Injustice at Test Track

[SkyGirl]

Im sorry, but I have to agree. People have been breaking rules for a long time. Mother karma always has a way of presenting her pretty face!

I agree with you 100% !!!

 

[WDW1st-timers]

The sad thing about this is there will "always" be people who lie, cheat and steal. I don't think the world will every change from this any time soon.

 

[allison443]

While we were waiting patiently for these folks to move a gentleman (I’d say mid 40’s) with daughter in-hand (about 9-10 years) push through us into the fastpass return line, show their passes and walk on in
I called out, “Enjoy the ride, sir!” As this sort of thing happens quite often in the parks, I have a personal policy to make it known (in a not-so-rude way) that there were people they just cut in front of and to let it go after that. So, I figured that was the end of it. We eventually got through, so let’s enjoy the ride.

Then things got interesting. Inevitably, we were right behind Mr. Push-Through. While standing behind there I notice him pull a small ziplock bag out of his pocket filled with Test Track fastpasses. He then proceeds to place the fastpasses he had just presented into the bag and remove two others. Now, I know something stinks in Denmark.
The man was holding the newly removed passes in his hand, which was at his side. At this point my shoe conveniently felt a little loose on my foot, so I knelt down to tie it. While I was down there I saw that the new fastpasses were dated for December 10th 2008 (wouldn’t remember that, but it was the day before my 30th b-day).

OP sorry you had a bad experience on your first visit to WDW, but I am confused about something.
I don't understand-he showed fastpasses at the front of the line but then he switched them out for expired ones? Did the CM at the front of the fastpass line not check the date? Did he have valid ones, but handed in old ones? I must be missing something.
TIA.

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

I mean, really, is it THAT serious?

To some Guests, yes. Yes, it is.

Write to guest services, mention this abuse, and ask that Disney develop process changes that will prevent it.

That's always a good idea, but I would avoid mentioning names (as the OP stated they already mentioned the incident to a coordinator).

These stories just emphasize how difficult a job the CMs really have. Trying to keep people happy - those following the rules and those who don't - must be very difficult. They don't really have a lot of choice with the rulebreakers. They can ask, and ask, and ask... but when they are ignored, they must choose to let it go or make a big scene, which I'm sure they instructed to avoid.

Pretty much. There can be a fine line between "enforcing the rules" and "ruining a vacation". It can be hard when you ask a Guest to curb rude behavior (be it using a flash camera on PotC or using an external camcorder light during Spectomagic or whatever) and having them shoot back "NO!"

The OP should have recorded the offending CM's name and marched right to Epcot Guest Services, demanding that the slacker CM be terminated.

Which, honestly, no one here has advocated (and, IIRC, the OP did state that they brought the CM's actions to the attention of a coordinator).

Just an FYI for everyone: Disney does NOT allow Guests to decide what punitive measures (if any) are to be taken against CMs.

 

[Tara]

OP sorry you had a bad experience on your first visit to WDW, but I am confused about something.
I don't understand-he showed fastpasses at the front of the line but then he switched them out for expired ones? Did the CM at the front of the fastpass line not check the date? Did he have valid ones, but handed in old ones? I must be missing something.
TIA.

He showed valid passes at the first CM check point to get into the queue. Then he put the valid passes away and retrieved old passes from the bag and gave those to the second CM who is supposed to collect the passes. By doing this, someone could ride as many times in a row as they wanted provided that 1) they had enough old FPs to turn in and 2) the CM collecting FPs didn't notice or care.

 

[Bear1971]

The worst part about it for me is the poor role model her father set & continues to set everytime he cheats the system.

 

[MFLetou]

The remarks I made were extremely mild, I assure you. And perhaps the CM should do his job properly if he wishes to avoid the embarrassment of being called out on it. Unless you’re self employed those same rules really apply anywhere.

And to say it’s not your job to police anyone, that’s a copout. If you witness someone stealing car would you not report it? We’re all equal parts of a society and we have a certain duty to police each other.

I beg to differ. The CM’s task in this particular situation was not difficult, especcially considering I did most of the leg work. All he would have had to do is ask that gentleman to produce the valid fastpasses he presented at the front of the fastpass return. Not all that difficult.

And while it was bothersome, I enjoyed every other bit of my trip. I was on the boards while in Florida and did not revisit it until today.

On the revenge level I got over it once we buckled in. What stuck with me is the children who get to see that happen and what they take from it. Yeah, I was there to explain to my little girl what he did and why it was wrong, but what about his little girl?

Again, I was very happy to be there and honestly didn’t think about it after speaking with the show lead. But it is my life and I refuse to be just a spectator.

You know what? I say GOOD FOR YOU.

I'm glad you took a stand and "didn't let it go." I'm convinced that its exactly that "don't let it bother you, let it go" attitude that contributes to the problem and makes it worse. People do things because they can get away with them. They can get away with them because nobody ever wants confrontation. In effect, they are preying on the tendencies of the masses to "let it go."

But if everybody took the attitude of the OP, there would be fewer people doing this. Oh sure, people are all going to try, but eventually they'd keep getting caught/shamed/embarrassed, etc, and the behavior would be modified, if for no other reason than necessity.

Not to mention the fact that you teach all the kids around a good lesson.

So I wouldn't have let it go, I probably would have been even more explicity about telling the guy off. Its the principle of the thing.

People say, why would you let something like that ruin your vacation. Well, a)its certainly not going to ruin my vacation in any kind of macro level, and b) NOT saying something would have a much greater chance of ruining things for me.

It depends on your personality and your sense of justice, I guess.

 

[mousemom11]

He showed valid passes at the first CM check point to get into the queue. Then he put the valid passes away and retrieved old passes from the bag and gave those to the second CM who is supposed to collect the passes. By doing this, someone could ride as many times in a row as they wanted provided that 1) they had enough old FPs to turn in and 2) the CM collecting FPs didn't notice or care.

I wonder if, as a result of OP bringing it to his attention, the CM was more vigilant thereafter about checking the FP dates and return times. Karma could have struck Mr. Rude if he tried that trick again shortly after exiting the ride.

I witnessed something this weekend at Great Wolf Lodge that warmed my heart. The woman in line ahead of me had a child with her who was too short to ride the slide. She argued with the employee for quite a while about making an exception for her child. Finally, he got fed up with her and said, "If you continue to argue with me, I'll cut your wristband and deny you entry to the park". Then he called security for backup. I applauded him and shook his hand!

 

[lugnut33]

Finally I have a use for all those old expired fastpasses. Instead of taping them to the bookcovers on my daughters books, I'll reuse them. Thanks!!

 

[gilltrooper]

Ohh. Why can't ppl mind there own business?!? I thought tattle tales stayed in elementary school. I can't imagine something like this getting me that upset!

??????? Really are you serious...Cheating is cheating, plain and simple. Maybe that's just the police officer coming out in me.

 

[stitchlovestink]

I completely understand why you are so upset and rightly so. And I clearly agree that he was wrong for cheating the system. I think the problem with this situation is that once he got past the CM that collects the fast pass, he was 'home free'. See at that point, it would be the guest's word against the cm's word as to whether those 'old outdated fast passes' where handed to the CM by him. The CM would absolutely need to call him on it before he allowed him to enter the next area. The only other thing you probably could've done (this, of course, is in hind sight which is always 20/20 BTW ) is as he handed them over to the CM was to say loudly to the CM "Ya' might want to check the date on those, last time I looked at my calendar it was 2009!" That probably would've gotten the CM's attention and then he probably would've been busted.
I agree that there are some people even after getting caught will continue to try to cheat any system that isn't to their liking. However, we as other guests do NOT have to make it easy for them. And I say if you don't want to police others so be it, but don't 'belittle' those who choose to draw attention to the cheaters/liars/thiefs.
OP, I am glad that overall, you had a great trip and didn't let this drag down the trip as a whole.

 

[cwcooper810]

only difference between anger and danger is the letter "D". Dont let these people get to you. Yeah it sucks that Disney doesnt enforce the rules but dont let it ruin your time. When all is said and done, you got to spend a great time with your child at WDW. Karma will definitely come back around to people who stoop so low as to cheat Disney World of all things.

 

[livie1205]

I do not pay attention to others that much while we are on vacation, I am busy watching my children have fun.I also think your dd would have never noticed this if you would not have made a big deal out of it.I tend to let wdw police themselves...they are a HUGE company.I would have laughed and thought "look at this idiot" and let it go.

 

[hpkalika]

I am no fastpass expert, so I am confused on something. We got fastpasses on several rides while we were there in July. There was a CM checking times on tickets in the beginning of the line. Then there was a CM who took our fastpasses when we boarded. So how is it this guy even had a baggie of old fastpasses. If they don't collect them theoretically you could use them all day long, right? We gave away unused fastpasses if we had to leave the park. I assume he must get fastpasses and just not use them? But not sure why he is able to put them back in the baggie and not hand them over. I must be overtired and am missing something. I am glad you said somehting though. It is rude to every guest in that line for him to pull tricks like that.

 

[irunnoft]

Just returned from our first trip to WDW yesterday. While we had a blast, there was one incident that I felt had to be posted, it upset me so much (at the time). It also marked the first time I ever complained to anyone at a Disney Park.

One afternoon at Epcot, we return to use our Test Track fastpasses for that day. When we get to the entrance there are some folks blocking our way as the cast member is explaining that they cannot use their fast passes yet. (Quick footnote: I found this happens quite often at WDW. We are DL passholders and just never run into this problem like we did in FL.) While we were waiting patiently for these folks to move a gentleman (I’d say mid 40’s) with daughter in-hand (about 9-10 years) push through us into the fastpass return line, show their passes and walk on in
I called out, “Enjoy the ride, sir!” As this sort of thing happens quite often in the parks, I have a personal policy to make it known (in a not-so-rude way) that there were people they just cut in front of and to let it go after that. So, I figured that was the end of it. We eventually got through, so let’s enjoy the ride.

Then things got interesting. Inevitably, we were right behind Mr. Push-Through. While standing behind there I notice him pull a small ziplock bag out of his pocket filled with Test Track fastpasses. He then proceeds to place the fastpasses he had just presented into the bag and remove two others. Now, I know something stinks in Denmark.
The man was holding the newly removed passes in his hand, which was at his side. At this point my shoe conveniently felt a little loose on my foot, so I knelt down to tie it. While I was down there I saw that the new fastpasses were dated for December 10th 2008 (wouldn’t remember that, but it was the day before my 30th b-day). Upon seeing this, the version of me who let that whole cutting incident from before go had left the building.

I admittedly feel and certain pang of guilt for this (especially at Disney), but at that moment I was absolutely gleeful that I was going to finally deliver comeuppance to someone who not only cut in front of people waiting patiently, but clearly felt they were above the rules that we all follow for the sake of everyone’s enjoyment.
I’m really not usually one for revenge, but I believe in the “do unto others” philosophy. And I think that is especially applicable when at Disney. I mean, we’re all in this together, all trying to get that same feeling we love so much when we’re in the parks. The little things like letting someone enter a queue ahead of you or letting children in front of you for a better view of the parade. These minimally affect our enjoyment of the attractions, if at all. And yet, at the same time, they can make a world of difference for those other people.

Anyway, back to the story. So we’re approaching the fastpass collector… and I am sooooo ready to drop the dime on this sucka. Finally, we get up there and the man hands over the expired tickets and scurries off, at which point I say to the cast member, “Are you going to let that gentleman use fast passes from December of last year?”
The cast member (who I can’t remember the name of – had some stubble, was wearing glasses), looks down at the passes, shrugs his shoulders and proceeds to rip them up.

Now, I’m superfly TNT. First off, he stole my moment from me. I mean, this guy is a louse, alright. Not only is he cheating, he does it with his daughter right there. How can you like - nay – how can you respect someone like that? More importantly, I had become vocal about the situation, which prompted my own 9-year old little girl to start asking questions.
“What happened?”
“Why were his tickets for last year?”
“Why did he get to do that?”
“Why didn’t they do anything about it?”
This is where my anger with the situation really started to get directed properly. Forget my revenge. What kind of message does that send to my little girl about following the rules? I know some people may think I’m making a mountain out of a molehill (It’s just a ride; It’s not like he got away with stealing or murder). Well, I say bull corn on that. I want my kid to follow even the small rules. They wouldn’t be there if they didn’t matter.

We ended up passing by the gentleman several more times as the queue snaked around. Again, I’m ashamed to say that I did mutter words to him (“Real nice, pal”) and shot him dirty looks. He would look away each time. After the ride, I asked to see the show coordinator and made my frustrations known to him. He offered a voucher for some ice cream, which I appreciated, but wasn’t really the point. Now that I reflect on it a week later, I suppose I never would have gotten complete satisfaction. I mean, what are they going to do, frisk him and confiscate his baggie of Test Track fastpasses (and lord knows what other rides).

I’m just disappointed that when it really mattered – when there was clear cut proof brought to a cast members attention that someone was breaking the rules – they did absolutely nothing. Like I said, I’m not totally proud of where my emotions went. But, then again, I don’t think I’m completely unjustified.

YOU ROCK!!! I totally agree with everything you did and felt! Your emotions were totally and completely appropriate. Too bad the CM did nothing. That's a shame, IMO. I wish that person would have been busted and shamed. I DO wish they would've had their little baggie of tickets confiscated. It's things like this that immediately get under my skin. We learn to let a lot of things slide while we're at Disney World. Some things that may get under our skin, but I think most of us understand that we need to just turn loose of some things - for our family's sake as much as for our own. I totally give you props for speaking out against what that person did. Again, too bad the CM did nothing. Hopefully you used it as a teachable moment for your child.

 

[goofy4tink]

Ohh. Why can't ppl mind there own business?!? I thought tattle tales stayed in elementary school. I can't imagine something like this getting me that upset!

The OP should have recorded the offending CM's name and marched right to Epcot Guest Services, demanding that the slacker CM be terminated.

Sheesh, get over it. One guy cheating the system gets you into this kind of tizzy?? I spend my vacation time enjoying my vacation, not playing rules cop.

I do not pay attention to others that much while we are on vacation, I am busy watching my children have fun.I also think your dd would have never noticed this if you would not have made a big deal out of it.I tend to let wdw police themselves...they are a HUGE company.I would have laughed and thought "look at this idiot" and let it go.

The problem is that there are many rule breakers and cheaters at WDW...and because Disney wants WDW to be 'the happiest place on earth' they allow their CMs to 'bend' the rules..allowing guests to get away with cheating. So....my question is this..how about everyone starts doing that?? Not just a few people, but every other person?? I mean, hey..if some can get away with not waiting in line, that kind of makes me a chump for obeying the rules. Why not have everyone ignore the posted rules?? Everyone can just hoard old FPs (and I have a ton of 'em) and use them down the road.
I doubt anyone is playing WDW police here. But, when something like that happens, right under your nose, why can't you come here and vent about it? It's not as if the OP chased the offending dad down and beat him..he merely made a few comments...and rightfully so. Most people will cheat and bend thr rules if they think they can get away with doing so...especially if they think others will be too polite to say anything.
How about the time I was in line, at Test Track, and had been waiting for about 20 mins, and was half-way through the line..when up came the two teenaged boys, saying they needed to get to their parents up ahead. Well...funny thing. About 3 mins later, those boys were being escorted to the back of the line, by a CM. The boys were grumbling, under their breath as they passed by us, that saying that had worked earlier! Thank heavens someone up ahead had said something.

Or how about the time when we were visiting the Tower of London...in one of the more crowded bldgs. We came across two young children, unsupervised, playing on a window ledge/seat type thing. They were banging on the antique window, jumping up and down and just misbehaving. The line was moving slowly so we got to witness a lot of their bad behaviour. Adults were actually trying to reprimand the kids but the kids said, and I quote..'We don't have to listen to you!'
So, when we were exiting the bldg, some of us mentioned that there were a couple of unsupervised young children back in the blg and they were acting badly. Well..it seems that the parents hadn't wanted to go into that bldg so they waited outside for the kids but got nervous when an hour passed and they hadn't seen the kids!! They were mortified to find that complete strangers had reported their misbehaving children.
Again....bad behaviour but people weren't having any of it. Not the 'Tower of London' police, just concerned people.

I have a hard time understanding those that say just let it go. It isn't your business, that you aren't the WDW police, that Disney will take care of it. I have no problem with someone reporting abuse to a CM. And I would expect that CM to act on it.

 

[ShannonMB]

I'm sure the CM who let the guy pass probably realized he slacked a little by letting this through, but then it was a little too late to really do anything about it after the fact without creating a ruckus. I agree with someone else who posted that the CM probably looked a little closer at the FPs for the rest of the day, and would be on the lookout for that guy.

I tend to not worry too much about what other people are doing. When I go in to a ride with a valid FP, I am care-free and easy because I don't have to worry about anyone "busting me" for doing something wrong. It's a great feeling. The people who cheat in such ways have to worry (of course, this is if they have any conscience) the whole time about whether their scheme will work this time. That does not sound like a fun way to spend the day, even if they wait in fewer lines. I do feel sorry for his little girl, though, through no fault of her own, she, too is spending the day worrying about getting "busted" instead of just riding rides like normal people.

 

[LorilieMarie]

Ohh. Why can't ppl mind there own business?!? I thought tattle tales stayed in elementary school. I can't imagine something like this getting me that upset!

You must be a dishonest thief too! It is our business when people steal our place in line. When a lot of people do that, it makes the line a lot longer, not fair for the honest people who play by the rules.

 

[NOLA_Tink]

I can deal with him not paying attention. It's not ideal, but I would at least understand. To not do anything when it presented to him is a slap in the face.

I wonder if he let them in simply b/c he thought that the first CM had granted permission by looking at their tickets. It was for a different year, but I've seen CMs allow people in with fastpasses that were obviously from a different trip.

 

[Withacy]

I'm sorry this happened to you, and I hate when I see this kind of thing happening. I hate cheaters on principle.

But there are two possibilities on the "other side" you should keep in mind - not necessarily in this situation, but in general, before we start a cruisade against "cheaters".

The first is that sometimes there's only so much a CM can do. They probably have rules with how far they can go. Sometimes a confrontation can turn into an altercation - and as much as your child seeing a cheater "get away with it" upsets you, a lot of people's children seeing a CM get punched & someone hauled away by the police would probably be more disturbing. And I'll bet it has happened.

The second thing people should keep in mind is that sometimes it's possible to be WRONG. Check out how many times people comment that someone has been rude to them for going to the left side of the check-out person at a QS when noone was there and several people were waiting on the other side. Someone's ignorance turned into rudeness.

And then there was the time, many trips ago, when my friend and I got in line for Star Tours, walking past a group of about 7 or 8 people who were standing at the entrance discussing whether or not they wanted to wait in the line. They followed us in, and then several of them started loudly complaining about people who cut in line. It was embarrassing - but rather than argue the point, we asked if they wanted to go ahead of us. They did - the whole big group ahead of the two of us. And then they CONTINUED to complain about us all the way through the line, and how "some selfish people" ruin things for everyone else.

At some point, just let it go.

Then again, in the real world, I'm a federal regulator who sees people cheating all of us out of millions, tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of dollars, and agencies we regulate making decisions that cost people (too often children) their lives. So I'm only going to get so upset about something so small. Ultimately, yes - it may be the same mindset that makes him think he's above the rules. But I doubt you're going to shame him into complying with the rules. Some people don't have any shame. Believe me, I know.