Good article on dealing with WDW complaints

[Uponastar]

Here's a link to an article posted today on a local news website here in Philadelphia. I think it makes some good points on how to get WDW management to acknowledge your complaints. I found it interesting that the complainant was reimbursed and apologized to...but only after contacted by the columnist.

http://www.philly.com/philly/travel...hooter__Dealing_with_a_vacation_gone_bad.html

 

[goodtimes5286]

this has already been posted and was a joke, the person didnt deserve what they got.

travel agent ordered the wrong tickets - they shoulda used disneys agents for FREE

monerail broke down - it happens, but did they miss they're character breakfast? no, they were a little late, they still got to sit down and eat so no harm done, it wasnt like they missed a tour or anything they couldnt have experienced by being late

disney dining plan gratuity problem - yeah....idk on this one, they had to figure out they're bill b/c disney didn't know how to handle the gratuities. im ignorant to anything disney dining.

hotel card and tickets didn't work all of the time - maybe they shouldn't have bought from a travel agent. and you never need your hotel card outside of the hotel, they never had problem getting into there room, so they never had a problem with the hotel card. ive had issues at the gate with my card and they just pressed a button and let me in. they never said it stopped them from seeing the parks, it just delayed them an entire 15 seconds.

A 5 hour wait for soarin fastpasses - ARE YOU JOKING ME? this person is complaining b/c they can put there ticket in, get out a ride pass that says you can ride instantly in 5 hours, this just shows they have no clue how disney works. its better waiting 5 hours doing something you like then 5 hours in line. they STILL could experience the ride if they woulda gotten the fast passes. TT's FP's were probably the same wait if not more, thats how it works when you dont get to the park at 9 am, people visit.

 

[Uponastar]

this has already been posted and was a joke, the person didnt deserve what they got.

travel agent ordered the wrong tickets - they shoulda used disneys agents for FREE

monerail broke down - it happens, but did they miss they're character breakfast? no, they were a little late, they still got to sit down and eat so no harm done, it wasnt like they missed a tour or anything they couldnt have experienced by being late

disney dining plan gratuity problem - yeah....idk on this one, they had to figure out they're bill b/c disney didn't know how to handle the gratuities. im ignorant to anything disney dining.

hotel card and tickets didn't work all of the time - maybe they shouldn't have bought from a travel agent. and you never need your hotel card outside of the hotel, they never had problem getting into there room, so they never had a problem with the hotel card. ive had issues at the gate with my card and they just pressed a button and let me in. they never said it stopped them from seeing the parks, it just delayed them an entire 15 seconds.

A 5 hour wait for soarin fastpasses - ARE YOU JOKING ME? this person is complaining b/c they can put there ticket in, get out a ride pass that says you can ride instantly in 5 hours, this just shows they have no clue how disney works. its better waiting 5 hours doing something you like then 5 hours in line. they STILL could experience the ride if they woulda gotten the fast passes. TT's FP's were probably the same wait if not more, thats how it works when you dont get to the park at 9 am, people visit.

Sorry that I didn't know this was already posted.

And I agree with all of your points.
I think the complainant was determined to push the limits of complaining. My point was that the column showed that sticking to the important issues of a complaint is more likely to get results.

 

[Monty]

Don't know how it was "posted before", the by-line is today's date.

Perhaps a similar article was referred to in the past. :shrug:

Sadly, the missing element in the article is something that always seems to be missed. Disney World is not the same as any other vacation. It is generally more expensive and requires more preparation to be successful. The saddest thing I see in the parks are families that arrive at the gates with no idea what to do, no restaurant ADRs and no knowledge of how to use FastPass or ride height restrictions, etc... They are doomed from the start to have a less enjoyable [though not necessarily un-enjoyable] vacation filled with frustrations. An expenditure as large as a Disney World vacation warrants research and advance planning, which the complainant in the article doesn't appear to have done.

It would be nice if Disney would advertise that advance planning will improve your experience.

 

[jeopardyfish]

I find this laughable...I know they say the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but this guest deserved maybe a tenth of the grease (s)he got for her exaggerated squeaks. I am willing to be that (s)he did not complain about her room assignments while she was at the Wilderness Lodge, which means (s)he should be out of luck; anyway, I don't find a room being "down the hall" to be a large problem, unless someone in the party was nonambulatory or needed some other assistance (in which case I would also be willing to bet that (s)he did not note this at the time of reservation or at checkin, which (s)he should have). The admitted error of the writer's own travel agent is not Disney's fault, and that (s)he was able to enter the parks at all means that Disney deserves his/her thanks for rectifying the problem his/her travel agent created for him/her. The monorail breakdown is too bad and is Disney's fault, but (s)he did get to and was admitted to breakfast, albeit late; thusly perhaps (I say perhaps because such breakdowns happen) (s)he deserves to be issued a partial refund of the price (s)he paid for that breakfast. However many kinks the Dining Plan may have had at that time, I am willing to be that (s)he did not really spend "hours" trying to figure out bills; also, gratuities are not included with the Dining Plan, and customers at restaurants across America daily are subject to calculating their own gratuities, so this is an invalid complaint. Perhaps his/her "several embarrassing situations" revolved around being unable to multiply an amount by 1.15; based on her misunderstanding of Fastpass, this would not surprise me. I am skeptical of his/her "problems" with cards; didn't she already admit that her travel agent made errors in her order? Therefore these problems may have been due to more mistakes by the travel agent, or perhaps the entirety of his/her package was not included when Disney issued him/her new cards (if they did that). (S)he demonstrates an absolute lack of understanding of the Fastpass system; (s)he seems to think that (s)he would have to stand in a queue for five hours. Obviously this deserves no compensation, especially since Disney makes it perfectly clear to everyone how to correctly use Fastpass. Disney was probably too busy laughing to respond to these complaints...although they really should have sent her a form letter and maybe a pittance. I can only imagine what her other complaints were that weren't printed. There is absolutely no way (s)he deserves the extravagant compensation she got (which she wouldn't have gotten if she hadn't written to the columnist).

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Good article!

Kinda surprised that Disney didn't offer more to them, though.:shrug:

 

[natalia1681]

I am shocked that Disney refunded the price of their tickets. The next time I have to wait in any lines at Disney, I'll be sure to complain in the hopes of getting something free.:lookaroun

I imagine the free thing that I get will be some advice from my husband to shut my mouth:lol:

 

[whendoweleave?]

I think when people come to Disney they expect everything to be perfect and to THEIR EXACT satisfaction. Ie. no rain,no lines,no waiting for food, and that their every request no matter how absurde be given to them.
I have been witness on more than one occasion at guest services to people walking up to the cast member and demanding their money back because there are lines to get on the rides!!! They said they were there for 3 hours and only got on two rides!!! Horror of Horrors!!! Wow how dare Disney have lines. I think people have some crazy idea that no matter what holiday or how busy the parks are they should not have to wait. They paid their money so they should be first to go on.

 

[agent86]

Don't know how it was "posted before", the by-line is today's date.

Perhaps a similar article was referred to in the past. :shrug:

Sadly, the missing element in the article is something that always seems to be missed. Disney World is not the same as any other vacation. It is generally more expensive and requires more preparation to be successful. The saddest thing I see in the parks are families that arrive at the gates with no idea what to do, no restaurant ADRs and no knowledge of how to use FastPass or ride height restrictions, etc... They are doomed from the start to have a less enjoyable [though not necessarily un-enjoyable] vacation filled with frustrations. An expenditure as large as a Disney World vacation warrants research and advance planning, which the complainant in the article doesn't appear to have done.

It would be nice if Disney would advertise that advance planning will improve your experience.

The whole point of a vacation is to be able to relax and enjoy yourself with minimal effort. Its not unreasonable for a guest to expect to be able to just visit and not get confused by all the complexities just because "Disney World is not the same as any other vacation".

 

[gwhb75]

We're going in September. If there is a hurricane I think I'll complain that the invisible force shield that is supposed to be protecting Disney was down that day (probably tied to that refurb at Space Mountain which, even though I am well aware of it, will be part of the complaint letter I've already started drafting (if I have to make ADRs 90 days in advance, then I may as well start my complaint letter in advance too))).:lol:

Free 2010 trip here I come...

 

[Monty]

The whole point of a vacation is to be able to relax and enjoy yourself with minimal effort. Its not unreasonable for a guest to expect to be able to just visit and not get confused by all the complexities just because "Disney World is not the same as any other vacation".

I pity people who are naive enough to invest thousands of dollars blindly. Whether it's in stock, mutual funds or Disney vacations, it's foolhardy to invest without research. Of course the condition of the economy in general is proof there are lots who agree with you rather than me. :shrug:

 

[agent86]

Whether it's in stock, mutual funds or Disney vacations, it's foolhardy to invest without research.

Stocks, mutual funds and Disney.... that's kind of like that old song, "One of these things is not like the other, which one doesn't belong?"

I understand what you are saying. And for me, doing the planning for a vacation is at least 40% of the enjoyment. I just don't think it's fair to impose that expectation on others, and sadly I think Disney can be very confusing for the average guest who has never visited before. I realize that simplifying a Disney vacation can be a challenge, especially given the complexity of the resort and the multitude of things to see and do. But I also think Disney could do a better job of making it easier for guests to understand.

One area where I think Disney could improve immensely is in the design of their website for example. I have several friends who are web developers (including my girlfriend) and Disney actually breaks a lot of the cardinal ruels of website design. For one thing, they've designed their site as though the intent is for the site itself to entertain people. The problem with that mindset is that most people go to websites for information, not to be entertained by the site itself (there are exceptions of course, but this really isn't one of them). Consequently, just finding basic information such as ticket prices and operating hours can be difficult. I can understand where the average guest could get really confused in trying to plan ahead for their Disney vacation.

 

[timeman]

Don't know how it was "posted before", the by-line is today's date.

Perhaps a similar article was referred to in the past. :shrug:

It was posted back on May 6th. The article this poster links to is from a different site then the original post, but like newspapers and TV news channels always do they buy the same article and post it at different times.

To give you an example I have seen a story reported on one TV station and a week later seen the same story reported on another station like it was a brand new story and not over a week old.

The original posting was linked to MSNBC while this one doesn't, but the article is the same one just posted on a different site.

Here is a link to the original post.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=437403

Frank

 

[Monty]

It was posted back on May 6th. The article this poster links to is from a different site then the original post, but like newspapers and TV news channels always do they buy the same article and post it at different times.

To give you an example I have seen a story reported on one TV station and a week later seen the same story reported on another station like it was a brand new story and not over a week old.

The original posting was linked to MSNBC while this one doesn't, but the article is the same one just posted on a different site.

Here is a link to the original post.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=437403

Frank

Fair 'nuf... you have a much better memory than I. :lol:

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

Stocks, mutual funds and Disney.... that's kind of like that old song, "One of these things is not like the other, which one doesn't belong?"

I understand what you are saying. And for me, doing the planning for a vacation is at least 40% of the enjoyment. I just don't think it's fair to impose that expectation on others, and sadly I think Disney can be very confusing for the average guest who has never visited before. I realize that simplifying a Disney vacation can be a challenge, especially given the complexity of the resort and the multitude of things to see and do. But I also think Disney could do a better job of making it easier for guests to understand.

One area where I think Disney could improve immensely is in the design of their website for example. I have several friends who are web developers (including my girlfriend) and Disney actually breaks a lot of the cardinal ruels of website design. For one thing, they've designed their site as though the intent is for the site itself to entertain people. The problem with that mindset is that most people go to websites for information, not to be entertained by the site itself (there are exceptions of course, but this really isn't one of them). Consequently, just finding basic information such as ticket prices and operating hours can be difficult. I can understand where the average guest could get really confused in trying to plan ahead for their Disney vacation.

Sorry I have to disagree. Just from personal experience I find that if you don't choose to plan you can't blame anyone but yourself.

I enjoy parts of planning my Disney vacation and do not enjoy other parts but if I get to Disney and don't understand something...not really Disney's fault. I made a quick impromptu trip after fastpass was introduced and headed straight to Splash mountain to find everyone in one line and the other line empty. Which was a first for me to see.

I started to head into the line thinking that people must not know you can go in both lines. Midway through the line there was a cast member asking for Fastpasses which I obviously didn't have....he politely explained what they were, where to get them and I went back to the end of the line.

That wasn't Disney's fault...I ran through the park to get to Splash Mountain without even grabbing a park map otherwise i would have known about FP.

As for the website being difficult...really? My grandmother could get through it in about 10 seconds. Finding operating hours from the home page consists of clicking on "Parks" (easy to find since it has a castle) then WDW (top of the list...no problems there) and then the word "Tickets" pretty darn easy. Three clicks of easy to see buttons. That's it.

And if it's operating hours they want...it's just "Parks", "WDW" and then run your mouse over the word "Plan" (I assume most people who are looking for park hours would be planning a vacation) and Park hours are at the top of the list.

I find it one of the most user friendly sites and information is so easy to find that my 8 year old neice can do it...honestly, she can find her favorite rides and restaurants with no help.

If anyone has a difficult time on that site they should not be on the internet and perhaps go back to grade school.

 

[agent86]

if I get to Disney and don't understand something...not really Disney's fault.

That's really a broad statement that can't possibly apply in every scenario. You're saying that if you are ever confused about something at Disney that it can NEVER possibly be Disney's fault? Disney ALWAYS communicates everything crystal clear? Of course if one person out of the tens of thousands of visitors is the only one to be confused about something, then yes I'd agree it's that individual's fault. But there are some common things that a lot of guests tend to be confused about (just spend some time on these boards and you'll frequently see threads discussing the countless times CMs will get asked the same question again and again, or how so many guests will be confused about the same things). When that's happening, it doesn't seem logical to assume the fault is on the guest. Clearly it means Disney can do a better job of communicating those things.

If anyone has a difficult time on that site they should not be on the internet and perhaps go back to grade school.

Once again, a pretty broad (and rather closed-minded) statement. There are lots of people who struggle with navigating even the simplest of websites. But to suggest that those people "should not be on the internet" or that they should "go back to grade school" is somewhat of a snobbish and belittling remark don't you think? It's wonderful that you and two of your relatives are able to breeze through Disney's website so effortlessly. But the fact remains that it is a poorly designed site. I say this not because of my own tastes or opinion. It's based (as I stated before) on some proven web design principles.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

That's really a broad statement that can't possibly apply in every scenario. You're saying that if you are ever confused about something at Disney that it can NEVER possibly be Disney's fault? Disney ALWAYS communicates everything crystal clear? Of course if one person out of the tens of thousands of visitors is the only one to be confused about something, then yes I'd agree it's that individual's fault. But there are some common things that a lot of guests tend to be confused about (just spend some time on these boards and you'll frequently see threads discussing the countless times CMs will get asked the same question again and again, or how so many guests will be confused about the same things). When that's happening, it doesn't seem logical to assume the fault is on the guest. Clearly it means Disney can do a better job of communicating those things.



Once again, a pretty broad (and rather closed-minded) statement. There are lots of people who struggle with navigating even the simplest of websites. But to suggest that those people "should not be on the internet" or that they should "go back to grade school" is somewhat of a snobbish and belittling remark don't you think? It's wonderful that you and two of your relatives are able to breeze through Disney's website so effortlessly. But the fact remains that it is a poorly designed site. I say this not because of my own tastes or opinion. It's based (as I stated before) on some proven web design principles.

The original comment was to do with people who don't do any planning or research for their trip and therefore get confused when they get to WDW

I made no broad or close minded statements. I gave an example which made it specific not broad. If anyone has a problem at Disney ask a CM...just like you said, they can give the answers. If the person planned, they probably wouldn't have had to ask but since they didn't plan, their other option is to ask questions and as you stated the CM's will answer. If the person doesn't plan, doesn't ask questions and continues to wander around WDW confused, do you still blame Disney for not stopping every single person and explain every single thing they should know?

As for the internet comment...once again, VERY SPECIFIC! You're the one who said it was difficult to find things such as park hours and ticket prices and as I indicated you can find both with 3 mouse clicks and each is highly visible, readily available information very easy to find and my 8 year old neice has no problem finding information on the site so yes...someone in grade school can navigate through the site with absolutely no problem at all so if anyone else can't...makes me wonder, if 3 clicks of a mouse to find information in about 10 seconds is so confusing for people that the eintire site needs to be redesigned...it's not a problem with the site. It's a problem with the person on the other end of the mouse.

btw, my 3 year old neice was just on the Disney fairies site...she got to the site by herself and navigated it fine so maybe going back to grade school is an overstatement...pre-school maybe?

 

[agent86]

btw, my 3 year old neice was just on the Disney fairies site...she got to the site by herself and navigated it fine so maybe going back to grade school is an overstatement...pre-school maybe?

Well this is the third relative you've mentioned in the last 24 hours who has been on the site. Adding yourself to the list, presumably, I'd say it sounds as though you and your family tend to spend a lot of time on Disney's site. Consequently, I'm not sure you and your family are the best examples of determining how easy Disney's site is to navigate. Of course it's easy when you spend a lot of time on it. Rubik's Cube is easy to someone who has already solved it a few times. But to someone who is not used to it, it's somewhat difficult. Again, I'm talking about the average guest going to Disney's site for information, not someone who themselves and all their relatives visit it all the time. Disney doesn't make it easy to find vacation planning information because it's not a well designed site.

 

[Monty]

Well this is the third relative you've mentioned in the last 24 hours who has been on the site. Adding yourself to the list, presumably, I'd say it sounds as though you and your family tend to spend a lot of time on Disney's site. Consequently, I'm not sure you and your family are the best examples of determining how easy Disney's site is to navigate. Of course it's easy when you spend a lot of time on it. Rubik's Cube is easy to someone who has already solved it a few times. But to someone who is not used to it, it's somewhat difficult. Again, I'm talking about the average guest going to Disney's site for information, not someone who themselves and all their relatives visit it all the time. Disney doesn't make it easy to find vacation planning information because it's not a well designed site.

In your opinion...

Fortunately shared by few.

 

[agent86]

In your opinion...

Fortunately shared by few.

Actually, as I stated earlier, I'm not basing it on my personal opinion. I'm basing it on web design principles.