Poly. Woes

[ljsmom]

Just returned from the Polynesian a week last Saturday, and I am truly disappointed with our stay. They place was beautiful, but the service left a lot to be desired. This was my first stay at a "Deluxe" resort, and maybe my expectations were set too high, but in my opinion, the service at the ASMo and DxL were far superior to that of the Poly.

One day, I just jumped in the shower and the water stopped. When I called to the front desk to find out the problem they said "Oh yea, there was a problem with one of the pipes so the water was shut off to fix it." Unless it was a real emergency situation, I would have expected a broadcast message to announce the water in the showers was going to be shut down. I also expected an appology, but none was forthcoming. They came up with a key to another room in a building accross the complex where I had to go shower. Funny how when Epcot reopened after being closed for a day there were broadcast messages on the phonemail to let people know, but I guess water being turned off is not considered as important as people spending money at Epcot.

The bus transportation was awful. On Monday night we went to Pleasure Island and had to wait 40 minutes in front for a bus. In that period of time about 5 empty "special" busses pulled up. We asked one of the drivers if he could call for a bus, and his response was, I can call but it will do no good. Finally we went to the luggage desk outside to complain and they called for a bus. This was the worst experience regarding transportation, but there was a lot of waiting for busses until we finally decided to take the car to the parks.

The worst thing that happened was that my husband left our new digital camera (appoximate value with accessories $1000) in the room when we checked out. When we realized we had left it behind we called and ask them to check for it. They recovered the camera and we told them that friends of ours who were leaving the next day, also staying at the Poly. would pick it up. Well, when our friends went to get it the clerk could not find it. My friends waited about an hour at the desk, and were asked to stop back after dinner. When our friends got back after dinner they were told the camera could not be located and they should come back in the morning, perhaps it was in the lost and found which opens at 9 am. They went back in the morning and were told the camera was missing. The person who found the camera did log it into the managers' log, but did not put it in a secure location and the camera was gone. They assured my friends they would call me that day, alert me to the situation and find out the value of the camera to make restitution. When they got home they called us, but the Poly. never did. Instead we called there, and were told the person who found our camera was not a manager and did not have proper training so it was not placed in a secure location. I could possibly understand this if we were at a "value" resort, but we were paying hundreds of dollars a night at a "deluxe". I would think proper training would be given (it doesn't take a brainsurgeon to figure out this is an expensive item). We gave a report and were told the claims department would be in touch. The claims department did call, however they said they were only willing to pay $500 towards the camera. Something about an "Innkeepers Statute" that limits them to $500 liability, even though they were clearly negligent. When my husband began to tell the claims woman we had receipts and $500 was unacceptable, she hung up on him. If anyone has any ideas on how to proceed I would be interested in hearing from you.

Never again will we stay at a deluxe resort, and probably not on property at all. We stayed off site at the Vistana Villages in October, and had a much better experience.

Well, I feel better know that I had the chance to vent. Thanks for listening.

[Luv2Roam]

ooooo.
And I thought our customer service at POR was poor in a few cases. You win! NO contest here.
I would contact my insurance agent and see what he/she has to say. If it were me, I may be even checking out if Small Claims Court could help.
Bad enough what they did, and admit it was their fault. But with receipts, there should be no question about it. And it was in their hands and they were negligient. And not to even call, and then hang up on you.
I would not be taking this very well at all, if it were me.
We thought the bus service at POR was bad too. If it was like that every time, I could see us hanging up WDW altogether.
DH and I said if the May trip had been our first, we would have been wondering what all the to do over WDW was about. A resort that was so-so. Bad bus service. And an overcrowded MK. The rest of our trip was great though.
Please keep us informed. And hopefully someone here has legal expertise than can help you.
Good luck!!
PS -- I have also let Disney know how pleasantly surpirsed I was at ASMo. Like you that is where I have had the best service and time at the WDW resorts! Who wudda thunk it -- a value resort out doing the mods? :cool:

[marn913]

Sorry you had such a bad experience. The last time I stayed at Disney we stayed at the Poly and absolutely loved it. I am also sorry about your camera. However, what they said about the "innkeeper" rule is true. It is always posted by law in every room - it's usually the laminated sheet posted near the door (or even in the bathroom) and is printed in a microscopic font. I sat and read one last time I stayed in a hotel (I was really bored at a conference), and I was completely shocked at the low dollar amount that the hotel is responsible for when your property is lost. All I can say is be very thankful that the Florida law covers $500, the description I read in a Madison Wisc. hotel said that hotel staff was only liable for 300 or 350 ( I don't recall exactly, but it was extremely low!) I hope that Disney will eventually come through (or locate the camera).

[Tinkbell]

Sorry to hear about your stay at the Polynesian. I was shocked to hear that they found your camera and it still came up missing.:( I hope that you do receive more than $500 since this is clearly their fault. I would hate to have the water shut off in the middle of a shower too. If this was unexpected they probably had no way to warn you prior to the incident, but if they knew they were going to be working on it, you should have been told.

Don't write off all deluxe resorts. I just stayed at the AKL and found customer service friendly and the bus transportation was awesome.

[joyful1nh]

1. If you have homeowners insurance, contact your insurance company. It will likely cover a portion of the expense. Note all you digital fans -- many homeowners policies limit liability for computers, cameras and the like unless you add a rider to your policy. If you travel alot this may be worthwhile.

2. E-mail wdw.guest.communications@disney.com with as much specific information as you can. They are great and while you may not get any more $ for your camera, I bet you'll get an apology; and the satisfaction of knowing someone's getting remedial training to ensure no one else has to go through the aggravation you did.

[Luv2Roam]

Well hopefully between your homeowners and what you can get out of Disney, maybe you will be close to being covered 100%.
Again, good luck! So sorry that happened! :( Not a magical moment, that's for certain. A lesson learned to us all. :(

[jwfla422]

SO sorry to hear about your experience with the POLY. Have you tried to contact guest relations or the hotel general manager? I definitely would try that for your next step.

I'm sorry you feel that this trip was an example of all Disney deluxe hotels. We've stayed at Disney deluxes several times over the years including the POLY twice (although it's been quite some time since we've stayed there)...I really don't think this is a "common" example of management of staff at a Disney deluxe.

Ironically, IMHO since we've stayed at several Disney deluxes through the years...the best CMs we've encountered have been at the S/D, and I say ironically because they are not Disney owned. And, they constantly take a lot of flack on these boards for that. When we have ever encountered a problem at the S/D they have bent over backwards to fix it. When we've had problems at the Disney owned resorts I have found there's a little more "attitude" involved on their part and they are not as quick to fix thing or makegood on their inadequacies.

I certainly hope that POLY management can offer more than they have to you. There's nothing more aggravating than "passing the blame"...there is no reason why someone who doesn't know the "proper procedure" about storing an expensive item should be in that position without proper training and/or supervision..shame on them:(

Good luck to you!

[doxdogy]

I myself have been hung up on by rude customer service reps. Call the number back and calmly (of course, I usually am not calm at this point) and request to speak with a supervisor. Advise the person a call back is not acceptable and that you want one now. I use to be a customer service rep and we were told to say one would call back in 24 hours and then usually I had to make the calls back on behalf of the supervisor. If they want to hear the problem (especially if they sound as if they are helpful) explain the problem to them. I hope this helps.

[PamOKW]

Do you have the name of the person who told you they recovered the camera? If not, can you at least place the date and time of the call? I would use this to plead your case. They told you they had your camera and it is reasonable for you to assume that they will be responsible for its safekeeping at that point. Then use your receipts to prove the value of the camera.

It's one thing to not find a camera and argue with the guest as to whether it was lost or stolen. Then I could see settling for the $500. But, in this case, they told you they had possession of the camera.

[Bob NC]

I agree with PamOKW. This was not a 'lost' camera. The Poly had it in their posession and didn't take necessary care to safeguard it.

[DebbieB]

I would file a report with the Orange Co Sheriff. You may need it for an insurance claim. I had to file a report on a lost or stolen cell phone 3 years ago (on the advice of the phone co). You just call them, they take down the info and give you a report #. Good Luck!

[sharbear]

Personally I would contact your lawyer. The poly has really dropped the ball on this one and you have witnesses with your friends. A nicely worded letter from your lawyer and hopefully you will receive you money for the camera. Sometimes it just isn't worth it to spend a bunch of time calling different people and going through your homeowner's.

The lawyer should know what the law is and if it is right for the poly to reimburse you. Which I expect that they should.

Sorry for all of your problems. I have stayed at the AKL and the CR and didn't have any problems. If fact the staff at the AKL was the best I have ever encountered, anywhere. They were great.

Sharbear

[Luv2Roam]

I was thinking the same thing about getting police involved, for the same reasons. It's not like they said, Oh gee. We never found it. So sad too bad.
I am also wondering if Disney gets the police involved, if they try to *solve* it on their own, or if they just ignore it. (Their way of dealing with bad publicity.)

[DebbieB]

I don't think the police will do any more than take down the information. But it's a good idea to have it on record, especially if you want to file a homeowners claim or go to small claims court.

[queenofhearts]

Oh, ljsmom. I'm so sorry to hear about your experience in Disneyworld. :(

I agree with joyful1nh and the other posters. Please send Disney's guest relations an e-mail about your negative experience. I know that it does take time and energy (which you may not have much to spare after this ordeal) to e-mail Disney, but I believe that it's so important that they are made aware of your experience.

I hope that you still have some positive memories of your vacation. I'm sending pixie dust your way!! :D

[AllyandJack]

I also had a terrible experience at the Poly. Again, terrible customer service by the front desk people. We had a family on our floor who apparently didn't like the rain. We happened to hit a few days of a tropical storm and there was a lot of rain. No big deal, but this family didn't like it. Fine. Stay in. However, when they began to play sports in the hallways at all hours of the day and night, it became an issue with me. I called the front desk and was told that I was more than welcome to find a room at another resort if I could. I never asked to be moved....just come over and tell the family to knock off the hockey and basketball in the hallways. They didn't do anything that night.....or the next day. They also didn't call to see if the problem was solved. So, we monorailed over to GF and asked if they had any rooms. They did, but since our Poly room was an AP rate, we had to pay $500. more to stay at GF for the two nights we had left at the Poly. We paid it and were thankful that our last two nights at Disney weren't going to be miserable like the previous four. When we checked out of Poly, nobody asked why we were leaving early - nobody cared. Sounds like they still don't care about anything!

I'll stay at Deluxes again, but never again at Poly. For $200. a night I expect someone to come over and stop the sports so I can sleep. I don't think I'm being overly sensitive or picky. I would expect the same for $50. a night at the All Stars.

Don't cut out all Disney resorts just yet.....keep trying until you find one you like! Also, if you're not happy with the service - move to another resort like I did. Although, I was told by a GF valet driver that I never should have had to pay the extra money. The Poly was supposed to take care of it all. Obviously THAT also didn't happen!

[manning]

I posted this quote on another thread, but is appropriate here.
It was by Walt Disney himself.

"If we ever lose our audience, it will cost us ten times as much to get them back."

Now you would think that the smart thing to do is pay the $1,000 dollars and be done with it.

I suggest you kick this upstairs to the highest level possible. Point out to them that the camera was logged in as found and disappeared in the managers office.

[Mr D]

I heard of a similar incident last year on the DIS boards, it made me rethink the $3900 I had sent to Disney for a luxury stay for our family, I asked for a refund and eventually recieved it. With that money we decided on an even longer stay OUTSIDE the park at a vacation rental home for two weeks, I still had extra spending money when we returned home. I agree with Walts adage, it would take a massive changeover for me to trust Disney again whith all the corporate mismanagement I have seen.

[smjj]

I can see WDW sticking to the $500.00 max if there was some question as to the lost item. This however is not in dispute. I would think WDW would want to do what is right, not just what they are legally entitled to do. But then again, I still think Mickey is a real person and Walt will rise and retake control of WDW from the corporate lawyers and mis-managers who now put the all mighty dollar ahead of everything Walt used to consider sacred..smjj

[Tikiman]

I am sorry about your experience at the Polynesian. It is not the typical experience but I would not blame you for not returning. Just remember these things happen at every Disney resort. They should not but not every Disney employee handles their job the right way. Most of the time things are handled better. I know of many people who have left things behind and the staff has gone out of their way to get it to the guests after they are home. Even in some cases purchasing the lost item and sending it off to them. I would write to the GM os the Polynesian and tell him what happened. To write a letter to the General Manager is Spencer Oberle and the address is;

Resort Guest Letters
P.O. Box 10,000
Lake Buena Vista Florida, 32830.
You can put attention Polynesian Resort, General Manager on the
envelope.


Aloha

Steve

[d-r]

By Florida statute, the hotel is responsible for a maximum of $500. Contacting a lawyer isn't going to help you here, since the legal limit on the hotel's obligation is $500.

Fortunately for your situation, that should cover the deductable on your home owner's policy to turn it in for the remaining $500. If it doesn't cover your deductable of course you'd be better to cover it out of pocket.

It is unfortunate that the item was lost, but you did leave it in your room when you checked out in the first place. Accepting 50% of the responsibility for the loss doesn't seem that innappropriate to me - it is a moot point though, because the legal limit on damages is $500.

DR

[Mouse Man]

Originally posted by d-r

It is unfortunate that the item was lost, but you did leave it in your room when you checked out in the first place. Accepting 50% of the responsibility for the loss doesn't seem that innappropriate to me - it is a moot point though, because the legal limit on damages is $500.

DR

I disagree. The Polynesian told them that they had their property in their possession. It's not like they couldn't find the camera in the first place. The POLYNESIAN LOST IT! I would want more than 50% too. If I left my camera in the room and nobody claimed to have it, I would accept the 50% as my loss. However, the Polynesian said they had it. It's a different story.

[PamNC]

How horrible!! I'm so sorry about your experience and sorry that it makes you feel like you won't stay on property again. I don't blame you though - I think the Poly handled this very very poorly. Unsatisfactory. I would certainly continue to let higher-ups (who I don't really know) at WDW know about this. I'm shocked at this whole scenario. And, you're right, you should certainly get more from a deluxe resort.

PamNC

[KNWVIKING]

... I won't comment about the problems you encountered while at Poly because there really isn't anything new I could add. What I will offer though is this: Poly is a great resort,great theme,location,amenities,etc. For every negative trip like yours I'm sure there are at least 100 great stories. If you never go back to Poly,aren't you just hurting yourself. Your pride may want to say "I'll show them", but in the big scheme of things,is anyone one at Poly going to realize you're "showing them" ? You could be cheating yourself out of a great vacation.

I manage a GMC service department. A transient customer with an 8 year old Suburban that had given him great service,never let him down,came into our shop. While our tech was working on the truck I struck up a conversation with the man,who informed me that because a GM service rep was rude to him 8 years ago he was no longer going to purchase GM products,even though for 40+ years that's all he'd owned. Instead he was going to purchase a product that I could show him on paper wouldn't pull his trailer properly. Who is he hurting ?

[StrwLady]

I'm sorry to hear you had a bad time at the Poly. I hope a soultion can be worked out regarding the camera.

On my first stay at the Poly we encountered some problems. Because of my asthma (and how it flares up in Orlando) I rent an ECV from Walker Mobility every trip. When we check in we are told by the front desk CM that she sees on the reservation that we have an ECV in the back waiting for us. Since we were heading to the room first I decided to get the ECV once we headed out to the park and this was fine. So a hour or so later I go to the front desk to get my ECV but it can not be found. The did receive it cus it was logged as receive the night before. My friend and 2 kids waited in the lobby for well over an hour while they looked for it. The they told me it was no where to be found. I called Walker and there were completely out of ECV's so the first CM I was working with intended on getting a ECV from a part brought over. Again we waited. Finally we realized it wasn't worth heading to the park at this time. By time we got there wed have to turn around. The CM I was working with assured me they would have an ECV in the morning. Later I get a call from the front desk manager and he was overly helpful. I explained that we were very upset with the situation. Not only did we lose a half a day at the parks we had 2 4 year olds that were extremely disappointed. To compensate us for our lost time we were credited half a nights room rate. We were sent a very nice fruit basket and they paid Walker my rental cost. The manager then proceeded to make calls all night to get me a ECV. He did find a company but the cart was in such a dilapidated state I refused it. Fortunately Walker had a cancellation and got me a cart shortly after. So while we had problems I feel we were compensated. After that our stay was great and so was stay a few months later.

[pwoodham]

While our tech was working on the truck I struck up a conversation with the man,who informed me that because a GM service rep was rude to him 8 years ago he was no longer going to purchase GM products,even though for 40+ years that's all he'd owned. Instead he was going to purchase a product that I could show him on paper wouldn't pull his trailer properly. Who is he hurting ?

Unfortunately, the only power we "little guys" have is our pocketbook. I think the man not buying from GM is doing so on principle, and good for him. Bad experience at the Poly? Vote with your $$. It's all they'll hear. Based on the reports I've read on this board, we won't be staying at the Poly anytime in the foreseeable future, it's getting a bad reputation. It may be wonderfully themed, but so are many other resorts. There's alot of choices, even on-property. I think going somewhere else next time is wise and prudent.

[RNMOM]

I just wanted to jump in here and say how impressed with housekeeping that you did find your camera in your room. It would have been very easy for any number of them to walk off with it.

However, the front desk staff is another matter. They had posession and acknowledged that. I also feel this is a police matter. Perhaps it would wake up the manager if the police show up.

[KNWVIKING]

...I understand the point about the pocket book and priciples, but in the end the customer will have an inferior product because an employee 8 years earlier pissed him off.He's wasting his money. He's only hurting himself.

Maybe Poly is going down hill, I don't know. But if I go to a great restaurant and get one bad meal or a loosy waiter I'll give them the benifit of the doubt and give them another try. If I kept crossing WDW resorts off my list of places to stay every time I read a bad report on the boards then I think I'd be staying off property.

[DG-12]

After having followed this post for the past couple of days- here's what I think...
I don't think the point is even over the $500. The point is WDW markets a product "the MAGIC." All of their commercials and ads seem to imply that a WDW vacation is something more, there's a quality of being at WDW that you can't seem to put your finger on. We all go to WDW to capture some of this magic (I mean, I could have someone rip off my camera in the real world any day). We all plan and plan and we discuss resorts and meals and all of it is really about where in the world captures the WDW spirit for us. The way the Poly handled this doesn't lead me to believe that there is any "magic." I mean, I always expect Disney to do the right thing, to go above and beyond- why? Because that is what Disney does and that is why Disney is still around, and that is what they market isn't it? But the point here is that when the camera incident happened it ruined the whole "MAGIC" for the entire family. Isn't that what we are all really after, the illusion WDW sells us? I do think that the Poly should replace the camera, wouldn't that be the Disney thing to do? I also can understand why the family would never stay there again, I wouldn't either. I know that this is an extreme case and there are others who could tell wonderful Poly tales but if it were me I would buy into the magic someplace else too. That is all just MHO.
Dana

[pwoodham]

KNWVIKING,

If there are really no alternatives, you are correct. In this particular case, there are lots of wonderful alternatives that will do the job!!

[Limmer]

Mouse Man, I have to disagree, the OP lost the camera. I would be happy that the resort is going to pay for half of my careless action. If it had "walked away" from the room they would have just been out $1000, now a tleast they are only out $500.

[Gillian]

That water shut off thing would have made me more mad than the camera! What if you were in a hurry to get somewhere? or were a single parent with a toddler or baby and had to cart everyone over to another building to clean up? :mad:

As far the camera, I am always leaving things places, and I know it's my fault. In this case, I know I would be upset with the front desk staff, since they did have it, but I would also take part of the blame myself. Still, they could pay more. The law doesn't say you CAN'T pay more than $500, right?

[Tluvs2talk]

I would be upset too, but at least you are being compensated for half. We stayed at Hampton Inn in Jacksonville last year and were broken into. We were only gone 30 minutes so whoever broke in was looking. They used a crowbar and pried the door open. When we came back to the room all our clothes had been dumped on the bed. The thief took cash I had in my duffle bag and a Seiko watch. All in all about $400.00 worth. We called the front office and the police. It took the Manager 2 hours to respond to us, she was home at the time. They did reimbuse our room charge but said they were not liable for a break in. I even sent a copy of the police report and a letter to the home office asking to be compensated in some way. I NEVER even received a response from the home office, just another note from their insurance company saying they were not liable. The funny thing is I always leave the tv on and put a DO NOT DISTURB sign up when I am not in the room, this time they were watching and waiting for us to leave. They also broke into 8 rooms at the Motel 6 next door. I still want to know what security was doing when all of this was happening.

[joepoe]

Originally posted by DG-12
After having followed this post for the past couple of days- here's what I think...
But the point here is that when the camera incident happened it ruined the whole "MAGIC" for the entire family. Isn't that what we are all really after, the illusion WDW sells us? I do think that the Poly should replace the camera, wouldn't that be the Disney thing to do?
Dana

Not flaming, but just my opinion:
I would be more ticked off at myself for forgetting a $1,000 camera than I would be at Disney. The fact that someone turned it in is great, but they would not necessarily know it was worth a thousand bucks, so they wouldn't necessarily put it in a safe as opposed to a cardboard box with all the stray hats and sunglesses and mittens. Take what they give you, chalk it up as a lesson learned and move on.

[DancingBear]

Whether they know it's worth $1,000 or not, they definitely knew it wasn't a straw hat. The management admitted that procedures weren't followed.

As another attorney who is NOT licensed in FL, I think jest.org gave a pretty good analysis. Once they said they had the camera and would hold it for pickup by the friend, they had a greater care obligation than with regard to usual items just left in the room. The only thing I would add is that if you make a claim through your homeowner's insurance your insurance company may fight the battle for you with Disney's insurers and at least get a better settlement.

[DG-12]

Joepoe-
Do you honestly think they looked at the camera and thought it was an item that shouldn't be locked up? Straw Hat v. Camera?
I would agree with you completely IF the Poly had not said they had the camera in their possession... Once the Poly said they had the camera I feel like they were responsible. I got completely aggravated because on the one hand I don't think the frustration and aggravation are worth what they are going to get back- take the $500 and run. On the Other Hand- I feel like Disney always sells itself as more than the average corporation and in this case it isn't so-And one of the main reasons I go to WDW is for that feeling...
Dana

[diznee25]

After reading this thread for the past day, I decided to put myself in the same situation and here's what I came up with. Remember this is just my opinion so everyone go easy on me.:)
If I was stupid enough to leave an expensive item behind, then I would take all the blame, not putting any on Disney. That's not to say that Disney is slightly responsible, but that's why they're forking out the maximum, which is $500. It's sad to think this would give the Polyneisan a bad rep. These kinds situations probably happen at all the Disney resorts. (And hotels outside of Disney as well.) Staying off property isn't going to make your chances better. It's possible to leave stuff behind at any hotel and never have that item recovered. Any other other hotel will probably just fork out the maximum as well.

Given the fact that the Polyneisan is a deluxe resort doesn't mean you should cut out all deluxe resorts as well. Try a different one! If you happen to not like an attraction in Magic Kingdom does that mean you'll never go there again. NO. You'll probably return to MK and just skip the ride you don't like.

One more thing: Disney does sell out to be fun and most magical place you could ever visit! Just because I leave behind an expensive item doesn't mean Disney is any less magical, it just means I was stupid and careless. I learn from my mistake and move on! :) Remember this was just my OPINION! Just like all of you shared yours.:) :)

Diznee25
WDW Christmas Bride Dec. 2003

[MelissathePooh]

I'm not saying that what happened doesn't suck, but everyone who is saying that they should pay more because it is the right thing to do - well that doesn't make much sense to me. Think about the number of people at WDW who leave things in their room every day - there has to be a limit as to what the resort is liable for - the same way there is a limit on dozens of things in your homeowners policy - because it happens all the time. If they paid out everytime for the full loss they would bankrupt.

Secondly - depending on what type of item was lost - just because you paid a certain amount for it at a given time in no way means that item is worth that same amount now - depreciation has to be factored in the value. Unless the receipt you have for a lost item is from less than a year ago - you must factor in depreciation. I don't know the specifics for the camera in this case, but in general this is the rule.

There is a limit on these things for a reason.

[fklhou]

I am sorry for your horrible expierence. Notwithstanding whether the law limits the liability of Disney to either $500 or $1000, Disney should do their best to make this up to you. Again, to me this is part of the magic of Disney and if Disney does not do the right thing, then I would be hesistant about ever staying on Disney property if I were you.

I am also a lawyer and under the effect of the law. However, sometimes it is important to do what is right and in this case in my opinion Disney should make you whole of the matter as a matter of principle.

As noted in other posts, send a full letter listing your problems and send it to Disney as soon as possible. There is a good list of addresses for Disney and WDW on the Rumors Board. You need to get to someone who is more worried about the magic than what is covered under the law. Getting a Florida licensed attorney is the next step if Disney refuses to do what is right.

[Kimkimba]

I may get slammed.

You can't expect anything to be "magical," you can only hope for the best. I'm one who thinks that we make our own magic. Life is too short, why dwell on what is done and said.
Last night we met with our realtor, who hopefully is going to sell our too small townhouse (15 years here for me), and put us in something a little larger. Totally different guy, middle-age, non-pressuring (really, you're a salesman?). Spent almost 2 hours with us. Made me feel awesome - hopeful. I know he'll get us into something that we can afford and that we like.
A year ago this man's 22 year old son was in a bad car accident. Docs gave him 24 to 48 hours. The man asked God to give him a second chance with his son. The pension he had lost, the jobs he had lost......nothing mattered. His son now lives with him - 85% mentally, almost 100% physically......and the father couldn't ask for anything more - he has it all - a wife of 31 years, 2 great sons. People thought he would sue the driver of the car - why would he do that when he has everything he could ever ask for? Who cares that he can't keep up with the Jones's.
Looking at another extreme, my dear step-FIL who drives the $90,000 Mercedes, and lives in a 3/4 million $ house, didn't feel too well a few weeks ago. Today they are draining fluid from his lungs - tomorrow they will start the chemo; he has pancreatic cancer. With most likely not more than a few months of life left, he knows what's important. It's not the cars or the house or any of the fancy dinners or the trips, it's the people who are there for you........in sickness and in health.
Sorry to be so sad.........I think I've overplanned our trip when I look at things.

[Purrrrfecta]

If I was stupid enough to leave an expensive item behind, then I would take all the blame, not putting any on Disney.

I think I just have to add my two cents in here.
We have looked at this situation from a lawyer's perspective, and now I would like to look at it from a moralistic perspective.

First, I think it is important to note that leaving something behind that is that valuable is not "stupid" Responses like that have no place on these boards.

What we should be asking is, "what happened to the camera?" Did it walk off by itself, or did someone who works at the Polynesian steal it? Bottom line. I know that is what everyone is thinking. If Disney knows that one of their employees did steal it after it was logged and in their possession, they should be held responsible for it. I think this is why people are feeling sickened by this family's experience.
It has nothing to do with someone making a stupid mistake. It has to do with a company realizing that someone in their company did something wrong. Leaving a camera behind is not wrong, but having it disappear, and in the worst case - stealing it is.

Maybe I should not jump to conclusions. It maybe that it is locked away in a closet.

[DancingBear]

Kimkimba, don't think anyone will slam you for your perspective. I understand that at some point it's just not worth getting too upset about, but that doesn't mean the original poster shouldn't take some steps to get a decent settlement from WDW. Although your realtor didn't want to sue the driver who hurt his child, if the accident was the other driver's fault, I would hope and expect that at least he got some settlement from the other driver's insurance to help provide for his son's care.

I agree with Purrfecta that we shouldn't call the original poster stupid. The OP didn't just lose something, they realized quickly that something was missing, called the resort to notify them and see if they could find it, recieved confirmation that the camera was found and being held by the staff, and made arrangements for the item to be picked up. At this point the resort had assumed some additional responsibility.

So, I disagree with MelissathePooh about the resort's liability, but certainly she's right that the OP's claim is only for the used value, not the brand-new value.

[diznee25]

Purrrrfecta,

I was simple stating my opinion just has you have. While you think my comment has no place on the board, remember I was calling myself stupid if I had been in the same situation. If I left behind my digital camera maybe it wasn't as valuable to me as I thought. Just has others have stood their ground, I completly stand behind mine. As others have posted, life is too short for a small problem like this one. It would probably cost MORE to hire an attorney then to go out and buy another digital camera for $900 - $1000!! Maybe all of us (including you) have no right to post our opinion but it was asked for.

Dizney25
WDW Christmas Bride Dec. 2003

[Purrrrfecta]

I was not commenting on your opinion. I was commenting on your use of the word "stupid."

Even if you were talking about yourself, the word "stupid" is degrading, and it is a put down, and like I said it has no place on these boards.

Let me also note that the way you wrote your post you called the action of leaving the camera as being stupid. Not that you would be stupid if you had done that.
So just to clarify. ;)

[Trekker]

This is just a friendly reminder to keep the comments on this thread on the subject of the original post.

We are sadly on the verge of violating the Posting Guidelines (http://www.wdwinfo.com/guidelines.htm)

There is currently nothing on this thread that is blatantly a violation. But let's remember the spirit of these guidelines is to be nice to one and other.

In the future should you see a post that you believes violates these guidelines, please refrain from responding to it, this only exasperates the problem. The use of the Report this post to a moderator link would be a more appropriate response.

Thank you and enjoy your time on the boards!

[joepoe]

ljsmom-

I really am sorry you lost your camera. I hope you didn't have any family vacation pictures on it. Maybe it will still turn up. I lost my cell phone in the Bellagio casino earlier this year and it turned up 3 weeks later!

[stego]

In regards to your experience at the poly.
I won't even touch the camera incident, there's plenty of folks out there that have much more information and experience in dealing with this situation. It's all about the SOLUTION, anyway.

The thing I want to relate to is the water shut off situation.
Yes, we expect certain things from disney, and certainly, some of us have set ourselves up. Like someone said, it's up to us to create the magic.

This past year I've been on several business trips, and also have gone on vacation a couple of times. I've experienced outstanding, personal service at some of the hotels I've stayed at. I'd have to be honest and state-did I call or write and tell them about the great experience I had? NO!
What I did was when I had a bad experience I called, wrote, etc. to complain about the level of service I received for my hard earned money.

Based upon the response to my concerns-which was none other than a generic, we're sorry, we'll pass it on to so and so...

I've learned this, and this is just my opinion. At some businesses,
they don't care if you come back. They have enough business where they don't need yours. I'm not worth the hassle, and if I don't like it, tough doo-doo!
I don't make $50 million a year, I'm not the pop-star Brandy and can let my bodyguard get away with bashing on some one. To them, I'm a nobody. I don't matter. I'm not the governor of texas, or the ceo of some mega company. You get the idea.
I'm a little nobody, who doesn't matter, in fact I'm a problem to them, and if they just ignore me, most likely I'll just go away.

Obviously not a solution. My point is this-I can just hope that everything goes okay when I go somewhere. In all reality, maybe they'll make some effort, but not likely. If I have a great experience, I should write and tell them, and give them my repeat business. I do that locally.
When I have a bad experience, I don't frequent that place anymore. I was denied a diamond shamrock card 20 years ago.
I never, ever bought gas from them. EVER. They didn't want my business. I have too many choices. I paid my balance in full each month with Texaco, do you think they wanted to raise my limit? NO! So I cancelled their card, and now use other products.

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. At least I can relate to your situation. The employees who work their get their orders from the suits-who push their little pens and realize what a gold mine they're sitting on-heck, that little episode means at least another 20k in stock options, doesn't it?

I can only hope that if we all plug together and let them know-hey-we won't use your stuff anymore, and we don't-they'll slowly die and go off to "used to be a suit land".

[mikek]

i agree with jest and dancing bear - this wasnt an item left in the room where the liability was 500 bucks- they took posession and admitted to it so that limit is out the door.

BUT- dont waste your effort and time calling a lawyer yourself- call your homeowners insurance agent and let them take care of it. My wife once packed a video camera in our checked baggage (Trust me we had the discussion right after that..). And of course those wonderful airline backage handlers stole it (actually i think it was the airline security personnel since froimteh circumstances it was clear the bag was x-rayed and somebody saw something they liked...). ANyhow if you read your tickets you know you are hosed by the airlines. When we got home i called my agent just hoping to get the couple hundred bucks over my deductable to at least get something. Well it seems they (State FarM) relish these type of cases. THey cut me a check in a matter of days - FOR THE ENTIRE AMOUNT_ and went after the airline themsleves. Seems a nastygram form an insurance company attorney can make a 5$ an hour claim rep a little nervous.

So if you get no place fast with disney (I would definately explain to them that you fell the $500 is bogus- not because the camera was worth more- but because the law is applicable to property stolen from a room and this was not the case)- call your agent and let them whoop on 'em for you.