Disney/DVC Customer Service

[jlewisinsyr]

Are you also isolating all the great things and giving them all the credit they deserve for them? That is my point. You weigh it all out and they are exceptional even when a few things don't exactly go as planned.

Yes, I do isolate the things they do well, like theming, but when you put all of the various variables together, what I see is an average result, with some spikes downward in specific categories and again, some spikes upwards.

You seem to think you're opinion is the only one that matters, you keep forcing the idea that they are "exceptional", but there is 25% of the group (a group who by defintion of surfing this site, using it regularly, tend to have a passion for Disney) voting that thinks otherwise. Others have mentioned that when you look at more statistically significant surveys that are less biased, you'll see the split is more even.

 

[Sammie]

I agree with the posters who said that the legendary Disney customer service is not as great as it used to be. Disney has rested on their laurels and have gone down a notch or two. That said, I still think they are better than most. They aren't perfect, and have never been. I still voted Exceptional.

Exactly.

 

[JimMIA]

91 percent of DVC members described their overall membership satisfaction as "excellent" or "very good".

I know Mike phrased his OP as positively as he possibly could, but if I were in the food chain above Jim Lewis, this would be the statistic that most bothered me.

This is a survey of the most dedicated DVC-lovers there are, and DVC only gets an A-/B+ from those of us who are its most ardent fans. I would expect 91% "excellent," about 5% "very good," and the remaining 4% scattered below those levels when surveying this particular audience.

I don't remember the breakdowns between "excellent" and "very good," but those would be very interesting to see. If someone has the numbers, please post them.

Managers always try to spin these numbers the best way they can, but if a large percentage of those survey respondents said "very good," that is a pretty damning indictment...not the good thing Lewis is trying to claim.

 

[eliza61]

Definitely very interesting JimMIA. You are absolutely right about survey. We hang out here on the boards because of a serious love affair with the mouse. LOL. and from the results above 21% feel that the world provide services on par with every one else. ouch, that's gotta hurt. That's what I voted in at. my voting was based on the last 4 trips.

Some one here posted a great analogie about cooking a frog, some thing about the way to do it was to turn up the heat little by little so the frog won't know it's cooking until it's too late (sorry original poster, I know I've totally screwed up your wonderful telling) That truly is my concern with the world. that we let slide little things here and there, that are not enough to make us complain but just enough to slowly erode the "disneyness" a dirty rug here, a broken stove there, a cut back here, poor cm service there and next thing you know it's no longer the dvc we love. I don't want to see that happen.

 

[Sammie]

That truly is my concern with the world. that we let slide little things here and there, that are not enough to make us complain but just enough to slowly erode the "disneyness" a dirty rug here, a broken stove there, a cut back here, poor cm service there and next thing you know it's no longer the dvc we love. I don't want to see that happen.

I am not willing to let it slide. I expect to get what I got when I joined. A very clean, well maintained DVC resort villa. I do not expect nor accept anything less.

 

[AKV707]

I am not willing to let it slide. I expect to get what I got when I joined. A very clean, well maintained DVC resort villa. I do not expect nor accept anything less.

Agreed

 

[eliza61]

I am not willing to let it slide. I expect to get what I got when I joined. A very clean, well maintained DVC resort villa. I do not expect nor accept anything less.

Agreed

It's funny though, how many people will think that's "whining or complaining".
I remember last august I posted how I was unhappy that the 2 back burners on the stove in my 2 bedroom did not work. what made me unhappy was that I contacted the front desk (I acknowledged these were probably the wrong folks to contact) on the morning after discovery and 6 days later it still was not repaired.
You would not believe the flames I got, every thing ranging from "you must lead a charmed life if a broken stove is worrying you" to "you're not at disneyworld to cook". So now I think, maybe it's me. maybe people do let dirty rooms and broken items roll off their backs. I dunno. Like I said, the stove was in no way ruining my vacation, I just felt it should not have been broken. Trash left in the garbage can upon arrival doesn't send me screaming to management, it just sours my overall impression. So what do you do?

 

[CMOORE185]

One of the arguments from the people that do not like the complaining about customer service is the fact that when you call about a dirty room or something broken Disney fixes it so what is the problem. My take on this is I do not want my dream vacation to start with me having to call housekeeping or maintenance to get something corrected. To me this takes alot of the magic out of my vacation. The real problem is that this seems to be happening more and more frequently to us.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

One of the arguments from the people that do not like the complaining about customer service is the fact that when you call about a dirty room or something broken Disney fixes it so what is the problem. My take on this is I do not want my dream vacation to start with me having to call housekeeping or maintenance to get something corrected. To me this takes alot of the magic out of my vacation. The real problem is that this seems to be happening more and more frequently to us.

Or you have to call more then once to get the problem fixed, if it is ever fixed at all. First, problems should be VERY minimal, second, they should be fixed after the first call.

 

[JimC]

I know Mike phrased his OP as positively as he possibly could, but if I were in the food chain above Jim Lewis, this would be the statistic that most bothered me.

This is a survey of the most dedicated DVC-lovers there are, and DVC only gets an A-/B+ from those of us who are its most ardent fans. I would expect 91% "excellent," about 5% "very good," and the remaining 4% scattered below those levels when surveying this particular audience.

I don't remember the breakdowns between "excellent" and "very good," but those would be very interesting to see. If someone has the numbers, please post them.

Managers always try to spin these numbers the best way they can, but if a large percentage of those survey respondents said "very good," that is a pretty damning indictment...not the good thing Lewis is trying to claim.

My understanding is that Disney values only the top grade. In other words the 91% excellent JimMIA used in his example is what they focus on. All other grades are lumped together. You either delivered or you did not.

There is a great book on customer loyalty called The Ultimate Question by Fred Reichheld. I highly recommend it.

 

[wulfekamp]

What I see is that DVC members are a very diverse group. We are all never going to agree. It upsets me that some seem to be attacking Mike. Is it that your truly upset with the poll or the results. When you complain about Disney there are members that will get their feelings hurt. When you say you don't like a resort others will get there feeling hurt. You may not like it but it is there HOME.

 

[Brian Noble]

I didn't see anyone attacking Mike. I did see a few people calling him on the fact that his poll is not exactly without bias, but that's not a personal attack from my perspective.

 

[DVC Mike]

I didn't see anyone attacking Mike. I did see a few people calling him on the fact that his poll is not exactly without bias, but that's not a personal attack from my perspective.

I don't feel attacked at all. People are free to disagree with my opinions ('cause that is what they are), as long as there aren't any personal attacks (and I haven't thought any of the comments were). It's been an interesting read, which is why I posted the thread in the first place. I wanted to know what everyone's perspectives were.

I wasn't driven to post this because of the other threads about "complaining". It was actually some posts on another board stating that Disney's service was worst than most.

I think the poll itself is unbiased, although I intentionally limited the number of choices. The information I posted in the first thread are mostly facts, albeit all positive ones for Disney/DVC.

Disney has a long tradition of legendary service, from the smiling cast members to the whimsical and magical experiences available at its parks and resorts.

Disney's record of customer loyalty, satisfaction, and repeat business has made them the number one tourist destination in the world.

The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) consistently scores the best rating in the timeshare category in the Market Metrix Hospitality Index. DVC has the highest hospitality ratings of any other timeshare.

91 percent of DVC members described their overall membership satisfaction as "excellent" or "very good".

 

[disneynutz]

Here is another thread that I just found on the resort board.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2218302

 

[JimMIA]

My understanding is that Disney values only the top grade. In other words the 91% excellent JimMIA used in his example is what they focus on. All other grades are lumped together. You either delivered or you did not.

I think you're right, Jim. Except that's NOT what Lewis did in this case, because the numbers weren't there.

He lumped Excellent and Very Good together to get a decent number -- because he had to -- but that's just spin. I'd love to know what the real breakdown is, if anyone knows.

My example was trying to illustrate what the numbers should have been...not what they really were.

Let's be honest, "Very Good" is not all that great, and it's certainly far below the standard any outstanding hospitality company shoots for. I know the better resort chains would be appalled with "Very Good."

But, once again, we didn't buy DVC for knock-your-socks-off excellence. We bought it for vacation lodging, expecting normal Disney service...which we have found to be fine. We haven't had any "WOW" moments with Disney service, but we haven't had any big disappointments either.

 

[JimMIA]

I have seen one great example recently of what Disney service should look like. Unfortunately, it's in a video of Monorail Pilot Austin Wuennenberg who tragically died in the monorail crash a few days ago.

He had two grandparents and a young boy riding up front with him. Grandma shot the video. It's not so much Austin's comments and actions, but the big smile on the little boy's face that tells you great service is being provided.

The video is a very nice tribute to a fine young man. I have to warn you, though, the video is a little heartbreaking when you put it in context.

Here's a link: http://www.examiner.com/x-9082-Walt...l-pilot-Austin-Wuennenberg-at-top-of-his-game

Click on the link that says "see the Orlando Sentinel video"

 

[Monte Cristo]

Gerat video, thanks for posting that.

 

[StreamMaster]

This is a good example of customer service at WDW right now.

http://www.wesh.com/news/20003663/detail.html

 

[jimmymac]

I'd like to add to the comments here, even though I'm not DVC. I've been going to WDW forever. A few anecdotal observations. The very first time I stayed on property, it was at All Stars. I went outside the room to have a cigarette, then back in to take a shower, and by the time I left the room again, the ashtray holding the cigarette butt had already been cleaned up. In the MK that day, I overheard a guest jokingly say, "If you drop a candy wrapper, a Castmember will catch it before it hits the ground." That was the level of service Disney set - a standard that was the envy of companies in all lines of work. Fast forward a few years. Staying at BC. Reported a broken chair on the balcony. I just used the other chair, so it wasn't a big deal. I called every day, and the broken chair was still there when we left. We noticed a very dirty stairwell on the way to Epcot, and reported it. The manager said he'd take care of it right away. When we left 5 days later, the stairwell was in the same disreputable condition. We overheard one girl telling her mother she didn't want to use the bathroom just off the lobby because "It stinks in there." The bathroom in the lobby of a $500 a night hotel???? Last December, we stayed at a 1BR BWV. 1 of the burners didn't work; 2 were crooked. There were stains on the carpet. The shower dripped continuously. I said to DW, "You know, if I were paying DVC money for this, I'd be real pissed. " I tried to explained to our Mousekeeper one morning that we didn't nned service that day but she spoke no English, making comunication a tad difficult. We spent the last night of our stay at BWI and the difference between the condition of the rooms was night and day. Yes, the hotel side had just been refurbished, but that doesn;t excuse the condition on the other side. We expect great service from Disney because they set the standards themselves. Hospitality training is history. Disney worked very hard to overcome the fact that for a long time, food in the restaurants was sub par. They succeeded to the extent that dining at Disney became something to look forward to. The signature restaurants were all unique. The various dining plans and the resultant menu homogenization have all but killed that. You could get souvenirs at varioous kiosks around the parks that you couldn't get anywhere else. Now it seems that the same 5 t-shirts are universallly available. CMs try very hard, but there fewer of them. The effects of the 1900 layoffs / buyouts were not supposed to be visible at the resorts or the parks. Does anyone really believe that? The fact that 1 in 4 of the hard core Disney fans (the people on these boards) fnd that service at WDW is now about the same as a Motel 6 is very scary. Most of the readers / posters here do see that service is going down; but there are some serious Kool Aid drinkers here that if the sky were falling at WDW, their take would be "Yeah, but it's a lovely Disney blue." Don't get me wrong - I still love WDW and still believe it's the most magical place around. But to maintain that it hasn't changed is to ignore the obvious

 

[JimMIA]

Gerat video, thanks for posting that.

Actually, you can thank "TheFireBuilds" for that. They originally posted the link on one of the threads about the monorail crash.