A SG's complaints were rewarded by Guest Relations. Why?

[DebbieDoesDisney]

I must start this post by apologizing for bringing a SG along with me on our last visit. My husband had to work so I took a friend and her 2 yo son. Now that I know she is a SG, I won't make the mistake again.

Our second park day, we went to MK. Her son is in the process of potty training, and he had to pee every 3 minutes because she was giving him cup after cup of juice. Early in the day, she started complaining that MK didn't have enough bathrooms. Her solution to her perceived problem was to let her kid pee in the flower beds. Totally embarrassing. Yes, I asked her repeatedly to stop, and I was showing her restrooms on the map.

Sometime during the day, the kid wet his pants so she had to change his clothes. I'm not sure why he wet his pants because there wasn't a lack of flower beds. She had packed pull-ups, but for whatever reason he was wearing regular underwear. That incident only worsened her mood.

She wanted to eat a CS for dinner, but when we got to the one she had picked it was closed for a private party. I calmed her down, and had her pick another CS. She picked Columbia Harbor House so we went there, and it had closed about 30 min earlier. This sent her into a rage. At the same time, her kid starts saying he needs to use the bathroom again. She took him over to a gate between CHH and the Hall of Presidents, and she was about to let him urinate on the asphalt walkway! I told her where the nearest RR was, but she was dead set that the RR was too far. I gave her a water bottle for him to go in. Well, it was too late. . . he had already wet his pants again.

She was throwing a fit. . . going on and on about how it was a place for kids and there weren't enough potties. . . and that she was hungry. She took out the map and announced she was going to Guest Relations to complain. I tried to talk her out of it, and reason with her that none of this was Disney's fault. She lit into me and proceeded to ream me out. I told her fine and that I'd meet her outside GR.

I went and waited outside on a bench with my kids. After about 20 minutes she came out. The GR CM she complained to gave her $50 Disney Dollars as compensation for the two CS's being closed, and vouchers to buy her kid new underwear and a new outfit!

Please! Why was the SG's stupidity rewarded?! How was it Disney's fault that she didn't put her kid in a pull-up?! Why did Disney give her money for food because 2 places were closed when there were still at least 3 more available to choose from?!

Why didn't a CM come talk to her and make her stop having her kid pee in flower beds?! Her cousin who is a CM joined us on our last day. She told her repeatedly to stop it just like I had been doing for the 4 previous days in a row.

The day we went to Animal Kingdom. . . we walked in and she saw the lush flower beds and said, "Oh, this is great! These flower beds are so thick I can let him take a crap in one."

[DebbieDoesDisney]

One of my 2 yo's has special needs, and I was able to get a GAC that allowed me to use her stroller as a WC. I want to say thanks to all the great CM's who went out of their way to make our park visits as comfortable for her as possible. It meant the world to me! :)

[lady ulrike]

Please! Why was the SG's stupidity rewarded?! How was it Disney's fault that she didn't put her kid in a pull-up?! Why did Disney give her money for food because 2 places were closed when there were still at least 3 more available to choose from?!

Why didn't a CM come talk to her and make her stop having her kid pee in flower beds?! Her cousin who is a CM joined us on our last day. She told her repeatedly to stop it just like I had been doing for the 4 previous days in a row.

Well, first off, as for the peeing in flower beds, did a CM see her, and if so was it after he was done cause sometimes it's easier to avoid a confrontation to be perfectly honest and you kind of assume/hope that it was a one time deal, and if it was a new CM who saw her they may have been so shocked that they weren't sure how to react.
But as for the main question, Disney's outlook is basically that we want everyone to walk away happy and will do just about anything to make that happen, even if it's no fault of our own. Things can happen to ruin a vacation that have little or nothing to do with Disney or anything that anyone connected with Disney did. Sometimes things can happen to ruin a vacation that wasn't even the person's own fault (not really so in this case) and Disney realizes that too, but they want everyone to have a great experience so that they will come back again.

An example that I deal with a lot at Storybook is that when kids are getting in or out of the boat they don't pay attention to where they are walking and will often step right into the canal. Most of the time our CMs kind of catch them before they get more than the bottom of their shoe wet, so no big deal. Sometimes, however, the kids whole leg ends up in the water. Now most guests are pretty much, whatever it'll dry, but there are times where the parents or the kids are really upset, or if it's a really cold day then I'll actually offer them vouchers for new pants, etc cause, quite frankly it sucks to walk around all day with wet pants, shoes, and socks and if it is cold out the kid could get sick.

Now with this situation, it's not the CMs' fault and you can't really blame the kid they're excited and there's a lot going on but we will still give them the voucher because it moves the focus to, "oh this thing happened and while they didn't have to do anything to make it better they did, isn't Disney great?" And it always depends on the guest. If they're ranting and raving so much that I can't get a word in edgewise I'm not going to offer them as much, if anything, as a would someone who is much more calm about it.

That's a bit more than I meant to say but I think it answers your question.

[Big Wallaby]

Hi Debbie,

Thank you for that post. It's certainly interesting to read the story of a SG from the viewpoint of someone that is with them and thoroughly embarassed by them. Your friend (and after your time travelling with her, I'll go ahead and use the term quite loosely) sounds like she has that entitlement mentality that makes so many the greatest SGs they can be.

Regarding the CMs' response, I am sure she didn't say anything about the flowerbed pottytimes, or else they probably wouldn't have been so nice. Because her kid came in and "just" wet his pants, vouchers for new underwear doesn't have to be that expensive for Disney, compared to when she gets home, tells her family that Disney World is horrible, that it's gone downhill since she was there last (if she ever had been before), or that it wasn't all that magical. So instead, they go ahead and give her new underwear and a meal, just to make her think they did a great job. However, I guarantee that if they knew her real activities, there would have been reprocussions, and hopefully not for you too. At that point, she's making a health hazard in the parks, and from what I understand they don't take to that too kindly.

Now, who knows what she will go home and tell her friends, but it's no fault of Disney's if she disparages them. I am sure that if she is everything you describe, she's not going to have much good to say about Disney World, possibly for reasons you have yet to imagine.

EDIT: Oh, sure, let me finish my post, but get a far superior explanation in before me, Lady Ulrike... :D:
Actually, your explanation is much better than mine could ever be.

[Pinoy_Stitch_84]

I went and waited outside on a bench with my kids. After about 20 minutes she came out. The GR CM she complained to gave her $50 Disney Dollars as compensation for the two CS's being closed, and vouchers to buy her kid new underwear and a new outfit!

Please! Why was the SG's stupidity rewarded?! How was it Disney's fault that she didn't put her kid in a pull-up?! Why did Disney give her money for food because 2 places were closed when there were still at least 3 more available to choose from?!

Why didn't a CM come talk to her and make her stop having her kid pee in flower beds?! Her cousin who is a CM joined us on our last day. She told her repeatedly to stop it just like I had been doing for the 4 previous days in a row.

The day we went to Animal Kingdom. . . we walked in and she saw the lush flower beds and said, "Oh, this is great! These flower beds are so thick I can let him take a crap in one."

Perhaps urine makes the flowers so bright and smell great :D:

The Queen from Snow White would say: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the stupidest guest of all?" The mirror would say, "The lady who allowed her kid to pee and poo in the flower beds" :D:

Disney believes the children are the future and that they must teach them well and let them lead the way. On the other hand, many parents don't know how to show them all the beauty they possess inside or let the children's laughter remind them how stupid they are.

At the Animal Kingdom, a CM should've called Rafiki from the Lion King and have him sing to her "Asante sana squashparara wehweh nugu..." (The song he sings from the movie). Rafiki would tell her, "It means you're a baboon and I'm not. And it's true since you let your child pee and poo in the bushes, therefore destroying our precious circle of life"

[bingie]

Ummm...

So, what is wrong with your friend that she thinks it's ok to let her child do their business where ever they feel like it...

[DisneyMom]

I wonder what would have happened if you went to guest relations and complained about her letting her kid pee in the flowers! :twisted: Just kidding, but I know as a guest I wouldn't want to see that kind of thing. I know, I'm uptight! :p:

[mechurchlady]

I would have walked away. I cannot understand this behavior. I have hear of the emergency cannot wait type of flower watering but that woman needs to see a doctor to have the kid checked out and then sent to the nut house.

[lady ulrike]

EDIT: Oh, sure, let me finish my post, but get a far superior explanation in before me, Lady Ulrike... :D:
Actually, your explanation is much better than mine could ever be.

My explanation is only better because I'm more Disneyfied than you. :) And how was I supposed to know you were responding at the same time?

[Cranbiz]

Next will be the complaint that we don't have facilities on the Motor Coaches.

Will she let her child pee and poo on the Motor Coach because the driver won't stop at the closest flower bed?



I'm using the term Motor Coach here because it seems that our buses have been upgraded. At least that what the new spiels say.