complaint department?

[BellesRose]

BellesRose, I forgot to ask: when were you last at Beaches and Cream when this incident happened?

It happened in April 2010.

This is part of the reason why I want to become a CM. I've had some bad experiences that really ruined my day, and I've had some wonderful CM's that I can still remember from years ago. I want to share some of the magic with guests who appreciate Disney just as much as I do like the ones I experienced, and hopefully if I come across any guests that are not pleased, I can help make their day a little better.

[Disneyfamilyof3]

Hiya Marci,

You were a CM at Disneyland? How cool! I have always wanted to see DL.

Warning: rant ahead; sorry,still upset

The more I think about what happened to us at the BCR, and how we were treated by Guest Communications when we lodged written complaints, the more upset I get. It was bad enough that the BCR's mismanagement of staff, lapses in housekeeping protocol (if that is what did indeed happened with my suit, my friend thinks my suit may even be sitting in someone's drawer!), and a real nasty bully of a manager ruined our hotel stay,..but our attempts to gain justice, whether it was reimbursement or a formal , written apology was treated so outrageously. Was it REALLY NECESSARY of their managers to belittle us and treat us with contempt? At first, I thought, "What did we do to deserve this?", but then I realize that's what they want us to feel,..because we had valid complaints and they don't seem to want to do the right thing for a wronged guest.That's why the managers are banding together, and saying who knows what about us . But, whatever it is, they feel it gives them license to break even more commitments (to not call us back as promised, etc) and to treat us with contempt. This, when one of the manager's in question, never even met us! I never talked to this woman once! Yet, she complained that we kept her on the phone for over 45 minutes. I am in the process of getting my husband's cell phone records as we speak, because there is no way this manager was on the phone with my husband for 45 minutes. The other manager bald faced lied about things he said to us right in front of me. Later, I researched this person online: he had co founded a company that specializes in "viral marketing". Looked to me like it was a nice phrase for "email spam". That's the person they put in charge of BCR guests, and who's words are believed over a BCR guest who spent a ton of money because they wanted to swim in Stormalong Bay and have easy access to Epcot for 7 nights.The facts are: our family has spent over $60,000.00 and 9 years of our vacation dollars at Disney , and brought many friends and family who've done likewise, and this loyalty means NOTHING TO THEM.I think the managers that we've dealt with since the disappearance of my swimsuit have behaved in a sleazy, thuglike manner,with blatant arrogant indifference, when there are serious complaints. Instead of seeing that we still tried to deal with them honorably and politely, they responded with banding together, and hurling ridicule. It is only now, two months after this happened, that I am writing about this on Intercot. That's because any attempt of ours to be heard has been received with scorn. I really, really hope that this doesn't happen to anyone else here, and I would be very interested to know if anyone else was ever treated this way.

[Disneyfamilyof3]

BellesRose,

I am so sorry to hear about your experiences. I think you would make an absolutely wonderful CM; and WDW would be very lucky to get you onboard!

You were at WDW a month before we stayed at the BCR. What is going on with them down there?! You said that this was the only time that they didn't right a wrong for you? Even my son wondered if that area has a new manager,..? It just seems like the BCR area is so completely changed from even Fall 2009. It has been my observation that many cast members over there look really unhappy. We noticed things like one of Stormalong Bay's lifeguards practically yelling at guests to see their room key,..as they were EXITING the pool area! The man who accepts the baggage at check in just glowered at everybody. I saw him completely disregard questions put to him, and just stare at the person in an angry way. i feel really badly; I hope that they are getting paid, or that they don't have to deal with the same manager we did,..that would certainly explain a lot. When we had our difficulties, some castmembers bluntly told me that they did not like the manager who was mean to us,..alternately, a few said they "loved" the one who treated us well. I guess castmembers would be subject to the same personality types as the guests. Except the poor castmembers still have to smile and put magic in a guests experience.

When you become a cast member, i hope that you get to work somewhere in the world where you get treated really well. I can't think of another time or place that I've experienced rude, nasty behavior; so hopefully, that will still hold by the time you get there. Do you have any spot in partcular you'd like to work? I talka lot with castmembers, many have told me that they get stationed *everyweher*. they may start off selling popcorn at a stand outside (happened to a poor Canadian guy who wasn't used to the Florida heat), and then they may be moved to being a wait staff at Le Cellier,etc. They really move people around from what I've been told. One time, my son became ill at the AKP. A cast member drove us back to our resort, the Yacht Club, in a white courtesy van. As we drove, he asked if we remembered the theatrical performance of "the Sword and The Stone", because he had acted in it!

[DizneyRox]

Couple things...

Viral Marketing is not Email Spam... Very different things... It really seems like you're trying to find everything wrong with the situation(s). I'm not trying to dismiss the situation either, just saying that the rabbit hole doesn't go down as far as you think.

In general though, you're right, Disney service is a far cry from what it used to be, but I don't think it's as much about them trying to get you than it is about ineptness of the Cast Members they are hiring now. Most CMs that everyone sees are really just front line, minimum wage workers that aren't getting the training necessary to do their jobs the Disney way. I think upper management THINKS they things are fine without the appropriate training, however guests are routinely running into problems like yours and it's really fouling up the works so to speak.

With profits not where they need to be, you'll definitely see less done to compensate guests for problems. So, I do think that they are instructed to just apologize without taking ownership of the problem and move on. That's just how it goes now.

But I wouldn't tear yourself apart worrying about it. I've been telling people to speak with your wallet. That's really the only way that Disney will hear what guests are saying. The problem with handling things that way is, one person doesn't make a difference.

Next year, we're cruising, I'm finding better value there than Disney these days.

[dnickels]

To echo some of the things that Rox wrote,

-Viral Marketing isn't spam, think more of how the 'Blair Witch Project' was advertised. Wikipedia even has an entry on Viral Marketing.

-When choosing between conspiracy theory and incompetence, always go with incompetence. While it's certainly possible that some of the managers just got together and said 'let's not help this family / let's ruin their vacation' the most likely problem is just incompetence, or maybe lower down the scale, poor training combined with a particular set of circumstances. It's really crummy when it happens to any of us, but sometimes it happens.

-Money talks. It doesn't mean staying away for a year or two, it means truly leaving the mouse behind. I see a lot of complaint threads where people threaten to never go back to Disney and they either have a next trip listed in their sig line, or they're posting about planning another one a month later.

Truly I'm sorry about what happened, but I'm not sure that replaying it over and over and digging into the managers backgrounds is going to make it any better. We can't always control what happens to us in life, but we can control how we respond to it. I would take those vacation dollars elsewhere for good and not look back.

[BellesRose]

One thing I thought of...Disney probably has so many guests scamming them, that maybe they aren't taking care of the real problems as much. I believe your story is completely true and credible; however, I remember when I was in kindergarten and my best friend was always going on long vacations to Disney. One day, my mom finally asked my bff's mom how they afford to go so often, and her response was "Complain about every single thing until the entire trip is free. I don't remember the last time we paid!" Now, while I don't believe her entire trip was free every time they went, I do believe back then Disney would take care of you, whether your complaints were valid or not. I'm willing to bet they get complaints on a daily basis of things that have "gone missing" or people just wanting their money back because of this and that. In this economy, Disney would be losing money and going bankrupt if they gave into guests. Between that and lack of training, the managers don't know how to deal with these situations. Unfortunately, this hurts those of us that have real reasons to complain. It's the way of the world these days...selfishness and lying and a me-me-me attitude are not hard to find. It's sad, really. Thankfully, Disney usually does make things right for those who are honest, and bad experiences are still rare, even if they are becoming more common.

[Disneyfamilyof3]

Hello Everyone

DisneyRox, you make a lot of sense. I was really upset yesterday because after promising to call my family last Friday or Monday, the manager at Guest Communications never did. I had to email her, and then she called me with this smug, nasty attitude saying she believed the BCR management. So she deliberately didn't call back out of disrespect.it is what I've seen on some Disney managers ( castmembers were fine, it was 2 or somanagers and a housekeeper)

BellesRose, Its a shame your friends mother had that attitude. Now, when people like me complain (1x in 9 years);... This is how I get treated.

But, like you said, money talks; and they won't be getting mine again after their behavior. I think the way they chose to end things will never be forgotten by me,.. I am thoroughly disgusted. I know their attitude is that people complain, and then come back, but this family won't.

I noticed that this thread started January 1 st,... I wonder if the fact that Roy O Disney died in December 16,2009, has something to do with the arrogance and incompetence of these managers? No quality control stop anymore?

[Disneyfamilyof3]

Dnickels, sorry, I forgot to thank you, too.

I was really upset last night, that's why I put a warning sign. I continued to post, however, because I'm curious how others were treated.

The managers were not ONLY incompetent: they were very nasty. The good manager said it best, before the suit was taken: his exact words, I can't quote, becauseit was something that could be recognized, and I would hate to see him get in trouble: but he said something like," There are some really bad apples that work here at Disney. They need to be culled away before they spoil the rest", he said that after the issue with the trashed room/ lost cc info. This manager knew exactly what was going on,... he had told us if we come back for the Epcot FW festival, he'll bump us up to concierge. Sometime, all a good manager has to do is be nice. We won't be back, but his words still soothe, you know?

I've already relayed what happened to us; and all I can say is that you don't find out first hand how things were,... the quality I saw above others with two managers was arrogance. The second was coercive. Things at changing in WDW, sadly

[Disneyfamilyof3]

PS: my husband agrees with the idea that it was incompetence from the word go. I'm already moving on,... well,.. I might write two more letters one to Jay Rasula, the other to Robert Iger. I don't want anything anymore,at least not another stay down there to replace the one they ruined,just the satisfaction of having the last word with this situation. My other letters were addressed to Meg Crofton, btw. They were delegated to Heather Havey, manager of guest communications. I have everyones email address, in case anyone needs them.

So, DisneyRox, where do you like to vacation now, lol? What happened in WDw for you that you are a bit more cynical?

[DizneyRox]

So, DisneyRox, where do you like to vacation now, lol? What happened in WDw for you that you are a bit more cynical?

The reality at Disney is all about Wall Street. I understand that and I don't let it get in my way of enjoying WDW. Unfortunately, I'm a DVC member, so I get to look forward to declining service for many years to come. I don't drink the Kool-Aid... As someone else mentioned, a lot of people like to complain yet are planning their next vacation in the next thread.

I have routinely written to Disney about problems, sometimes I get responses, many time not. It's a shame these days that customer service there is declining like EVERYWHERE else. Customers are treated like they are criminals and that someone is doing them a favor.

My expectations of Disney are set very low. That way I'm not disappointed. Even then, sometimes they reach an all new low.

Unfortunately though, many of the people you mention writing to are part (some might say they are the cause) of the problem.

Roy was not really part of the decision making process either. Disney hasn't been a family run company for some time. They were just able to hide it better in the past. All decisions now revolve around profit, and ROI.

[Disneyfamilyof3]

DizneyRox, I am so sorry... You know, this past trip, we had taken the DVC tour and came sooo close to plopping down 18.5 grand for Old Key West. At that point, we were between the suit being taken and no TP, and before talking to the bad manager at BCR. The response from the saleswoman was," Were you reimbursed for the suit,if so, how much?" The coldness of the response was odd. It dawned on me right then and there that she had no idea at all that it wasn't about the suit so much as the wasted time trying I find another one piece in a size six or even 4. The next day, we saw the DVC salesperson again. We had mentioned the day before we wanted to see the OK vac. apartments, which were not shown during the tour at SSR. As if we'd spend close to 20 grand to buy something sight unseen?? The whole thing, on top of everything, made me research people opinions about DVC; and that's when I read this thread!!! The next day, I told the DVC salewoman what I read on this list,and asked if DVC owners had any say in anything. She became nervous, and the driver of the van started whistling, lol. Growing up with all males, I always saw that as a dead give away of nerves.

At that point, the DVCsalesperson gave me a weird look, and told me that DVc people monitor many of the boards. When I asked if Intercot was one, her eyes lit up with recognition. I've wondered if Intercot is owned by WDW,.. I always thought it was owned by Magical Journeys. Anyway, around this time, the manager we complained to about having no TP, soap, or towels,essentially ended all of our interest in DVC. The saleswoman DID tell me that owners had some sort of meetings, and that they did read the boards, which has resulted in them rennovating DVC properties every 5 years instead of 10 now.

At any rate, DizneyRox, feel good knowing that your words and others, right on this thread, were used to confront DVC sales when they thought they were closing us in. They had to listen, because I hadn't plopped money down yet.

I truly hope that things will get better. I had always seen Roy Disney as a man who would occasionally resign as a way of having some sort of power in a situation he was locked out of. However, I have to say, at least his co plaint resignation letters were wonderful, lol. Perhaps that why the WDW animators may be back, if I'm not mistaken? I notice Walts daughter makes wine somewhere in Ca, and seems to have No interest in WDW.

[Disneyfamilyof3]

I don't know if I stressed this: my number 1 concern, I said to the DVC saleswoman, was that if this were a RE deal, as advertised, then why do so many members on WDWboards have absolutely NO say, no voice? I specifically said that I didn't want to sign on the dotted line, give them lots of money, and have no commitment from WDW at all to listen to any concerns.

I found what you said about the root of the problem interesting. Would you know how long the people I've mentioned have been at the helm? Including the main manager of BCR? It would explain a lot, I'm sure.

I am even considering making a website after contemplating one of your emails: one voice, one check for $5,000. Does nothing. But how about a website for people who loved Disneyworld, but got the shaft? A website that is polite, but that merely states we are unhappy with your disregard after you cashed our check. We are going to vote against your disregard by NOT spending x amount ofdollars at WDW this year. Maybe things would turn around. I believe that if things continue the way they are, everyone will have something like this happen,... because they know they can get away with it.

I have to talk to my cousin about this: he is a lawyer for Disney ( or ABC). I'd be quite curious what he would say. I haven't yet, because I'm not close with that side of my family, and I don't want to appear like I'm asking for anything. I'm also embarrasse about how we were treated.

[faline]

I've wondered if Intercot is owned by WDW,.. I always thought it was owned by Magical Journeys.

Intercot is not owned by Disney or by Magical Journeys though Magical Journeys is a sponsor.

[Disneyfamilyof3]

Maybe the Swan and Dolphin Hotels? I think I did read that somewhere on here. My son has always wanted to stay at the Dolphin,... ever since we ate at Todd English: which was one of the most amazing restaurants in a place where there are many amazing restaurants.

I'd even thought about staying there, or the BWI, but I was amazed to read reviews about the latter that were akin to my experiences; but maybe one day we will visit the Dolphin.

Maybe one day there will be management that will rediscover the ideals that made things at WDW so cool, and then we'd come back. Even my son said," Lets just wait til this management changes". As of now, I have received no reassurance that what happened lastMay won't happen again, so I'm not returning until I get that reassurance, orthere is new management. I just don't trust them anymore. And I'm angry that they gave me cause not to trust them: I would have preferred to stay in my little fantasy bubble

Anyway, if anyone here is going to WDW soon, splurge at Todd English if you like seafood: and get that volcano like desert that the wait staff lights on fire. It's amazing!