Condesending attitude by boat driver at POR

[Lilolvr]

I am hopping mad this evening. I have been staying at POR for 7 days, it is our last night and I had decided to book tickets to La Nouba downtown. I called and a Cast Member helped me pick the seats and told me that the tickets ($200) HAD to be picked up at the Ticket office by 5 pm No exceptions. We flew so had to depend on resort transportation. I asked the cast member about that she said, "Just ask the boat captain to drop you off at the Westside rather than Marketplace. They will do that if you are going to see the show." We left the park at 2 pm to get back to the hotel and be ready to go early. Got to the boat dock at POR by 3:40. The boat arrived and I asked the captain if he would drop us at the Westside as we were going to La Nouba and needed to pick up our tickets before 5. He looked down his nose at me and said, "I will drop you at the Marketplace and you can walk or catch the shuttle." I told him that the cast member who sold us the tickets had said that the boats will make this drop off on the westend if you ask. I also had my husband check the day before (right after we made the reservation, he took the boat to French Quarter and asked the boat captain about dropping off at Westside and was told it could be done with no problem). The boat captain tonight would not even answer me, after he made his you will walk comment. He drove us downtown, after stopping at French Quarter. When we arrived at the Marketplace, I asked him, will you take us over to Westend ?" and he said, "No you'll get off here and take the shuttle."
We made it to the box office with 10 minutes to spare which is a little too close for comfort for me.
I would have left even earlier had I been told I had to shuttle from one side of downtown disney to the other. I really think 1 hour to get anywhere on property should be sufficent. But what really frosts me is the young man's nasty attitude and demeanor. I am not used to being talked to in that manner nor did I appreciate the snide grin on his face when he dropped us off at Marketplace. I have all his information and plan to write letters until I get some satisfaction. I have written many letters of gratitude, but this young man needs to be taught how to treat guests.

Sorry about your experience. POR isn't one of my favorites. Hopefully you had a decent stay regardless.

 

[redkelley]

So you want to get someone fired over the tone of their voice? That seems a bit much. Maybe he didn't realize that he had a tone. The tone of your voice is so subjective. Don't get me wrong, I am not against complaining, but writing numerous letters over someones tone of voice seems overkill.

I can't help but wonder if part of the reason for his attitude is because he told you he wouldn't drop you off at the westside before you boarded the boat. Didn't you believe him the first time you asked?I'm not trying to be snarky, but he did tell you he wouldn't before you got on the boat.

She did not say that she wanted to get him fired over the tone of his voice. She wants him to be made aware that the tone he uses when addressing his guests is a direct reflection on his employer and if the problem CONTINUES, he could lose his job.

I work in customer service and people are reprimanded all the time for the tone they use with customers.

I try to drill this in to my kids heads "It is not what you say but how you say it." The boat driver could have said "I am sorry, but we are not allowed to stop the boats at the West Side. I apologize if you were given the wrong information." He chose to be rude and condescending. Big Difference!

Joi

 

[LoriZH]

You are welcome to believe one side of the story, I will always give each person the benefit of the doubt. I doubt you would want someone to critize you based on one side of the story.

The OP has a right to be upset with the info given to her on the phone, as to whether the Boat Driver was actually rude, or simply in a hurry to do his job and did not have time to discuss why he could not do what the OP wanted we don't know.

As to getting attitude from someone in customer service, I appreciate your wish for me to recieve that, but luckily I have never had that problem, but then maybe it is all in attitude. I am pretty easy going and not quick to over react and I don't get upset over being told No, I can't do that.

I figure on any given day, people are doing the best they can do, right then. I don't think anyone intentionally tries to upset others or be rude.

As a general rule, I never wish stuff like that on people, this just hit me badly because people were judging the OP when she clearly stated her side of the story, she is a dis member, and she was there! I have no reason to believe she wasn't being truthful, I do however, no disrespect, but I do not believe for a second that you've never encountered a rude customer service rep. We've encountered them before at Disney and just chose to talk about them behind their backs instead of being confrontational, hey that's what they get. It's getting out of hand that more and more people are accepting the fact that you are paying a lot of money to be treated nicely on your vacation, like it or not, it's their job to treat you nice, customer always comes first and some people think because it's Disney you should pardon that, well no thank you anymore. I've only experienced very few disgruntled employees at Disney mostly CM's on the phone (I was a CM at the DS for 3 years) so I know the pressures, however, gives me no right to be rude. The Captain didn't apologize to her for not being able to accomodate what someone else had told her, he "told" her what she was going to do, that is rude. In the customer service business, you're almost guaranteed to apologize for other people's actions, it's crazy but true. You want to make the people who are paying your salary feel comfortable and he didn't and that is too bad. Besides, it's Disney!

Again, no I was not there, but the OP was and I have no reason to believe she's a liar, she sounds nice enough to me.

 

[CPer'sMom]

I went to the front desk at POR when we returned that evening and asked for his full name and the name of his supervisor. I was told they could not give out the employee full names (I understand that). I was told to contact Transportation the next morning. I did call and spoke to a supervisor who apologized and told me that they usually do not make that extra drop off if they are busy. I told her that I did not have a problem with that but my problem was with the way the CM spoke to me and his attitude and demeanor. She said he would be interviewed and they would address the issue. I told her I appreciated that and that I would be following up with a letter.

I understand that transportation at the resort can be a nightmare.

I am following up with a letter to guest relations and on up the chain .

Gosh, let it go already! You already complained to his direct supervisor and she told you they would take care of it. Did this CM ruin your entire vacation so much that you need to continue to push this issue?!

Sometimes when one asks a question and doesn't like the answer, it's possible to read more into that answer than was really there in the first place. Also, you stated that you asked him at the dock & he told you he couldn't drop you where you wanted. So, knowing that, why did you then ask him that same question again after he had docked at the Marketplace? You knew what the answer was going to be!!

And for the person who asked what satisfaction I want (ie:do I want proof he is fired) NO, I merely intend to MAKE CERTAIN that someone with the proper authority over job security has this information and that they do address the issue with the boat driver so that he does not treat another guest in that manner. I want him to know that I issued a formal complaint. As someone else in these posts pointed out if he has done it once, he has probaby done it in the past and will most likely do it again

.

Even though you state you "don't want him fired" this pretty much sounds like you do want just that.

 

[maryanna&dave]

Sorry about your experience. POR isn't one of my favorites. Hopefully you had a decent stay regardless.

How the heck is POR to blame for the rude boat driver?

 

[Lilolvr]

How the heck is POR to blame for the rude boat driver?

I don't know, how are they at fault? I don't see where I said it was POR's fault but thanks for asking.

 

[Jaymie]

I think we may have encountered the same captain on our July trip to POR. I asked how long the trip was from the POR dock to DTD. Just out of curiousity, we were in no hurry, had no plans or anything and I couldn't get a straight answer. He had a huge attitude and pretty much refused to answer. I was just looking for a 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 90 minutes. Whatever!! But nothing.

I found it a little odd, maybe he was having a bad day or something.

On the way back from DTD we had the best captain ever, very infomative and pleasant. She was great.

 

[Sammie]

As a general rule, I never wish stuff like that on people, this just hit me badly because people were judging the OP when she clearly stated her side of the story, she is a dis member, and she was there! I have no reason to believe she wasn't being truthful, I do however, no disrespect, but I do not believe for a second that you've never encountered a rude customer service rep. We've encountered them before at Disney and just chose to talk about them behind their backs instead of being confrontational, hey that's what they get. It's getting out of hand that more and more people are accepting the fact that you are paying a lot of money to be treated nicely on your vacation, like it or not, it's their job to treat you nice, customer always comes first and some people think because it's Disney you should pardon that, well no thank you anymore. I've only experienced very few disgruntled employees at Disney mostly CM's on the phone (I was a CM at the DS for 3 years) so I know the pressures, however, gives me no right to be rude. The Captain didn't apologize to her for not being able to accomodate what someone else had told her, he "told" her what she was going to do, that is rude. In the customer service business, you're almost guaranteed to apologize for other people's actions, it's crazy but true. You want to make the people who are paying your salary feel comfortable and he didn't and that is too bad. Besides, it's Disney!

Again, no I was not there, but the OP was and I have no reason to believe she's a liar, she sounds nice enough to me.

I guess your believing is selective, the OP is not a liar and yet you call me one.

I have never had a rude customer service rep and had I, I would have said so. But then I don't give people attitude either. If they are having a bad day I figure there is a reason. I don't expect people to be all bubbly, happy for me either. I ask a question I get a reply and then I do not question them. I don't try to interrupt facial expressions either.

What is rude to you, might not be rude to me and in this instance I found nothing the OP reported in her opening comments as rude on the part of the CM.

I am not and was not judging the OP, she thought it was rude. That is her choice, however it is also my choice to think that there is always two sides and we heard one.

What she reported in her comments was not rude to me. She sounded frustrated due to wrong information given to her by the CM on the phone and the boat driver was on the recieving end of that frustration.

 

[safetymom]

Thank you everyone for participating in this discussion. But the time has come to close it.