Bad Experience With WDW Dine Today

[CarolAnnC]

I have never been able to obtain a ressie at CRT over the years, no matter how hard I have tried. So, I usually will try for last minute cancellations. Anything can happen, and it never hurts to keep trying.

Anyway, I called WDW Dine this morning, as I have so many other times, and asked to please check a couple of dates for CRT for me. The CM who took my call was named Rene, a guy. Well, Rene promptly answered me with "CRT is booked until February 21". I nicely asked if he could please check a couple of days this coming week for me, in case anyone cancelled. Well he very rudely told me "no way". "My screen is totally BLANK"!!! he replied. I asked if they were having a problem, and he abruptly said "NO!! I TOLD YOU THEY ARE ALL BOOKED TILL FEB 21"!!!!

Well I was livid. He flat out refused to check for me. I asked for his supervisor. He kept me on hold several minutes, he came back and said hold on. I was then transferred to Guest Services where I stayed on hold another 5 minutes before hanging up.

I called back to WDW Dine where a very polite CM answered and check my dates for me right away. No rude remarks, no condescending manner, just a nice polite person who helped me out. Thank God there are not too many "Rene's" out there.

I think Rene needs to find another line of work.... Oh and btw, still no CRT for us, lol.

 

[CarolMN]

Sorry you were treated so rudely.

I'll never understand why some call center employees want to argue with the callers - it's never in the employee's best interests to do so. Even if all he or she did was say, "Sure, just a minute" and then twiddled their thumbs for a minute or so (i.e., never bothered to check at all), the customer would go away satisfied (even though they didn't get what they wanted), it would take much less time than arguing and the employee would not get a complaint. IMHO, Rene was either just plain stupid or just plain mean.

Anyway, I hope you eventually find a cancellation and get to enjoy breakfast with the Princesses. Good luck!

 

[Simba's Mom]

I've stopped calling WDW on weekends. It always seemed that I got the rudest, most incompetent CMs when I called on weekends. Yet, I get some of the nicest, most helpful CMs when I call during the week, especially in the evening. Maybe they hate working weekends!

 

[CarolynFH]

I hope that when you called back and got the pleasant CM, you also asked to speak to a supervisor and report Rene. Either he was having a very bad day, or he's definitely not in the right line of work!

 

[Crissup]

Damned Rude Cast Members!

 

[Steph5324]

I've always been lucky when calling and have only had pleasant, fun CMs. It seems like calling for PS is the start of the magic for each trip!

 

[GailT]

This has nothing to do with dining but they messed up my reservations, didn't even send it to the right name. I calle dup, asked for a supervisor, the same thing happened, I was so mad that I almost just said forget this trip, I didn't like the way I was treated. So I asked because my reservations were all messed up could I get an upgrade, he said he would call the YC, I doubt he did but it almost makes me feel like they are not trying to hhelp like they used to yrs ago

 

[Steph5324]

I posted above about how I always get great CMs and I thinked I cursed myself because about an hour after posting I called to get some resort reservation info (what rooms are available and what price, etc). The CM I got wasn't exactly rude but he certainly wasn't "magical". Kind of short with me, not very helpful. I've always called in the daytime prior to this and this was in the evening so maybe the daytime CMs are a brighter bunch!

 

[faithinkarma]

Isn't it amazing how much of a difference a CM can make in the way we feel about our trip? There was a time when your vacation experience started the day you called to make your reservation. The CM who helped you always managed to convey the Disney spirit and make you smile all over.

Now it is becoming more and more common to encounter rude, or lazy, or incompetent CMs. And right from the start your vacation experience has been diminished.

 

[QJ411]

Originally posted by faithinkarma
Isn't it amazing how much of a difference a CM can make in the way we feel about our trip? There was a time when your vacation experience started the day you called to make your reservation. The CM who helped you always managed to convey the Disney spirit and make you smile all over.

Now it is becoming more and more common to encounter rude, or lazy, or incompetent CMs. And right from the start your vacation experience has been diminished.

AMEN!!! I thought I was the only one, but I really do believe that alot of CMs are not as nice as they used to be...and its more difficult to "ENJOY" the trip planning. I wonder what happened?

 

[jaysue]

Do you think maybe Dinsey has squeezed their working conditions or pay or something in the name of enriching Eisner's pocket and if they don't play ball they will be outsourced to the lowest bidder?

thanks
jaysue

 

[tjmw2727]

I must add that I booked three lunch ps's for feb trip earlier today and had a great experience. Short hold time and courteous, efficient (my dime) and polite CM. Unfortunately I can sympathise with the op as my experiences are not always that good.

TJ

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

I've used WDW-Dine any number of times to arrange PS for special events, holiday, regular old spur of the moment dining, arrangements to dine while staying on property, off property...ect., you name it. The vast majority of CMs are helpful and competent. Having said that, I've had some horrid CMs on the other end of the line. One actually tried to tell me that I was unfamilar with the seating arrangements of the particular restaurant and that I would be seated with other people. This was definitely NOT the case in the restaurant I was booking. Sometimes it feels like you have to know more than the CM.

I would pursue reporting Rene. Not to be punitive, but truly to improve the service. Whether we like it or not, that aspect of life really is in our control. If we want things to improve then we have to take the responsibility of pointing out when and where the service/merchandise was shoddy. If we don't then we really don't have much room to complain.

 

[bicker]

Originally posted by jaysue
Do you think maybe Dinsey has squeezed their working conditions or pay or something in the name of enriching Eisner's pocket and if they don't play ball they will be outsourced to the lowest bidder?

I think it much more likely that they've tried to keep wages low so they can provide us the public with more competitive prices.

 

[jaysue]

Ah yes Bicker, the great downward spiral of lower wages continues in the generic service industry potentially leading to lower quality service

 

[bicker]

It hasn't been a big factor in recent years, because the economy sucked. Now, with the economy improving, it takes lower-and-lower quality staff to fill lower-wage jobs. Steel yourselves for the kind of dissatisfaction with customer service that was common in the late 1990s.