VERY Disappointed.....

[HawkeyeFan]

in this lack of customer service. I was going on 40 minutes of wait time with Disney to possibly switch our resort after being told by the rep that he was going to "discuss" options for our family with others. Really? Being a first time traveler, this is a HUGE turnoff. Pretty sure their customer service needs help!

[Eeyore's Wife]

I tend to discuss options with people here on the Dis and make reservations on-line.

Lately the computer has been as frustrating as their "trained phone operators"

Still, it is better than dealing with my local DMV, the HOA, or IRS and when all is said and done I get to go to Disney World. So, I continue to prevail against the Disney Booking machine and visit them over and over again Despite their customer planning "assistance."

[alecshawn]

Its all in the time of day. Ihave never waited more than a few minutes to talk about our ressies or change them....i call after 7pm or around 3 pm.
always seems to work for me.
I would never wait on hold over 5 minutes. id hang up call back later. As for what the CM said....i dont see the issue. Mayeb it was in your best interest to discuss it.
I have always thought Disney was really good on the phone.

[Eeyore's Wife]

I have always found the phone CMs to be very kind and they seem to want to be helpful, but they have given me (and people I helped plan trips) wrong advice or information SO OFTEN that I just try and avoid them.

When they (official Disney employees) give newbies advice that conflicts with what I have told Disney Newbies, they usually believe the "official" source and it has caused all kinds of frustration for friends of ours. In the end they come home and realize I knew what I was telling them, but at that point it is too late.

For the record, there IS a lake at Pop Century and All the rooms at CSR are NOT about a five minute walk from the main building.

[padawans]

Originally Posted by HawkeyeFan

in this lack of customer service. I was going on 40 minutes of wait time with Disney to possibly switch our resort after being told by the rep that he was going to "discuss" options for our family with others. Really? Being a first time traveler, this is a HUGE turnoff. Pretty sure their customer service needs help!

Don't even get me started on the phone CM's and their inability to perform their jobs. I have made multiple trips to WDW. I think right now it's the worst it's ever been, and it's always been bad. I'm sure it has something to do with the new system. I made a reservation at Universal yesterday it took about 5 minutes to price out the resorts. They had my cc info on file from previous visits....easy peasy. I'm going to call Disney tomorrow to add a day onto my reservation. I'm sure it will be a 30 minute phone call at least, and 20 minutes of that will be on hold while the cm calls guest services to do it because they are having trouble. If you make it to Disney you will love it...fortunately the customer service at the resorts is much better than what have you experienced on the phone.

[minnie mum]

First of all- was the CM eventually able to help you?

Ordinarily wait times on the WDW reservation system aren't too bad, but at present there is a perfect storm of problems. Their new website is tanking big time, requiring a lot of people to phone in order to make, change or cancel reservations. AND they just came out with a brand new discount offer for the spring, so have a deluge of calls trying to take advantage and book with that offer. The result has put the phone system on the brink of gridlock. VERY long wait times just to get to a CM.

The time you had to wait is very unusual and is not a typical example of the customer service delivered by the CMs at the call centers. It would have been nice, however if he had checked back with you occasionally to give you a progress report.

[cwt580]

ive have called prob 20 times over the yrs. always had nice cm. always able to help me if i was patient. never got anything wrong. i always call because it makes me feel like im starting another new wdw trip phase.

also i do trust most interent bookings as long as i get a return email.

new discounts+website crashing+xmas holidays = perfect storm !!!!!

but i got my discounts about 1:30pm on Jan 3 after 1.2 hrs on hold. and thats after 2 prevoius holds to be told to call back later... and im extatic about the experience.i saved $900 off original booking. well worth the time......so go figure

[merina888]

This is why I use a AAA TA. I ask her by phone or email and she takes care of it. I am always happy with my service.

[momof4minnies]

So sorry to hear that happened. Being put on hold for 40 minutes by the cast member does seem odd.

I booked a trip 2 yrs ago. Called yesterday to book this years trip and got the exact same cast member. His name and voice were very recognizable. I wasn't able to get the dates for the room I wanted, but they did have 2 days later available. After hanging up, I realized this wasn't going to work. I called back and before I got to talk to a cast member, I waited about 90 minutes. That was frustrating, but I knew it was the first day for a discount code. I did get the change I wanted.

Hopefully, this will be the only problem you have. Hope you have a great trip!!!

[maxiesmom]

Originally Posted by minnie mum

Ordinarily wait times on the WDW reservation system aren't too bad, but at present there is a perfect storm of problems. Their new website is tanking big time, requiring a lot of people to phone in order to make, change or cancel reservations. AND they just came out with a brand new discount offer for the spring, so have a deluge of calls trying to take advantage and book with that offer. The result has put the phone system on the brink of gridlock. VERY long wait times just to get to a CM.

THIS! What you experienced is NOT normal. Disney has a lot going on right now. Usually they are busy when they release discounts, but add to that a web site that seems bent on making people crazy, and you have extra long waits when calling. I do agree though, the least they could have done was check back on you a few times.

[JessiMommy]

Originally Posted by minnie mum

First of all- was the CM eventually able to help you?

Ordinarily wait times on the WDW reservation system aren't too bad, but at present there is a perfect storm of problems. Their new website is tanking big time, requiring a lot of people to phone in order to make, change or cancel reservations. AND they just came out with a brand new discount offer for the spring, so have a deluge of calls trying to take advantage and book with that offer. The result has put the phone system on the brink of gridlock. VERY long wait times just to get to a CM.

The time you had to wait is very unusual and is not a typical example of the customer service delivered by the CMs at the call centers. It would have been nice, however if he had checked back with you occasionally to give you a progress report.

Add to all that the fact that the past 2 weeks have been the busiest of the year for Disney. So everyone calling in for last minute issues or issues while they are in the world now are also clogging up the phones.

[HawkeyeFan]

I will have to say that this was my first bad experience calling into Disney with the Cast Member being the issue. I waited on hold for a good 20 minutes.. got the cast member and then he put me on hold again to talk to other cast members about resort options. My issue was having to wait AT LEAST another 10 minutes on hold with him and when he returned, he suggested a resort that doesn't even hold our family of 6! I was highly frustrated because the reason for my call, was to possibly switch to a more cost effective resort. When you wait that long, it's hard to not get frustrated. We are coming up to our payment date and I still have to switch my resort..... and still holding...

On another note.. We are going to Disney World!!!!

[Robbi]

I would have hung up and tried again. A good CM would not have even had to put you on hold because they'd know the options.