Brutal Customer Service at 'Fort Wilderness'

[SeanWM48]

Let me start by saying you would have to work hard to find a bigger fan of the Fort Wilderness campground than me. I'm sure I'm surrounded by a few here but I just want to make it clear that I love the place. My fiance and I treat it as our home away from home and just got back from our third trip in as many years.

I want to do a trip report because we did have an amazing week. But before that I have to share this with you and get some opinions about the best way to report it. I'll try and post a cliff notes version.

We buy Disney merch the first couple days and use them during the week. A woven throw for the couch in the cabin, some wine glasses, the big cups from T-REX, the funny looking "sink" bowl for the ice cream. I even got her a huge stuffed "Stitch" that is way too big to pack.

1. Halfway through trip, call front desk. Describe the items I have. Can I ship this stuff home through you guys? "Sure! Go to the Trading Post and they handle all that for you!"
2. That night, I'm at the Trading post for some water and say "Hey at the end of my trip I'm going to bring the stuff I'm shipping home here, right?" Again I describe the items I have. They say sure, just pay the fee plus shipping and we handle it for you. Great.
3. Last day of trip. Gather all merch we're sending home (Stitch, throw, glasses, etc). Decent amount of stuff. Bring to Trading Post.
4. Wait in line. Man behind counter sees us approach. First words out of his mouth are "you're not shipping all THAT are you?" with a deep sigh. I say yes, we got a little carried away shopping didn't we. Front desk told me to come here.
5. Man asks if we have receipts for everything. I say no not really, maybe somewhere but not everything even came with a receipt (Mickey 'sink,' T-Rex cups, etc)
6. Man asks if everything has tags. Again I say no, point out Mickey sink again, it has no tags but is obviously Disney merch. Some stuff had the tags off, like the blanket/throw.
7. Man says "well then I'm not shipping it. I'm not shipping any of this stuff without tags and receipts. How do I know where you bought it." I kid you not. I was red hot at this point. I tell him nobody told me anything about receipts and tags, all I want to do is ship this stuff to my house. I'm not asking for favors, I'm willing to pay and they told me to come here. He tells me to go to the front desk about it. Could NOT believe the attitude. I was giving it right back to him at this point. Ugly exchange and I was beyond frustrated.

and now the joke is on me because....
8. Pack up stuff, go back to cabin. Call front desk. They say "They won't help you? Strange. bring it over we'll ship it for you!"
9. Go to front desk. Woman looks at me and says "you have to go to the Trading Post to ship anything home" (!!!!). I tell her I literally just called about this and she says "that phone line isn't answered here"
10. I say ma'm, I'm not going back to that Trading Post. She tells me "but the Trading Post has all of our shipping boxes."
11. I tell her what happened with the guy at the Post. She looks at me and goes "well why would you need receipts and tags to ship it home?" I say EXACTLY!!
12. She agrees to have somebody go to the post and get boxes. She takes the merch and my credit card and tells me to keep an eye on my bill to find out what the charge is because she has no way of knowing. I'm actually ok with this. I ask for a tracking number "oh we don't give that out when we do this." WHAT???
13. I tell her I can't just do that and walk away with no proof or receipt after giving her a bunch of merchandise and my credit card number. She begrudgingly makes a copy of the shipping paperwork with the tracking for me because I was basically making demands at this point.

Here's my biggest gripe about all this. This was our last day and it felt like, now that they'd been paid $300+ per day and the trip was over, they didn't give a damn about helping me out. Colossal miscommunication all around. The woman at the desk ended up (eventually) helping me but the attitude at the Trading Post and the lack of knowledge all around about shipping stuff home was a disaster. I was dealing with people who did not want to do their job. Keep in mind I was not looking for favors; this is a service they offer for a fee.I'm posting this here because I'm curious:

1. What would you do about this? Write to Disney? Write to the Fort about it?
2. Have you experienced similar?
3. Thoughts in general

I'm sorry if it's a wall of text at this point but just wanted to share and get some feedback.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

If you feel strongly about it, send an email. I personally don't think it will get you anywhere with Disney but if it makes you feel better to get it out, do it.

The #1 problem with Disney is that you can talk to 10 different people and get 10 totally different answers.

I have always known that I should have my receipt with me for shipping from a different place/time than where the item was originally purchased. But I believe you that you weren't given this information because: See bolded above.

It is true that when you call "front desk" from your phone you are not actually calling the front desk. It is completely ridiculous and I don't know why Disney does it that way but it can and does lead to problems. I know this because I have personally experienced it. See bolded above.

On my trip to Disney a year ago, right after the 100% rollout of magic bands and all the "wonderful technology" that goes along with it, we had lots of problems. We too were subject to the Disney Shuffle - go see this person, go here, go there. This just leads to frustration and . But see bolded above!

Until Disney fixes their communication problems, they will never be fantastic at customer service.

 

[kiki02]

wow. That is awful. Truly.

Going downhill....

Let me start by saying you would have to work hard to find a bigger fan of the Fort Wilderness campground than me. I'm sure I'm surrounded by a few here but I just want to make it clear that I love the place. My fiance and I treat it as our home away from home and just got back from our third trip in as many years.

I want to do a trip report because we did have an amazing week. But before that I have to share this with you and get some opinions about the best way to report it. I'll try and post a cliff notes version.

We buy Disney merch the first couple days and use them during the week. A woven throw for the couch in the cabin, some wine glasses, the big cups from T-REX, the funny looking "sink" bowl for the ice cream. I even got her a huge stuffed "Stitch" that is way too big to pack.

1. Halfway through trip, call front desk. Describe the items I have. Can I ship this stuff home through you guys? "Sure! Go to the Trading Post and they handle all that for you!"
2. That night, I'm at the Trading post for some water and say "Hey at the end of my trip I'm going to bring the stuff I'm shipping home here, right?" Again I describe the items I have. They say sure, just pay the fee plus shipping and we handle it for you. Great.
3. Last day of trip. Gather all merch we're sending home (Stitch, throw, glasses, etc). Decent amount of stuff. Bring to Trading Post.
4. Wait in line. Man behind counter sees us approach. First words out of his mouth are "you're not shipping all THAT are you?" with a deep sigh. I say yes, we got a little carried away shopping didn't we. Front desk told me to come here.
5. Man asks if we have receipts for everything. I say no not really, maybe somewhere but not everything even came with a receipt (Mickey 'sink,' T-Rex cups, etc)
6. Man asks if everything has tags. Again I say no, point out Mickey sink again, it has no tags but is obviously Disney merch. Some stuff had the tags off, like the blanket/throw.
7. Man says "well then I'm not shipping it. I'm not shipping any of this stuff without tags and receipts. How do I know where you bought it." I kid you not. I was red hot at this point. I tell him nobody told me anything about receipts and tags, all I want to do is ship this stuff to my house. I'm not asking for favors, I'm willing to pay and they told me to come here. He tells me to go to the front desk about it. Could NOT believe the attitude. I was giving it right back to him at this point. Ugly exchange and I was beyond frustrated.

and now the joke is on me because....
8. Pack up stuff, go back to cabin. Call front desk. They say "They won't help you? Strange. bring it over we'll ship it for you!"
9. Go to front desk. Woman looks at me and says "you have to go to the Trading Post to ship anything home" (!!!!). I tell her I literally just called about this and she says "that phone line isn't answered here"
10. I say ma'm, I'm not going back to that Trading Post. She tells me "but the Trading Post has all of our shipping boxes."
11. I tell her what happened with the guy at the Post. She looks at me and goes "well why would you need receipts and tags to ship it home?" I say EXACTLY!!
12. She agrees to have somebody go to the post and get boxes. She takes the merch and my credit card and tells me to keep an eye on my bill to find out what the charge is because she has no way of knowing. I'm actually ok with this. I ask for a tracking number "oh we don't give that out when we do this." WHAT???
13. I tell her I can't just do that and walk away with no proof or receipt after giving her a bunch of merchandise and my credit card number. She begrudgingly makes a copy of the shipping paperwork with the tracking for me because I was basically making demands at this point.

Here's my biggest gripe about all this. This was our last day and it felt like, now that they'd been paid $300+ per day and the trip was over, they didn't give a damn about helping me out. Colossal miscommunication all around. The woman at the desk ended up (eventually) helping me but the attitude at the Trading Post and the lack of knowledge all around about shipping stuff home was a disaster. I was dealing with people who did not want to do their job. Keep in mind I was not looking for favors; this is a service they offer for a fee.I'm posting this here because I'm curious:

1. What would you do about this? Write to Disney? Write to the Fort about it?
2. Have you experienced similar?
3. Thoughts in general

I'm sorry if it's a wall of text at this point but just wanted to share and get some feedback.

 

[SeanWM48]

ShirikiUtundu you sum it up very well and I appreciate your post. I can tell you've experienced similar situations with Disney resorts. I guess I was fortunate my first couple visits by basically avoiding the staff and not trying to do too much with them.

This isn't just a negative for customers. It clearly makes the job tougher for their employees

 

[Lavitz]

I'd probably write to Disney.

First CM sounds like he has it coming to him, appeared to be very rude. Need receipts to explain where you would get all this Disney swag? Nope, couldn't be the 1000+ Disney shops all over WDW. Makes much more sense you brought it in your suitcase, just so you could spend your money mailing it back home. That makes a lot of sense.

I wouldn't complain about the second person though. Obviously they don't regularly give out shipping info since this is more of an accommodation, and it doesn't seem like she did anything wrong.

 

[saskdw]

Too long, lost interest.

 

[SeanWM48]

I'd probably write to Disney.

First CM sounds like he has it coming to him, appeared to be very rude. Need receipts to explain where you would get all this Disney swag? Nope, couldn't be the 1000+ Disney shops all over WDW. Makes much more sense you brought it in your suitcase, just so you could spend your money mailing it back home. That makes a lot of sense.

I wouldn't complain about the second person though. Obviously they don't regularly give out shipping info since this is more of an accommodation, and it doesn't seem like she did anything wrong.

yeah my real gripe is with the Trading Post guy. I'm not looking to get anybody in any real trouble I'm just frustrated and disappointed

Too long, lost interest.

thanks for that. here's a nice summary since this was too much for you: don't ship anything from the hotel.

 

[judi]

It's all about loss prevention. The receipts are needed for two reasons 1) to make sure that what you have you bought and didn't steal 2) how much the items were. Shipping is done by price of purchase, not by weight or anything else. What the trading post CM should have done right away because you didn't have your receipts was call his manager over to help you. Feel free to email Disney and explain what happened.

 

[artnerds]

I suggest that you call Fort Wilderness (407-824-2900) and ask to speak to the resort's General Manager. If you were to email or mail a complaint to Disney, they would simply refer it to the resort's General Manager anyway, since he or she is on the hook to deal with any complaints they receive.

If you prefer not to talk to the General Manager over the phone, then call the number, let the operator know that you want to write the General Manager about a problem that occurred during your stay, and ask for the General Manager's name and email address.

If they won't give you the email address (there's no reason why they shouldn't, but luck hasn't been with you), then mail your letter to the General Manager at:

Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground
4510 N. Fort Wilderness Trail
Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830

 

[Marthasor]

What you experienced, IMHO, was ridiculous! I have shipped items twice from BWI, once from the business center in the convention center and once from the shop on the Boardwalk with zero issues. I was never asked for a receipt or for tags. Everything was done efficiently and courteously and I received a receipt as well.

I would definitely get in touch with the GM as the PP suggested or e-mail Disney guest services.

I, too, have been victim of the Disney shuffle (though not when shipping items) and it is RIDICULOUS.

 

[Hopefully]

I find the title of your post excessive.
I amsorry your expectations were not met

 

[bookluvingbabe]

We have had the same experience and it would be super helpful if all of the times they promise, hey we'll ship for you, that they mention you need the receipts and we didn't really mean things like the swords from CRT or Mickey's kitchen sink but items that you bought in the store. Their failure to communicate effectively is an ongoing issue.

 

[izzylovesmickey]

Just our experience, but when we stayed at the Beach Club this summer we shipped things home too. Agree-it's easy to get carried away and buy more than you had planned room for in the luggage. Had to go thru the convention center at the YC but we were not asked for any receipts. We had a large pillow pet, boxed collectibles, etc and had no questions about proving that we paid for the items.

 

[Poohsmommi]

I would have asked for a manager right there, and reported that guy. What a jerk!!!

 

[Poohsmommi]

I find the title of your post excessive.

I completely disagree. Things like this are NOT supposed to happen at Disney World. It's just another example of how Disney is going downhill.

 

[MissEllie]

Sorry you had a bad experience. I'd give them a call/email for sure.

 

[SeanWM48]

i do appreciate the feedback and will let them know about it. just had to share this with some people who know Disney. like i said i'm a big fan of the parks and that resort especially.

I find the title of your post excessive.
I amsorry your expectations were not met

there are lots of words i could use to describe this i thought 'brutal' was rather tame haha

 

[Sue M]

I would send an email with your res # and date & time of the incident. Sad this happened. Not a great way to end your vacay.

 

[kaytieeldr]

If you feel strongly about it, send an email. I personally don't think it will get you anywhere with Disney but if it makes you feel better to get it out, do it.

The #1 problem with Disney is that you can talk to 10 different people and get 10 totally different answers.

I have always known that I should have my receipt with me for shipping from a different place/time than where the item was originally purchased. But I believe you that you weren't given this information because: See bolded above.

It is true that when you call "front desk" from your phone you are not actually calling the front desk. It is completely ridiculous and I don't know why Disney does it that way but it can and does lead to problems. I know this because I have personally experienced it. See bolded above.

On my trip to Disney a year ago, right after the 100% rollout of magic bands and all the "wonderful technology" that goes along with it, we had lots of problems. We too were subject to the Disney Shuffle - go see this person, go here, go there. This just leads to frustration and . But see bolded above!

Until Disney fixes their communication problems, they will never be fantastic at customer service.

Efficiency and Customer Service.

Efficiency because, why have X number of people in fifty different locations all doing the same job, just location-specific when you can consolidate?

Customer service because this allows guest-facing Cast Members to assist the customer standing in front of them. Nothing is more annoying when I shop, or have an appointment, or check into a hotel than to have the person helping me stop to answer the phone! I take that back. Worse is when they proceed to help the caller first.

 

[nkereina]

Efficiency and Customer Service.

Efficiency because, why have X number of people in fifty different locations all doing the same job, just location-specific when you can consolidate?

Customer service because this allows guest-facing Cast Members to assist the customer standing in front of them. Nothing is more annoying when I shop, or have an appointment, or check into a hotel than to have the person helping me stop to answer the phone! I take that back. Worse is when they proceed to help the caller first.

This is absolutely true when calling the front desk - not just at Disney, but at most hotels that are full service. The difference is that other hotels have a PBX office somewhere in the actual hotel, which is manned by a staff just as knowledgeable as the front desk. Often, front desk employees will cover PBX shifts. At Disney, it's completely a call center that fields these calls and they may not even be in Florida. It's a crap shoot as to whether they will have the right info or not.

OP - I agree with you that you were really given the runaround, and the bad attitude from the one CM was unnecessary. It's really frustrating when they are not all on the same page, and I see it a lot unfortunately. We had our items from Epcot sent back to our resort for package delivery and when we received it, it wasn't our items. The CMs in our resort, though very nice about it, had no idea how to handle it. I finally threw my hand up and said just refund me and ended up buying the items again later in my trip. Sometimes I feel better equipped with knowledge than the CMs just from reading these boards!