Would you complain?

[Planogirl]

This sounds like an honest mistake made by Disney and not a big one. How would you really expect to be compensated for something like this? You got what you paid for and anything beyond that is supposed to be an extra surprise. I agree that the agent shouldn't have said anything about what was going on but just should have said "computer problems" and had it straightened out without comment.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

Disney DID mess up though - they incorrectly and FASLEY posted the numbers for the test on her reservation. And if you ask the OP, the problem WASN'T resolved AND she was upset about it - which they failed to fix, or by the sound of it, even cared about.

I think that's wrong.

No, they didn't. the cast member saw weird numbers on the reservation and made an assumption. she didn't check it out with her manager, she told the OP something that was not true and created a false expectation in the OP.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

My reading comprehension skills are pretty good. I'm not missing the point, I just don't happen to agree with it.

We all hate when checkins take too long. Just like we hate when the register at the supermarket runs out of tape. Or when our flights get delayed because of bad weather. Or when the waitress forgets that you ordered rye toast instead of white. Sometimes things happen. And all we have a right to is that the organization tries to rectify the problem in a timely manner.

But none of these require compensation, or even real sympathy. They're part of what happens when you leave the house. All you can do is be patient. But to expect an upgrade, or compensation of any sort, simply would not enter my radar. And, had my kids suggested it in the moment, they would have been pulled aside for a conversation about entitlement.

Had the OP been willing to pay for that upgrade, and had Disney had an empty room at the WL, then I'm thinking it would have been a different matter. But this is along the lines of receiving a PIN code for a date when you can't travel-- sorry, but if it doesn't apply to your trip then you miss out.

As to the "Magic": First and foremost, Disney is a business. They do what they can to ensure that their guests have a wonderful vacation. But I think the "magic" that we read about on the Disboards is grossly disporportional to what actually happens. The overwhelming majority of people visiting the Disney resorts and parks don't get upgrades or pixie dust or extra compensation. They get what they've paid for, and somehow manage to have a wonderful vacation anyway. Had the OP not been aware of the wristbands, then I imagine she would have had a much better vacation, not one where she felt she "got the shaft" by virtue of that little tidbit of knowledge.

Real vacations are not Disney World commercials. Snow White doesn't get onto the rides with you, and you're not the only family on Main Street. Likewise, you don't get bumped from Moderate to Deluxe because checkin took 25 minutes.

I think that expecting. or demanding, "magic" in being unrealistic in your expectations. You get what you pay for, and that's all you have a right to expect. If you want to stay in a Deluxe, by all means book one. Likewise, if you want to use the wristbands, book a trip for summer 2014; I imagine they'll be operational by then and the kinks will have been worked out. But I really think it's wrong to complain that you didn't get something that you didn't pay for.

 

[RedHeadedFairy]

No, they didn't. the cast member saw weird numbers on the reservation and made an assumption. she didn't check it out with her manager, she told the OP something that was not true and created a false expectation in the OP.

Actually, the OP herself suggested it first. I feel for the CM in this case honestly; I think she knew she had a volatile situation on her hands & did her best to handle it quickly & with grace.

The OP was delayed 25 whole minutes..... I've been delayed that & longer many times at WDW. Waiting on buses, waiting in a line queue & having to leave without riding due to technical problems with the ride... last time we rode TT the power went down due to bad storms & we were pushed back a full half hour while the system reset. Should everyone in line have been compensated? No. Glitches happen.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I would not say a thing. I do think the CM made a mistake even to speculate what the numbers were for. Complaints are put in a CM's file. Would you really want to put a mark against a CM who was maybe just trying to have a conversation with you while she figured out the problem?

I am going to have to ask my niece if "numbers" really are the defining characters for the new wristbands. Somehow I think she will tell me different.

I am really getting discouraged with all the me, me, me stuff going on! You said you had a great trip. Let it drop!

 

[Eddykildare]

Just got back from a really super trip to Disney World. Had so much fun and had great weather.

We did have a bit of an issue at check-in though and wanted some input.

We arrived according to plan. I had done online check-in and everything should have been in order. As we were checking in the girl got really flustered with some numbers that were on our reservation. She got our check-in packet and made a phone call. We had made our reservations correctly so there should have been no problems on our end. She kept saying "I've never seen this on a reservation before." She started half-heartedly explaining the resort map and ammenities as she was on hold on the phone. I guess she couldn't get any answers on the phone so she hung up and went to go speak to someone else.

Well me being the Disboarder I am, mentioned to her "Maybe we've been chosen to test the new wristbands!!" She shurgged and said "I don't know...all I know is I've never seen these numbers before."

She goes away for probably 10 minutes. Now we've probably been standing a total of 15 minutes. I'm getting a little excited at the prospect of the "mystery numbers". She comes back and informs us that the computer was in fact trying to give us the new wristbands but apparently Coronado Springs isn't a participating hotel. She doesn't know why it was trying to give it to us but now they have to rebook the reservation....yada yada yada.

????????

I'm really bummed and irritated right now. Not only did I feel like I won a mini lottery and had it ripped from my grasp, but now they have to take another 10 minutes to rebook my reservation, take my credit card info....the whole 9 yards.

I let my disappointment be known and she could offer me little comfort. I really felt like I got the shaft. After check-in I asked to speak to someone. I talk to a higher up I guess and she said there is basically NOTHING they can do. Bologna. I know better, but she insisted that the hotel has nothing to do with the messup. It's someone elses screw up and they have no way to compensate me. Then she tells me the only hotel participating in the wristbands is Wilderness Lodge and she has no idea why the check-in girl even told us that's what it was because that probably wasn't it.

I even asked if we could be moved to the wilderness lodge to participate in the wristband test but she said there's no way they could do that. I know it was a stretch but I was sooooooo bummmed. It was a terrible start to my trip and I just wanted to feel the magic. All I got was a sorry and sent to my room 25 minutes after I should have been. Maybe I'm being a baby but to be some of the first to test the wristbands would have been amazing.

I feel like Disney dropped the ball.

The big problem was the resorts were fully booked this week. No room left.
My friend is a CM at the Gf and they could not even give a spare bed to a Mouse.
Further so told us what the new KTTW system is capable of. Everything ever happened is now viewable for every CM. So be aware of complaining to much.

 

[SheilaHeartsDisney]

Complain because you didn't get wrist bands!?!? No way! That is a really silly thing to complain about. It's not like it was a once in a lifetime thing(staying in cinderella castle suite) that was givin then taken away. On your next trip you will get to use them.

 

[Eddykildare]

My reading comprehension skills are pretty good. I'm not missing the point, I just don't happen to agree with it.

We all hate when checkins take too long. Just like we hate when the register at the supermarket runs out of tape. Or when our flights get delayed because of bad weather. Or when the waitress forgets that you ordered rye toast instead of white. Sometimes things happen. And all we have a right to is that the organization tries to rectify the problem in a timely manner.

But none of these require compensation, or even real sympathy. They're part of what happens when you leave the house. All you can do is be patient. But to expect an upgrade, or compensation of any sort, simply would not enter my radar. And, had my kids suggested it in the moment, they would have been pulled aside for a conversation about entitlement.

Had the OP been willing to pay for that upgrade, and had Disney had an empty room at the WL, then I'm thinking it would have been a different matter. But this is along the lines of receiving a PIN code for a date when you can't travel-- sorry, but if it doesn't apply to your trip then you miss out.

As to the "Magic": First and foremost, Disney is a business. They do what they can to ensure that their guests have a wonderful vacation. But I think the "magic" that we read about on the Disboards is grossly disporportional to what actually happens. The overwhelming majority of people visiting the Disney resorts and parks don't get upgrades or pixie dust or extra compensation. They get what they've paid for, and somehow manage to have a wonderful vacation anyway. Had the OP not been aware of the wristbands, then I imagine she would have had a much better vacation, not one where she felt she "got the shaft" by virtue of that little tidbit of knowledge.

Real vacations are not Disney World commercials. Snow White doesn't get onto the rides with you, and you're not the only family on Main Street. Likewise, you don't get bumped from Moderate to Deluxe because checkin took 25 minutes.

I think that expecting. or demanding, "magic" in being unrealistic in your expectations. You get what you pay for, and that's all you have a right to expect. If you want to stay in a Deluxe, by all means book one. Likewise, if you want to use the wristbands, book a trip for summer 2014; I imagine they'll be operational by then and the kinks will have been worked out. But I really think it's wrong to complain that you didn't get something that you didn't pay for.

I fully agree. I wonder how some people mange the real world.
We were on club level. Normally you get the yellow KTTW cards. This time they were blue. So who cares?
I went to concierge desk to make a dinner reservation and was stunned by the big stink another guests was making because he did not get the "GOLD" card. For the amount he payed yada yada yada.
I smiled at the CM and told him I would be the first person that would like to try a chip in my forehead so no one had to complaint about a color.
That evening we got roses and a bottle of champaign in our room.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

I've had some bad check in experiences (not at Disney). Ever walk into "your" room and find someone else is already occupying it? That's a real problem.

What happened to the OP here wouldn't have ruffled my feathers.

 

[Eddykildare]

I've had some bad check in experiences (not at Disney). Ever walk into "your" room and find someone else is already occupying it? That's a real problem.

What happened to the OP here wouldn't have ruffled my feathers.

Depends on who that person is.

 

[phorsenuf]

Just got back from a really super trip to Disney World. Had so much fun and had great weather.

We did have a bit of an issue at check-in though and wanted some input.

We arrived according to plan. I had done online check-in and everything should have been in order. As we were checking in the girl got really flustered with some numbers that were on our reservation. She got our check-in packet and made a phone call. We had made our reservations correctly so there should have been no problems on our end. She kept saying "I've never seen this on a reservation before." She started half-heartedly explaining the resort map and ammenities as she was on hold on the phone. I guess she couldn't get any answers on the phone so she hung up and went to go speak to someone else.

Well me being the Disboarder I am, mentioned to her "Maybe we've been chosen to test the new wristbands!!" She shurgged and said "I don't know...all I know is I've never seen these numbers before."

She goes away for probably 10 minutes. Now we've probably been standing a total of 15 minutes. I'm getting a little excited at the prospect of the "mystery numbers". She comes back and informs us that the computer was in fact trying to give us the new wristbands but apparently Coronado Springs isn't a participating hotel. She doesn't know why it was trying to give it to us but now they have to rebook the reservation....yada yada yada.

????????

I'm really bummed and irritated right now. Not only did I feel like I won a mini lottery and had it ripped from my grasp, but now they have to take another 10 minutes to rebook my reservation, take my credit card info....the whole 9 yards.

I let my disappointment be known and she could offer me little comfort. I really felt like I got the shaft. After check-in I asked to speak to someone. I talk to a higher up I guess and she said there is basically NOTHING they can do. Bologna. I know better, but she insisted that the hotel has nothing to do with the messup. It's someone elses screw up and they have no way to compensate me. Then she tells me the only hotel participating in the wristbands is Wilderness Lodge and she has no idea why the check-in girl even told us that's what it was because that probably wasn't it.

I even asked if we could be moved to the wilderness lodge to participate in the wristband test but she said there's no way they could do that. I know it was a stretch but I was sooooooo bummmed. It was a terrible start to my trip and I just wanted to feel the magic. All I got was a sorry and sent to my room 25 minutes after I should have been. Maybe I'm being a baby but to be some of the first to test the wristbands would have been amazing.

I feel like Disney dropped the ball.

Maybe you guys aren't getting it. Ok. What if someone said "Oh these numbers mean you were chosen to spend a night in cinderellas castle but we aren't a participating hotel.....sorry bout that....let us just rebook your reservation."

I have a really hard time believing some of you would just say "Oh darn, that really stinks...sure I will happily spend 10 more minutes rebooking the vacation I made right the first time.....who wants to spend the night in that silly ole castle anyhoo."

The thing is that being chosen to participate was something really special to me.

I wasn't demanding I be upgraded....I asked.

I really would have taken just about anything. All I wanted was for somebody to say..."Wow that really stinks...we're so sorry....how about dinner."

Nobody cared that my usually fun and exciting check-in became a bummer. I'm pretty sure that's not what Disney wants and I would expect better from them.

It never ceases to amaze me the things people complain about, nevermind the entitlement attitude. I see it more and more these days on the boards and it just makes me shake my head.

 

[Plaid Sheep]

The big problem was the resorts were fully booked this week. No room left.
My friend is a CM at the Gf and they could not even give a spare bed to a Mouse.
Further so told us what the new KTTW system is capable of. Everything ever happened is now viewable for every CM. So be aware of complaining to much.

Ah yes, computers are wonderful aren't they? Every little thing that a CM has to do to your ticket or KTTW is logged. We could leave messages for future CM'S concerning problems that a guest had or the problem children and their attitudes. I even contacted the guests resort to alert them of those special cases.

Checking in is not supposed to be the end all be all of the trip. It's not magical, it's not fun and I want it over and done with in a speedy and correct manner.

Yes the attitude of the CM can taint the start of the trip or make it a lovely start, but the thing is people, THESE ARE HUMAN BEINGS NOT LITTLE ROBOTS. You were probably not her first guest nor her last in a very long day.

Did she out right slap you, call you names, use your credit card later for porn... NO? She probably got flustered (which is easy to do especially if she is a newbie) and misspoke. No harm, no foul. You got what you paid for.

Quite frankly, you probably would be the first in line to complain and demand compensation that the bands DIDN'T work if you were able to be part of the test group.

From past experiences with being a test subject for some new fangled idea Disney has come up with, I plan on saying "No thank you" if asked when I go this summer. I'll wait until all the bugs are out.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

Depends on who that person is.

In this particular case, it was not an attractive proposition.

 

[Kristibo42]

If that's all that happened. Yes I would say you are acting like a baby. How about checking in with 48 people and it taking over 4 hours after we were told while planning the trip check in would be no problem. Never once did we ask for anything. The kids sat and watch movies. Yes we didn't get to he parks till late that day but oh well things happen. They did give us all free refrigerators and the kids each got $50 in tokens for the game room. Maybe that was because we didn't complain. When you are nice about things that you have no control over it does get you farther.

 

[Robbi]

Computer glitches happen all the time with Disney. Have you not read the hundreds of posts complaining about their lousy system?

If you were at the grocery store and the computer gave the cashier problems, would you automatically assume that it was because you were getting filet mignon instead of ground beef?

I'm no Disney apologist. In this case, Disney nor CSR owe you anything.

 

[luvmylatte]

While it is valid to be irritated that check in did not go smoothly and yes it was an inconvenience to have to rebook on the spot (what if you didn't have a cc with you, there are some people who don't use them). Perhaps a FP would have soothed your issue and the customer srvc. Would have made you feel better. They had a room for you on the level you planned on staying in and that is what you expected. To be upgraded to deluxe over a piece of rubberized plastic is a stretch.

I hope you did not obsess over this issue during your vaca. And I hope you had an awesome time. Seriously, the Magic bracelet and the deluxe would probably not have made your vaca. a make or break time.

Comparing this to being offered Cindy's castle is also a stretch, but then again I go to Disney for the good times with family and friends and not my accommodations be it deluxe, moderate or value.

 

[vickyBaby]

And this is why I am soooo glad that I no longer work at the front desk. All day long people are expecting special treatment.

You booked a room with two double beds and you are requesting a King? Sorry I don't have it. And now you are demanding compensation because I don't have what you want and that which you didn't book?

You want a room with a certain view (which doesn't even exist) and I don't have it. So now you are demanding compensation?

You want to be upgraded to a suite but not pay for it. I am unable to give you the presidential. So now you want compensation?

You got lost getting to the hotel and you decide it is my fault. You berate me and demand free dinner and parking?

I would love to have the OP work a front desk for a week. They will run away screaming!

 

[scoutie]

It seems like a really silly thing to be upset over.

There are all kinds of things in life that I've been disappointed with. I don't expect compensation every time something doesn't go perfectly.

It's natural to be disappointed, it's not appropriate to want compensation for something like this.

If this year has taught us anything (Sandy Hook, Boston Bombings, Oklahoma Tornado) I think it should be to look at the big picture and not sweat the small stuff.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

And this is why I am soooo glad that I no longer work at the front desk. All day long people are expecting special treatment.

You booked a room with two double beds and you are requesting a King? Sorry I don't have it. And now you are demanding compensation because I don't have what you want and that which you didn't book?

You want a room with a certain view (which doesn't even exist) and I don't have it. So now you are demanding compensation?

You want to be upgraded to a suite but not pay for it. I am unable to give you the presidential. So now you want compensation?

You got lost getting to the hotel and you decide it is my fault. You berate me and demand free dinner and parking?

I would love to have the OP work a front desk for a week. They will run away screaming!

Oh my!

 

[Metsfan520]

No, I would not complain.