Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[GoofGoof]

Regarding general problems, recently a co worker took his and like 10 of his family members to the world and had a "problem" at the end of their trip. From what I understand they basically were not allowed to check in at the magical express desk on departure day with southwest due to down computers or something, so they complained and the whole complaint process from this family spilled over to when they got home, for a couple weeks even.
Apparently protocol was followed by disney management. THis whole problem wasnt even disneys fault cause if they did what they were supposed to do they should have checked into Southwest the day before. So protocol was followed he and his family were offered compensation of a 4 day pass each towards their next visit.

Here is where your statement below bugs me and why the repeat vacationers like me see partially why prices go up, I am now in a indirect way paying for you keeping guests happy. you guys arent giving these freebies for free, we all pay in the end. Its like retail security. Anyways the 4 day passes werent enough, His mother persisted to the point that complaining enough got her and her family a 7 day vacation complete with passes.
THis is the crap that bugs me, it was never disneys fault that southwest was not working and that when a guest
just keeps complaining until they are blue in their face you, the cast members, have bowed down to the practice of just not really standing firm on your compensations but always giving in.

This reminds me of the summer I worked at TGI Fridays as a waiter. They had this policy of giving out gift cards for either free apps or free entrees to anyone who complained. If you asked to speak to the manager to complain about slow service or cold food or a long wait you got a coupon for a free app at minimum. If you complained enough they would give you both a free app and a free entree for your next visit and if you still complained more they would comp your current meal. It got to the point where there were several "known" families who would eat there regularly (several times a month) who always complained and got free stuff. They knew the policy and exploited it. When I asked the manager why we didn't just turn them away at the door or refuse to give them anything he just told me it was corporate policy and that corporate felt that their bad word of mouth to others would cost more than a free meal or 2. That's great for corporate, but when they got their free meals they only left tips on what they paid for which was never much. Despicable human beings.

I applaud Disney for trying to have good customer service and since a Disney vacation is excessively expensive if things go wrong they should absolutely try to make people whole for any issues that are preventable and even some things that are not. Its unfortunate that some people feel the need to exploit that good will to their own benefit, but the system can't be set to account for those outliers or good customer service for everyone else would suffer.

 

[unkadug]

He shouldn't flatter himself. He may want a fanboi (not that there's anything wrong with that), but he's barking up the wrong tree.

Drop it

 

[MattM]

They knew the policy and exploited it. When I asked the manager why we didn't just turn them away at the door or refuse to give them anything he just told me it was corporate policy and that corporate felt that their bad word of mouth to others would cost more than a free meal or 2. That's great for corporate, but when they got their free meals they only left tips on what they paid for which was never much. Despicable human beings.

Bad form, indeed. Unfortunately that kind of behavior it is becoming more prevalent in today's society.

 

[MattM]

Drop it

Ah, very deep.

Please ignore my posts if you do not like reading them.

 

[thehowiet]

I know it's easier said than done, but please don't feed into certain posters that do not contribute anything of value to the thread.

 

[merry68]

No matter how bad things go you will never hear an official statement from TWDC that is anything other than glowing and positive. TWDC spent billions on this. If they admit failure that's the kind of thing that gets management (chiefs and presidents not just mid level VPs) and members of the BOD fired.

Disney, Too Big To Fail?

 

[PhotoDave219]

Disney, Too Big To Fail?

Depends upon the story that becomes public. There's a lot of potential for disaster. It is not consistently working correctly plus you have the whole tracking/privacy issues.

I hope someone is taking notes, because this has the potential to be a case study in mismanagement.

 

[wm49rs]

He shouldn't flatter himself. He may want a fanboi (not that there's anything wrong with that), but he's barking up the wrong tree.

And if you were truly interested in the benefits of the "Ignore" feature you wouldn't have even bothered with his Twitter account.....

 

[MattM]

And if you were truly interested in the benefits of the "Ignore" feature you wouldn't have even bothered with his Twitter account.....

Like I said, it showed up when reading replies to Jason garcia's tweet regarding his MM+ story. As much as it makes for a better story that I went searching for his twitter account, it's not what happened.

 

[Lee]

Today a local reporter for the Orlando Sentinel had a not so positive group of comments from guests he interviewed on their on line edition. He had another ariticle comparing the cost to Disney compared to what Uni is doing building rides and attractions. Neither article is flattering to WDW. The paper site has a pay wall.

Yes, Jason's article has landed....and after reading it I'm a bit....meh.

My thoughts...
-I guess I shouldn't really expect a hard-hitting expose or anything, but it did seem a bit superficial.
-Jason seems to be an ok guy, but based some outside knowledge and on the articles I've read (and participated in) he seems to stop short of taking the investigations where they really need to go. He seems...too timid.
-80% positive.......I just can't get over the gall it took to actually say that. Did Jason press them on that figure? Doubt it.
-He calls the $1.1 billion Universal is spending on rides "nearly the same" as what Disney is spending on MM+ and NextGen. Really? 50% (at most) is "nearly the same"? Maybe if you are just talking MM+...
-Almost no mention of the privacy concerns. Wow.
-Jason told me he hasn't been reading the various forums for a while. It shows. Just reading the threads here would have opened up many more potential issues for him to investigate regarding NextGen.

Jason, if you are reading this....man up. Do a real story, asking the hard questions, and if they try any more of that 80% positive to 2% negative BS....call them on it.

 

[wm49rs]

Like I said, it showed up when reading replies to Jason garcia's tweet regarding his MM+ story. As much as it makes for a better story that I went searching for his twitter account, it's not what happened.

And felt the need to share it here for a (to borrow the expression from a fine Scottish gentleman) "Eartha Kitt" moment. Instead of partaking in your own advice.....

 

[1023]

For fun, I pulled an article and am quoting it here. The following are not my words:

A high school student in Texas has lost a federal court appeal against her school’s identification policy and will now be required to wear an identity tag at her school — without the RFID capability — or transfer to a new one, Wired reports.

Andrea Hernandez, a sophomore John Jay High School, made headlines last year when she objected to a new policy that saw the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio outfit all students across its 112 schools with the ID badges, which monitor their movements in campus.

The system was introduced to give the school clearer information about which students are attending, since its funding is related to attendance numbers. However, Hernandez argued that the badge was the “Mark of the Beast” — a warning from Revelation 13:16-18 — and she subsequently sued the authorities.

While the student won a temporary injunction back in November that allowed her to continue her studies at the school without the badge, the federal court ruling has overturned that. The court ruled that Hernandez’s right of religion was not breached since district authorities relented by allowing her to remove the RFID from the ID badge, on the condition that she would wear it while on campus.

“The accommodation offered by the district is not only reasonable it removes plaintiff’s religious objection from legal scrutiny all together,” said U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia in a circular (PDF).

Source: TheNextWeb.com

The following are my words:

Let's set aside the whole religious aspect of the case. The PIO for the schools said they were primarily used for attendance, I find it troubling that teachers can't count the students in their class. This school beat Disney to the punch and got a governing body to insist everyone be tracked.

*1023*

 

[GoofGoof]

Depends upon the story that becomes public. There's a lot of potential for disaster. It is not consistently working correctly plus you have the whole tracking/privacy issues.

I hope someone is taking notes, because this has the potential to be a case study in mismanagement.

I think if a mainstream, well respected media outlet were to question the privacy issues it could become a PR disaster. If its a less known or less respected outlet it could be dismissed by the masses as paranoid conspiracy theories. The story definitely matters, but so does the person telling it.

 

[RyenDeckard]

Uhhh there's a lot of anger and vitriol here for a message board that discusses THEME PARKS. Calm it down people.

 

[John]

Yes, Jason's article has landed....and after reading it I'm a bit....meh.

My thoughts...
-I guess I shouldn't really expect a hard-hitting expose or anything, but it did seem a bit superficial.
-Jason seems to be an ok guy, but based some outside knowledge and on the articles I've read (and participated in) he seems to stop short of taking the investigations where they really need to go. He seems...too timid.
-80% positive.......I just can't get over the gall it took to actually say that. Did Jason press them on that figure? Doubt it.
-He calls the $1.1 billion Universal is spending on rides "nearly the same" as what Disney is spending on MM+ and NextGen. Really? 50% (at most) is "nearly the same"? Maybe if you are just talking MM+...
-Almost no mention of the privacy concerns. Wow.
-Jason told me he hasn't been reading the various forums for a while. It shows. Just reading the threads here would have opened up many more potential issues for him to investigate regarding NextGen.

Jason, if you are reading this....man up. Do a real story, asking the hard questions, and if they try any more of that 80% positive to 2% negative BS....call them on it.

Lee do you have an email address for Mr. Garcia? Went to the Sentinel and needed to "sign" up to have access.

 

[ParentsOf4]

Disney, Too Big To Fail?

In recent years, I bash WDW all the time (because they deserve it!) but they currently are in no immediate danger of engaging in the predatory behavior of "too big to fail" financial institutions. If anything, they have the opposite problem; they'd rather slowly sink into mediocrity than engage in bold plans.

Higher prices, quality cuts, more DVC, more stores at DTD, more meet & greets, construction of children-friendly attractions; these are moves that will keep WDW cash flow steady but not particularly exciting. Even if MyMagic+ misfires, WDW will continue to provide a positive revenue stream as long as the economy remains reasonably stable.

Universal is demonstrating bold leadership and has experienced spectacular growth as a result. However, nothing Uni had planned represents a serious threat to WDW's core market; families with small children.

IMHO, the biggest threat to WDW's long-term financial stability are its prices. The last 3 years in particular have seen price increases that far outpace the public's ability to afford them. Keep that going for much longer and middle America will stop going to WDW for the simple reason that they no longer can afford it. WDW is increasingly at risk of creating a pricing bubble.

U.S. attendance at WDW is in decline but has been replaced by tourists from Brazil and Argentina, who are experiencing a period of unusual economic prosperity. If their economy sours and WDW continues aggressive price increases, then the entire WDW business model could be in peril.

 

[Mr Bill]

Lee do you have an email address for Mr. Garcia? Went to the Sentinel and needed to "sign" up to have access.

jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com

 

[John]

jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com

Thanks!

edit: just shot off an email to our pal Mr. Garcia. If and when I get a response I will post.

 

[Goofyernmost]

This is not what statistics are for and are not the purpose of manipulating outcomes. Individuals that are found to be manipulating statistics need to be called out for scientific malpractice and treated the same as plagerisers.

My not be what they are for...but it is indeed how they are being used. There is a whole industry dedicated just to knowing what information you are looking for and how you hope it will end up. They do not falsify the results they just word the questions in a way that will support the answer that the statistician or whom ever they work for, is hoping to get. Especially if a negative will hurt them.

 

[Lee]

Lee do you have an email address for Mr. Garcia? Went to the Sentinel and needed to "sign" up to have access.

You shouldn't need to sign up to read that article...
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-disney-mymagic-concerns-20130817,0,2906691.story?page=1