For Those Who've Noted Disney's Penny Pinching Ways

[manning]

An old saying Disney, Be careful it might come back and bite you in the......

 

[mom2rtk]

Here's the example I can give:

2000 training for a front line guest service class job...all direct contact, four different functions to be filled on rotation...

Computer training - 4 days
Supervised training - 6 weeks

18 months later
Computer - 2 days
Training - 1 week.

Just as a point of reference

That really says a lot about what has been happening.

 

[mom2rtk]

Except a real live person has eyes and a brain in their head. Anyone who has worked in customer service during a period where a company is providing less than stellar quality, has been in the situation of knowing damn well the product is inferior and having to either smile sweetly and lie through their teeth to the customer, or acknowledge a clear and present truth when a customer raises it.

Personally I avoid putting customer service reps in that position in the first place, since I also have eyes and a brain, and can tell when service or quality is slipping. There's really nothing to be gained by doing so, and it is kind of cruel.

That aside, what's truly fascinating to me here is that when a CM is a little too frank about some aspect of declining Disney quality, the response is: Disney needs to train the CMs better. What Disney *should* be doing is backing off of cutting quality at such a rate that people are starting to take notice, because it really doesn't matter whether the cause is Shanghai, ESPN, or fancy yachts for the entire C-suite, if it's impacting the product that people are paying for at WDW, that's Disney's problem, and they need to fix it.

Everyone always wants to shoot the messenger.

 

[xipotec]

Here's the issue...

Why should the lowest paid employee on the ladder be the one who has to hear about all the complaints from the guests , which are being created by the management staff who is likely 20 pay grades higher??? And why should that employee have to remain professional when being abused and complained to all day about something he/she has zero control over?

I know some people would say "if they want a job deal with it". But this is the mentality that keeps low staff and poor service in place.

Have the managers making those "Wall st" level staffing decisions sit in guest relations for a day every week, or at a ride que that's way too long and see if they can remain professional.

This is a problem across most customer service businesses, the people deciding what staffing is appropriate never have to deal with the fallout of the inappropriate staffing.

 

[mom2rtk]

Have the managers making those "Wall st" level staffing decisions sit in guest relations for a day every week, or at a ride que that's way too long and see if they can remain professional.

Yeah, good luck with that.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Yeah, good luck with that.

Bob Iger will only set foot in Disneyland when he thinks the stock analysts will see him there...

And then only begrudgingly. Its not easy keeping that tan up...

 

[xipotec]

I doubt anything I say would even happen in a alternate universe...


But I don't fret, its a self correcting system, when complaint reach a point and words gets around, people will stop paying the money to goto a place where nothing works well, staff are rude, and food is over priced....then things will turn around.

 

[SJMajor67]

Bob Iger will only set foot in Disneyland when he thinks the stock analysts will see him there...

And then only begrudgingly. Its not easy keeping that tan up...

That's what I don't understand. If I was the CEO or a park executive for Disney why wouldn't you be in the parks any chance you got? That's the only way to get a first hand knowledge of how the guests are reacting to the changes you've made, and just their overall experience (plus you'd be having a great time at the same time). I'd go undercover and ask guests and cast members what their thoughts were, like an Undercover Boss episode. I guess that type of stuff doesn't matter anymore when it's all about the shareholders and the money.

 

[LSLS]

I won't argue with that. I was harsh, I admit it, and if your read the rest of that statement, which is clipped out of your quote, and a following post..
I clearly said that I don't think she should lose her job.
But I do think disciplinary action is in order. They should not be saying these things.
For the gloom and doom people it's fine to feed off of it. But I don't want to hear it when I'm spending over 5k for 4 nights.. And I don't want my son to hear it either.
I would say the average WDW guest does not want to hear it as well.
If one of my employees essentially bad mouthed the company.. I would deal with it. No, not by firing, but we would have a sit down for sure.

I'm curious. You have a bad experience at a restaurant. You complain to the waiter with something like "Man, what has happened? The food here used to be so good, and now we get bad frozen food in a much smaller portion size." What would you expect the waiter to do? Especially if they are unhappy/embarrassed by serving that (and most likely seeing their money be decreased in the form of tips because of it)? Personally I would welcome the honesty.

 

[Kimberly9701]

I'm curious. You have a bad experience at a restaurant. You complain to the waiter with something like "Man, what has happened? The food here used to be so good, and now we get bad frozen food in a much smaller portion size." What would you expect the waiter to do? Especially if they are unhappy/embarrassed by serving that (and most likely seeing their money be decreased in the form of tips because of it)? Personally I would welcome the honesty.

First off I wouldn't leave less of a tip..because good service has nothing to do with a portion size. But..if I complained a "good" server would suggest something else, and more than likely bring it to me, I think any restaurant manager would understand the need and reasoning for that.
Said server could say "we switched vendors, I'm sorry you're unhappy. Would you like to try something else? The chicken is really good!" Etc.
you can address a complaint while remaining professional..trying to please the guest while not saying something negative about your employer.

I just don't see how that is too much to ask. Regardless of where you are. An employee could lose their job if they disrespected their company on social media...while "off the clock".
Paying guests should never hear an employee complain about the place/product you are spending your hard earned money on. It's not good for anyone.

What if you (as the pp did) went and spread the comment from the employee around.. People may think twice, people may not go.. All bc someone made a comment that they are in no way qualified to even know if said comment is actually true.
It isn't professional and it isn't acceptable. She needs to have a meeting with her supervisor and understand that she is representing a brand.. And in the age of social media a comment like that can spread like wildfire, and yes, in turn lose the company money.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

That's what I don't understand. If I was the CEO or a park executive for Disney why wouldn't you be in the parks any chance you got? That's the only way to get a first hand knowledge of how the guests are reacting to the changes you've made, and just their overall experience (plus you'd be having a great time at the same time). I'd go undercover and ask guests and cast members what their thoughts were, like an Undercover Boss episode. I guess that type of stuff doesn't matter anymore when it's all about the shareholders and the money.

Listen...if I was in charge...id never leave the park. And if I did - it would be to go to imagineering or lucasfilm only...maybe Pixar on occasion.

I would be like Josh Baskin from Big.

But that's me and I like Disney.

Iger is a tv production Hollywood suit...who was not hired by Disney...he was bought by Eisner as part of the Capitol cities buyout.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

First off I wouldn't leave less of a tip..because good service has nothing to do with a portion size. But..if I complained a "good" server would suggest something else, and more than likely bring it to me, I think any restaurant manager would understand the need and reasoning for that.
Said server could say "we switched vendors, I'm sorry you're unhappy. Would you like to try something else? The chicken is really good!" Etc.
you can address a complaint while remaining professional..trying to please the guest while not saying something negative about your employer.

I just don't see how that is too much to ask. Regardless of where you are. An employee could lose their job if they disrespected their company on social media...while "off the clock".
Paying guests should never hear an employee complain about the place/product you are spending your hard earned money on. It's not good for anyone.

What if you (as the pp did) went and spread the comment from the employee around.. People may think twice, people may not go.. All bc someone made a comment that they are in no way qualified to even know if said comment is actually true.
It isn't professional and it isn't acceptable. She needs to have a meeting with her supervisor and understand that she is representing a brand.. And in the age of social media a comment like that can spread like wildfire, and yes, in turn lose the company money.

You would dock the waiter if the food was bad?

I respectfully submit that you are not grasping the dynamics of food service...definitely not at WDW.

 

[Kimberly9701]

You would dock the waiter if the food was bad?

I respectfully submit that you are not grasping the dynamics of food service...definitely not at WDW.

What? I think you missed either the word "wouldn't" or "less"

First off I wouldn't leave less of a tip..because good service has nothing to do with a portion size.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

What? I think you missed either the word "wouldn't" or "less"

Sorry...I did.

Apologies

 

[mcd2745]

That's what I don't understand. If I was the CEO or a park executive for Disney why wouldn't you be in the parks any chance you got? That's the only way to get a first hand knowledge of how the guests are reacting to the changes you've made, and just their overall experience (plus you'd be having a great time at the same time). I'd go undercover and ask guests and cast members what their thoughts were, like an Undercover Boss episode. I guess that type of stuff doesn't matter anymore when it's all about the shareholders and the money.

It's a problem with management across all businesses in all industries these days. Nowadays, all they do is demand "metrics" they can read and then discuss at off-site management retreats at swanky resorts with similarly clueless colleagues to try and tell them the things that are going on that they all should already know first-hand, instead of being involved and engaged and gaining that first-hand knowledge - which is a much more complete, comprehensive, and useful knowledge. Then, when they make poor decisions because those decisions are not based on the proper knowledge, they expect the underlings on the front line to continually provide cover for them. Eventually though...those people start to get worn down and they won't provide that cover forever. And ultimately, they'll start saying things like "We've been Shanghai'ed".

 

[Eoghann]

It isn't professional and it isn't acceptable. She needs to have a meeting with her supervisor and understand that she is representing a brand.. And in the age of social media a comment like that can spread like wildfire, and yes, in turn lose the company money.

It's also not remotely our problem.

As the incident was reported this employee did nothing that would negatively impact the guests visit.

Disney certainly would have the right to dismiss someone for doing this but there's no reason at all to demand they do so. And if the company was to actually lose money over it? Well quite frankly the company deserves to lose money over its recent behavior.

 

[ChipnDale79]

This is a problem across most customer service businesses, the people deciding what staffing is appropriate never have to deal with the fallout of the inappropriate staffing.

Ahh but to executives that's not a problem to them. It only becomes a problem to them when the profits start declining.

 

[DisOrBust]

So if this is correct we can add this to the list of Disney penny pinching. I don't know how they could make these changes "midstream". Meaning if I PIF for the DDP when it included dessert with CS meals don't they have to honnor that?

http://www.maximisethemagic.com/dining/disney-dining-plan-changing/

 

[Kimberly9701]

So if this is correct we can add this to the list of Disney penny pinching. I don't know how they could make these changes "midstream". Meaning if I PIF for the DDP when it included dessert with CS meals don't they have to honnor that?

http://www.maximisethemagic.com/dining/disney-dining-plan-changing/

You are gaining a snack. A snack can be a desert, most places anyway.

If this is true then I like it much better! We do a lot of breakfast meals which don't come with desert anyway

 

[mom2rtk]

So if this is correct we can add this to the list of Disney penny pinching. I don't know how they could make these changes "midstream". Meaning if I PIF for the DDP when it included dessert with CS meals don't they have to honnor that?

http://www.maximisethemagic.com/dining/disney-dining-plan-changing/

I'd be shocked if they didn't have that covered in the fine print somewhere.

I actually would prefer the snack to the quick service dessert. They were probably throwing away too many little chocolate cakes every day. Or maybe the price of chocolate cake batter went up or something.