jeffmw
Please stand clear of the doors.
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2014
- Messages
- 62
I was planning a Disney vacation (and coming to terms with the cost) when the EMH and DME announcements came out last week. I still booked the trip but I sent a note to Disney Customer Service through the website, not aggressively complaining or anything but more saying, 'this is getting disappointing because we love WDW but I don't know how much longer I can justify this.' It was very benign and I didn't expect to hear anything back. I didn't ask for a response or any special treatment, and I figured Disney was getting a lot of those notes given the recent announcements.
So my phone rings yesterday and it's someone from Disney Customer Service (or whatever that team is called.) My first thought is that it's nice they're taking the time to call me and it's very typical of Disney's reputation for caring about its customers.
But I ended up really underwhelmed. First, the person who called me spoke broken English. I love Disney's international flare and that there are people from all over the world employed at the parks and at the company, but if you're having someone call a potentially disgruntled guest, I don't know why they'd entrust that to someone who may have a communication barrier with that customer. The woman was very nice and I don't fault her for any of this, but it immediately gives the impression that they don't truly care about resolution. It's clearly more about Disney saying, 'We had an upset guest so we picked up the phone and called them!' than actually making that guest feel like the issue is being heard or addressed.
Next, the woman said if I thought the cost was excessive I could check back when the room discounts are released a few months before. Again, I truly wasn't expecting any special treatment or discount, but essentially she was telling me about a well-known promotion offered to everyone.
If I complain to Samsung about a TV, I might expect never to hear back or get a call from someone with a language barrier. But what's so obvious (apparently to everyone but Disney) is that the way they handled this perpetuates the exact issue that led to the 'complaint' to begin with! What's getting Disney in trouble is that they're pretending to care but don't back it up with behavior. They talk about their honored guests and magical times at Disney resorts and parks, but slash perks and raise prices. They take the time to call a guest who is upset, but the representative who calls is incapable of connecting with the customer and offers them no resolution. I hung up and thought, "What was the point of that?"
I know people are going to respond with, "Oh what did you expect. A free trip?" And that fact is, no, I didn't. I promise you, I didn't even expect a response let alone anything for free, and my note was really pretty light to begin with. But their old standard that every interaction is well-thought-out and 'special' is just shot at this point. In the past with WDW, they couldn't solve every issue, but they never made you feel like a number.
I just don't get how things have fallen off like this so much as of late.
So my phone rings yesterday and it's someone from Disney Customer Service (or whatever that team is called.) My first thought is that it's nice they're taking the time to call me and it's very typical of Disney's reputation for caring about its customers.
But I ended up really underwhelmed. First, the person who called me spoke broken English. I love Disney's international flare and that there are people from all over the world employed at the parks and at the company, but if you're having someone call a potentially disgruntled guest, I don't know why they'd entrust that to someone who may have a communication barrier with that customer. The woman was very nice and I don't fault her for any of this, but it immediately gives the impression that they don't truly care about resolution. It's clearly more about Disney saying, 'We had an upset guest so we picked up the phone and called them!' than actually making that guest feel like the issue is being heard or addressed.
Next, the woman said if I thought the cost was excessive I could check back when the room discounts are released a few months before. Again, I truly wasn't expecting any special treatment or discount, but essentially she was telling me about a well-known promotion offered to everyone.
If I complain to Samsung about a TV, I might expect never to hear back or get a call from someone with a language barrier. But what's so obvious (apparently to everyone but Disney) is that the way they handled this perpetuates the exact issue that led to the 'complaint' to begin with! What's getting Disney in trouble is that they're pretending to care but don't back it up with behavior. They talk about their honored guests and magical times at Disney resorts and parks, but slash perks and raise prices. They take the time to call a guest who is upset, but the representative who calls is incapable of connecting with the customer and offers them no resolution. I hung up and thought, "What was the point of that?"
I know people are going to respond with, "Oh what did you expect. A free trip?" And that fact is, no, I didn't. I promise you, I didn't even expect a response let alone anything for free, and my note was really pretty light to begin with. But their old standard that every interaction is well-thought-out and 'special' is just shot at this point. In the past with WDW, they couldn't solve every issue, but they never made you feel like a number.
I just don't get how things have fallen off like this so much as of late.
).
