Complaint number for Disney Diningcom

[Maleficent Dragon]

Sigh. How frustrating. Disney really does make the planning such a critical part of the trip, more so than any other vacation I can think of. When their technology isn't up and running it feels like they didn't uphold their part of the bargain. I made my plan, here's my money...now do your part and give me some reservation options. We used to be "every year without fail" kind of Disney guests, in recent years we have scaled back to every couple of years and depending on our experience in July it may be even longer until we return. So many other wonderful things to see and do on vacation.

Hope it all falls into place for your trip!

THAT is the whole thing. Disney is moving towards making the guest plan their entire vacation out months before arrival with a system that simply cannot handle it. It may work on the test bed or beta mode, but it does not work properly for the average guest.

If you are going to entice somebody to book with free dining, make sure your system works so they can make reservations. I do not think people are asking too much.

 

[JJZMgailey]

How Disboards like that you would turn this into the fault of the guest.

I'm not sure what you mean by "How Disboards like"?

I realize that the dining system has been very frustrating for many, including myself, but I choose not to let it ruin my day, vacation, etc. Technology is a real pain sometimes. I think a lot of things we run into can sway in a much different way depending on how we choose to look at it. @peg110 is entitled to her opinion as are all of our posters!

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

I'm not sure what you mean by "How Disboards like"?

I realize that the dining system has been very frustrating for many, including myself, but I choose not to let it ruin my day, vacation, etc. Technology is a real pain sometimes. I think a lot of things we run into can sway in a much different way depending on how we choose to look at it. @peg110 is entitled to her opinion as are all of our posters!

I am not insulting the Disboards if that is what you are questioning (or the member), just that people cannot express frustration or disappointment on the Dis for the most part without it being their "fault". We all love Disney; they are not a perfect company by any means. And yes, Peg is entitled to her opinions, but I do not have to agree just as she does not have to agree with the OP, as she freely expressed.

 

[VikingInMouseEars]

I am not insulting the Disboards if that is what you are questioning (or the member), just that people cannot express frustration or disappointment on the Dis for the most part without it being their "fault". We all love Disney; they are not a perfect company by any means. And yes, Peg is entitled to her opinions, but I do not have to agree just as she does not have to agree with the OP, as she freely expressed.

You are so right, we see it all to often that someone post a complaint then proceeds to get jumped on.
Due to some Disney policies and some information by several different reservation cast members that was at least misleading if not outright wrong, we wound up canceling a WDW vacation 2 months ago just 2 weeks before we were supposed to go. So I no longer say that "I love Disney", I DO love the product and am planning another trip in Sept., but I have issues with the company.

 

[JJZMgailey]

I am not insulting the Disboards if that is what you are questioning (or the member), just that people cannot express frustration or disappointment on the Dis for the most part without it being their "fault". We all love Disney; they are not a perfect company by any means. And yes, Peg is entitled to her opinions, but I do not have to agree just as she does not have to agree with the OP, as she freely expressed.

Nope, that wasn't what I was questioning at all.

We certainly love passionate people around here and there is nothing wrong with a good healthy, albeit friendly debate. I know, all too well, that the dining system has been a real pain for many. I just simply choose not to let it infuriate me when it doesn't work as I think it should and just keep trying. I try to encourage others to do the same because eventually, most Guests are able to book what they're looking for.

Disney definitely didn't state that their dining system would work perfectly all the time for everyone when they first launched it!

 

[itchin2go]

Tend to agree...unusually high rushes on IT systems always seem tricky no matter how well you think they will/should work.

Since we happened to be at the Lilly Pulitzer faxtory sale yesterday...I was thinking about the target debaucle in April...

They crashed the system on a surge for select items in a system that sells 100,000s of products...
You just never know.

I almost brought that up earlier. Lots of companies have computer issues.

Of course, the stakes are lower when you just miss getting a dress.

 

[maxiesmom]

Lot of Disney apologists here.... comparing them to Amazon? sure, why not? Since Disney decided to invest in all this 'techno-garbage' and force us all along for the ride, basically ending a 'simple family vacation' and creating a new era of 'madhouse online planning' they MOST CERTAINLY should expect to get it RIGHT. We should expect that if we as a consumer are FORCED to use this 'techno-garbage' that they've set up,then we shouldn't have to deal with all this garbage,and all the excuses. I also spend a lot at Amazon,and in the rare instances when they get something wrong, they will fix the issue almost instantly, creating happy customers. That's the DIFFERENCE. There is no excuse for such horrendous customer service, not for a company that built itself on the customer experience. I say 'built' as a past tense purposely. The very thing that set Disney apart from any competitor is being lost through this kind of thing. Op's complaints are valid,and happen ALL THE TIME. The competitors are catching up FAST,and looking better and better to those of who remember a very different customer experience,and even saying that just makes me sad. (I will NOT say 'guest', b/c though they still use that word for us, it has long since stopped feeling that way)

Hmm. You are not being forced to use the, as you put it "techno garbage". Unless you consider your phone part of that garbage. And if you consider no one is forced to book ADRs at 180 days out. That is totally voluntary.

I agree their web site is not up to stuff, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and think they are working on it. After all, it only causes them more problems when it doesn't work, along with causing people trying to use the site problems.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

You have nothing to back up your statements (bold mine). Read my earlier post about thousands of successful reservations being made in minutes. I realize it is frustrating when you can't get what you want due to system issues; I've been there and have complained about WDW IT too, but lately the hyperbole is a bit much .

THAT is the whole thing. Disney is moving towards making the guest plan their entire vacation out months before arrival with a system that simply cannot handle it. It may work on the test bed or beta mode, but it does not work properly for the average guest.

If you are going to entice somebody to book with free dining, make sure your system works so they can make reservations. I do not think people are asking too much.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

You are so right, we see it all to often that someone post a complaint then proceeds to get jumped on.
Due to some Disney policies and some information by several different reservation cast members that was at least misleading if not outright wrong, we wound up canceling a WDW vacation 2 months ago just 2 weeks before we were supposed to go. So I no longer say that "I love Disney", I DO love the product and am planning another trip in Sept., but I have issues with the company.

Disney does have a great product in many areas, but they fall short in many areas as well. That extends well beyond the theme parks. We own DVC and visit frequently. Obviously I am a fan. That is too bad that you had to cancel over something the company did. I have felt that frustration as well and the only reason we kept the reservation is because my in-laws took us and they paid. It was mostly their frustration to deal with. I hope your trip in September is wonderful!!



On another note - I booked my dining earlier this week online and it worked brilliantly for me. I am there for 9 days and made 11 successful reservations, including Be Our Guest for both lunch and dinner. I wish everybody had the same experience, but most do not. I have been blessed enough to always get the reservations I want and there are usually difficult ones. (Be Our Guest, O'hana, Le Cellier when it was more popular, Princess Breakfasts, etc) My defense for the OP has nothing to do with sharing the same frustration, just agreeing that it should work and a person should not be hung up on.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

You have nothing to back up your statements (bold mine). Read my earlier post about thousands of successful reservations being made in minutes. I realize it is frustrating when you can't get what you want due to system issues; I've been there and have complained about WDW IT too, but lately the hyperbole is a bit much .

Don't be so sure. You do not know who I work for or who my relations are at Disney.

 

[maxiesmom]

You have nothing to back up your statements (bold mine). Read my earlier post about thousands of successful reservations being made in minutes. I realize it is frustrating when you can't get what you want due to system issues; I've been there and have complained about WDW IT too, but lately the hyperbole is a bit much .

Yup. It always makes me when the minute you don't agree with someone you are labeled A Disney Apologist. Yeah, I agree, they screw some stuff up. But I doubt they are happy with all of the problems.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

Regardless, then you should know better than anyone, thousands are successfully making reservations each minute. To say the 'average guest' is not able do so is hyperbole.

Don't be so sure. You do not know who I work for or who my relations are at Disney.

 

[JJZMgailey]

I've been on the phone with CMs on numerous occasions where it felt like I was hung up on but when I called back and gave my name, the new CM would say something like "Oh! So-and-so was just speaking with you and they said you dropped off their line suddenly" or something along those lines. It hasn't happened every time I've gotten disconnected, but I cannot believe that a dining CM would purposely disconnect a call without warning - I think it genuinely makes them happy to make Guests happy. The weather down here in Florida can be really special sometimes too - especially windy - and sometimes that knocks out the phone lines.

 

[hopeful4fl]

Disney has a brand name to protect and right now they are not doing it effectively. This is not only due to their IT issues (which from my experiences are a lot), but a lot of "corporate" actions that are in line with make $$$$ now, rather than the vision of the man whose name this company bears. Here are some actions that tarnish the Disney image:
1> Increased price on merchandise while huge decrease in quality. You can still find Disney shirts made in US (and I have 2, and the quality is awesome), but a majority of their merchandise are now high priced POS.
2> Ticket prices increase with minimal additional benefits- nuff said
3> Customer service that was amongst the best, is now a cost center with cost cutting wherever possible.
4> Management that has the same mantra now as most major corporations - squeeze where ever possible.

The only way this will change is with enough customers complaining and moving their $$$ into something else and/or a huge crash in their stock price. At this point, I do not see the corporate culture changing. The OP sending a mail to complain is the absolute right step and I would advocate all of us doing it when our experience is less than what we expect.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I almost brought that up earlier. Lots of companies have computer issues.

Of course, the stakes are lower when you just miss getting a dress.

Are you sure? A meal at 1900 park fare that isn't with you long or a shift dress...

Do you know what those things cost ?!!

 

[lockedoutlogic]

This is exactly why I LOVE it here!!!

What kinda cheese are we talking here?

 

[5DisneyNuts]

" No More Cheese Sauce for QSR Locations" Apparently the hot cheese whiz has been removed from the condiment tables (I know this because of course I had to read it!! LOL)

 

[Aerinha]

This is the first time I have had an issue and it is the first time I have booked through a TA. Could that be the problem? The CM I talked to to make my adr were ready to deny me because the reservation had the agency's addy instead of mine.

All websites have the occassional issue, but they usually go away after a day or so, if not later the same day. They don't persist unchecked. And I know the issue I had today was on their end.

 

[Nancyg56]

Hmm. You are not being forced to use the, as you put it "techno garbage". Unless you consider your phone part of that garbage. And if you consider no one is forced to book ADRs at 180 days out. That is totally voluntary.

I agree their web site is not up to stuff, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and think they are working on it. After all, it only causes them more problems when it doesn't work, along with causing people trying to use the site problems.

You kind of are. Sure, you can say it is voluntary, but the bottom line is that if you have certain venues you want to have a meal at, and you want certain times, you better not wait to book those precious ADR's. Now do you need to book every one? No, but I can tell you that even at 180 +8 I was not able to book every one I wanted. This will not ruin my trip, and I am not whining about that, but I still will not be able to take two little Beast Fanatics into BOG to meet him, and I so much wanted to.

Disney is setting up a lot of "enhancements" they want their guests to use, and I am not pposed to doing just that, but I do expect that when I want to get though, I will be able to do so.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

This is the first time I have had an issue and it is the first time I have booked through a TA. Could that be the problem? The CM I talked to to make my adr were ready to deny me because the reservation had the agency's addy instead of mine.

All websites have the occassional issue, but they usually go away after a day or so, if not later the same day. They don't persist unchecked. And I know the issue I had today was on their end.

No, these system issues have nothing to do with you booking through a TA. These issues have been persistent for many, many people regardless of how they've booked for months now. My latest glitch was a few weeks ago when I saw two Galactic breakfasts available for SWW (impossible to get reservations) and when I went to snag one all I got was an error message. When I checked again (immediately), it was gone. I knew it would come back in about 30 minutes, so I waited and lo and behold, it reappeared only for me to get another error message. I then decided to call and when I told the CM what happened she just snottily told me those breakfasts had been sold out for months and refused to believe I had even seen it online. Oh yes, of course, it couldn't POSSIBLY be Disney's fault that I kept getting an error message and the reservation disappeared. So I asked her to check for the second reservation I had seen and had right in front of me on the website (I didn't DARE click the reserve button this time!) and, what do you know, there it was. She quickly made my reservation and ended the call. My experience lately is the website doesn't work and the dining CM's (many of whom are ALSO outsourced) do not want to help guests. I have had so many phone CM's who simply want to find excuses as to why they can't make reservations for you. It's unbelievable. Disney IT and Disney guest services have gone to the dogs and they constantly blame others for their problems.