Disappointed

[SilentFeline]

After reading various posts about BB, my bf and I decided to make 11:30 am waterside PS arrangements for his bday on May 27. However, I was very disappointed with the attitude of the CM that made our arrangements. My bf just called about a half an hour ago and told the CM when we wanted to go and where we wanted to be seated. He had the phone on speakerphone so I could hear. The CM told him that we could not make seating requests, and that everything was on a first-come-first-serve basis. She also said that the earliest we could make reservations was 11:40 (which I guess is possible since we did make the PS's a day later than planned). She didn't ask him if he wanted to make any other PS arrangements, or what we were celebrating. She was kind of rushing him, which also made me upset. We're still going to arrive at 11:15, as suggested by some very helpful DISboarders, and hopefully we'll get a waterside seat. That's really the main reason we wanted to go.

I just wanted to know if anyone else has had a negative experience with making PS arrangements. Has DL just changed its policies? I'm reluctant to even make any other reservations, even though we have several restaurants on our list in which they are strongly recommended. I don't want to have to change our plans because of rude CMs. Hopefully this was just an isolated incident.

 

[blue donkey]

I'm sorry that you had a neg. exp. when making your ps. Each time I've made a ps or called to change/cancel, the cm's have always been very nice.

Maybe the cm was just having a bad day. Don't let it deter you from making/changing ps for any place you would like. The earlier you call, the better chance you'll have to getting the times you prefer.

Have a great time!

 

[DizNee Luver]

I think you caught someone on a bad day.....I've never had any problems while making my PS arrangements. I've even called to change them when we added 4 people to our group 2 weeks prior to our trip.
As for Blue Bayou.....hopefully you will get a friendly host/hostess that will take your request to heart. You may have to wait longer, but if you're okay with that, let them know that as well. Tell them you're celebrating a birthday....sometimes knowing your celebrating a special occasion, they'll look for a special table for you.
We forgot to request waterside when we checked in for our dinner, but I told them we were celebrating our 25th Anniversary & when we got seated, the hostess said "we've got a great table for your celebration!".....it was waterside!!!

 

[blackjackdelta]

We also have never had a CM problem and always got waterside(6 people). Just got there first and we were seated at 1120 2 years ago.

Jack

 

[Sherwin]

I would strongly encourage you to ask for the CM's name and complain if you felt he/she was rude. I've worked in the service sector before, and I can't tell you how much customer service should be prioritized. Bad day or not, that CM should have been helpful and positive in every way.

 

[Krissy Marissy]

After reading various posts about BB, my bf and I decided to make 11:30 am waterside PS arrangements for his bday on May 27. However, I was very disappointed with the attitude of the CM that made our arrangements. My bf just called about a half an hour ago and told the CM when we wanted to go and where we wanted to be seated. He had the phone on speakerphone so I could hear. The CM told him that we could not make seating requests, and that everything was on a first-come-first-serve basis. She also said that the earliest we could make reservations was 11:40 (which I guess is possible since we did make the PS's a day later than planned). She didn't ask him if he wanted to make any other PS arrangements, or what we were celebrating. She was kind of rushing him, which also made me upset. We're still going to arrive at 11:15, as suggested by some very helpful DISboarders, and hopefully we'll get a waterside seat. That's really the main reason we wanted to go.

I just wanted to know if anyone else has had a negative experience with making PS arrangements. Has DL just changed its policies? I'm reluctant to even make any other reservations, even though we have several restaurants on our list in which they are strongly recommended. I don't want to have to change our plans because of rude CMs. Hopefully this was just an isolated incident.

Same thing happened to me. Perhaps we had the same lady? She was just rude and made me feel like I was bothering her to make my PS arrangements!! It totally irked me!! But...I know that I will enjoy my trip anyway. It's true you cannot request a water side table just yet but do so upon check in. Dont let her get to ya!

 

[MathomAndStuff]

I had a similar experience making PS arrangements a couple weeks ago. The CM I spoke to was very terse and I felt stupid when I asked a question. She did not ask about celebrations or anything and at the time I didn't know they even did, but when I called to make an additional PS for a dinner the male CM I spoke to did. He was much nicer and actually sounded like he was smiling when he was speaking. Not like the first CM at all... oh and he asked about a celebration. He was much more like the kind of service and experience I would hope for. Good thing they aren't all like the first CM!

 

[pixiewings71]

FYI, when making your PS you are not able to make seating requests. Those must be done in person at the restaurant. I'm sorry you had a negative experience, I hope you realize that everyone has off days and let's all hope that's what this was for this particular CM. I hope you actual experience at BB is very different.

 

[SilentFeline]

Wow, thank you all for your wonderful feedback! I will just let the host/hostess know that we are celebrating my bf's bday when we get there and that we would like to have waterside seating if it's possible. I think having waterside seating is a little bit more important to me than it is to my bf, but I just figure that for the price of the menu items, we should have as wonderful an experience as we possibly can. I see that I am not the only person who has had a negative experience with CMs while making PS arrangements, but hopefully it won't happen again...to any of us.

Thank you all again!

 

[Sherry E]

FYI, when making your PS you are not able to make seating requests. Those must be done in person at the restaurant. I'm sorry you had a negative experience, I hope you realize that everyone has off days and let's all hope that's what this was for this particular CM. I hope you actual experience at BB is very different.

This is exactly what I was thinking. You really cannot make seating requests over the phone - these are only PS's after all, not actual reservations. There is not a lot they can do over the phone because no tables are being held for you, like you would get with a reservation. They are simply logging the time you would like to arrive to have some way of organizing the people who show up. In my experience with calling to make PS's, they have always been pleasant, but when I requested the waterside for BB the CM very clearly told me that all she could do was make a note of it, but that we had to show up 15 minutes in advance of our PS time to let them know at the front desk. (I was told the same thing when I asked for a Main Street-side table at Carnation Cafe and an aquarium-side table at Rainforest Cafe - show up early and tell them in person. And if you ask for seating at Wine Country Trattoria that allows you to see the Pixar Play Parade, you can't even mention that on the phone!) Where I encountered the rude and seemingly unhelpful people was actually at the BB. The hostess was not pleasant or helpful at all, and barely seemed to even pay attention to my waterside request. But my experience at BB seems to be rare, so I wouldn't worry. If I had to go back there, I would assume that she would be in a better mood or there would be someone nicer at the front.

Anyway, if your CM sounded rude when delivering this info, I am sure she was just having an off day, or perhaps had 20 calls lined up that she had to take and was trying to be quick. It happens. I know I get so used to the upbeat, chipper personalities of Disney employees that when they show a crack in the armor and act like 'regular people,' it is momentarily alarming!!

 

[fairycat]

If you ever feel a service person is being rude ask for a manager!! I recently had issues with another company on the phone and when I asked for a manager things really changed!! They can only really resolve your issue in the moment.

I also had a TERRIBLE experience with a Hostess at BB, she did not want us waiting for a walk up, and was just plain nasty, when we told her we had no issue waiting even if nothing opened up,(ironically something opened up 5 minutes later). We did complain though because she was just so nasty and rude and wouldn't stop!

A manager at BB listened to our complaint and took it seriously and offered us a nice comp to make up for it even though we told them we didn't need anything but knowledge that they knew we were upset. Basically I want some hope that a CM would not be allowed to talk to a guest like that again!!

Sometimes people do have off days and sometimes they are just telling you the rules, but if you think it goes beyond that let someone know, so hopefully it doesn't have to happen to some one else. Hey, I worked in Customer Service for years, I had to be nice on bad days too, so I know it can be tough but it can be done.

 

[Sherry E]

If you ever feel a service person is being rude ask for a manager!! I recently had issues with another company on the phone and when I asked for a manager things really changed!! They can only really resolve your issue in the moment.

I also had a TERRIBLE experience with a Hostess at BB, she did not want us waiting for a walk up, and was just plain nasty, when we told her we had no issue waiting even if nothing opened up,(ironically something opened up 5 minutes later). We did complain though because she was just so nasty and rude and wouldn't stop!

A manager at BB listened to our complaint and took it seriously and offered us a nice comp to make up for it even though we told them we didn't need anything but knowledge that they knew we were upset. Basically I want some hope that a CM would not be allowed to talk to a guest like that again!!

Ooooh! I wonder if you got the same snarky hostess that we got. I think mine was named Alyssa from Texas, maybe?? We went to BB on a Saturday night in October last year, around 8:30 p.m. That was the PS time, I think. (It may have been 8:00 and I am forgetting.) In any case, I showed up 15 minutes early to make the waterside request, and was shooed away and told to come back in 10 minutes. When we came back and I told them again, they said it would be over an hour to wait for waterside, so we declined (we were already tired). Even though we never got seated by the water, we still waited about an hour for a table way in the back because it was so busy.

 

[jemilah]

Hmmmmmmmmm i got a rude lady too and wish I had got her name , then I called the next day and asked for my fav cm at disney dining and he was great . Ask for Chad Adams he is trademark Disney personality but they have really limited what the can e-mail and suggest you have to ask for an opinion they can't just give it......silly huh! That lady cm should go work in collections she is perfect for it.

 

[pixiewings71]

We had a snarky hostess at BB as well. We checked in 30 min. early for our 12:30 PS and made sure to let them know we wanted waterside. She rudely told us it would be a much longer wait and we would probably wait 30 past our PS time. We told her that was fine and she said "I'll have to check with the dining staff" and went into the dining room, came back and said yet again, "it's going to be at LEAST 30 min. past your PS so you'll be waiting at LEAST an hour" and we again smiled and said "we are OK with that, we don't mind waiting at all" she rolled her eyes and walked away. DBF and I just laughed at her, I mean really, what's it to her? We didn't complain to management either because not 5 maybe 10 min. after we checked we got seated, waterside! LOL So we actually got seated 20 min. BEFORE our PS time. LOL I have no clue what her name was and we really didn't let it get to us so we didn't bother to complain. And our waitress was AMAZING and that more than made up for her rudeness!

 

[SilentFeline]

Wow, I guess a lot of people have had negative experiences with hosts/hostesses at BB. That's too bad. If it happens to us when we're there, I will definitely complain. It took us a while to even decide to go to BB because we will be there 6 days and staying at the DLH, so our trip is already costing so much. Plus, we have heard mixed reviews about the staff and the food. But it's for his bday, so we wanted to make it special. We're going to Wine Country Trattoria for his bday dinner.

It's good to know that we can't request seating when we call. Honestly, I had no idea. I haven't been to DL in about 15 years, and when we did go, we never went anywhere that required PS's (not that I would have had to worry about it anyway). My bf went only once and it was many years ago as well. So this is the first time either one of us has ever made these arrangements. I will remember it for future PS's though. Thanks again for the help!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

my hostest was the best an worked with my dh being sick an my son hating the food an still made sure we had what i wanted (deserts) an stuff she was so nice an she got the biggest tip i could leave that trip. i know i ddint do much to others but she got a nice one. because she really went out her way to help us.

the phone ive had two issues once was hung up on i couldnt understand her an then click. Then i had one who seemed to know nothing i had to talk them though how to look up what i was talking about. it was nuts do i know more then some there new ppl? from these boards lol

 

[Mortimer Mouse]

After reading various posts about BB, my bf and I decided to make 11:30 am waterside PS arrangements for his bday on May 27. However, I was very disappointed with the attitude of the CM that made our arrangements. My bf just called about a half an hour ago and told the CM when we wanted to go and where we wanted to be seated. He had the phone on speakerphone so I could hear. The CM told him that we could not make seating requests, and that everything was on a first-come-first-serve basis. She also said that the earliest we could make reservations was 11:40 (which I guess is possible since we did make the PS's a day later than planned). She didn't ask him if he wanted to make any other PS arrangements, or what we were celebrating. She was kind of rushing him, which also made me upset. We're still going to arrive at 11:15, as suggested by some very helpful DISboarders, and hopefully we'll get a waterside seat. That's really the main reason we wanted to go.

I just wanted to know if anyone else has had a negative experience with making PS arrangements. Has DL just changed its policies? I'm reluctant to even make any other reservations, even though we have several restaurants on our list in which they are strongly recommended. I don't want to have to change our plans because of rude CMs. Hopefully this was just an isolated incident.

From what you're saying, it doesn't sound rude or negative to me, maybe a little rushed, but sorry if you felt it was a bad experience.....

 

[fairycat]

Sherry E- if she was short with dark hair it probably was here, it was around the same time frame. She was terrible!

I actually originally was not going to complain, but after talking to a really sweet host who also worked there, I asked him if there was any way to find out if they would start to take walk in's we would love to get on the list. I explained the nasty Hostess was not willing to help us and was not so helpful. About a minute later he told us, no problem we had a seat ready, and they had a manager to talk about our issues. The manager was really nice.

I so hope that girl isn't there anymore she was awful!!!

 

[SilentFeline]

From what you're saying, it doesn't sound rude or negative to me, maybe a little rushed, but sorry if you felt it was a bad experience.....

Seeing it typed out on here and actually hearing the way this lady was talking to us are two different things. I can see why reading what happened may make the incident seem like it was no big deal, but I have worked in retail and customer service for many years and I know the appropriate way to speak to customers, even if I am having an off day. In fact, if I talked to any customer the way this CM spoke to my bf and my boss heard, I would have been severely reprimanded, regardless of the circumstances.

Plus, the whole thing was made worse by the fact that this was the first experience either one of had had with DL in many years. I haven't been to DL in at least 15 years and my bf hasn't been there in about 10. So this incident was not a great way to start out our DL experience. However, I won't let it ruin the rest of our plans. We plan to have lots of fun and we will!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

enjoy the trip an heck if you call back an speak with some one mintion it say you know your alot nicer then the last person i spoke to..(if they are) an never know they may very well have it logged as who spoke to you last or something.

I dont know I always say when I feel some ones being rude. Or when you just dont get what you expect. from any where. if your hired to work at Disney you should put the smile on the face. an do it cheerful not rude to an unexpected guest.
Thats not what walt would want.
(ok im getting down off the soap box. I have respect for every one who works an do there jobs but some where like this we expect nice helpful ppl who want us to be excited about coming. who want us to decide to come see them an not go some where else.)