Is this the new standard and am I the only one who sees it?

[Conno]

lol that you have the audacity to say Universal's service is way better.

That has been my experience this trip. Granted, I've spent more time at Disney parks than Universal parks, so I've had more opportunity to see things go wrong at Disney -- but I've seen things go wrong there that I've never seen in previous trips, that's why the shock factor, for me at least.

I didn't witness anything similar in Universal the 3 days I spent there.

I also have much higher expectations for Disney - it's their ability to keep delivering on those expectations that keep me coming back. Those little things really do go a long way. It's sad that those things just don't seem important to Disney anymore and those things will eventually be what cause me to curb the frequency of my trips.

 

[mf1972]

we just got back & i did notice cm’s with cellphones in the parks & even 1 with a phone in her back pocket. i always thought disney had a strict policy of no phones while “on stage”. i only noticed it on 2, maybe 3 occasions. can’t say if the phones were for work related purposes.

 

[disney4life2008]

Lol you complaining on a board will do absolutely nothing

 

[Tom P.]

Lol you complaining on a board will do absolutely nothing

First, these are discussion boards. The point is for Disney fans to discuss the parks. That's what we are doing here. That's the point.

Second, it is well-documented that people from Disney do read these boards and take note of what is being said.

 

[disney4life2008]

First, these are discussion boards. The point is for Disney fans to discuss the parks. That's what we are doing here. That's the point.

Second, it is well-documented that people from Disney do read these boards and take note of what is being said.

LOL I don't think a complaint on a board is enough to change anything. You need to go to the source.

 

[Tom Morrow]

LOL I don't think a complaint on a board is enough to change anything. You need to go to the source.

Disney actively patrols the boards to see what's being said. Discussing this stuff here accomplishes more than sending a private email because everyone can see this.

 

[John park hopper]

Love them or hate them Chic-Fil-A staff (in my experience) is all ways right there taking your order with a smile and a thank you. I have never seen them chatting on their phones. I can only guess it is a corporate policy of training and policy--- customers come first and they enforce it.

 

[WDWVolFan]

Apple watches? I though CMs were poor and couldn’t afford a minimum standard of quality of life?

And how dare them have a life outside of entertaining people?

 

[Lilofan]

Apple watches? I though CMs were poor and couldn’t afford a minimum standard of quality of life?

And how dare them have a life outside of entertaining people?

Poor or not, some people will still purchase material things and practice YOLO.( You only live once). Paying rent or their monthly bills on time is another story.

 

[xdan0920]

Apple watches? I though CMs were poor and couldn’t afford a minimum standard of quality of life?

And how dare them have a life outside of entertaining people?

Maybe keep your outside life, outside. Call me crazy.

 

[NickMaio]

Lol you complaining on a board will do absolutely nothing

The OP is also making an observation - - - - - - without observations, "complaints", this would be one boring forum.........

 

[VaderTron]

First, these are discussion boards. The point is for Disney fans to discuss the parks. That's what we are doing here. That's the point.

Second, it is well-documented that people from Disney do read these boards and take note of what is being said.

Don't you know who you're talking to? They are a doctor! They have a piece of paper that says they know more than you! You need to apologize immediately for questioning them and grovel at their feet for the chance to gain morsels of knowledge them may toss your way!

 

[Lilofan]

Love them or hate them Chic-Fil-A staff (in my experience) is all ways right there taking your order with a smile and a thank you. I have never seen them chatting on their phones. I can only guess it is a corporate policy of training and policy--- customers come first and they enforce it.

The Chic Fil A location near my home is day and night service compared to BK or KFC nearby. The Chic Fil service is above and beyond. Only thing that stood out was when Obama ordered flags at half staff years ago on something and the local franchise refused to lower their American flag.

 

[VaderTron]

Love them or hate them Chic-Fil-A staff (in my experience) is all ways right there taking your order with a smile and a thank you. I have never seen them chatting on their phones. I can only guess it is a corporate policy of training and policy--- customers come first and they enforce it.

Interesting you bring up this company, I too have found them to be consistently admirable in customer service across the board. I always wondered how they accomplished this with so many locations. In looking into the matter I discovered that "franchise owners" have to go through a long process to get their own store. Chick-fil-A puts down all the money to build the store. A potential franchise owner chips in $10,000 for a chance to get a franchise. 0.4% of all applicants get approved. That's less than Harvard applicants. They then endure up to a 6-month training program at a store of Chick-fil-A's choosing where they get top to bottom hands-on experience in every job. If they live up to the standard and show an ability to handle the job well they will be granted a franchise. At that point they get 50% of all profits, but have to continue to run the store to the same standards. If they start to slip and corporate determines they are no longer fit to "own" their franchise it is taken away from them (Chick-fil-A paid for and owns the store) and given to someone else. Most people would say they could never find enough people in today's society to follow those high standards to manage all of their stores. Still, they keep building new ones and the standards are the same no matter where you go. Seems that qualified people are around still. Disney just isn't willing to keep the standards high because it would mean more work finding those people.

 

[macefamily]

Last time we were down to Disney Springs, we ran into my daughter's friend who took a full time position in merchandising at Disney after two semesters in the college program. He was miserable. He said that he's working at four different Disney locations to maintain his hours. He was working at the main Disney store when we ran into him. He stood there talking to us for 30 minutes while he was on duty. It didn't seem to bother him, and no supervisors said anything to him. Very unusual.

 

[Tom P.]

LOL I don't think a complaint on a board is enough to change anything. You need to go to the source.

So you don't want people on a discussion board to discuss the things they are unhappy with?

 

[Vacationeer]

A video I watched last week discussed common gripes of WDW fans. When it came to customer service, I was surprised to hear that CMs in training used to spend 4 days learning "Traditions" and that has been now cut to 4 hours. Very sad as those Traditions are a cornerstone to understanding Disney parks unique service philosophy. Made me wonder what other differences have been made to cast training.

Prices across the board have been pushed to the maximum customer tolerance the past few years making it much less forgivable to see declines. Pricing at the absolute highest premium leaves little room for error in the minds of guests.

There's yawning with your mouth open catching flies, and there's the better etiquette by releasing through the nose. Anybody who doesn't want to offend their boring boss or the middle school talent show knows how to camouflage a yawn the second way.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Lol you complaining on a board will do absolutely nothing

I believe the OP is venting to a crowd that may understand their viewpoint. It feels good to vent to those that listen and somewhat understand every once in a while.

 

[Vacationeer]

Last time we were down to Disney Springs, we ran into my daughter's friend who took a full time position in merchandising at Disney after two semesters in the college program. He was miserable. He said that he's working at four different Disney locations to maintain his hours. He was working at the main Disney store when we ran into him. He stood there talking to us for 30 minutes while he was on duty. It didn't seem to bother him, and no supervisors said anything to him. Very unusual.

I think companies are getting it wrong with this way of staffing. My niece quit a decent job to return as a pharm tech at CVS because they offered her full hours. The reality she discovered after the hire was she'd need to patch together the full schedule (different each week) across 5 not-so-local stores. With such low value placed on employees as a team member, workers feel disconnected. Who's going to give their best effort when lost in shuffle and little opportunity to be noticed for great performance? An algorithm gets to watch your chart and all the other employees you interact with are being shuffled around like cattle too. No wonder service becomes subpar.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I'm still here and have raised the concerns w/ guest relations at their respective parks. Immediately following EF, I visited guest relations looking for access to the same spot to view the show the following night (was not interested in attending the dessert party again). I was told they can't do that, but was offered the Guest Relations VIP area - which is on an a weird angle near the Italy pavillion - the view was not comparable. I will be pursuing this one further.

I'm surprised to read this, although I suppose the Guest Relations VIP area is the default resolution in this case.

In my case, at the Illuminations dining event, it was a rainy night and Illuminations was significantly delayed (but not canceled) and we had to leave. It was my own fault, but the manager volunteered without being asked to have us back the next evening at no charge in an adjacent spot. That turned out to be excellent, better than expected, a nice night, actually better view, and so we ate there again LOL.