you directed the guest to that person. That the the difference between you (a good CM) and the majority of them, who just flat out don't care.

Directing someone to a CM with the answer is just as good as having the answer. Just saying "I don't know" or making up an answer is inexcusable.

On a side note, the ONLY good thing about unemployment being so high is that employers (including Disney) can be a tiny bit more selective, since they have a bigger pool of applicants to filter through. (Caveat: I'm not making light of the unemployment situation)

 

[devoy1701]

The part in bold is KEY!

You didn't know the answer, but you knew who did - and you directed the guest to that person. That the the difference between you (a good CM) and the majority of them, who just flat out don't care.

Directing someone to a CM with the answer is just as good as having the answer. Just saying "I don't know" or making up an answer is inexcusable.

On a side note, the ONLY good thing about unemployment being so high is that employers (including Disney) can be a tiny bit more selective, since they have a bigger pool of applicants to filter through. (Caveat: I'm not making light of the unemployment situation)

Agreed. Raven I applaud you for seeking out someone who could help that guest. But often times a CM will make up something that sounds good or just go "gee i don't know..." and then there is awkward silence.

Not to mention being on these boards, alot of times we do know more than the average CM, and i hate when they don't realize that...such as CMs who work at Merchandise Checkout when I ask them to ring up my 20% AP discount back in February and they were like we don't have that...and I was like "i think that you do, can you please try to put it in."

anyway...i always try to be nice about it. Is that 20% discount still available btw? I had a nice CM at F&G apply it for me, but I don't know if it's still available at all locations...

 

[devoy1701]

Doh! That's what I meant! That's what I get for rushing

No worries! We all do it! Sometimes it's like you have to be running a fact checker when you're posting on here! :wave: