Abusive Disney Guests...When To Interfere?

[Doug123]

Offering a bit of support for the CM is a good idea.

JenBlaze: Four hours because he calls his wife? Wow. Good thing his time is more important than anyone else's time. When a doctor has no respect for his patients, that's a good sign to switch doctors...no matter how good he is at his specialty.

 

[RUDisney]

Originally posted by JenBlaze
One day the wait was 4 hours. I could understand the frustration and anger of the people having to wait, but not their reponses. Every 15 minutes, I got screamed at, cursed at, called names, and insulted in every way possible, when their wait time was in no way my fault. I got called names that SAILORS don't use. The worst part was that per that doctor, I couldn't do anything in my defense.

Maybe you can answer this for me. If the doctor is running so far behind, why can't the receptionist make a courtesy call to the patients to say, "dr had an emergency today. He is running behind. Instead of coming in at 1:15, can you come in at 5:15? There is no way I have 4 hours to give to a person who I am paying. I just expect more courtesy from the doctor's office and from the doctor. I think alot of doctors forget that they are in a service industry. If your dr stayed on track, maybe he could get home to actually talk to his wife in person instead of via the phone.

 

[gshoemate]

I've seen alot of rude people at WDW but try not to interfere unless it involves me directly. I've had a few instances at Disney where I have really wanted to just hit the person. We were at Beauty and the Beast and this family behind us were letting there kids just run wild. The little girl kept hitting my DH on the back and pounding on those nice metal seats. My DH has arthritis and anything touching his shoulders, hurts. Well I didn't realize that he had already turned around and gave the little girl a few looks, hoping she would get the hint and stop. So when the little girl hit me I turned around and her mother went nuts. Telling me the little girl was not harming anyone and she was just a baby (she was like 3 or 4) and it finally turned into a little yelling match with me telling her she should control her baby and not let her hit other people. The lady actually wanted me to step outside. Sorry, but i'm not losing my AP's over some silly lady that can't control her children, and she was like double my size Then I had some guy in line for FoLK hit me with his backpack, it was like the 3rd time he hit me and it was so hard I lost my balance. So then a few minutes later he whispers in my ear "you know a few minutes ago when you pushed me, you almost made me drop my baby", thats when I went off. Don't blame me for something I didn't do, he was the one that wasn't paying attention where his huge backpack was. Lets just say waiting in line for FoLk was a little uncomfortable.

It goes along the same lines as road rage. There are so many people out there that can't control their anger and when things don't go their way, they just blow.

 

[CheshireVal]

a little yelling match with me telling her she should control her baby and not let her hit other people.

Oooooh that's one of my biggest pet peeves at Disney! I cannot STAND when little kids start touching me or poking me or hitting me while their parents do NOTHING about it. Usually they even think it's cute.

If I wanted to be poked and prodded by kids I'd go ahead and have one of my own-- don't need someone else's!

 

[JenBlaze]

Originally posted by RUDisney
Maybe you can answer this for me. If the doctor is running so far behind, why can't the receptionist make a courtesy call to the patients to say, "dr had an emergency today. He is running behind. Instead of coming in at 1:15, can you come in at 5:15? There is no way I have 4 hours to give to a person who I am paying. I just expect more courtesy from the doctor's office and from the doctor. I think alot of doctors forget that they are in a service industry. If your dr stayed on track, maybe he could get home to actually talk to his wife in person instead of via the phone.

I would have - but that particular doctor forbade it.

And unfortunately, his patients are kinda stuck - his is a somewhat rare specialty, and the only other docs in our city are total screw-ups. (And in that field, "screw up" means the patient goes blind.)

Sorry for the OT.

 

[DocRafiki]

I will always say something when a guest is abusing a CM. They can't say anything, and I can tell you from experience that they appreciate the support of the sane guests.

I'm a bit disappointed in all the people who say that they will ignore it; that it's none of their business. This attitude (and even moreso the attitude of businesses who give these people freebies for being horses' patooties) are the reason why people continue to act this way. We regulate behavior in our society by our response to it. People don't dare do some things for fear of what other people will do in response. If these jerks were outnumbered by people who would make them feel like the idiots they are, they would stop.

I would love to tell the story about the piece of work who made me cry as a CM (later on, after the rage subsided), but just thinking about it infuriates me all these years later. I wasn't the typical CM who just stood there and took it. I had my say, but I still wish someone with no restrictions would have helped out (and someone who wasn't about 150 pounds lighter than this guy, like I was).

Kudos to the wife who told off the man at the Disney Store. When the whole store applauded, only a complete moron would not be embarrassed into changing their behavior. That man will think twice before he does that again.



As for arguing between guests in the same group, I am guilty. One of my exes and I got into a fight EVERY time we went to WDW. I know; I should have ended it the first time. Well, the third one was the ultimate break-up fight. It was embarrassing, but sometimes you just have to get out of a situation. I did wind up yelling at him to give me my keys so I could go home.

Someone said that if you're that unhappy at WDW, you need help. Well I don't know about that, but you do at least need to rethink who you choose as your travel-mates.

 

[DocRafiki]

Originally posted by mudnuri
A CM has the authority to do whatever they want/can. They can ALWAYS get a manager, who is more formally trained to deal with idiots

Well that's simply not true. Not only will you get fired for participating in a "scene," but in many jobs you are frozen in position until you are "bumped." You are nowhere in the vicinity of another CM and have no way to call a manager. You're only allowed to leave your position in an emergency, and I mean emergency like you would see it on the news emergency. All positions are different, but those were the rules where I worked in ToonTown, where I was confronted and alone with a 250# 60-year-old man yelling at me about 2 inches from my face (yes, feeling the spit on my lips!). And security did nothing. There were THREE security officers working in the entire park at that moment. I had to stand there and take it until he either decided to leave or I got bumped by another CM. Neither my manager nor security ever talked to this man. No way should that man have been allowed to have stayed in the park. What was it about? He wanted to enter through the "EXIT ONLY."


RickinNYC -- STANDING OVATION!!!

 

[Banshee]

Originally posted by RickinNYC
I'm afraid that I'm one of those folks who will always stick up for myself, my loved ones and my friends. To add to that, if I see a bully verbally haranguing anyone who is clearly not capable of holding their own, I step in. Bullies, whether in the real world, or in WDW, are absolutely, without merit, the single most disgusting group of worthless individuals I have ever had the misfortune to come across.

I wholeheartedly agree with Rick I am the same way esp. When it come's to the one's I love. Our last trip the world My DS and I were waiting on line A woman in front of us was complaining about the wait. Which what ever go ahead and complain I dont care as long as you are not vulgar. But she stepped back and spun around and in the process sent my son flying he hit the ground on his rear hard. He Immediatly had tear's welling up (which is rare for him he has a very high pain tolerance!) And she proceded to scream at him what the **** are you doing stuck up my A**!!!! I immediatly went into attack mode and told her "Maybe if you watched where you swing that thing you wouldnt be hurting small children!! And maybe you need a back up alarm like a Mack truck to warn other's when you are going to move!!" Several people laughed at that and she was really bent then! But no apology to a small child. I told her "I dont talk to my children that way and I WILL NOT have someone else esp. a complete stranger talk that way to my children. But I feel sorry for your kids because I am sure you talk this way to them!"At that she huffed and walked away throwing the old one finger salute over her shoulder at my son and I and the other people standing there!! I have a very hard time not coming to someone's or something's (meaning animal's) defence!

 

[Banshee]

Also they are the same people that drive down the shoulder to get around the traffic that you and I are sitting in! Why? Because they think they are better than everyone else!!

 

[2angelsinheaven]

Last month in MGM we were in line for RNR Coaster and it must have been like 40 out so DFiance's knees were really bothering him (cold, pressure, etc effects them), there was a group of 4 or 5 young boys around 8-10yrs old behind us. After I had been pushed, hit or bumped into four or five times I gave them a nasty look and mention out loud to DFiance that it was getting to be a bit much and how proud I was of my DBrother 7yrs old for staying still and not bumping people. DFiance told me to move infront of him so it wouldn't happen again. Well about a minute or two later he gets hit in the back by one of the boys goofing off. He ignores the first time being nice. Then it happens again and again, harder and harder they "bump" him or step on the backs of his shoes, etc. DFiance says "How rude, some people, let their children act that way, it's really hurting my knees, etc"... the mom pulls her kids aside and says for them not to hurt the poor man, in a sarcastic manner. They do it again, by now DFiance is ****ed and turns around and informs them if they don't stop he will call a CM to remove them and their parents from the line. The mom laughs and stands there as the boys back mouth to my DFiance, I pull him along trying to avoid a scene. The kids then start play crying and saying oh my knees, ouch, stop it... and laughing. HOW RUDE! It took everything in me not to turn around and ask the mom what the **** her problem was. Needless to say we vented by screaming through the whole ride but will never forget those rugrats... some people.

To top it off the next day at MK, we were sitting with Goddaughters waiting for SADCT. Girls were in their stollers up at the rope, we were sitting behind them... a lady about 5 feet from us (we were each on each side of the walkway... ) takes her cups and empties them so that the water/soda drains towards us and towards where we were sitting on the ground. (she saw us there) So now we have to stand to avoid soda all over our clothes, DFiance gets some napkins to slow the flow, she walks over and in broken English says "only water, only water, no no" and takes the napkins from him. DFiance lost it and said, leave us alone how rude, etc. She then did it again. Thankgodness though she was too close to the ropes so CM made her move, yahoo!!

 

[TIGGERSMOM]

Guess I have been lucky and never seen an incident of guest raking CM over the coals.

Would I intervene, only if I saw the whole thing from beginning.

Now how many of us would intervene if it was a CM who was abusive?

I was involved in an incident in DL last summer. If you know DL at all you know between first Spectro and second one they try to have traffice use alternate bridges. Think it was Adventureland in and Frontierland out. Well for us unitiated ther is no indication of this. So I begind to follow a group going over bridge. About halfway over a CM says "Your going the wrong way" I didn't understand as I was in a crowd of about 50 people all going same way. His response was Stupid B(*&^" Which my DS heard. He said nothing to CM, but informed me. I was just a bit furious, asked him to repeat himself to which he responded "you heard me" Now I wa s boiling - I did not swear - but inquired who he thought he was talking to me like that. A manager appeared and asked me to calm down. I told him what he said and of course in fron t of manager he denied. Now I look the angry guest who didn't want to follow rules to everyone around. The only reason I was exonerated was 2 off duty CM's had also heard him and stuck around. They told manager and the rude CM was carted off through a secret door. If it wasn't for those CM's I would have looked like a guest going off on CM for doing his job.

So unless I know all the facts or I think arguement may get physical. The most I would do is get a manager.

As far as arguements between guests, while I have witnessed rude behavior. Even said a " would you mind" ro 2 . I would never denigrate someone by implying they were uncouth, a truck or anything else. I also give people with backpacks a wide berth, it avoids arguements or getting whacked, common sense.

I deal with rude people all day. Nothing frustrates someone more than smiling at them and saying you have a very nice day.

 

[RickinNYC]

Originally posted by TIGGERSMOM
Now how many of us would intervene if it was a CM who was abusive?

Cast Member status notwithstanding, a bully is a bully so of course I would intervene.

 

[RUDisney]

Although I think it's very admirable of so many of you to want to step in and make things right, is it worth your life to break up an argument or some idiot's abuse of a CM?

In a society of drive by shootings, road rage, and random killings, why would I want to put myself into harms way because some jerk is verbally abusing someone else? Granted, the person inflicting the abuse is probably not armed in WDW, but that doesn't mean that they aren't going to throw a punch that will leave me with a black eye, or worse.

The fact is, you don't know how the other person is going to react. As long as the abuser is just using his mouth, or throwing a finger, I'm not going to step in and try to end things. I don't think the problem is the apathetic crowd around the jerk who does nothing... it's the companies who will give the loud-mouth anything that he wants that perpetuate the behavior.

 

[msdznyduck]

If some people act like this in public, (in the World, where it is supposed to be the happiest place on earth....)....I can't imagine what they act like at home. Or at the grocery store, or the gas station, etc. Some people are rude, no matter where they are, and I think it is a power thing for them.
Now children being rude, I have no patience with that. ANd the parents usually just stand there and do nothing. Really, I do not know what is wrong with some people. They are teaching their children it is okay to pick on someone weaker, or with a disability, or just someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even my children have commented on how uncontrolled some children are, running around, bumping into people, (and ignoring them). And these are the people who will wonder when they get to be teenagers, and older, why they turned out " that way" ? "We never did anything to encourage bad behaviour".-----------Sure

 

[cindysteve]

Unfortunately, God gives some of us greater challenges as a parent than others. I have a ds(9) who has a form of high functioning autism, and a dd(7) who is bipolar. They have bumped people in lines before. I try and sandwich them in between my husband and myself. But put next to each other also can cause them to bicker. It is not that they are not corrected. They are. They just appear to be undisciplined from their non-apparent disabilities. I get remarks from people sometimes. They just don't understand that my daughter can't stop, and my son is obliviously spinning. I would never have tolerated a child making fun of someone else. My kids would have been marched right out of the line. I just wanted to bring up that things are not always as they seem. Sometimes a parents best isn't good enough.

As far as people abusing a CM, I would say something in a heartbeat. NO ONE deserves to be treated that way. I would also report a CM in a good way if they did well, and explain a situation to management in their defense.

 

[2angelsinheaven]

Originally posted by cindysteve
They just appear to be undisciplined from their non-apparent disabilities.

Weren't sure if you were refering to my post or not... However This was not at all the case, all five boys, from two or three different families repeated out and out hit myself and DFiance. I have worked since 94' with children with special needs (downs, CP, ADHD, FAS, etc) and would be able to excuse the behavior if such was the case but this defiently was not and the mother was obviously finding assument in it to further my anger. A bump or a stepping on the toes a few times, ok, no problem they are kids... my godchildren do the same. But this was above and beyond.