What's Happened To Disney Customer Service?? Horrible Experience!!

[Christopher Robin 26]

I just made 2 phone calls to Disney Passholder reservation line and after spending literally 1 hour 20 mins. on the 2nd call had to hang up after receiving no response! The first call I made (wait 46 min) was to modify a reservation from CBR to POP. I was online looking at an available reservation but the woman on the phone insisted there were no rooms available at POP 12/1-12/3. She told me to try to reserve online (which by the way I was able to do) then call back and cancel my previous reservation. When I called to cancel I was on hold for 1 hour 20 minutes before giving up. We have been annual pass holders for 8 years and frequent the parks quite often and never experienced such terrible customer service or should I say NO customer service! We just came back from Disney and once again renewed our AP but noticed that friendly Disney feeling from cast members was just not there. Come on Disney bring back the exceptional customer service you are known for that keeps people coming back!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

That's too bad. I am sorry you had a bad experience. It can be hard to get an answer when calling - maybe you were calling at a peak time. It might be better at night... Not sure thougb.

 

[fla4fun]

It's pretty well known that the availability online and the availability when you call in can be different. Sometimes it's in reverse and they can see things when you call in that you can't see online, but my experience has usually been like yours - I can see it and they can't. I usually do what you ended up doing - booking a new reservation online and cancelling the old one over the phone, because even if they would be able to see the room, there is always the chance that by the time I get through to someone and they look it up, it could be snapped up by someone else. I prefer booking online to over the phone anyway. I try to avoid calling first thing in the morning - well, really the first couple hours in the morning - because they are usually busier then. But considering there weren't any big discount releases today, I'm surprised your wait was so long. I have had CM's who stayed on the line with me while I booked the online reservation before they would cancel the other one, to make sure I really got the other room. Maybe try asking them to do that next time so you only have one call.

Sorry you weren't feeling good vibes from the CM's this trip. I haven't had an issue with that recently, but I do try to avoid the F&W period. I would imagine they have to deal with a lot when people have a little more wine than they do food. Hopefully your next trip will be more magical.

 

[kaytieeldr]

So, Cast Member Number One wasnt able to access the same reservation system that you could, and so couldn't adjust your existing reservation to a resort where the company's own internal reservation system informed her there isn't a room available? That room wouldn't have gone back into the internal reservation system until the overnight update.

And Cast Member Number Two was...nonexistent? You were on hold for eighty minutes with no human answering the call? Or (like the Alamo post on the Transportatation Board) did CM#2 "go to get a pen" and leave you on hold all that time? If the latter, when you do get through to cancel your original reservation, absolutely speak with a supervisor obout that second call.

If you were on hold with nobody answering, well that's annoying and it stinks - but a lot of people who call WDTC are first-time or occasional visitors and lave LOTS of questions. Saturday morning is probably the most popular/busiest time for people to call.

Annoying if you're the one waiting? Absolutely. Horrible customer service? O don't see how.

 

[aaarcher86]

So, Cast Member Number One wasnt able to access the same reservation system that you could, and so couldn't adjust your existing reservation to a resort where the company's own internal reservation system informed her there isn't a room available? That room wouldn't have gone back into the internal reservation system until the overnight update.

And Cast Member Number Two was...nonexistent? You were on hold for eighty minutes with no human answering the call? Or (like the Alamo post on the Transportatation Board) did CM#2 "go to get a pen" and leave you on hold all that time? If the latter, when you do get through to cancel your original reservation, absolutely speak with a supervisor obout that second call.

If you were on hold with nobody answering, well that's annoying and it stinks - but a lot of people who call WDTC are first-time or occasional visitors and lave LOTS of questions. Saturday morning is probably the most popular/busiest time for people to call.

Annoying if you're the one waiting? Absolutely. Horrible customer service? O don't see how.

 

[4kids4karen]

I just made 2 phone calls to Disney Passholder reservation line and after spending literally 1 hour 20 mins. on the 2nd call had to hang up after receiving no response! The first call I made (wait 46 min) was to modify a reservation from CBR to POP. I was online looking at an available reservation but the woman on the phone insisted there were no rooms available at POP 12/1-12/3. She told me to try to reserve online (which by the way I was able to do) then call back and cancel my previous reservation. When I called to cancel I was on hold for 1 hour 20 minutes before giving up. We have been annual pass holders for 8 years and frequent the parks quite often and never experienced such terrible customer service or should I say NO customer service! We just came back from Disney and once again renewed our AP but noticed that friendly Disney feeling from cast members was just not there. Come on Disney bring back the exceptional customer service you are known for that keeps people coming back!

Blame it on the economy.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

That's really odd because I haven't had any issues at all getting CM's on the phone when I call. And I call A LOT! The only time I had to hold this year was the morning Be Our Guest reservations came available. Maybe your second call didn't even go through?? Or was dropped?? Sounds like a technical issue for sure. Next time I would advise just hanging up and calling back if you are on hold longer than 3 minutes max. Also, you don't need to call the passholder # to make or change reservations, any agent can help you. I always just call 407-W-DISNEY and never have to wait.

As for the first phone call, the castmember was exactly right, what is available on the Disney website has nothing to do with their availability, it's not even the same system. So your only option would be to book Pop separately online and then cancel CBR afterwards. Also that means you can't transfer your deposit. It's a pain but really there is nothing they can do.

 

[luvmy3boyz]

So, Cast Member Number One wasnt able to access the same reservation system that you could, and so couldn't adjust your existing reservation to a resort where the company's own internal reservation system informed her there isn't a room available? That room wouldn't have gone back into the internal reservation system until the overnight update.

And Cast Member Number Two was...nonexistent? You were on hold for eighty minutes with no human answering the call? Or (like the Alamo post on the Transportatation Board) did CM#2 "go to get a pen" and leave you on hold all that time? If the latter, when you do get through to cancel your original reservation, absolutely speak with a supervisor obout that second call.

If you were on hold with nobody answering, well that's annoying and it stinks - but a lot of people who call WDTC are first-time or occasional visitors and lave LOTS of questions. Saturday morning is probably the most popular/busiest time for people to call.

Annoying if you're the one waiting? Absolutely. Horrible customer service? O don't see how.

Sorry, it IS horrble customer sevice.

The availability the customer sees should be the same as what the agent sees. Fix your systems.

And, no-one should be waiting 2 hours on hold anywhere. Unacceptable. If it's a busy time and some customers tie up agents for long periods of time, have more agents available. There is an industry standad for average time to answer, and Disney is clearly not meeting it.

I love Disney, just returned from a wonderful trip in September, but I agree with the original poster. Disney's customer service is no longer what it used to be when they were viewed as the gold standard of customer service.

 

[disnut8]

I always just call 407-W-DISNEY and never have to wait.

I call that number as well even though I'm a passholder. That line will tell you if they are "experiencing a high call volume" and if that happens, I just hang up and call back later. The 407-W-DISNEY line will also let you know how much longer it should be for someone to answer the phone. I've never waited longer than five minutes so I find the OP's experience odd.

 

[jaminmd]

I just made 2 phone calls to Disney Passholder reservation line and after spending literally 1 hour 20 mins. on the 2nd call had to hang up after receiving no response! The first call I made (wait 46 min) was to modify a reservation from CBR to POP. I was online looking at an available reservation but the woman on the phone insisted there were no rooms available at POP 12/1-12/3. She told me to try to reserve online (which by the way I was able to do) then call back and cancel my previous reservation. When I called to cancel I was on hold for 1 hour 20 minutes before giving up. We have been annual pass holders for 8 years and frequent the parks quite often and never experienced such terrible customer service or should I say NO customer service! We just came back from Disney and once again renewed our AP but noticed that friendly Disney feeling from cast members was just not there. Come on Disney bring back the exceptional customer service you are known for that keeps people coming back!

I won't try to debate what you consider to be horrible customer service. I do wonder, however, why you would be willing to hold so long instead of hanging up and calling back at a later time. Was your reservation an emergency?

 

[luvmy3boyz]

I won't try to debate what you consider to be horrible customer service. I do wonder, however, why you would be willing to hold so long instead of hanging up and calling back at a later time. Was your reservation an emergency?

Maybe because after you've committed a certain amount of time to the call, you don't want to consider it wasted and have to call again and waste even more time all over again.

And I don't think there should be any debate. To me, by any standard, this is not good customer service. I always find these threads very strange. It's as if no-one is allowed to have any expectations of Disney and if you complain there's something wrong with YOU.

 

[aaarcher86]

Totally disagree with 'staffing more people.' If a typical Saturday is staffed to suit their needs, an unexpected influx in calls can damper the call times. They can't force people who aren't scheduled to come in to help out, and they aren't going to overstaff based on regular need for that day just in case.

I've never had a hard time getting through other than when a new offer comes out and that's expected.

 

[suemom2kay]

No comment on fixing Disney Call Center. Was it HORRIBLE customer service??? Only if the agent was very rude to you when you did get through... I'm an AP holder (for years) and have NEVER called the special number. I just dial the regualar 407 Disney number referenced by a PP.

One question for OP... Why would you wait 1 hour and 20 minutes to cancel a reservation? Were you near the deadline to cancel? Why didn't you book online while you were on the phone the first time (since you could see it) and have the agent cancel as soon as you were sure you had secured your new reservation?

You're right those are long hold times, but really you could have done everything in 1 call and/or called at a less busy time.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Sorry, it IS horrble customer sevice.

The availability the customer sees should be the same as what the agent sees. Fix your systems.

And, no-one should be waiting 2 hours on hold anywhere. Unacceptable. If it's a busy time and some customers tie up agents for long periods of time, have more agents available. There is an industry standad for average time to answer, and Disney is clearly not meeting it.

I love Disney, just returned from a wonderful trip in September, but I agree with the original poster. Disney's customer service is no longer what it used to be when they were viewed as the gold standard of customer service.

No. Customer Service is the person-to-person interaction. It's not the [reservation] system programming. Odds are anyway that the Cast Member was blocked from switching the original poster by only one or two unavailable nights - not the full visit.

We don't know why the original poster waited eighty minutes in futility the second time, but more people working likely isn't the solution.

 

[luvmy3boyz]

No. Customer Service is the person-to-person interaction. It's not the [reservation] system programming. Odds are anyway that the Cast Member was blocked from switching the original poster by only one or two unavailable nights - not the full visit.

We don't know why the original poster waited eighty minutes in futility the second time, but more people working likely isn't the solution.

I'm sorry, I was going to back off of this discussion, but couldn't help myself.

I'm a computer programmer and have my MBA. A system used by customer service is one of the tools used to support the customer. It supports the "person-to-person" interaction and is part of the customer service function. To suggest that the reservation system is somehow separate makes no sense. If it doesn't work correctly or is not supplying the correct information, it translates to a less than satisfying customer experience. If the systems aren't sychronized, it suggests to a normal customer that either the company or the agent does not know what they are doing.

If you add more agents, more people can be serviced in a given period of time.

Maybe the OP should have done this or that differently, but I think that people should expect a certain level of service - reasonable wait times, knowledgeable agents, and correct information. If the rooms are available, and the agent says they're not and can't book them, it's a problem. And it is not good customer service.

I have been going to Disney since 1989, and in that time period, have noticed that both quality and customer service have deteriorated. We do continue to go, but probably have lowered our expectations. I understand that as long as people tolerate a lesser standard of quality and service, and Disney is satisfied with the number of bookings, visitors, and revenue, it won't change.

As for the OP, I would suggest that you make sure to do one of their surveys, or provide feedback in some way concerning your frustration with your experience, and perhaps some improvements can be made in the future.

 

[aaarcher86]

I'm sorry, I was going to back off of this discussion, but couldn't help myself.

I'm a computer programmer and have my MBA. A system used by customer service is one of the tools used to support the customer. It supports the "person-to-person" interaction and is part of the customer service function. To suggest that the reservation system is somehow separate makes no sense. If it doesn't work correctly or is not supplying the correct information, it translates to a less than satisfying customer experience. If the systems aren't sychronized, it suggests to a normal customer that either the company or the agent does not know what they are doing.

If you add more agents, more people can be serviced in a given period of time.

Maybe the OP should have done this or that differently, but I think that people should expect a certain level of service - reasonable wait times, knowledgeable agents, and correct information. If the rooms are available, and the agent says they're not and can't book them, it's a problem. And it is not good customer service.

I have been going to Disney since 1989, and in that time period, have noticed that both quality and customer service have deteriorated. We do continue to go, but probably have lowered our expectations. I understand that as long as people tolerate a lesser standard of quality and service, and Disney is satisfied with the number of bookings, visitors, and revenue, it won't change.

As for the OP, I would suggest that you make sure to do one of their surveys, or provide feedback in some way concerning your frustration with your experience, and perhaps some improvements can be made in the future.

Most of the time that is what is received. There will always be unexpected busy times where the waits are long and the caller:CM ratio is low, or where the CM gives incorrect information. It happens.

It's not the norm. People may not be 'settling for a lesser standard' they're just accepting of the fact that things happen every now and again.

 

[kaytieeldr]

A tool used to support the customer isn't the customer service. And paying enough people to work a given shift so one person won't have to be on hold for eighty minutes (which could have been a technical - aka programming - glitch, as someone indicated) is fiscally irresponsible.

Freed-up dining availability goes back into the live reservationists systems overnight. It's understandable that freed-up room reservations would work the same. And it makes absolute sense that any company wouldn't risk allowing its customers access to its internal or proprietary systems/programming - so they'd have another system for customer use entirely.

 

[lbv7]

A tool used to support the customer isn't the customer service. And paying enough people to work a given shift so one person won't have to be on hold for eighty minutes (which could have been a technical - aka programming - glitch, as someone indicated) is fiscally irresponsible.

Your definition of what Customer Service is baffling, and it is the first time I have ever heard someone say that communication or trying to communicate with a company representative over the phone has nothing to do with Customer Service.

 

[Christopher Robin 26]

Just to update. I was able to get through in only 15 mins. By going through the new reservation line. The cast member I spoke with was very helpful. He also did not understand why the first agent could not book me a room that I was able to book online. He apologized for any inconvenience, confirmed my new reservation and cancelled my old. All is good and I gave that particular cast member a very good survey after the call.

 

[Christopher Robin 26]

Your definition of what Customer Service is baffling, and it is the first time I have ever heard someone say that communication or trying to communicate with a company representative over the phone has nothing to do with Customer Service.

I am in the customer service business and if we don't answer the phone within so many minutes and help our customers to their satisfaction, believe me we will hear about it when we get surveyed. Customer service is just that whether in person or over the telephone. What I experienced with Disney was bad customer service.