Another rude castmember thread

[pepe of ohio]

These kinds of comments always confuse me. Yes, training is fewer days than it was back in the first days of WDW, but the training process has been the same for at least a decade. If this is truly the first time in all your trips that you've had a rude CM, then it can't really be blamed on training, since training hasn't significantly changed in the past ten years.

But more than that ... I don't understand why it's so hard to believe that a Disney CM might just be the wrong person in the wrong job. There are a lot (a LOT) of people who take a job at WDW thinking it's going to be pixie dust and smiles all day. They think going to work will be the same as visiting as a guest. They come into Casting and say, "I'll do any job you have -- I just want to work at Disney World!"

So ... Disney puts them into whichever job they most need to fill -- usually Foods, Custodial or Turnstiles. And then that person discovers that working at Disney is just that -- WORK. Some people are not suited to it. They could get three weeks of training from Walt himself and STILL end up unhappy in their job and rude to guests.

Truer words could have not been said.... As they say, you can't teach stupid and once an ****** always one...

Our daughter did the CP a few years ago, loved the job, loved helping people... Perfect fit to work at WDW... Got her degree at home at OSU, returned to Disney but sadly left after a year... Pay scale at WDW is awful...but you know going in what the pay is and your job... It's about the bennies... If you can't hack it, go flip burgers at McDonalds !!

 

[Granny square]

I also don't believe what generic you paid for the vacation allows you to be rude/abusive to the cast members. The stories are sad...

Liz

No. There isn't any excuse for rudeness. I saw that far more than rude cms.

 

[darnheather]

I also don't believe what generic you paid for the vacation allows you to be rude/abusive to the cast members. The stories are sad...

Liz

Wow how has anyone in this thread been rude to a cm?

When we went to Disney Paris EVERYONE was rude to my standards anyway. I figured hey it's just France . The park had a more run down feeling though too which made me sad as I remember MK from the 80's being SO clean and shiny with nothing out of place, chipped paint, etc. But again I chalked it up to that park. However, when we go this time if we find regular rudeness from the CM's, dirty bathrooms, and a run down park, then we certainly won't be back.

Japan was an entirely different experience. It was truly magical. The CM's were fun and fussed over my girls. Jack Sparrow talked and signed autographs with us for at least five minutes. CM's asked to have their photos taken with us. That's the kind of thing I expect from a Disney vacation. I'm paying more in ever category and expect more.

 

[Traveliz]

Wow how has anyone in this thread been rude to a cm?

When we went to Disney Paris EVERYONE was rude to my standards anyway. I figured hey it's just France . The park had a more run down feeling though too which made me sad as I remember MK from the 80's being SO clean and shiny with nothing out of place, chipped paint, etc. But again I chalked it up to that park. However, when we go this time if we find regular rudeness from the CM's, dirty bathrooms, and a run down park, then we certainly won't be back.

Japan was an entirely different experience. It was truly magical. The CM's were fun and fussed over my girls. Jack Sparrow talked and signed autographs with us for at least five minutes. CM's asked to have their photos taken with us. That's the kind of thing I expect from a Disney vacation. I'm paying more in ever category and expect more.

Again I was using the generic you not referencing anyone in this thread. Lol I don't believe I have ever read a thread where someone admitted being rude to the CMs.

Loz

 

[BrittneyMarie]

Sorry but I don't think what you get paid entitles you to be rude to anyone. They are in the customer service business. That means keeping the customer happy and having a bad day once you get home.

Leaving your issues at home is all well and good in theory, but in reality you have no idea what their issues are. Who knows how that guy's day was going. I worked in customer service for years, and remember an instance where I mentioned to a fellow employee that I noticed he was being a bit short with people. Turns out his daughter's cat had run out in front of his car that morning and he was thinking all day about what he was going to say when he picked her up from school Not saying that he was necessarily having that kind of day. but I'm guessing if he was a grump regularly, he probably wouldn't be working there

 

[juliebug1997]

Going out there on a limb...feel free to cut it off...but I am really tired of threads like this! Not everyone is going to have a magical day...we are all entitled to bad days. I can't even imagine the stress of a CM job every day dealing with people who demand the things they do. I have overhead some crazy things and seen people treat CMs really rudely and downright TERRIBLE!
Next time a CM is what you consider rude and crude, maybe you could do something magical for them, like smile and say thank you or tell them that you hope they have a better day!

I also don't believe what generic you paid for the vacation allows you to be rude/abusive to the cast members. The stories are sad...

Liz

There have been a few times that I have been less than my cheerful self at WDW and we don't even have kids. I have said some cross things to my husband and, thankfully, he is very good at just humoring me and letting me rant a little and we cool off and then I'm fine. I don't expect cheerful, jovial 24/7 and every one has a bad day every now and then. I used to let someone else's bad day affect me and I decided that it just wasn't worth it any more.

PS: out of all of our trips to WDW, I have always had to scan my finger to use my ticket/AP. Always, even two days before Christmas.

 

[Kristine316]

Stuff like this is on Disney. Let's face it CM's are human and will have bad days but, in truth there is no excuse for Disney not doing everything possible to minimize the triggers that lead to rude CM encounters.

Which means... hire more CM's to take some of the pressure and stress off of them... the more people working, the less stress each employee will feel.

Give CM's more breaks. Being out in the Florida high heat and humidity is taxing and brutal enough even on vacation let alone having to work under those conditions as well.



Start a no tolerance policy on Disney rules. Follow through with them... do not allow guests to be out right rude or line cut or anything else. A CM could feel extremely stressed if they are dealing with a rude guest who is rule breaking and in turn it could lead to them feeling quick tempered and angry with many guests they encounter. Disney could stop a lot of the rude behavior by guests by having a "No tolerance" policy. Just like at a theater if you get caught with your cell phone during the movie you are pretty much thrown out... Disney needs to do the same. This would make everyone happier, it would make the CM's job less stressful and it would make rule following, polite guests feel better as well.

Have a no tolerance policy with rude CM's. Call me a cold hearted witch but, if a CM has more than one complaint they need to be fired.. period. As much as I see both sides to this and know how tough a CM's job can be (I work in customer service) I still don't think it should be allowed. One bad incident, you get another chance.. more than one and that CM should be gone.

Disney keeps raising prices and they expect the public to shell out several thousand dollars for a week vacation. With premium prices, comes premium expectations.. and if Disney doesn't meet those expectations they do NOT deserve excuses or a pass.
I understand it is a business and Disney wouldn't do my suggestions because of the cost involved. Disney is just like every other business then.. isn't it, just another company trying to make as much money as possible. Nothing wrong with that but, it does sort of minimize the idea that Disney can do no wrong then.



I have sympathy for the OP becase I had one rather rude experience with a CM and know without a doubt we did ZERO to provoke it. We were pleasant and we were polite and he just seemed to be ticked off about something and we just entered his orbit at the wrong time.

Disney is a great vacation destination and we all love it or else we wouldn't be on this forum.. however, they could always improve and up their game to make things even better. The guests have a right to demand excellence.

 

[glaserjm]

I know others have pointed it out, but the reason these threads are plentiful is because it ends up being such a rare thing to encounter a CM that is rude or unhelpful that it becames an event in and of itself for some guests.

Walt Disney World is the largest single-site employer in the US with more than 66,000 employees. The idea that it is possible for 66,000 humans to all be upbeat, outgoing and perky all of the time is not achievable. You cannot train a human being to be all of those things all of the time regardless of any other circumstances around them.

CMs who exhibit that type of rude or unhelpful behavior as a pattern should be dealt with, however this type of interaction should always be taken with a grain of salt. You have no idea what the last guest that CM dealt with said to them, whether or not they were in a fender bender on the way to work, if their family member is sick, if they just had a large expense come up that they can't handle, etc.

The CMs are humans, the animatronics are only part of the attractions.

 

[Granny square]

I think they make news is because a cm experience can cause a huge disruption. My earlier mentioned problems from last trip took hours from our trip. And they were unhappy not just wasted hours.

 

[darnheather]

Stuff like this is on Disney. Let's face it CM's are human and will have bad days but, in truth there is no excuse for Disney not doing everything possible to minimize the triggers that lead to rude CM encounters.

Which means... hire more CM's to take some of the pressure and stress off of them... the more people working, the less stress each employee will feel.

Give CM's more breaks. Being out in the Florida high heat and humidity is taxing and brutal enough even on vacation let alone having to work under those conditions as well.



Start a no tolerance policy on Disney rules. Follow through with them... do not allow guests to be out right rude or line cut or anything else. A CM could feel extremely stressed if they are dealing with a rude guest who is rule breaking and in turn it could lead to them feeling quick tempered and angry with many guests they encounter. Disney could stop a lot of the rude behavior by guests by having a "No tolerance" policy. Just like at a theater if you get caught with your cell phone during the movie you are pretty much thrown out... Disney needs to do the same. This would make everyone happier, it would make the CM's job less stressful and it would make rule following, polite guests feel better as well.

Have a no tolerance policy with rude CM's. Call me a cold hearted witch but, if a CM has more than one complaint they need to be fired.. period. As much as I see both sides to this and know how tough a CM's job can be (I work in customer service) I still don't think it should be allowed. One bad incident, you get another chance.. more than one and that CM should be gone.

Disney keeps raising prices and they expect the public to shell out several thousand dollars for a week vacation. With premium prices, comes premium expectations.. and if Disney doesn't meet those expectations they do NOT deserve excuses or a pass.
I understand it is a business and Disney wouldn't do my suggestions because of the cost involved. Disney is just like every other business then.. isn't it, just another company trying to make as much money as possible. Nothing wrong with that but, it does sort of minimize the idea that Disney can do no wrong then.



I have sympathy for the OP becase I had one rather rude experience with a CM and know without a doubt we did ZERO to provoke it. We were pleasant and we were polite and he just seemed to be ticked off about something and we just entered his orbit at the wrong time.

Disney is a great vacation destination and we all love it or else we wouldn't be on this forum.. however, they could always improve and up their game to make things even better. The guests have a right to demand excellence.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I understand the CM's are human beings and I really feel for them that they have to deal with rudeness etc. If your cat gets run over that morning there should be tolerance for coming in late or not coming in at all that day. CM's should get more breaks, ongoing training and fun days, and more support from additional CM's and the company.

ETA: For those of you that are tired of threads like this, don't read them, don't comment on them.

 

[DisneyDiva8401]

I think in all my trips to disney I have very rarely encountered a rude cm, so when it does happen, you tend to remember it. The one that sticks out in my mind was a bus driver at fort wilderness. There are several buses that run within the fort and we were trying to get from 2000 loop to the meadow, which required switching buses once. We asked before we got on how we needed to go about getting there, did we need purple, orange, or yellow? She was so very rude and persnickety. Acted like we were idiots for not knowing. The final driver we ended up with, however was so much friendlier that it totally made up for the hatefulness of the other.

 

[maxiesmom]

Have a no tolerance policy with rude CM's. Call me a cold hearted witch but, if a CM has more than one complaint they need to be fired.. period. As much as I see both sides to this and know how tough a CM's job can be (I work in customer service) I still don't think it should be allowed. One bad incident, you get another chance.. more than one and that CM should be gone.

If Disney is a good employer, that will never happen. For one thing, it costs a lot to continually hire and train new people. Second, those new people will need tons of training, and will not be able to provide guests with a great experience based on their knowledge of WDW. You will have a lesser experience if the parks are constantly full of new CMs.

Good business train and coach. They don't fire at the drop of a hat. Especially companies that deal with the public, where some customers treat the employees poorly, and complain if they don't bend over and ask for more abuse.

 

[disnut8]

Sorry, but NO to everything. WDW would never have become more than an amusement park if their customer focus was as low as your expectations.

My expectations are not "low" when it comes to Disney World. I've been going there since 1977 and have well over 60 trips under my belt. Yes, I expect the quality of customer service to be higher than Six Flags but if I encounter one or two Cast Members who aren't have the best of days, I brush it off.

My point was why bother to post stuff like this when everything worked out in the end? If the niece wasn't allowed to get into the Magic Kingdom, then it would be a complaint. If the chair wasn't returned, it would be a complaint. But to say it was an "attitude", and that's a highly subjective thing, is just starting a gripe fest.

 

[1000HappyWishes]

But yet for every CM that is a little offputting, there are always 5 or 6 more CM's who go above and beyond to make your vacation better, to smile a little brighter, and to make sure you have a truly magical time.

And aren't those CM's part of the reason it's all worth it?

 

[polyfor4]

I'm glad to see this thread so maybe Disney will take note during training exercises. We love DW and will continue to go back but CM attitudes need a check! We've been going for 11 years now and our past two trips we have encountered shocking CM behavior- yelling at guests to move, rolling eyes, no smiles, talking trash about guests and their job while in front of guests. I hold Disney to a higher standard but the attitudes I'm talking about are not acceptable for customer service anywhere. I wish I had complained about a CM at boutiki because she did not deserve to be in front of guests. She yelled at my mother for politely asking if there were any additional sizes in the back and she rolled her eyes at me when I asked to see a watch in the showcase. I applaud the CM who makes the Disney difference despite the differences in culture, the horrible attitudes, and the Florida heat- they truly have the understanding of customers that many executives don't. However, I along with many Disney friends have noticed CM service slipping. Disney's reputation relies so heavily on customer service that this is not a incident to ignore. I also feel like another promotion like Year of a Million Dreams would help to re-inspire CM's that they alone can create magic.

 

[Luvchefmic]

I'm glad to see this thread so maybe Disney will take note during training exercises. We love DW and will continue to go back but CM attitudes need a check! We've been going for 11 years now and our past two trips we have encountered shocking CM behavior- yelling at guests to move, rolling eyes, no smiles, talking trash about guests and their job while in front of guests. I hold Disney to a higher standard but the attitudes I'm talking about are not acceptable for customer service anywhere. I wish I had complained about a CM at boutiki because she did not deserve to be in front of guests. She yelled at my mother for politely asking if there were any additional sizes in the back and she rolled her eyes at me when I asked to see a watch in the showcase. I applaud the CM who makes the Disney difference despite the differences in culture, the horrible attitudes, and the Florida heat- they truly have the understanding of customers that many executives don't. However, I along with many Disney friends have noticed CM service slipping. Disney's reputation relies so heavily on customer service that this is not a incident to ignore. I also feel like another promotion like Year of a Million Dreams would help to re-inspire CM's that they alone can create magic.

I highly doubt the Disney Co is going to take note of anything on the Dis boards and if they did it would not influence how they train I quoted your post primarily for this reason, your mother gets yelled at and you did what ? If that happened to me I would have loudly demanded a manager on the spot Don't give me any freebies have the rude person apologize to my mother right then and there and just as loudly
wishing you had done something in hindsight and then just putting it here won't solve anything Point being though I wouldn't let anyone talk to me or especially my family like that ..I don't care where we are

 

[MissionMouse]

Your visit to Disney World is like a show-performance and this is why Disney's employees are called Cast Members. Its traces back to the legacy of Walt. Your entire visit/stay at WDW is a show. Now think of a show at a theatre where a cast member on stage acted inappropriately or rudely to the audience. It wouldn't be a good show. If you paid the cast more money you would most likely hire a higher level/caliber of employee with a few exceptions. If there is a generational shift of values regarding work, work ethic and interaction and servicing of guest/customers people will voice their complaints. We have some generations in the early years of their careers are well documented at having issues in being critiqued, along with some other characteristics. Some mention training, but this is often a scape goat for shortfalls and "quick-fix" solutions, but as we move forward we will see more and more what a younger generation brings forward when dealing with work challenges, stress and servicing customers. Their a challenge for employers. No one brings more to the table by just giving them more money. They either have it or they don't...and one bad cast member on stage has its impact.

 

[larryz]

In my opinion, we build Disney visits up to be almost 'other worldly' absent of all the stresses of work, the toils of homelife, snakes, snails and puppy dog tails (well, maybe not the snakes...according to a few posters...few is one too many IMO but that's another thread called "Why Snakes Don't Belong in the Magical Place")

Cast Members are just regular people, walking around with a sore foot, realizing they forgot to pay the Comcast bill, feeling a little light-headed from the heat, upset because the cat has thrown up but they don't have a day off till Saturday for a vet visit, or just feeling a little pissy cause they're on their period.

This is all just real stuff. Should they feel all happy and joyous because they're in WDW for heaven's sake and don't they realize this is the HAPPY PLACE? I guess it'd be great if they did (for their sake too) but folks are folks and life happens.

So what I'm hearing here is, "They're just employees, no longer 'cast members' on stage."

I guess that's what happens when the MBAs take over from the Imagineers.

I guess most of us DISers have higher expectations, because we remember when Traditions was longer, and CMs actually believed in SHOW... (or seemed to, anyway).

 

[Timmy Boy]

Honestly, the Cast will treat you with respect if you show it to them. If you come to them calmly explaining the situation, saying you know you messed up, but asking if someone could help you out, sure you'll get help. If you come up yelling, slamming tickets or wallets down, rolling eyes and talking the cm's name and threatens to fire them because they are doing their job, then no you won't be helped. Most of the time, their decision is already made based on how they are talked to.

 

[larryz]

Walt Disney World is the largest single-site employer in the US with more than 66,000 employees. The idea that it is possible for 66,000 humans to all be upbeat, outgoing and perky all of the time is not achievable. You cannot train a human being to be all of those things all of the time regardless of any other circumstances around them.

Does that figure include contractors?