Ok I have to admit, this post continues to fascinate me. I was thinking about it all last night, and would like to offer you fine folks some very interesting deductions I've made by reading between the lines here. Everybody neat and pretty? Then on with the show!!!
"... I have Disney stock....."
Ok, this is clearly a setup for the final motivation behind this WHOLE thing (ie: I want a free vacation) Rule #1 of being an obnoxiously entitled "customer"...show them how very, very important you are.
"
We paid lots of money for our tickets."
See above. As if she's the only person to do this.
"There were two cast members blocking the way who rudely told us we could go around the back"
Rudely, just for asking, huh? Wow...I'm thinking the only thing "rude" might have been that she was denied at all.
"They didn't do anything!!!! In fact, they just looked disgusted that we were bothering them and now my annoying kid was crying. They didn't say, "Don't worry, you'll see Cinderella later." or offer to escort her in back themselves"
Ah...so she expected them to drop everything and take you through the castle anyway because her kid was crying?
"Sam did not give us vouchers for free dessert. "
Ah yes. Again, if I yell I should get stuff for free.
"I wasn't bringing in food from home. I was planning to buy it, but even if the opposite was the case - why aren't people allowed to sit down anywhere for free? Especially people with little children who paid over $100 per person to get into the park? "
Ah and HERE again we see the REAL underlying issue. Mark my words..this is exactly the kind of person who WOULD wander into Rays, sit down, and NOT MOVE for 45 minutes while other families are looking for tables. Of course, she would feel entitled because "she has kids"
"Apparently, you are paying the guards to watch the guests because three cast members asked me what I was doing out of my seat and reminded me that I couldn't sit down unless I had bought food. They were not offering to help me get everything I needed to feed my troop - they were strictly enforcing the rules and treating everyone like cattle. A cast member followed me back to my seat to make sure I had really bought food!"
Ok simple deduction: They followed her to make sure she had food because she made such a scene about the policy earlier.
"Crystal Palace and Be Your Guest had a three hour wait and we were told that people with reservations have priority. I find it really hard to fathom that Disney World is making it so difficult to get a simple meal."
Ok, Dinner at "Be our Guest", the newest most elaborate sit down restaurant on the property, hardly qualifies as a "simple" meal. I'm more shocked they gave her the option to wait 3 hours at all. A travel agent who doesn't know that sit down reservations are needed for a restaurant?
"Next week we are planning to go to Epcot or MGM during spring break. I called Disney Dining to make reservations. I was appalled when I was told I had to guarantee any dining reservation with a credit card and cancel up to 24 hours in advance or be charged $10 per person."
Now THIS is where things begin to get interesting....She's planning another trip? After this horrifying experience that has turned her off from Disney? Doesn't fit.... she indicated a minute ago that she had no idea a reservation was needed at all. Deduction: She tried to make reservations before THIS trip...was "appalled" that she needed to use a credit card, and refused to book it, figuring she would just wander in and get a seat at her leisure. When THAT didn't work, she got ed. In her open letter she changed the order of events to make it sound like she got caught flat-footed.
"... And if I could have a dollar for every time a Disney Cast member rolled their eyes at me on my visit - I would have over $100 dollars -"
THIS I believe. Based on her account, I have no doubt that she tore through the parks like a rabid tornado, making insane demands and flipping her wig every time special accommodations weren't lavished on her. The fact that she confirms all the cast members thought she was crazy speaks less to "bad customer service" and more to "she actually was acting like a crazy person"
"If you refuse to do anything to make this right, any future visits to theme parks for my family will be spent at Universal Studios or Busch Gardens. And I meanmorethan a half-hearted apology and an eye roll!"
As i mentioned earlier, this is the heart of it. She wants a free vacation. The fact that she mentioned planning a second trip so soon while in the same letter claiming she wants a refund or she'll never come back is telling. She wants her "Spring break" vacation to be on the house.
In summary, this lady is exactly what makes being in customer service so difficult. Someone who demands special treatment at every corner, even when that treatment would negatively affect other guests who paid the exact same ticket price she did. And if they don't bow to her wishes? Write an angry letter and post it EVERYWHERE, then demand free stuff. Too bad she chose boards like this to post on... I think many of us have already pointed out the insanity of her demands in a way that a Disney cast member might not have
