CM's=bad / park guests=good

[PoohnPglet]

There aren't always solutions to every problem. Somtimes, not even throwing money at a problem fixes it. In the case of CMs, what Universal and Disney found several years back was that as they increased pay to compete with each other over the available talent, the quality of the staff didn't actually increase -- rather, it just increased turnover, which thereby decreased productivity. The available pool of labor in the area was fixed. Increasing salary just hurt profitability for both companies. It served no constructive end.

No constructive end? How about a living wage for those people? Do you realize that their wages are so low that many of them must take advantage of the various social programs like Medicaid and HUD? What kind of economic purpose does that serve especially if the current attitude continues to erode the availability of such programs?

 

[bicker]

No constructive end? How about a living wage for those people?

No question that that would be a noble end, but it wouldn't serve the owners of the business, nor that of the guests. Please don't read more into what I wrote than what is appropriate from the context of the discussion we're having.

 

[87Disneyfan]

We just returned on July 6th. I definatley ran into a lot of rude guests! Just one example, we were on the curb for 1 1/2 hours before Spectro to have a great seat in front of the castle. There were rows behind us-right before the parade starts-these teens proceed to try to "fit" and sit in between us and the row behind us. But the worst report is THEN THEY TAKE OFF THEIR SHOES-so we can all smell their sweaty feet-yuck! It was disgusting.

On the other hand-we came in contact with many terrific CM's. Reagan our boat driver from the Wishes cruise-she was so sweet! And BJ at WCC-he was terrific! Made us laugh until we left! These were just to name a few!

I guess we all interpret things differently-the traffic flow girls with the red lights at the end of the night in Epcot were cracking me up! They looked like they were trying to land an airplane!

 

[swilphil]

No constructive end? How about a living wage for those people? Do you realize that their wages are so low that many of them must take advantage of the various social programs like Medicaid and HUD? What kind of economic purpose does that serve especially if the current attitude continues to erode the availability of such programs?

It definitely serves the economic purposes of the CEOs. They get their overinflated salaries while they convince the CMs how priviledged they are to work in WDW. I agree with you that if they upped the salaries, at least for full-time, long-standing employees, the level of service would go up.

 

[bicker]

Sorry, I know it seems instinctually that it would have that effect, but it just didn't work out that way.

 

[RickinNYC]

Sorry, I know it seems instinctually that it would have that effect, but it just didn't work out that way.

So Bicker, in all your wisdom, rather than stating what would not work, why not make a suggestion that would? I'm honestly curious to know your thought.

 

[Exp.626Stitch]

I agree with the original OP about many of the CM's being rude at times and no one deserves to be treated that way. However, I work in retail, and I can easily put myself in their shoes. Some people are downright ignorant to me because they think I should bend over backwards for them. A lot of people look down on my job because it's the service industry . 3 out of 10 people I encoounter everyday are nice, the others are rude, ignorant and bossy. Every time you get a rude customer it effects the way you feel the rest of the day. I could be in a great mood when I first start but by the time I come home I just want a stiff drink Sometimes I can go out of my way to help a person and they still continue to treat me like a servent. It makes it hard for me to try to be that way to everyone, when most of the time I don't get a "Thanks" in return. So, I understand what they are faced with a on daily basis but in a larger sense then I am, and if I encounter one that is rude I let it go because there is no point in letting it ruin my trip. The only times I actual do get upset is when I see guests screaming and demanding things from the CM's if they don't get things their way. Chill out people, you're on vacation!! Screaming and yelling doesn't get you anywhere, if anything it make people not want to help you more.

That's just my two cents!!

 

[bicker]

So Bicker, in all your wisdom, rather than stating what would not work, why not make a suggestion that would?

I'm sorry; my earlier comments must have been vague. I wasn't saying what "would not work" -- I was trying very deliberately to say what "did not work" when it was tried several years ago. I wasn't forecasting but rather just reporting history.

To answer your inquiry, though, to change the level of service provided, we need to change the attitude of the American consumer, so that they'll pay substantially more for better service, and reward poor service with a refusal to patronize a service. The consumer truly has to give up paying for crap before business will stop providing crap for sale.

 

[kabauer]

We just returned from WDW today. I want to share what we heard while waiting to board RNRc on 7/9. One of the cast members who was manning the line that places you into the numbered corrals just before you board the ride, went up to a teenager that was with a tour group from Brazil and said to him, "when was the last time you took a shower man, you really stink". Can you believe it!! I only hope that the young man didn't understand much english. I can remember from past trips that he was on the pushy side, but WOW! We were floored...

 

[CPer'sMom]

It shouldn't matter "which CM's you get." (Sorry that your visit was less then magical.) Disney has (had....)a reputation for superior service which they are quickly losing in my estimation.
Unfortunately, even Disney can't "manufacture" niceness anymore.

""The general decrease in CM's all over the park was very obvious. You had to really look for one if you needed to ask a question. ""

No, but what Disney could do is treat their employees better ~~ The company is going to have to do something soon about pay/benefits & staffing and the general attitude "they" seem to have towards their employees, especially all the CMs who are in direct public contact daily. To the guests, these CMs ARE Disney.

My daughter is a CM (CP) now at Epcot ~ she's been at WDW since January on the college program. For the first months (actually, through the end of May) she loved everything about being at Disneyworld - her job was great, the people she worked with were all wonderful and the guests were friendly & fun - and I was thinking she was going to have a hard time leaving.

Boy, was I wrong! Now she can't get out of there fast enough. Since the first of June she has had to work mandatory 6 days a week; some weeks she works 7-8 days in a row, depending upon how her one day off falls. She feels now like all she does is work ~ as an example, last night she worked 6pm-2:45am, went home to sleep & then was back at work at 2 in the afternoon for another shift.
The co-ordinators at her job are great and treat the CPs as well as they can, but they can only do so much. They are very short on people ~ when they received new CPs in June to cover ones who had left, someone somewhere decided that the MK needed more CMs so they transferred them over there and they never got any new replacements.

Then there are the rude guests ~ It's hard to have that Disney smile constantly when you are confronted by drunks yelling at you, people who don't think that the signs and rules apply to them, people who are just generally very discourteous. Now that it's hot & humid and crowded, there are WAY more guests who are out of line in the way they act. I don't care how much you're paying for your Disney vacation; it doesn't give you the right to be disrespectful of others and make unreasonable demands.

Disney does need to address this issue very soon. They don't have enough CMs and can't keep the ones they do have. My daughter said that many of the 'regulars' she knows are thinking of leaving (some already have) because things at Disney just aren't "as they used to be".
Most of the CPs she knows would not recommend the program to other college students now. $6.25 an hour at WDW is fine when you love what you're doing, but not when it's "just a job".

I'm sad that my daughter has to finish her WDW experience this way ~ I think it'll take a while until she can feel Disney magic again

 

[DiszyDean]

We just returned from WDW today. I want to share what we heard while waiting to board RNRc on 7/9. One of the cast members who was manning the line that places you into the numbered corrals just before you board the ride, went up to a teenager that was with a tour group from Brazil and said to him, "when was the last time you took a shower man, you really stink". Can you believe it!! I only hope that the young man didn't understand much english. I can remember from past trips that he was on the pushy side, but WOW! We were floored...

Unbelievable...Although its a personal choice, I think I would have asked to speak to that person's manager immediately. That is one guy who is in the wrong position. I really dont care how many hours he had worked that day or how hot it was or how he hates his job, there is no excuse for that sort of behavior to a kid who was just trying to enjoy his Disney vacation.

 

[agotta]

Unbelievable...Although its a personal choice, I think I would have asked to speak to that person's manager immediately. That is one guy who is in the wrong position. I really dont care how many hours he had worked that day or how hot it was or how he hates his job, there is no excuse for that sort of behavior to a kid who was just trying to enjoy his Disney vacation.

First of all, the Disney College Program is not a vacation, it's a job. And the main point of the program is not to make money, but to take advantage of everything that is available to you. She should be taking advantage of the classes that are offered, mentoring management and meeting new people. Both DH and I did the CP and wouldn't trade our experiences in for the world. That said, I am not disagreeing with you that the conditions there are less then perfect, most importantly for the regular CM's. Things do have to change, but Disney is a business and they do have problems. I guess everyone views the situation differently.

 

[phamton]

First of all, the Disney College Program is not a vacation, it's a job.

I think you quoted the wrong post. The post you quoted was about the tour group teenager who was on vacation and insulted by a CM. Nothing was mentioned in that post about the college program.

 

[agotta]

I apologize. I read it the above post incorrectly.

 

[Jakesmom1]

I too must agree with the original poster. We had a great vacation, love Disney, but we had several experiences at the POFQ with several different cms, and one was ruder then the next.

Responses to innocent questions like "How should I know, Im not down there" when asked how the boats to Downtown Disney run, was totally uncalled for.

Being totally unhelpful when we were trying to book an extra night for our stay, and being told " we are full, cant help you, call central reservations your self"

To me this type of attitude really goes against what I have always believed Disney to be.

Sure many of the CMS are overworked and underpaid, but I believe most folks feel that way about their jobs.

All of the CM's at the Contemporary were so different, so helpful, and cheerful. Also most of the CM's we encountered in the parks were terrific.

I too work in customer service, and know you always have to portray the best for your company, even when your having a bad day.

Just my 2cents.

 

[bicker]

Sure many of the CMS are overworked and underpaid, but I believe most folks feel that way about their jobs.

So true, but the overall quality of customer service in our society, as a whole, has been declining rapidly over the past 10 years, as more and more customers demand lower and lower prices without sufficient regard to quality of service.

 

[krismom]

I am the OP and I just wanted to clarify a few things.... I was not sensitive because my husband wasn't along,as my Mom and I can easily handle my kids at disney, and, I agree that most people feel underappreciated at their jobs. I worked for 10 years as a special ed teacher before I quit to stay home with my kids and even on my worst day... I never let it show on the "outside" as so many CMs seemed to on this last trip. My husband and I work hard for our vacation dollars and although I am not naive enough to expect "magic", I do expect courtesy. Sorry If I hit a nerve here... I try to positive about things (which is why I didn't "complain" while we were there.) It just seemed like alot of little things added up to one bad feeling in general. I'm glad others have had better experiences, and I certainly didn't let the any of this ruin my stay.

 

[java]

We just got back also and I think that while the great CM's far outweigh the bad for some reason the bad seemed to be even more obnoxious? does that make sense. It was in your face rudeness kind of stuff that floored me. We had been there for 5 days using my AP no problem then on day 6 it didn't work..instead of asking to see my ID the woman looks at me and says "are you sure this is your AP?....Spell your last name backwards..
Are you kidding me? She was the only one that issues with my AP never a problem with anyone else. Then the next day, I had a CM look at my 2 year old laugh and say"how old is he?" I said 2. (he is even a small 2)She then asks well when is his birthday? Whole trip she was the only one to say that. Again it was the way she said it that I found so offensive. But we also met some wonderful CM's... Elizabeth on the monorail, Gayle our mousekeeper, many many waiters/waitresses. I really just figured those 2 had been having bad days and moved on. (but I guess it did bother me if I am typing it here)

 

[boston1029]

We just got back yesterday and we encountered both bad and good cm's and bad and good guests. Fortunately, I'm remembering the great cm's like Jason at SSR who spoke to us for several minutes about our plans and where are we from. I also remember Joanna from bell services at SSR. She was so pleasant even though she was in the baking heat and she refused the tip that my DH was going to give her. There are so many guests and so many cm's that your going to get the bad with the good, you just have to choose what you are going to remember.

 

[Cindyzgoingtodizny]

Out of a 6 day stay and tons of CM's, only 2 stand out as not great. The first was Pocohontas in MK - she wasn't horrible, but not real great either, trying to rush the kids through the process.

The other was a security check officer in Epcot, who took offense at DH's t-shirt, which he had worn all day to MK. It had Cartman from South Park on it and had a small saying on it that said "Kick ***". The Epcot security guard first called my DH Mary Poppins because he was carrying my bag - then he told DH he would have to turn his shirt inside out becuase this was a family park. Keep in mind, we are there in the evening when the clevage and booze are free flowing. He was almost to the point of not allowing us entry. I thought DH was going to loose it - so I said the the man that I would buy DH another shirt once in the park - har.