No More Room Assigners at Resorts

[TeamUBR]

I don't think PBB sounded like a SG. He had a special occasion and had some understandable requests in a tourist, hospitality, service based area and didn't receive the best in customer service. Doesn't sound like he demanded anything or threw a fit. Simply made a reasonable request.

I have my 30th anniversary coming up in August. We went to a 5 star in Mexico for our 25th, asked for similar things and the staff couldn't have been nicer in meeting them. Great service! I think it's the type of thing Disney strives for and most guests have come to expect when staying there.

To me, the SG is one that stays at a value resort to save money and then throws a tantrum at checkin when they don't get a view of the castle.

[mapo]

OK, you make a couple of points I would like to try to address:

* You made a room request. I request is simply that, a request. There is no guarantee of satisfying your request.

As a former room ops cast member, I can see a few things that could have happened. When the rooms for that time period were blocked, there were no rooms available to fit your request. Perhaps the human cast member blocking did not see the request. Perhaps another family blocked for one of those rooms checked in before you and wanted the first available room. There are many, many reasons why your request may not have been honored.

The manager saw at the moment of your conversation that there was a way to meet your request and did. That is Guest Service.

* You wanted a special cake for your celebration. (The frozen cakes are thawed BTW for those unfamilar.)

By taking the time to email the baker, you demonstrated to that cast member that it was very important to you. As a way of trying to meet or exceed your wishes, the baker asked for specific ideas or even a design. Would you like a Cinderella slipper cake? A Castle cake? A Mickey head shaped cake? What flavor of cake? Icing or no? Any allergies? etc... Unlike the say florist, they do not have a standard menu to select from nor a price list. The florist can say .."OK, your price point is going to be how much? And the celebration is what? Well we have this and this and this at that range/price"

I am sorry that you could not assist our baker in meeting or exceeding your wish for a special cake.

* Bob Iger ran a cable company?? Hmmm....okay. Well something must have gone right for him since he is our CEO and no one has run him off quite yet.

* In another post, you mention how DVC propped up WDW after 9/11 cause we did not close any DVC properties.

DVC is a separate division within Disney Corp. Their revenue stream is not WDW's revenue stream.

WDW Resorts closed its smallest room properties to mitigate the impact on cast and guests during that trying time. Fewer cast were redeployed to other locations as a result. We were able to retain resorts cast and only decrease their number of work hours to ensure no one lost their job.

Now that DVC is part of a larger network of time share properties, perhaps you would want to take a break from WDW properties. It sounds like you are unhappy; perhaps this change in venue is just the ticket.

No worries. We will be here when you are ready for a WDW stay again.

In the meantime, congrats on your landmark anniversary!

mapo

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

and that, is that.

rum?

[pbb]

The manager saw at the moment of your conversation that there was a way to meet your request and did. That is Guest Service.

* You wanted a special cake for your celebration. (The frozen cakes are thawed BTW for those unfamilar.)

By taking the time to email the baker, you demonstrated to that cast member that it was very important to you. As a way of trying to meet or exceed your wishes, the baker asked for specific ideas or even a design. Would you like a Cinderella slipper cake? A Castle cake? A Mickey head shaped cake? What flavor of cake? Icing or no? Any allergies? etc... Unlike the say florist, they do not have a standard menu to select from nor a price list. The florist can say .."OK, your price point is going to be how much? And the celebration is what? Well we have this and this and this at that range/price"

I am sorry that you could not assist our baker in meeting or exceeding your wish for a special cake.

* Bob Iger ran a cable company?? Hmmm....okay. Well something must have gone right for him since he is our CEO and no one has run him off quite yet.

* In another post, you mention how DVC propped up WDW after 9/11 cause we did not close any DVC properties.

DVC is a separate division within Disney Corp. Their revenue stream is not WDW's revenue stream.

WDW Resorts closed its smallest room properties to mitigate the impact on cast and guests during that trying time. Fewer cast were redeployed to other locations as a result. We were able to retain resorts cast and only decrease their number of work hours to ensure no one lost their job.

Now that DVC is part of a larger network of time share properties, perhaps you would want to take a break from WDW properties. It sounds like you are unhappy; perhaps this change in venue is just the ticket.
No worries. We will be here when you are ready for a WDW stay again.
In the meantime, congrats on your landmark anniversary!
mapo

With due respect, I disagree your view of customer service. If a customer makes certain requests they should not have to ask over and over again. They should not have to get a manager involved. Plus, good customer service would have recognized that this was a special anniversary and they should have done things in advance to make things happen. (btw, we checked in at 5:00 pm so all rooms should have been ready)


I do believe the baker could have provided some of his/her experience and what they have done for others. A thawed frozen cake is a frozen cake in my mind. That is not what I wanted to have. I did not ask anything be done for free. I was willing to pay for this service. I would have never known about this service unless WDW advertised it on my website.

While DVC is a separate entity from WDW. WDW is a major vendor to DVC providing services such as landscaping, maintenance and housekeeping, etc. So, they are indeed in Disney's revenue stream plus Disney gets management fees on top the money they earned developing the property. DVC Management does not go out and hire other companies to do work that Disney provides.

The point I am trying to make is DVC members keep all the sold out properties at a 90-95% occupancy rate year round. That is not the case with your standard hotel. Employees hours were decreased at other hotels. DVC hotels did not need to have this happen because our dues act as if the resort is 100 percent occupied.

I am sure there are nightmare DVC members. I have seen a few myself. However, I believe most of them are getting painted with that broad brush and that is a shame.

I am more disappointed than angry. In my opinion, WDW was one of the premier resorts in the world and I believe this is not the case anymore. If I was on a cash basis at Bay Lake Tower vs being on points I would have checked out early. There is no way I would have paid $ 300 per night for those rooms.

Your point is well taken.....in fact, I took a 4 year break from WDW and used our points in Vero Beach and Hilton Head instead. I was hoping Sonew management would go back to previous ways of doing things. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case. I blame Management for this not the CM's.

As I have stated in previous posts, I am not a direct employee of WDW. In fact, I have worked as vendor for Disney at MK and in Hong Kong. So, I get to see things from both worlds.

Sorry if you don't agree with my opinions...........

[kcberlin]

With due respect, I disagree your view of customer service. If a customer makes certain requests they should not have to ask over and over again. They should not have to get a manager involved.

Speaking from a non-Disney customer service point of view and as a manager who has received numerous customer service awards, I have to respectfully disagree with you. In any large business, unfortunately, too many cooks can indeed spoil the broth. Sometimes requests must be made more than once, because you are dealing with more than one individual who isn't aware of your situation. This is not poor customer service, but a fact of life.

There are absolutely times when a manager has to get involved, hence, the need for managers. In many cases, as sad as it is, CM's/Associates/Guest Relations/CSA, etc. do not have the authority to make many of the decisions they need to make. While I agree this is a flaw in many a customer service environment, saying it should not have to happen is irrelevant. There are things that happen every day that shouldn't have to happen, but they do.

Good customer service in any environment, Disney or not comes from the employees doing what they can to exceed your expectations. This, of course presumes that your expectations are realistic. For example, you cannot go to Universal and expect to see Mickey Mouse. I think all involved need to ask if their expectations were in the right place and if they were exceeded. Obviously this happened at Waffle House because you didn't expect the treatment. While we all expect to be treated well at Disney, it is unreasonable to expect to be treated better than everyone else.

I sincerely hope that future trips to any Disney property or DVC vacation destinations are more pleasant for you. If not, I understand there are several resellers in the area that would be happy to purchase your interest in the DVC resort you have purchased.

[pbb]

Speaking from a non-Disney customer service point of view and as a manager who has received numerous customer service awards, I have to respectfully disagree with you. In any large business, unfortunately, too many cooks can indeed spoil the broth. Sometimes requests must be made more than once, because you are dealing with more than one individual who isn't aware of your situation. This is not poor customer service, but a fact of life.

There are absolutely times when a manager has to get involved, hence, the need for managers. In many cases, as sad as it is, CM's/Associates/Guest Relations/CSA, etc. do not have the authority to make many of the decisions they need to make. While I agree this is a flaw in many a customer service environment, saying it should not have to happen is irrelevant. There are things that happen every day that shouldn't have to happen, but they do.

Good customer service in any environment, Disney or not comes from the employees doing what they can to exceed your expectations. This, of course presumes that your expectations are realistic. For example, you cannot go to Universal and expect to see Mickey Mouse. I think all involved need to ask if their expectations were in the right place and if they were exceeded. Obviously this happened at Waffle House because you didn't expect the treatment. While we all expect to be treated well at Disney, it is unreasonable to expect to be treated better than everyone else.

I sincerely hope that future trips to any Disney property or DVC vacation destinations are more pleasant for you. If not, I understand there are several resellers in the area that would be happy to purchase your interest in the DVC resort you have purchased.

I am sorry I don't agree with you. The reservation was noted that we were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. So, the individual at the desk knew this because he congratulated us. Why have a notes section in the reservation if the hotel personnel are not going to pay attention to these notes. I have not made a special request at WDW since I can remember. I have to admit I have made special request at Disney's Hilton Head Island resort. Guess what, those requests are 90 percent accommodated without having to ask over again and getting a manager involved. If a Manager can only do that then they should be standing at the desk waiting for such requests.

Hospitality is a challenging business......No Doubt. IMHO, Disney was one of the best. I always thought they should open Disney resorts all over the world. With the current environment, I would be against that thought now.

[Mayonnaise]

She did pay attention to the note that it was your 25th wedding anniversary. She read it and she congratulated you.

Do you not think there aren't a ton of other people on Disney property every day who are celebrating something? People on once in a lifetime trips that won't be able to afford it again? Weddings? Honeymoons? Birthdays? Remissions? New Jobs? Successful Retirements?

So if they didn't get your room REQUEST on the very first go round, can you really call that BAD customer service?

8^S

[Chaka Peachfuzz]

This can be a very difficult topic to discuss. I can look at this from many different angles: 1. As a guest/customer 2. As an customer service rep in several different industries 3. As the owner of two different service companies.

1. As a guest...my entire family stayed at POFQ during January 2008. Our reservation was for three rooms. It was requested to have three adjoining rooms and be on the ground floor. The adjoining room request was honored, the ground floor request was not. My dad got a little huffy and we told him he should be happy he got one of his requests. Right? I think they were pretty accomodating to get three rooms next to each other and it's not like there aren't elevators.

The problem we had was with my sister's room. She had a one year old and requested a crib. The crib was not in the room when we checked in. She called and requested that one be brought and they said it would be there soon. Several hours passed and it had not arrived. She went down to the front desk and requested one again and still no crib. They managed the first night without and again requested a crib at the desk in the morning. It still never came. She got tired of asking and just went without for the entire trip.

I realize things can and do drop through the cracks, but really? The reservation indicateed an infant is in the travel party and a personal request was made three times for a crib. I find it hard to believe that this was a difficult request to fulfill. I don't care if it was Disney or Super 8, a crib should have been sent or a call back explaining why they cannot bring one.

It was annoying, but not a deal breaker. In fact, we all went back to POFQ in 2009, 2010 and my family only will go back in January 2011.

2 and 3. I understand as a customer service person and a business owner that there are certain people who do expect the world. They can be very unreasonable in their expectations and do not hesitate to let you know that.
There are also many more people who are easy going and wonderful to deal with. Unfortunately, you tend to remember the unreasonable ones.

I don't think that the pp was unreasonable in his desires to make a great vacation for his wife. It does seem that there was a bit of a miscommunication with the baker. I don't like to point fingers, but Disney does sell itself on making magical memories for your family and as a guest it is frustrating when you feel you're running into roadblocks with the staff. I wonder how many times while planning my next trip I have been asked, "what are you celebrating?" If nobody cares, why ask?

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

I think the poster assumes a lot.

we have stayed at WDW during our anniversary, as well as my birthday. I know that I put the special occasions on our reservation and have never been disappointed in any of our requests.

when we check in at the Polynesian concierge desk, they always convey congratulations. (although I am going to drop my birthday from the celebrations HA!) I have always arranged some sort of surprise for my wife, to be in the room when we arrive, flowers, gift basket, etc. and they have been most prompt.

the only time there have been problems, the staff of CM's have corrected it as soon as they could. One year the disney flourist didn't deliever our arrival surprise (some flowers and a tea set) until later after we got back from the park. no big deal, she still enjoyed the surprise.

the point I am making is that when you go to WDW or DLR you are considered a guest. yes, we all pay a pretty good sum of money to go there, but a guest needs to be gracious. Getting angry or upset at a CM that is trying to do their job is not being gracious.

Even if you didn't get a cake, big deal, did you get dessert? my guess would be yes.

relax, you are on vacation. :)

[pbb]

the point I am making is that when you go to WDW or DLR you are considered a guest. yes, we all pay a pretty good sum of money to go there, but a guest needs to be gracious. Getting angry or upset at a CM that is trying to do their job is not being gracious.

Even if you didn't get a cake, big deal, did you get dessert? my guess would be yes.

relax, you are on vacation. :)

I am not sure what you mean by stating I am assuming a lot. Yes, I assume that if I make a special request some reasonable attempt would be made to accommodate my request. I did not get upset at the CM. I am frustrated at the system. I am not sure if the Desk Agent should have checked the reservation notes prior to announcing what room we were in. If he said something like, Mr. Soandso, while we tried to get the room request you made the resort is sold out and this is the only view we had and it is located here. Then, what could I have said ??? Instead, I have to ask for the manager and he comes out and changes it to my original request. (Please note that there was note for a manager to speak with me upon check in. This was put there by DVC management without my knowledge). To me the system and the personnel failed.

Regarding the cake.......Your point is I should be happy with what they give me because I am on vacation ???? That is stupid (sorry to be blunt) What if I order my steak at the California Grill to be well done and they bring out the steak and it is blood rare should I accept it because I am on vacation ??? What if you ordered roses from the Disney florists and they delivered sunflower (your wife's most hated flower) you are going to stand there and say....Oh Well, we are on vacation. LOL, I don't think so.

In 1990, we stayed at The Beach Club for $ 89 per night. My wife and two son's ages 3 months and 4. The desk agent told me I had a king size bed. I reminded him that I had a 4 person reservation. We sat there for 20 minutes for the agent to figure out the solution. The solution was for us to be on the concierges level with a parking lot view. Disney messed up but they did the right thing by upgrading us. Did I get the lake view that I requested, no, but I believed they made a mistake and put their best efforts forward to provide me a decent room.