Paula25
Disney Dreamer
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2010
- Messages
- 93
We were at Boardwalk Villas in December, 2015 for a week. Lovely trip.
The construction around the resort led to the placement of a temporary fenced in area to one side of the parking lot (close to the walkway to The Studios). The fenced-in area was placed on a section of parking spaces, but there was room to drive around it on all sides (this is an observation – we did not drive around it). The fence was covered in some manner so you could not see into the area (or, as it turns out, around the corner of the area).
On the last day of our vacation, December 11, we checked out and walked to our rented van – we were having breakfast at Be My Guest. It was early, and we were the only ones moving about in the parking lot. We left our parking spot, and the route to get out of the parking lot took us down one side of the fenced-in area. As we approached the corner, my husband slowed but there was no warning sign or stop sign – he just did so because he couldn’t see around the corner. Suddenly, a golf cart carrying four workers came around the corner very fast – my husband slammed on the brakes and brought our van to a complete stop. Unfortunately, we watched the golf cart driver pump the brakes on the cart to no avail. The golf cart hit the front of our car as we sat there watching.
No one was hurt. It was a low-force impact, but as you all know, even that can be a big ouch for a vehicle with fiberglass parts. Happily, it turns out that even the rental car company (Hertz) only wanted about $300 to fix it.
I got the Boardwalk manager on duty, Julie, to come out. With her came Shellie, a Disney employee who just happened to be at the hotel that day, but she had something to do with managing the construction. Disney security showed up of course, and the onsite manager for the company that employed the worker who was driving the golf cart.
We all told our stories, separately, to the security guard. Everyone (Disney security, the construction foreman, and ourselves) was in agreement that the golf cart was defective, and that we were not at fault. I noted the names of everyone based on their nametag. Greg, the Security person, had everyone (us and the construction foreman) fill out a Florida accident report and gave a copy to both parties. They – both the construction foreman and Shellie - told us the golf cart would be red-tagged so it would not be used again until it was fixed. Shellie gave me a little piece of paper with the number for Guest Claims that would turn out to be my lifeline.
This process took about 2 hours. We were going to miss our breakfast reservations at Be My Guest. Our sons are older, so Julie arranged transportation for them to the Magic Kingdom so they could enjoy breakfast while my husband and I stayed to finish the paperwork. We also had a late lunch reservation at Be My Guest, which we were able to attend, and Disney picked up our tab. They also supplied us with some extra Fastpasses (I had to call Julie to have her put them on our account after we got to the park. I think she forgot – but not a big deal. We were still happy.). We supplied Hertz with a copy of the Florida accident report when we turned in the car and went home smiling. Unfortunately, that is not the end of the story.
When I got the first bill from Hertz, I called, explained the situation, and told them I was confident the construction company would be paying the bill. They were happy with that, but asked if I had a contact at their insurance company. Well, no I didn’t, but I am happy to make a phone call if it helps clear this up.
Took out my copy of the Florida accident report and realize – I can’t read what he wrote on the form. It looks like letters, but I can’t figure out what it actually says. Called the State of Florida since we filled out their accident form and they should have the original which might be easier to read. Uh, no form was ever turned in to them. WHAT?
I call Disney security and explained my dilemma. Their response? We don’t know what you are talking about. We don’t keep records of Florida accident reports even if we help you fill it out. Well, what about the incident? Surely you have a record that the accident occurred? No. I say, “But Greg was there!” “Greg Who?” Is their response.
I called Guest Claims and was told, “This is between you and the construction company. We have nothing to do with it.”
I then call the Boardwalk and ask to speak to Julie. It felt like a victory that the person who answered the phone knew that Julie worked there. I finally reached her, and she told me to call Disney security. I told her I already did that. Well, she needs to figure out where to send me then. She’ll call back. She did a couple days later.
In the meantime, I searched the internet using every possible variable that might bear a resemblance to what the construction foreman wrote on the form. No luck.
Julie called and gave me the name of the company who owned the golf cart. Whoop! I had a clue to follow. I called their office, and talked to the secretary who of course knew nothing, but I was able to confirm the name of their insurance company.
I called their insurance company directly, told my story, and found that the construction company had never contacted their insurance company about the incident at all. I called back to the construction company office and left a message (repeat about 5 times).
Let me pause to say we considered several times if we should just drop it and pay Hertz ourselves. It had become a very frustrating process. But what happened next convinced me that they would pay if I had to fly to Orlando and picket outside their front door.
I called their insurance company back and was eventually passed on the person who actually handles their account. She told us they were not paying anything, as the accident was our fault. We should have stopped sooner – there was a line painted on the parking lot and in the pictures, we were past that line so it was our fault. First, there was no line. Second, we moved our car after the accident to get it out of the way. It was no longer in the place the accident had occurred. This was ridiculous and deceitful and stupid and we were stunned. My husband was so mad he yelled at her – but it did not change her tune.
Called Julie. Cried a little. She called me back and gave me some good news - Steve C at Guest Claims would be calling.
Steve was on the case. He called me within a day or two. I sent him the bill from Hertz, told him the date of the accident, about my conversation with the insurance company, and gave him my version of what happened.
Steve and I corresponded over the course of about 6 weeks. He found the accident report. He talked to the people involved in the accident. He talked to the construction company. At one point, he said he didn’t understand what the problem was with the insurance company, because everyone he talked to told him the same version of events which agreed with the written report (who knew there was a written report? No one I talked to…) which agreed with us. No one even hinted that we were at fault, everyone agreed the fault rested with the construction company.
I don’t know what happened between the construction company and their insurance company, but about 6 weeks after Steve got involved, we got a check for the right amount from the construction company. Sent the payment to Hertz the same day (sometime in March) and all is well.
Moral(s) of the story:
1. If you are involved in an incident at WDW, get LAST names not just first names of the Disney employees working with you.
2. Make sure any documentation you are given is readable – especially that blue copy.
3. Guest claims can be your best friend – but they may not help you if you are unwilling to do some of your own homework when the incident is with a third party – even if the third party is employed by Disney.
4. Disney, it turns out, does have excellent customer service after all – but it may take persistence before you experience it.
I made a lot of mistakes at the time this incident occurred because I trusted that Disney would make sure it was handled properly. That was a bad assumption. The story would have turned out differently had I decided to give up. So thank you, rude and deceitful insurance company lady! You gave me the motivation to see it through! And thank you, Steve C. You are a true Disney hero.
The construction around the resort led to the placement of a temporary fenced in area to one side of the parking lot (close to the walkway to The Studios). The fenced-in area was placed on a section of parking spaces, but there was room to drive around it on all sides (this is an observation – we did not drive around it). The fence was covered in some manner so you could not see into the area (or, as it turns out, around the corner of the area).
On the last day of our vacation, December 11, we checked out and walked to our rented van – we were having breakfast at Be My Guest. It was early, and we were the only ones moving about in the parking lot. We left our parking spot, and the route to get out of the parking lot took us down one side of the fenced-in area. As we approached the corner, my husband slowed but there was no warning sign or stop sign – he just did so because he couldn’t see around the corner. Suddenly, a golf cart carrying four workers came around the corner very fast – my husband slammed on the brakes and brought our van to a complete stop. Unfortunately, we watched the golf cart driver pump the brakes on the cart to no avail. The golf cart hit the front of our car as we sat there watching.
No one was hurt. It was a low-force impact, but as you all know, even that can be a big ouch for a vehicle with fiberglass parts. Happily, it turns out that even the rental car company (Hertz) only wanted about $300 to fix it.
I got the Boardwalk manager on duty, Julie, to come out. With her came Shellie, a Disney employee who just happened to be at the hotel that day, but she had something to do with managing the construction. Disney security showed up of course, and the onsite manager for the company that employed the worker who was driving the golf cart.
We all told our stories, separately, to the security guard. Everyone (Disney security, the construction foreman, and ourselves) was in agreement that the golf cart was defective, and that we were not at fault. I noted the names of everyone based on their nametag. Greg, the Security person, had everyone (us and the construction foreman) fill out a Florida accident report and gave a copy to both parties. They – both the construction foreman and Shellie - told us the golf cart would be red-tagged so it would not be used again until it was fixed. Shellie gave me a little piece of paper with the number for Guest Claims that would turn out to be my lifeline.
This process took about 2 hours. We were going to miss our breakfast reservations at Be My Guest. Our sons are older, so Julie arranged transportation for them to the Magic Kingdom so they could enjoy breakfast while my husband and I stayed to finish the paperwork. We also had a late lunch reservation at Be My Guest, which we were able to attend, and Disney picked up our tab. They also supplied us with some extra Fastpasses (I had to call Julie to have her put them on our account after we got to the park. I think she forgot – but not a big deal. We were still happy.). We supplied Hertz with a copy of the Florida accident report when we turned in the car and went home smiling. Unfortunately, that is not the end of the story.
When I got the first bill from Hertz, I called, explained the situation, and told them I was confident the construction company would be paying the bill. They were happy with that, but asked if I had a contact at their insurance company. Well, no I didn’t, but I am happy to make a phone call if it helps clear this up.
Took out my copy of the Florida accident report and realize – I can’t read what he wrote on the form. It looks like letters, but I can’t figure out what it actually says. Called the State of Florida since we filled out their accident form and they should have the original which might be easier to read. Uh, no form was ever turned in to them. WHAT?
I call Disney security and explained my dilemma. Their response? We don’t know what you are talking about. We don’t keep records of Florida accident reports even if we help you fill it out. Well, what about the incident? Surely you have a record that the accident occurred? No. I say, “But Greg was there!” “Greg Who?” Is their response.
I called Guest Claims and was told, “This is between you and the construction company. We have nothing to do with it.”
I then call the Boardwalk and ask to speak to Julie. It felt like a victory that the person who answered the phone knew that Julie worked there. I finally reached her, and she told me to call Disney security. I told her I already did that. Well, she needs to figure out where to send me then. She’ll call back. She did a couple days later.
In the meantime, I searched the internet using every possible variable that might bear a resemblance to what the construction foreman wrote on the form. No luck.
Julie called and gave me the name of the company who owned the golf cart. Whoop! I had a clue to follow. I called their office, and talked to the secretary who of course knew nothing, but I was able to confirm the name of their insurance company.
I called their insurance company directly, told my story, and found that the construction company had never contacted their insurance company about the incident at all. I called back to the construction company office and left a message (repeat about 5 times).
Let me pause to say we considered several times if we should just drop it and pay Hertz ourselves. It had become a very frustrating process. But what happened next convinced me that they would pay if I had to fly to Orlando and picket outside their front door.
I called their insurance company back and was eventually passed on the person who actually handles their account. She told us they were not paying anything, as the accident was our fault. We should have stopped sooner – there was a line painted on the parking lot and in the pictures, we were past that line so it was our fault. First, there was no line. Second, we moved our car after the accident to get it out of the way. It was no longer in the place the accident had occurred. This was ridiculous and deceitful and stupid and we were stunned. My husband was so mad he yelled at her – but it did not change her tune.
Called Julie. Cried a little. She called me back and gave me some good news - Steve C at Guest Claims would be calling.
Steve was on the case. He called me within a day or two. I sent him the bill from Hertz, told him the date of the accident, about my conversation with the insurance company, and gave him my version of what happened.
Steve and I corresponded over the course of about 6 weeks. He found the accident report. He talked to the people involved in the accident. He talked to the construction company. At one point, he said he didn’t understand what the problem was with the insurance company, because everyone he talked to told him the same version of events which agreed with the written report (who knew there was a written report? No one I talked to…) which agreed with us. No one even hinted that we were at fault, everyone agreed the fault rested with the construction company.
I don’t know what happened between the construction company and their insurance company, but about 6 weeks after Steve got involved, we got a check for the right amount from the construction company. Sent the payment to Hertz the same day (sometime in March) and all is well.
Moral(s) of the story:
1. If you are involved in an incident at WDW, get LAST names not just first names of the Disney employees working with you.
2. Make sure any documentation you are given is readable – especially that blue copy.
3. Guest claims can be your best friend – but they may not help you if you are unwilling to do some of your own homework when the incident is with a third party – even if the third party is employed by Disney.
4. Disney, it turns out, does have excellent customer service after all – but it may take persistence before you experience it.
I made a lot of mistakes at the time this incident occurred because I trusted that Disney would make sure it was handled properly. That was a bad assumption. The story would have turned out differently had I decided to give up. So thank you, rude and deceitful insurance company lady! You gave me the motivation to see it through! And thank you, Steve C. You are a true Disney hero.
