Disney Service

[disnut8]

Case in point on my recent trip to Disney I lost something in a park. ...... Basically I waited in line 45 mins, got to a person, they looked out back, came back and said nope not here but feel free to stop back during the day.

I'm curious to know which park this was because I have never waited more than maybe a couple of minutes to be helped at any Guest Relations. And I've been to all four parks offices. That's very surprising and maybe something else was going on so if you had returned, you wouldn't have had to wait 45 minutes.

 

[Missytara]

Here is my take.

Scenario 1: I cannot believe my husband left behind our kindle at Motel 6.

Scenario 2: We accidentally left behind our Kindle in room no. XXX in resort XXX. I cannot believe that Disney executives did not personally contact me, apologize for the fact that they created so many distractions by the food, attractions, cast members, and parades that I forgot about it. But they really need to work on their customer service.

Customer service is perceived. I can stand next to someone and the completely opposite experience, in any situation.

Life is a gift, enjoy the ride.

 

[Magpie]

I get that "one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch", and if this is the last thing that happened to you, it's what you're going to remember most.

I was just reading a study about this phenomenon!

Apparently, back in the eighties, some researchers took a group of men who had already been scheduled for a very unpleasant, invasive, painful medical procedure. The men were randomly assigned to two groups. The first group were given the procedure in as time efficient a manner possible. The second group were given the same procedure, but afterwards the medical equipment was left in place for a period of time, extending the procedure in a relatively painless way.

Each man was asked to rate his pain on a 1-10 scale, every minute or so.

The first group rated their pain very high, and afterward recalled the procedure as being extremely painful. The second group initially rated their pain very high, but during the waiting period rated their pain as much less. When they were asked to rate the overall experience afterward, they recalled it as being considerably less painful than the first group and were more positive about the procedure.

Apparently, your last impression of anything, whether it's a movie, a theme park, a cast member, or a medical procedure, is REALLY important in influencing your overall opinion of things.

Funny thing, too... when the results were explained to a new group of men, and they were given a choice between a long or a short procedure, they still all chose the short procedure!

I think our opinion of the parks sometimes works like this. If our day ended magically, then the whole day was magical. If our day ended on a sour note, then the whole day was kind of meh. And it's all regardless of what actually happened that day.

One of the biggest lessons Disney has taught us is, "Always give them as many chances as necessary to make it right." Talk to customer service. Call back. Be persistent. Make that happy ending happen! You'll be happier for it, even if it takes longer.

 

[Love Tink]

Here is my take.

Scenario 1: I cannot believe my husband left behind our kindle at Motel 6.

Scenario 2: We accidentally left behind our Kindle in room no. XXX in resort XXX. I cannot believe that Disney executives did not personally contact me, apologize for the fact that they created so many distractions by the food, attractions, cast members, and parades that I forgot about it. But they really need to work on their customer service.

Customer service is perceived. I can stand next to someone and the completely opposite experience, in any situation.

Life is a gift, enjoy the ride.

Motel 6: $39.99 per night

Disney's Beach Club: $350-650 per night

Customer service is certainly perceived, but it is also based on expectations. If we pay more, we expect more. As others have said, Disney built their brand (and sets their prices) based on this principle.

I have yet to have Disney fail to meet my expectations when I run into a customer service issue. But I pretty much exempt lost items from my customer service expectations...so much of that is luck, and reliance on other guests. Disney can't really control it like they do so many other aspects of a guest's visit.

 

[WDSearcher]

I was just reading a study about this phenomenon!

Apparently, back in the eighties, some researchers took a group of men who had already been scheduled for a very unpleasant, invasive, painful medical procedure. The men were randomly assigned to two groups. The first group were given the procedure in as time efficient a manner possible. The second group were given the same procedure, but afterwards the medical equipment was left in place for a period of time, extending the procedure in a relatively painless way.

Each man was asked to rate his pain on a 1-10 scale, every minute or so.

The first group rated their pain very high, and afterward recalled the procedure as being extremely painful. The second group initially rated their pain very high, but during the waiting period rated their pain as much less. When they were asked to rate the overall experience afterward, they recalled it as being considerably less painful than the first group and were more positive about the procedure.

Apparently, your last impression of anything, whether it's a movie, a theme park, a cast member, or a medical procedure, is REALLY important in influencing your overall opinion of things.

Funny thing, too... when the results were explained to a new group of men, and they were given a choice between a long or a short procedure, they still all chose the short procedure!

I think our opinion of the parks sometimes works like this. If our day ended magically, then the whole day was magical. If our day ended on a sour note, then the whole day was kind of meh. And it's all regardless of what actually happened that day.

One of the biggest lessons Disney has taught us is, "Always give them as many chances as necessary to make it right." Talk to customer service. Call back. Be persistent. Make that happy ending happen! You'll be happier for it, even if it takes longer.

Great post!

 

[rolliev60]

I've had two incidents with lost and found and both were very positive. The first time I rode Expedition Everest and my wallet unknowingly fell out of my pocket. When I realized what had happened I checked with AK Guest Services and they didn't have it but gave me the Lost and Found information. I called them the next morning and left my information. I received a call later that day and my wallet had fortunately been turned in by a very honest individual. The second time I went to the Hoop De Doo 9:30 show and I left our photo on the bus. I called lost and found the next morning and left my info and a description of the picture. A few days later an envelope arrived at my home and there was my picture-mailed at their expense! It doesn't get any better than that!

 

[Donald Duck888]

I think your post is interesting in that there was one instance that you found to be frustrating regarding customer service, and you've extrapolated that to conclude that all Disney service is slipping.

My question is ... if you hadn't lost an item on your vacation and hadn't had to deal with GR or L&F about it, would you have still come back from your trip and posted that Disney service is slipping? That is, have you been thinking this all along -- trip after trip -- and this was just the straw that broke the camel's back, or are you just mad about this one thing, this one time?

I get that "one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch", and if this is the last thing that happened to you, it's what you're going to remember most. But you also don't mention how long you went without a call back. Did you leave a message at the end of the day and expect a call by morning? Or did you leave a message on Tuesday and still not have a callback by Friday? What your expectation was makes a difference.

It's hard to know if Disney service as a whole has slipped based on your example because we don't have any context. If you'd related a story about how, ten years ago, you lost something and Disney went the extra mile and really went over the top to reunite you with your lost whatever, and used that in comparison, then it would be easier to understand your reaction here.

That is a very good question and i have been giving it some thought. Had I not had to deal with the lost item I probably would have had no beef at all with the customer service. So I would definantly agree with it being the 1 bad apple situation in my case.

As to more context basically this is my first time ever losing something in the parks so I guess you are right in that i really do not have a good baseline to compare to.

I honestly did not expect them to find my item nor do i blae them for my losing it (that is totally on me) my only problem was in how that dealt with someone (me in this case) who had lost something. Basically if you are going to have a voice message system that tells someone to leave a message and you will get back to them then you should at least get back to them.

not the end of the world by any stretch just a bit disapointed i guess.

 

[beachclub1011]

I can tell you as a retail manager for a large corporation, customer service is our BIGGEST #1 concern...every little thing we do all day everyday is to create a better experience for our customer....Disney is known for their recruiting and their training...UNFORTUNATELY as good as those aspects may be you will always have a few people (especially when mass hiring thousands) who make it past your screening and do not fit the bill....at that point it is how management will react to the situation and the member of the team who has become a problem....I believe the amount of CMs that work in the parks that carry that unbelievable disney magic far outweigh the "grumpy gills" that float around....always ask to speak to someone else or a supervisor when experiencing an unpleasant situation..you'll almost always get that person rede to go the extra mile

 

[Donald Duck888]

I was just reading a study about this phenomenon!

Apparently, back in the eighties, some researchers took a group of men who had already been scheduled for a very unpleasant, invasive, painful medical procedure. The men were randomly assigned to two groups. The first group were given the procedure in as time efficient a manner possible. The second group were given the same procedure, but afterwards the medical equipment was left in place for a period of time, extending the procedure in a relatively painless way.

Each man was asked to rate his pain on a 1-10 scale, every minute or so.

The first group rated their pain very high, and afterward recalled the procedure as being extremely painful. The second group initially rated their pain very high, but during the waiting period rated their pain as much less. When they were asked to rate the overall experience afterward, they recalled it as being considerably less painful than the first group and were more positive about the procedure.

Apparently, your last impression of anything, whether it's a movie, a theme park, a cast member, or a medical procedure, is REALLY important in influencing your overall opinion of things.

Funny thing, too... when the results were explained to a new group of men, and they were given a choice between a long or a short procedure, they still all chose the short procedure!

I think our opinion of the parks sometimes works like this. If our day ended magically, then the whole day was magical. If our day ended on a sour note, then the whole day was kind of meh. And it's all regardless of what actually happened that day.

One of the biggest lessons Disney has taught us is, "Always give them as many chances as necessary to make it right." Talk to customer service. Call back. Be persistent. Make that happy ending happen! You'll be happier for it, even if it takes longer.

this is very interesting, it is amazing how the human psyche works.

 

[Donald Duck888]

Here is my take.

Scenario 1: I cannot believe my husband left behind our kindle at Motel 6.

Scenario 2: We accidentally left behind our Kindle in room no. XXX in resort XXX. I cannot believe that Disney executives did not personally contact me, apologize for the fact that they created so many distractions by the food, attractions, cast members, and parades that I forgot about it. But they really need to work on their customer service.

Customer service is perceived. I can stand next to someone and the completely opposite experience, in any situation.

Life is a gift, enjoy the ride.

I agree with your statement. I am in no way blaming Disney for my stupidity of losing my item. I just felt they could have been a bit more helpful in my attempt to gather information from them on whether they had found it.

 

[kymom99]

I was just reading a study about this phenomenon!

Apparently, back in the eighties, some researchers took a group of men who had already been scheduled for a very unpleasant, invasive, painful medical procedure. The men were randomly assigned to two groups. The first group were given the procedure in as time efficient a manner possible. The second group were given the same procedure, but afterwards the medical equipment was left in place for a period of time, extending the procedure in a relatively painless way.

Each man was asked to rate his pain on a 1-10 scale, every minute or so.

The first group rated their pain very high, and afterward recalled the procedure as being extremely painful. The second group initially rated their pain very high, but during the waiting period rated their pain as much less. When they were asked to rate the overall experience afterward, they recalled it as being considerably less painful than the first group and were more positive about the procedure.

Apparently, your last impression of anything, whether it's a movie, a theme park, a cast member, or a medical procedure, is REALLY important in influencing your overall opinion of things.

Funny thing, too... when the results were explained to a new group of men, and they were given a choice between a long or a short procedure, they still all chose the short procedure!

I think our opinion of the parks sometimes works like this. If our day ended magically, then the whole day was magical. If our day ended on a sour note, then the whole day was kind of meh. And it's all regardless of what actually happened that day.

One of the biggest lessons Disney has taught us is, "Always give them as many chances as necessary to make it right." Talk to customer service. Call back. Be persistent. Make that happy ending happen! You'll be happier for it, even if it takes longer.

I can agree with this. During the year of a million dreams, on the last day, we received Dream Fastpasses. My son was over the moon happy. I also remember this as one of my favorite moments. the thing is, up until that moment, I would have rated that trip as my least favorite. That last minute pixie dust saved the trip.

 

[jodirn2]

As far as losing personal items it would be a logistic nightmare for Disney to do more than have lost and founds available and also a central lost and found to call. My husband lost his iPhone 5 yrs ago on Disney bus and we had to deal with central lost and found. They were very nice and made suggestions when to call back, etc. However, it was never found. I do not hold Disney responsible that it was not returned. They did all they could to assist us but they probably have thousands of losses everyday. I find customer service overall at Disney to be the best and we have traveled all over the world. To me it seems to be consistent and with an exception here or there but nothing that would ruin a vacation like other places we have been.

 

[BeerMe]

I think customer service has gone downhill over the last 20 years, but attendance records are being st every year, and CMs are being cut regularly, so there are more people who are demanding more services from fewer CMs every year. Inevitable. I don't think the decline is very noticeable though.

 

[Mandyjg20]

Op question for you, did you call one time, or did you call more than once. If called one time, maybe they didnt get the message, or maybe they skipped by accident or oversight.

 

[opal]

We have been going to Disneyworld regularly since 1990 (at least once a year) and since moving to Fl a few years back, we get there at least once a month. During that time we have seen highs and lows in customer service. Everyone has an occasional bad day, yes, even at Disneyworld! Sometimes stress levels are high on both sides of the customer service counter.

Based on my experience, Disney customer services is still outstanding.

 

[Reese D]

We just got back from our 3rd visit to Disney in the past 6 years. We found the customer service both at the parks and our resort much better than what we had experience on previous visits.

We had one "lost and found" experience where we dealt with two different groups of staff members and I thought both were over and above helpful.

I agree with the others that say that there is an expectation of excellent customer service because of the price we pay.

If I stay at a nicer, expensive resort outside of Disney, I expect the same high level of service. If I stay at the Holiday Inn, not so much.

 

[WDSearcher]

That is a very good question and i have been giving it some thought. Had I not had to deal with the lost item I probably would have had no beef at all with the customer service. So I would definantly agree with it being the 1 bad apple situation in my case.

As to more context basically this is my first time ever losing something in the parks so I guess you are right in that i really do not have a good baseline to compare to.

I honestly did not expect them to find my item nor do i blae them for my losing it (that is totally on me) my only problem was in how that dealt with someone (me in this case) who had lost something. Basically if you are going to have a voice message system that tells someone to leave a message and you will get back to them then you should at least get back to them.

not the end of the world by any stretch just a bit disapointed i guess.

Definitely disappointing!

I would suggest that you call lost & found again -- from home -- and maybe leave a less detailed message. "I lost an item while on vacation and it hadn't been turned in by e time I left -- just checking to see if it showed up". You might be surprised to find that it did get found after all. And the "calling from home" may push your call up in the "triage" list.

You said in a PP that you left a very detailed message. That might contribute to your lack of response. L&F at a place like Disney -- where literally hundreds of things are lost every day -- get triaged like everything else. If L&F were able to determine from your message that they had not yet found your item, they likely took down all that info to have on file in case it DID show up. But depending on how many other calls they had, they may have not called you back simply because they had all the info they needed and had nothing new to report.

But I would seriously call again, or e-mail Guest Communications. You can tell them you were disappointed in their response the first time, or you can just give them another chance and see what happens. If you've always been satisfied with Disney service, maybe they deserve the benefit of the doubt and a second chance to make it right?

 

[Donald Duck888]

As far as losing personal items it would be a logistic nightmare for Disney to do more than have lost and founds available and also a central lost and found to call. My husband lost his iPhone 5 yrs ago on Disney bus and we had to deal with central lost and found. They were very nice and made suggestions when to call back, etc. However, it was never found. I do not hold Disney responsible that it was not returned. They did all they could to assist us but they probably have thousands of losses everyday. I find customer service overall at Disney to be the best and we have traveled all over the world. To me it seems to be consistent and with an exception here or there but nothing that would ruin a vacation like other places we have been.

I agree, the amount of lost items they deal with on a daily basis must be astounding. I also in no way hold Disney accountable for the loss off or lack of finding the lost item. I knew as soon as I discovered it lost ( boy was that a bad feeling) that I would most likely never see it again unless I was really lucky and an honest person actually happened to find it.

I just feel like Disney could have been a bit more helpful in my search to see if it had been found.

I also feel upon even further reflection on the whole thing that perhaps that "really bad feeling" i had after discovering the loss combined with my pretty high and usually met expectations of Disney service may have colored my view toward the amount of help i received in searching for the item.

I don't think Disney has poor customer service as a whole by any means. On the whole it is still better than most of the other places I have been. I just feel in this one situation it could have been a bit better.

 

[Donald Duck888]

Definitely disappointing!

I would suggest that you call lost & found again -- from home -- and maybe leave a less detailed message. "I lost an item while on vacation and it hadn't been turned in by e time I left -- just checking to see if it showed up". You might be surprised to find that it did get found after all. And the "calling from home" may push your call up in the "triage" list.

You said in a PP that you left a very detailed message. That might contribute to your lack of response. L&F at a place like Disney -- where literally hundreds of things are lost every day -- get triaged like everything else. If L&F were able to determine from your message that they had not yet found your item, they likely took down all that info to have on file in case it DID show up. But depending on how many other calls they had, they may have not called you back simply because they had all the info they needed and had nothing new to report.

But I would seriously call again, or e-mail Guest Communications. You can tell them you were disappointed in their response the first time, or you can just give them another chance and see what happens. If you've always been satisfied with Disney service, maybe they deserve the benefit of the doubt and a second chance to make it right?

I actually have called twice since returning home and still no luck on them having found the item. I will say that the customer service these last 2 calls has been great so as many have said perhaps it was just a one time (or in my case 2 time) thing with the lack of helpfulness.

I guess it all really boils down to those first 2 encounters when it had just happened and I really got the feeling from both those people i dealt with that they could really care less about my problem.

But as i said in my previous post upon further reflection there were other CM's that looking back on it were great in helping me with the situation and perhaps in my already upset state of mind after losing the item i focused more on the negative parts of the interactions then on the other positive ones.

 

[Planogirl]

I agree that perception is key. I work for an unpopular corporation and they are routinely known for their poor customer service. However, I see the customer service performance and I know the stringent rules when it comes to performance so I know that at least part of the perception is due to who the company is.

I think that the same is true of Disney. Customer service is expected to be so amazing that when something isn't quite up to par it strongly reflects on the perception of the company as a whole. You could deal with 100 CM's and get great or adequate service from 99 but the service as a whole would be slipping because of that one poor performance.

All of that said, I do believe that overall the service has slipped a little. I think a lot of it is due to lower staffing though.