BEWARE UNIVERSAL IF YOU OWN YOUR OWN ECV

[Bob S]

just wanted to give all ecv owners a heads up. we stayed at the hard rock at the end of april. we were in islands of adventure when my wife's ecv broke. i tried to get someone to help us get back to the hotel as i dragged the ecv thru the park but nobody would help. at the time i was unaware of the safety feature that locks the wheels if you are pushing it too quickly in neutral. talked to a manager who sent me to guest services, who sent me to the rental place near the exit. nobody would help. i asked for cart to load the scooter on so i could push it back myself but was refused. turns out they have a corporate policy that says they will not touch a personal ecv or push someone in a wheel chair. i offered to sign a waiver but their policy has no provision for that. when we reached citywalk finally some employees from margaritaville helped us get the ecv to the boat. they were also shocked that nobody in the park would help us. needless to say my wife's condition was extremely aggravated by hobbling all the way back to the hotel which put a damper on the rest of our vacation. i still find it shocking that they would abandon a disabled person in distress and do absolutely nothing.

 

[01spirit750]

I can understand how frustrating this can be, but I also understand the policy. I wonder if Disney has the same policy? I do know that Disney employees are not allowed to offer assistance when transferring from a wheel chair to a ride.

I see offering to sign a waiver but you also have to consider the Universal employee, what if they got hurt, did universal provide proper training?
You must look at this thru the eyes of a lawyer.

Hopefully you were able to enjoy the rest of your vacation.

 

[powellrj]

Mine broke at Epcot and my husband had to carry it to the car. I had to sit on a bench while he brought my wheelchair back to me. It was quite the ordeal and not one wdw employee offered any type of help. It is what it is and you just deal with it. I don't walk at all due to a back injury, and I have learned you can't always count on the kindness of strangers. You always need to carry the number of a repair company with you so you can call for help. We found that mine could't be repaired and had to buy a new used one.

 

[larissawbb]

I'm sorry you had that experience. It's really not that surprising of a policy. Unfortunately, there are so many litigious people out there, they have to protect their employees.

 

[DisneyOma]

just wanted to give all ecv owners a heads up. we stayed at the hard rock at the end of april. we were in islands of adventure when my wife's ecv broke. i tried to get someone to help us get back to the hotel as i dragged the ecv thru the park but nobody would help. at the time i was unaware of the safety feature that locks the wheels if you are pushing it too quickly in neutral. talked to a manager who sent me to guest services, who sent me to the rental place near the exit. nobody would help. i asked for cart to load the scooter on so i could push it back myself but was refused. turns out they have a corporate policy that says they will not touch a personal ecv or push someone in a wheel chair. i offered to sign a waiver but their policy has no provision for that. when we reached citywalk finally some employees from margaritaville helped us get the ecv to the boat. they were also shocked that nobody in the park would help us. needless to say my wife's condition was extremely aggravated by hobbling all the way back to the hotel which put a damper on the rest of our vacation. i still find it shocking that they would abandon a disabled person in distress and do absolutely nothing.

They did not "abandon a disabled person" - they did not offer assistance for a broken ECV, per their written policy. Did you request medical assistance/wheelchair?

Perhaps it would have been easier on your wife if you had left the broken ECV where it was, or gotten it off to the side, gotten her a wheelchair and brought her to the resort, then dealt with the broken ECV after she was comfortably settled? It sounds like it was a very stressful situation for you both, so perhaps neither of you were thinking logically, but there was no need for her to hobble anywhere. I hope your trip got better!

 

[Bob S]

Disneyoma, I did ask for assistance to get my wife back to the resort but was told there was nothing they could do. i thought a lift in a golf cart/club car would not be a big deal, or even calling for one of the bike taxi's from the hard rock. and you are correct, leaving the ecv behind did not cross my mind at the time. im sure the people wanted to help but were bound by that policy. a simple waiver of responsibility would be an easy solution from a legal standpoint

 

[I Love Pluto]

If my car - in the parking lot - does not start.....Disney is not responsible for it. Why should they be responsible for my ECV? If you brought it into the park - it is your responsibility to remove it. Sorry - I just do not see any lack of responsibility on Disney's part.

 

[Bob S]

in my case I was asking for assistance to get the person in the ecv back to the hotel

 

[LilyWDW]

I would have never expected them to help beyond letting me know where I could get a wheelchair and maybe where I could safely park the ECV until I could get back to deal with it.

 

[DisneyOma]

Disneyoma, I did ask for assistance to get my wife back to the resort but was told there was nothing they could do. i thought a lift in a golf cart/club car would not be a big deal, or even calling for one of the bike taxi's from the hard rock. and you are correct, leaving the ecv behind did not cross my mind at the time. im sure the people wanted to help but were bound by that policy. a simple waiver of responsibility would be an easy solution from a legal standpoint

They should have suggested you get a wheelchair. Getting a golf cart/bike taxi would be a bit much, (especially if it was in an area not frequented by them) but they could have at least pointed you in the direction of a wheelchair rental.

They may not have been legally allowed to offer a waiver of responsibility, which might have also been part of the no golf cart/bike taxi issue.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

they have a corporate policy that says they will not touch a personal ecv or push someone in a wheel chair.

1) Too much liability.
2) You could easily claim THEY broke it.
3) That is why no Liability Release.
4) Better to rent from off-site, where they have the responsibilities.

 

[powellrj]

in my case I was asking for assistance to get the person in the ecv back to the hotel

Why would you expect them to offer assistance to get her back to the hotel. That is where personal responsibility comes in and you go and get a wheelchair. When it happened to me it never entered my mind that anyone but me or my husband would get us back. In your case, you should have asked to rent a wheelchair to get her to the hotel instead of wanting them to let you use a golf cart.

Sorry, I don't think you are going to get the sympathy you thought you would.

 

[chelynnah]

I think what's happened is that in his concern and stress the OP didn't think about parking the ECV or renting a chair. It was the stressed panicked focus of 'must get them back to the room'. Where an employee could have shone here would have been in helping to calm him down and refocus, helping to get him a wheelchair, or help to get his wife settled on a bench while he went to rent a wheelchair, and then shown him where he could leave the ECV until he could come back for it.

Unfortunately they cannot take responsibility for the ECV or a person, but compassion and a level head that can help with a solution goes a long way, as opposed to a shrug and a 'sorry we can't do that'. Okay, you can't do that, but what can you do to help someone in distress?

 

[chelynnah]

I can understand how frustrating this can be, but I also understand the policy. I wonder if Disney has the same policy? I do know that Disney employees are not allowed to offer assistance when transferring from a wheel chair to a ride.

I see offering to sign a waiver but you also have to consider the Universal employee, what if they got hurt, did universal provide proper training?
You must look at this thru the eyes of a lawyer.

Hopefully you were able to enjoy the rest of your vacation.

I believe Disney does have the same policy, but it clearly states in their ECV section that a couple of their approved ECV vendors will help and fix personal ECVs (one of which is Buena Vista Scooters I believe). This info could be helpful in future for anyone taking their own and having issues.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

the small park I work for would not be able take you on one of the golf carts in fact when park is open only first aid carts allowed in the park. also would not be allowed to help with ECV either

 

[Bob S]

not looking for sympathy, just giving people who might not know a heads up in case it happens to them.

 

[Kindermouse]

It's actually very helpful to just give people a heads up, a little something to keep in mind so that if they encounter the same issue they know what theyre in for and they can brainstorm a fix for such a situation before it happens since it's hard to think up solutions when you're stressed and in the thick of it.

Another thing, and this is just my 2 cents, having employees who take a minute to express that they care about your problem and are willing to help you problem solve even if they can't offer you the easiest solution makes a difference. Just a small gesture like saying "I'm so sorry we aren't allowed to do that because of liability but why don't we make our way over to a bench where we can think up another way to help make this situation at least a little easier. I am so sorry you are having to deal with this today but I'm sure we can think up way to get your vacation back on track". I have found I often find cast members in Disneyland who are trained to do atleast this much and it is a comfort in stressful situation. I did find that while we were in universal Hollywood that their employees seemed to have far less sensitivity training/customer service skills. A lot of them seemed to be teens who didn't really want to do more than chat with each other but maybe I caught them on an off day.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I have found I often find cast members in Disneyland who are trained to do atleast this much and it is a comfort in stressful situation

1) You do not hear the cautions issued by WDW managers to CM's during Team Meetings.
2) Since WDW is such a target for lawsuits, we always have to be on-guard for future litigation.
3) Too many people looking for a fast buck from Disney, Universal, or SeaWorld.