Disney Customer Service Giving me the Run Around

MsAnniee

Member
Accusing someone of being insensitive or unreasonable when they expect the contract they made with Disney when purchasing annual passes be honored seems judgmental to me. Anyone who purchased an AP entered into a contractual agreement with Disney. Disney expects the consumer to honor the contract, now Disney needs to honor the contract or refund those who ask for refunds. Contract law did not disappear because of Covid-19.
 

dewardevi

Member
From 2000 to 2004, my job had me move to a site near WDW. I purchased APs and went out to the parks once a week or more during those four years as my workday didn’t start until 5 p.m. — good walking exercise was my rationale. Three weeks out of four, I went to Epcot, since there was more diversion and food choices for a single guy who didn’t do rides. During those visits, I met two local retired couples who said they spent virtually every day of their lives at Epcot. Many of the cast members knew them and they said they had a great time. There were likely many more local AP-holders who did that as well. Now, either I and those couples were gaming the ”system” and getting far more value from our APs than WDW estimators would have expected us to take, or we were simply taking what we already paid for. Under the current limitations, no way could I (or those Epcot “residents”) expect to get similar value from our APs. I would argue that AP-holders, especially Florida residents, are entitled to compensation or extension covering the period of days during which we cannot go whenever and to whichever park we want, not just for the days the parks are fully closed, or some reasonable fraction thereof.
 

eliza61nyc

Well-Known Member
Disney are extending the passes for the time the parks were closed. I agree however that this does not compensate an AP owner who purchased believing they had a contract with Disney to be able to go to any or ALL of the parks each day if they wanted. I like many APs usually get two trips from a pass year. This makes the passes very competitive - 28 days. In fact people could go 365 days on one pass if they wished. As a customer for 35 years I am disgusted that Disney has not better compensated AP owners - even with an extension it is not the same conditions as those to which we agreed when purchasing the pass.
Is any of this the "same" as when you purchased the pass? do you actually think that anyone had a "worldwide pandemic" plan?
 

MsAnniee

Member
Is any of this the "same" as when you purchased the pass? do you actually think that anyone had a "worldwide pandemic" plan?
Disney controls the contract issued with the purchase of an annual pass. Disney failed to address pandemics in the contract, therefore honor the contract or refund the money for APs. Consumers need contracts to be enforced now more than ever. Companies should not be able to change the terms to fit their needs/wants/justification especially when the company wrote the contract.
 

Prince-1

Well-Known Member
I don't want to be mean, but you sound entitled. 120K dead. Many millions more out of work or suffering financially. If the worst you experience from this is some decline in what you anticipated you'd get out of the AP, consider yourself lucky.

/annual passholder too.

Whenever someone starts a sentence with, "I don't want to be mean", always winds up being mean. Just sayin'. ;)
 

BASS

Well-Known Member
Accusing someone of being insensitive or unreasonable when they expect the contract they made with Disney when purchasing annual passes be honored seems judgmental to me. Anyone who purchased an AP entered into a contractual agreement with Disney. Disney expects the consumer to honor the contract, now Disney needs to honor the contract or refund those who ask for refunds. Contract law did not disappear because of Covid-19.

No, contract law didn't disappear. But contracts work both ways. So, precisely how would you expect Disney to make its parks available during the pandemic so that everyone can feel they made a prudent choice?

But, put that aside. That's a rhetorical question. The fact of the matter is, Disney has handled it appropriately. They refunded payments made after March and have already offered passholders--because I got the email--the right to cancel the remaining contract or receive a refund b/c many have no inclination to head to Disney w/in the next 6-8 months. So, in the end, there's a lot of whining about a situation that's probably been handled as well as possible given the circumstances.
 

eliza61nyc

Well-Known Member
Disney controls the contract issued with the purchase of an annual pass. Disney failed to address pandemics in the contract, therefore honor the contract or refund the money for APs. Consumers need contracts to be enforced now more than ever. Companies should not be able to change the terms to fit their needs/wants/justification especially when the company wrote the contract.
Do they have the ubiquitous "unforseen or act of God" type sentences.
Most contracts have some type of vague language that covers junk that are unforseen.
Please insurance contracts do it all the time. I don't think it's about changing the contract, although let me say I'm not a lawyer no did I expect a 100% refund on my AP. I'm dvc and this pandemic is costing me points that I'll lose and have to eat the cost.
I think it is one of those cases like a zombie apocalypse that you can't plan for.
😄 Although I am sure folks expect companies should have a plan for that too.

All good, my expectations were not to get a refund so I'll take the extra time
 

dewardevi

Member
Some are comparing the Annual Pass dilemma to an all-you-can-eat buffet; no reasonable diner would expect to consume the entire contents of the buffet for one price, and AP-holders should not reasonably expect to access the parks 365 days a year even though they’re called “annual passes.” In fact, up until the Covid-19 crisis, there were AP buyers who probably spent hundreds of days in the parks. A reasonable settlement from WDW would be to offer a free pass renewal of six months or more. It wouldn’t add much to Disney’s lost revenue, since those of us who hold passes now will certainly not pay to renew under the present conditions, and the parks and resorts would continue to profit from our daily onsite spending.
 

Prince-1

Well-Known Member
Disney Customer Service Giving me the Run Around

Was the CM rep's name "Sue"?

If 'yes' there is sporting chance that is the same one who gave me the runaround.

Just remember to keep away from 'Runaround Sue'

Another example of why comedy is hard and why some people should avoid trying to do it at all costs.
 
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Underh1llRN

New Member
Original Poster
The problem with that resource (which I have seen) is that, when you scroll down further on that page, it explains that APs will have an extension of their passes for the number of days that the parks are closed. And in a completely different header, the image you posted, explains that APs who paid in full will receive a 1 month extension to their passes. They don't make it clear as to whether or not the AP is getting BOTH an extension in the number of days the parks are closed AND an additional 1 month added, or if the AP will only be getting one or the other.
 

Underh1llRN

New Member
Original Poster
No, contract law didn't disappear. But contracts work both ways. So, precisely how would you expect Disney to make its parks available during the pandemic so that everyone can feel they made a prudent choice?

But, put that aside. That's a rhetorical question. The fact of the matter is, Disney has handled it appropriately. They refunded payments made after March and have already offered passholders--because I got the email--the right to cancel the remaining contract or receive a refund b/c many have no inclination to head to Disney w/in the next 6-8 months. So, in the end, there's a lot of whining about a situation that's probably been handled as well as possible given the circumstances.
You must not have read my post clearly because I wrote that the CS reps couldn't answer my questions, give me clear answers as to what my options were and how much I would be able to get back. When I asked to cancel, the CS rep told me that they could put in a request to cancel but that it might not be approved. When I asked whether I could try to cancel and if my cancellation request was denied, could I request a partial refund instead, the CS rep said that they had no idea. When I asked what the partial refund would look like, they told me that they did not know how much would be refunded because the parks weren't open yet. I understood that part, but what I wanted to have was the basic formula for the "partial refund." For instance, would they prorate by days or months? ie Total cost of AP divided by 12 months and then I get back a refund for the number of months WDW is closed, or if a "partial refund" was left to be so vague that WDW would only give back $5.00 (I know extreme, but legally, that can be considered a "partial refund").

I don't think that's unreasonable. I went from one CS rep to another with no clear answers. That's why I'm frustrated.

Also, to your original reply to my post: I am a RN, hence, my username. I work in a major hospital in my state's capital city. I care for people who are dying all the time, give compassionate care to family members and experience first hand trauma this virus has caused. "If the worst you experience from this is some decline in what you anticipated you'd get out of the AP, consider yourself lucky." I wish my experience with Disney CS reps was the worst thing I will have experienced during this season of life. I only expect some competence from CS reps when I have worked super hard and saved intentionally to buy AP for 1 year. I would have LOVED (like many other WDW fans) to have been able to escape the trauma and sadness related to my job a few times a year and go to WDW. I realize that Covid is out of their control and am not comparing my non-refunded amount to people that have had far more extreme losses related to Covid19. I don't think I expect much, just effective communication from Disney.
 

Ben_since_1971

Well-Known Member
You must not have read my post clearly because I wrote that the CS reps couldn't answer my questions, give me clear answers as to what my options were and how much I would be able to get back. When I asked to cancel, the CS rep told me that they could put in a request to cancel but that it might not be approved. When I asked whether I could try to cancel and if my cancellation request was denied, could I request a partial refund instead, the CS rep said that they had no idea. When I asked what the partial refund would look like, they told me that they did not know how much would be refunded because the parks weren't open yet. I understood that part, but what I wanted to have was the basic formula for the "partial refund." For instance, would they prorate by days or months? ie Total cost of AP divided by 12 months and then I get back a refund for the number of months WDW is closed, or if a "partial refund" was left to be so vague that WDW would only give back $5.00 (I know extreme, but legally, that can be considered a "partial refund").

I don't think that's unreasonable. I went from one CS rep to another with no clear answers. That's why I'm frustrated.

Also, to your original reply to my post: I am a RN, hence, my username. I work in a major hospital in my state's capital city. I care for people who are dying all the time, give compassionate care to family members and experience first hand trauma this virus has caused. "If the worst you experience from this is some decline in what you anticipated you'd get out of the AP, consider yourself lucky." I wish my experience with Disney CS reps was the worst thing I will have experienced during this season of life. I only expect some competence from CS reps when I have worked super hard and saved intentionally to buy AP for 1 year. I would have LOVED (like many other WDW fans) to have been able to escape the trauma and sadness related to my job a few times a year and go to WDW. I realize that Covid is out of their control and am not comparing my non-refunded amount to people that have had far more extreme losses related to Covid19. I don't think I expect much, just effective communication from Disney.
Ok RN, how many times over the last month has someone tried to get information from you regarding a patient with the virus and all you can say is ‘I dont know’ or provide them only with information that you have available? I realize that Covid is out of your control but I would expect much more competent service from someone who has been trained in the medical profession.
 

Shouldigo12

Well-Known Member
I'm going to be one of the lone wolves here on defense of OP. I think we can all agree this is a stressful time. And while APs are probably not at the top of most people's priority list, I can understand it being a concern.

And correct me if I'm wrong here, but reading the posts it sounds like *Disney* knew the answers to OP'S questions, but their customer service reps were still uninformed. Which I can also understand getting frustrated at.

Have you tried just sending an email, OP? I think spending all the that time on hold also isn't helping things.
 

Hcalvert

Well-Known Member
I'm going to be one of the lone wolves here on defense of OP. I think we can all agree this is a stressful time. And while APs are probably not at the top of most people's priority list, I can understand it being a concern.

And correct me if I'm wrong here, but reading the posts it sounds like *Disney* knew the answers to OP'S questions, but their customer service reps were still uninformed. Which I can also understand getting frustrated at.

Have you tried just sending an email, OP? I think spending all the that time on hold also isn't helping things.
I sent an email on June 25 about Jambo possibly being closed during my stay (July 10-15) and not receiving the "are you coming" confirmation email. I just got back a response today and they didn't even refer to my concern. They just told me what I already know--that I also have a reservation for Poly for July 15-24 (I did receive an "are you coming" email for this reservation) and how to view it on MDE. o_O 🤔 Real helpful...NOT! 🤬 I sent them a response reiterating what I was asking in the original email (I cut and pasted it into the response) and will probably get a canned and/or irrelevant response from them when I am already there. 😬 So, I completely get OP's annoyance and frustration.
 
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TheX8

Member
Hi, as a person who has had experience in customer service I can shed light as to what's going and why you are likely receiving canned responses.

Disney is using a CRM (customer relationship management) software called Zendesk. Zendesk is used to handle all incoming emails from customers. It's could be effective if used right to provide answers and help streamline the response system on the agent's end.

What Zendesk does is screens the emails and groups them through keywords. Now there is a function called "triggers" these are automatic responses based on keywords found through emails. It's actually possible for Disney to answer your email without even having an agent look at it.

With Zendesk you can actually answer as much emails at once using a "macro." A "macro" is a scripted answers based on experience or what Disney has prepared for any type of questions related to keywords. There could be one agent who's sole job is to answer emails regarding a single topic that could include: cancelations, AP questions, reservations, etc. What the agent would do is select all those emails and apply the "macro."

What's happening is that they are looking to clear as many emails from their inbox. If you feel that the email hasn't been responded to appropriately the likely case is that they haven't actually read your email.

Hope this helps and if you have any more questions let me know.
 

MickeyCB

Well-Known Member
Hi, as a person who has had experience in customer service I can shed light as to what's going and why you are likely receiving canned responses.

Disney is using a CRM (customer relationship management) software called Zendesk. Zendesk is used to handle all incoming emails from customers. It's could be effective if used right to provide answers and help streamline the response system on the agent's end.

What Zendesk does is screens the emails and groups them through keywords. Now there is a function called "triggers" these are automatic responses based on keywords found through emails. It's actually possible for Disney to answer your email without even having an agent look at it.

With Zendesk you can actually answer as much emails at once using a "macro." A "macro" is a scripted answers based on experience or what Disney has prepared for any type of questions related to keywords. There could be one agent who's sole job is to answer emails regarding a single topic that could include: cancelations, AP questions, reservations, etc. What the agent would do is select all those emails and apply the "macro."

What's happening is that they are looking to clear as many emails from their inbox. If you feel that the email hasn't been responded to appropriately the likely case is that they haven't actually read your email.

Hope this helps and if you have any more questions let me know.
Thanks for the information, and any trigger words you would recommend adding that would mess this system up and require an actual human to look at the email?
 

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