Curious Response to Complaint

[mousehockey37]

Well, you can probably guess from these posts that breakdowns were one of our big issues. Not just Splash, but many rides. We had one day where around half of the rides we were riding or trying to ride broke down. The other big issue was lodging. Rude, grumpy, ignorant, aloof, abrupt, curt, etc. aren't words you normally associate with CMs at a WDW hotel. In hindsight, maybe we should have tried to change resorts, but anything too disruptive like that when traveling with young children usually does more harm than good. I at least have enough of the specifics documented about both issues should they ask.

Ok, I was kinda confused because you said you wouldn't return until they were 48" tall. The rides being down doesn't seem like an issue with how tall your kids are, so that seemed odd. The issue with the CMs, yes, that's a big deal. There's threads on here about rude CMs and such, so there's plenty of documentation on how to deal with the upper management folks. Just make sure you document everything, who you talk to, what their title is, etc. because if you still aren't satisfied with what they have to say or do, you can go above them and you have their info to pass along.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Ok, I was kinda confused because you said you wouldn't return until they were 48" tall. The rides being down doesn't seem like an issue with how tall your kids are, so that seemed odd. The issue with the CMs, yes, that's a big deal. There's threads on here about rude CMs and such, so there's plenty of documentation on how to deal with the upper management folks. Just make sure you document everything, who you talk to, what their title is, etc. because if you still aren't satisfied with what they have to say or do, you can go above them and you have their info to pass along.

Sorry, the height isn't directly complaint related, but there is a bit of a correlation. DD6 is a huge Harry Potter fan, but she's extremely short...so there's no point in taking her Universal/IoA until she meets the height requirement for Forbidden Journey @ WWoHP. This is significant to our WDW issues right now b/c DH said not only does he want to wait until she's tall enough to make any kind of return trip...he's pushing to skip WDW altogether whenever we return to the Orlando area for vacay. I'm guessing he'll soften on this stance over time, but we shall see.

We just found the collective rudeness at the resort to be quite shocking seeing as how our previous two stays onsite at other WDW resorts were everything one would expect with the "magic bubble." In fact, we got such amazing CM service and interaction in one of the neighboring resorts that DH stopped me at one point and said "why again aren't we staying here?"

I will have to go in search of some of those threads. Documentation was another reason why I didn't take the call while at Target. It's alot easier to take notes if I'm in front of a computer without a ton of distractions.

 

[blueboxdoctor]

Well even if you get a generic response they will begin to catch on if they have to continually give out these responses, so it doesn't hurt to voice your opinion (who knows, they may be keeping notes on what people say, though that's probably being a little too optimistic).

 

[HouCuseChickie]

UPDATE...

Just got off the phone...I touched on the key issues with the service at YC, making sure to note the specific poitns where it was at its worst. We also discussed the ride situation and apparently the day we had 9 breakdowns was just a very bad day in the park. They used my confirm info and ran a report to see what kind of ride issues there were that day and it turned out that it was a day of an exceptional level of breakdowns. i.e. not my imagincation. I also brought up our 2 rides on Splash and how the second time had so many stoppages, the first time family in front of us were questioning things.

The end results...

1. A series of apologies, of course.
2. They will be contacting YC mgmt as well as central training to discuss the issues.
3. Sending a report to general mgmt on the number of ride breakdowns we encountered on our trip to a) show the excessive numbers of breakdowns that are hitting parks each day b) showing that complaints are coming in

...and the unexpected...

4. 2 day park hopper passes for our family with no expiration.

I have to say that I'm pretty shocked...pleasantly shocked, but still shocked. I guess it's good to know though that they researched my complaint. I don't know if we'll see any grand changes in the parks or better all around service at the resorts, but hopefully it will do some good.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Correction...the tickets expire in 2033.

 

[docdebbi]

i was also contacted by phone last week regarding a letter I sent to WDW regarding a recent disappointing experience. I was shocked to get a call, I really just wanted to let them know what happened so they could try to improve in the future.
Bottom line, after we discussed how they managed to waste 6 hours of our time on our last day at Disney with employees unable to check us in and get us a boarding pass, and took over 1 1/2 hours to simply book a bounceback offer, he really did sound like he would look into it and try to track down what went wrong.
he then offered us one day passes or a bunch of anytime/anywhere fastpasses to make up for the time lost on our next trip. as these passes couldn't be upgraded to the multiday passes we usually get, we opted to re-coup our time lost and when we get there, we can claim the fast passes.
doesn't cost them anything (although it will cost the folks we jump in front of- sorry if it ends up being you), but makes us feel like they care that we wasted time and they wanted to give it back to us. that's why we love Disney, didn't expect this, but makes me (and my business) feel appreciated by them

 

[thomas998]

Yes, we received a call back. It was pretty much the equivalent of a canned response. "Oh we are so sorry that you had a bad experience, we are passing your concerns on to our quality assurance team and they will be discussing this in the future. Thanks for your concerns we hope to welcome you home real soon, have a magical day" was pretty much the total discussion on their end reading off a script.

I cannot guarantee you will receive the same brush off but do not be surprised if you do. Whatever you say they will tell you they are noting that for further discussion.

We got the canned phone call. I would suggest that if you want to get a real reply you ignore sending complaint to the normal channels they are designed to direct your complaint to either a form letter or a canned call. The only time I've ever gotten a call from a real person to right a problem was when I took the time to track down the address of the CEO of a company and the names and addresses of a few of the members of the board, then I sent the identical letter to each one of them CCing the others... That was a complaint to Pennys a few years back... I suspect the only way to get a real respons from Disney will be if you track down Igers home address and send him a certified letter he has to sign for.

 

[Joseph Robinson]

Correction...the tickets expire in 2033.

Better jump on that while you still can .

 

[Chrononymous]

I remember my Mother having some serious issues and complaints from one of her trips. They involved unacceptable rudeness, maintenance problems and other issues all within the same resort. (I think it was POFQ)
Not having email, she wrote letters and called, and ended up receiving a lot of apologies, and a couple hundred dollars off her next resort stay.(which she never used)

 

[mickey2008.1]

We sent an email a few years ago about our first trip with the kids. A lot of stuff was closed down, room was dirty, bad dining experiences. Just a bad trip, and we have had many great ones and continue to go. They called, gave us 600 bucks back in a check and four five day park hopper passes! We were not looking for anything, but they went over and beyond. Happened in september and me and the wife went back thqt december. Its amazing what park passes can do, especially when free.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

i was also contacted by phone last week regarding a letter I sent to WDW regarding a recent disappointing experience. I was shocked to get a call, I really just wanted to let them know what happened so they could try to improve in the future.
Bottom line, after we discussed how they managed to waste 6 hours of our time on our last day at Disney with employees unable to check us in and get us a boarding pass, and took over 1 1/2 hours to simply book a bounceback offer, he really did sound like he would look into it and try to track down what went wrong.
he then offered us one day passes or a bunch of anytime/anywhere fastpasses to make up for the time lost on our next trip. as these passes couldn't be upgraded to the multiday passes we usually get, we opted to re-coup our time lost and when we get there, we can claim the fast passes.
doesn't cost them anything (although it will cost the folks we jump in front of- sorry if it ends up being you), but makes us feel like they care that we wasted time and they wanted to give it back to us. that's why we love Disney, didn't expect this, but makes me (and my business) feel appreciated by them

Glad to hear they also gave your problem serious attention. I wasn't given the option of FPs, but still pleasantly shocked we were offered something for our inconveniences that would also cut trip costs whenever we do choose to use them

Better jump on that while you still can .

Yeah- my girls could hear the conversation and thought it meant we'd be going back sometime soon. Then I told them the passes will expire when they're 24 and 26.

I remember my Mother having some serious issues and complaints from one of her trips. They involved unacceptable rudeness, maintenance problems and other issues all within the same resort. (I think it was POFQ)
Not having email, she wrote letters and called, and ended up receiving a lot of apologies, and a couple hundred dollars off her next resort stay.(which she never used)

Sounds like she had a ton of bad issues as well. While I don't blame her for not using the $, I guess at least they tried to offer something for her inconveniences. Still, doesn't make up for all of the problems on the bad trip, but seeing them take some action is still preferred over a canned reply IMO.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We sent an email a few years ago about our first trip with the kids. A lot of stuff was closed down, room was dirty, bad dining experiences. Just a bad trip, and we have had many great ones and continue to go. They called, gave us 600 bucks back in a check and four five day park hopper passes! We were not looking for anything, but they went over and beyond. Happened in september and me and the wife went back thqt december. Its amazing what park passes can do, especially when free.

That's the thing...I think all of us would have just preferred an issue free trip since complaining is upsetting and exhausting at times, but free passes are pretty nice if you can use them.

 

[mickey2008.1]

Like I said, not looking for anything, just letting them know that it was not a fun time. But ti got us back a few more times. Why it was bad, maybe just an off week, but hey, worked for me. WDW is a love hate place. Some times it's great, some times it's pure he--!

 

[GrumpyFan]

In the last few years, this seems to be the policy. I've written a few notes, some complaints, some compliments, and each time I've gotten a call back within two or three weeks, and each time they "seemed" genuinely interested to find out more and "acted" like they wanted to help and/or understand.

 

[tizzo]

Has anyone else been called about a complaint they've submitted to Disney and can share their experiences? i.e. was it just a more in depth account of the issues? Was anything else requested? I'm not looking for anything out of this...I've already vowed to not return until our girls are both at least 48" (which may take some time since my 6 yr old is the size of an avg 4 yr old ). I'm just wanting to make sure I don't squander a good opportunity to let my voice be heard.

Any thoughts?

I once got a telephone response from an emailed complaint. The complaint was fairly specific, and the response was also specific, so I think your mileage may vary. I'll explain what happened to me below, but my suggestion would be to be prepared with what specifically was wrong, and what specifically they could do for you to make it better.

In my case, my complaint involved EMH. I'm a local and my wife and I have APs. I had family visiting at the holidays a few years ago, and they were staying on property. Since this gave them access to EMH, and since we wanted to maximize our time together in the parks, my wife and I decided to book Pop Century during the week of their visit instead of just staying at home and driving in each day. Well, it turned out that by the time our vacation arrived, the EMH schedule had been updated, and evening EMH were no longer offered on the same schedule that was published at the time we booked, with the end result being that we didn't end up taking advantage of EMH at all during the trip.

My specific complaint was that since we live so close, we never would have booked a hotel room if not for the EMH, and that even with the passholder discount at the time, we ended up paying $60 per night for the equivalent of a room at a $30 motor lodge minutes from our home.

Disney's response was appreciated, and while it was too late to really fix anything, their compensation was a good effort. They offered us some kind of guest accommodation pass. It was described as essentially a set of four free FP, for up to six guests each, that we could pick up at guest services the next time we entered the parks. The only downside was that most of the rides you would need such a pass for (at least as a passholder) were excluded. EG we could not have used it on TSMM, or Space Mountain. We never even ended up claiming the passes - but it was nice that they offered.

 

[bethymouse]

Never had to complain.
I do talk to the CMs and they really do some surprising magical things for you on your visit. Always talk to the CMs. They do love a nice conversation, and are happy to assist w/ magical moments. I've had a "magical" moment during each year since 2007.

 

[puntagordabob]

Never had to complain.
I do talk to the CMs and they really do some surprising magical things for you on your visit. Always talk to the CMs. They do love a nice conversation, and are happy to assist w/ magical moments. I've had a "magical" moment during each year since 2007.

Yes the CMs at WDW are a bunch of first rate folks who I respect greatly...for without their hard work and efforts WDW would lose quite a lot of its "magic".

Always suggest to you to say HI or Good morning, etc to a CM as you pass them.... help them make their day better in some way if you can... and if another Guest is being a DORK to them be sure to let the CM know in some way or fashion that you support them and love and appreciate them!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yes the CMs at WDW are a bunch of first rate folks who I respect greatly...for without their hard work and efforts WDW would lose quite a lot of its "magic".

Always suggest to you to say HI or Good morning, etc to a CM as you pass them.... help them make their day better in some way if you can... and if another Guest is being a DORK to them be sure to let the CM know in some way or fashion that you support them and love and appreciate them!

Never had to complain.
I do talk to the CMs and they really do some surprising magical things for you on your visit. Always talk to the CMs. They do love a nice conversation, and are happy to assist w/ magical moments. I've had a "magical" moment during each year since 2007.

That's the funny thing about this trip...we met tons of wonderful CMs...it just didn't help very much with the ride breakdowns and smiles, hi, and good morning were not helping melt the ice with the YC staff I said good morning to a few CMs there and they looked at me like I had 3 heads. Oh well, it's over and done with and hopefully they'll work on correcting the problems.

 

[fosse76]

A year or two ago I was staying at one of the All Star Resorts during what was a cheerleading competition. the first two nights there no problems. The girls in the adjoining room to mine where loud, but appeared to go to bed at midnight, so I didn't care too much. However, on the third night, they decided it would be fun to not only bang on the walls, but attempt to open the connecting door. I notified the front desk, who sent security over, but they had left the room when he came by. Well, they returned to the room and continuedf the behavior. This time security was able to talk to them. The next day I complained to the front desk about it. Before offering me anything, they checked to see when the group was checking out. Since they weren't going to be checking-out before the end of my stay, they asked if I wanted to change rooms. I said yes, though in my opinion they are the ones that should have been moved. Another CM interjected and felt I should be upgraded to the CBR, which I was.

During that same trip, despite there not being ANY line at BTMRR, a CM held me at the FP merge point for 2 minutes until someone with a FP showed-up. I sent an email about the two situations, commending the CMs who worked with me for the resort situation and describing my outrage regarding the BTMRR incident. Since I sent an email, I naturally received the canned-response. But maybe a week later I received a phone call. In addition to the free upgrade I had received, they refunded me one-night's stay, and I was assured that the group's chaperones were notified of the problem at the resort. Personally, I think the behavior was reprehensible enought for them to be kicked out, but I know Disney would never have done that, so I felt that response of Disney was apprpriate and appreciated.