Guest Relations Nightmare in Epcot Yesterday

[erinch]

Yesterday at Epcot we waited nearly an hour in blazing sun to convert an AP voucher from our local Disney store and buy TiW. There are3 windows. It was a convergence of some people with indexable problems. And a large group that was individually converting email confirmations into 2 one day park passes, and several people with serious issues of park hoppers on the room keys magic bands being rejected.

I don't know what the solution would be. Shade for one. An express window for easy items? Or sending people to a specialist if it is not resolved easily? Even with ours the technology seemed antiquated. The scanner didn't read the voucher correctly. I'd left the receipt at the room. Finally it did. Then it took an amazing amount of key strikes to assign it to my husband. Then on to TiW. Same thing. They are changing Ti W. but don't have new brochures. So she was required to tell us about all the changes. We had an ADR and were already late. Y husband said we had been in line for n hour, understood the changes, and would like the pass. His voice was impatient, but those were is exact words. She reprimanded him for rudeness. And started her spiel over. Then gave us a xerox of places for TIW.

By that time the line behind us was about 30 people long or more. 2 of the windows took half an hour to turn over. A woman behind us with a stroller said that she was disabled. And about to faint. And had been inline for 45 minutes. And was still in the sun. And had a 4 day park hopper on her room key, and second time it had not worked. By that time they had brought a security guy over who did nothing. I had earlier tried to propose that we sift the line to the shade, going sideways to get people out of the sun.that was blocked, as it was to between the line railings.

They need more windows. They need shade. They need specialists. And I was really sorry I'd bought the voucher to save time.

 

[mesaboy2]

Yesterday at Epcot we waited nearly an hour in blazing sun to convert an AP voucher from our local Disney store and buy TiW. There are3 windows. It was a convergence of some people with indexable problems. And a large group that was individually converting email confirmations into 2 one day park passes, and several people with serious issues of park hoppers on the room keys magic bands being rejected.

I don't know what the solution would be. Shade for one. An express window for easy items? Or sending people to a specialist if it is not resolved easily? Even with ours the technology seemed antiquated. The scanner didn't read the voucher correctly. I'd left the receipt at the room. Finally it did. Then it took an amazing amount of key strikes to assign it to my husband. Then on to TiW. Same thing. They are changing Ti W. but don't have new brochures. So she was required to tell us about all the changes. We had an ADR and were already late. Y husband said we had been in line for n hour, understood the changes, and would like the pass. His voice was impatient, but those were is exact words. She reprimanded him for rudeness. And started her spiel over. Then gave us a xerox of places for TIW.

By that time the line behind us was about 30 people long or more. 2 of the windows took half an hour to turn over. A woman behind us with a stroller said that she was disabled. And about to faint. And had been inline for 45 minutes. And was still in the sun. And had a 4 day park hopper on her room key, and second time it had not worked. By that time they had brought a security guy over who did nothing. I had earlier tried to propose that we sift the line to the shade, going sideways to get people out of the sun.that was blocked, as it was to between the line railings.

They need more windows. They need shade. They need specialists. And I was really sorry I'd bought the voucher to save time.

I don't think your experience is typical. There are some major systems going through a big transition, and GR queues are likely higher than normal because of it. Sorry you had some bad luck.

 

[BuzzLiteyear]

Sorry you had to go through that. I can identify with the " lots of keystrokes". Last year we had our AP's upgraded to PAP's and it seemed like the CM had to type a novel to switch them. Luckily it didn't take too long for us.

 

[starsweeper]

I don't think your experience is typical. There are some major systems going through a big transition, and GR queues are likely higher than normal because of it. Sorry you had some bad luck.

Her experience may not be typical. However, if I had a theme park undergoing such large systems changes to one of my primary systems, I think I would anticipate there would be problems and staff more people accordingly.

 

[CarrieR]

Yikes, Erin! That sounds really unacceptable, I'm sorry you had to endure that.

Can you elaborate on changes to TiW? I got the Xerox, too, in January so they have been brochure-less for quite some time!

 

[mesaboy2]

Her experience may not be typical. However, if I had a theme park undergoing such large systems changes to one of my primary systems, I think I would anticipate there would be problems and staff more people accordingly.

I'm not excusing it, but merely attempting to explain it.

 

[erinch]

Also yikes.read my post. With the way I type on the iPad, I should work for Disney GR.


What she said about changes is that specific restaurants will have more TiW blackout dates. But they don't know what they are. But she took a long time to say that.

I thought it was unacceptable. I do believe that with he Magic Mouse resources at their command they could get an awning in. They could have brought in 3 CMs to shift the line sideways to the abundant shade. they could have found a chair for the woman with the stroller and the disability, or taken her in. they could have been truly innovative and walked people in to the in park GR , where there are 6 or so registers,which at that time of day had no waiting. And then walked them out again, if this were truly an anomaly. Otherwise, if this is a long haul, they need to figure it out. I bet they could.

 

[hakepb]

The EPCOT turnstyles always seemed to be the Kmart of lines, there seems to be an unusually large number of guests with ticket issues that can only be resolved at Guest Relations in front of me...

(At Kmart, I always get stuck behind a customer with a product that won't ring up on the register. It was great when my Kmart tried a self checkout because I could avoid those problem lines)

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I don't think your experience is typical. There are some major systems going through a big transition, and GR queues are likely higher than normal because of it. Sorry you had some bad luck.

Actually as long as Disney is trying to "screw up" by "enhancing" and has the same IT this may be the new 'normal"

Sad, but the IT shop is so pathetic that I am thinking the next year may be the "year to avoid Disney" (Wonder how that marketing theme is going to go over! LOL!)

TIW had added additional blackout dates around all major holidays for LeCellier, Ohana, Chef Mickey, CRT and Askerhaus (no big loss for me but YMMV!)

 

[mom2rtk]

Maybe Guest Relations was hosting the latest installment in "Limited Time Magic"?

I suppose hoping for it to be that limited would be hoping for too much.

This is the sort of thing you get when you combine rolling out an unprecedented huge new technical program with an IT system that struggles on a good day.

 

[AuroraRora]

That sucks, sorry you had to deal with that! When In converted my paper AP to RFID it was a bad experience too, but mine was simply due ton a very rude CM.

 

[ses1230]

Yikes, Erin! That sounds really unacceptable, I'm sorry you had to endure that.

Can you elaborate on changes to TiW? I got the Xerox, too, in January so they have been brochure-less for quite some time!

TIW:

**Victoria& Albert’s will honor Tables in Wonderland discount through July 31st, 2014. As of August 1st, 2014 the restaurant will no longer participate in Tables in Wonderland.

*Beginning August 1st 2014, 1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickey’s, ‘Ohana (Dinner Only), Cinderella’s Royal Table, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, and Le Cellier Steakhouse will be subject to the additional blockout weeks of: November 23-29, 2014; December 21-27, 2014; March 8-April 4, 2015; May 31-June 20, 2015.

Blockout dates for Tables in Wonderland are Mother’s Day, Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Tables in Wonderland is valid for one year from date of purchase.

 

[SUSIEQ]

TIW:

**Victoria& Albert’s will honor Tables in Wonderland discount through July 31st, 2014. As of August 1st, 2014 the restaurant will no longer participate in Tables in Wonderland.

*Beginning August 1st 2014, 1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickey’s, ‘Ohana (Dinner Only), Cinderella’s Royal Table, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, and Le Cellier Steakhouse will be subject to the additional blockout weeks of: November 23-29, 2014; December 21-27, 2014; March 8-April 4, 2015; May 31-June 20, 2015.

Blockout dates for Tables in Wonderland are Mother’s Day, Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Tables in Wonderland is valid for one year from date of purchase.

Disney just keeps taking more & more benefits away. I wonder if the TIW price will increase later this year, like it did late last year.

 

[bjakmom]

It also took a long time for us at the end of May to have our tickets converted to RFID at GS at Epcot Intl Gateway. There was no one in front of us, so we didn't wait in line, but it took over 40 mins for the (very nice) CM to convert 4 tickets to RFID tickets and add WP&M to 2 of them. He kept apologizing for the difficulty with the system and even gave DD and DSinL 2 FPs each to use anywhere that evening (it was about 5 o'clock by the time they got into the park to meet his family for dinner).
So I just think the new system could slow things way down for a while - maybe it's an IT thing - I don't know much about that end of it.
I just know that the poor CMs are just as frustrated - fortunately for them they are sitting in the air conditioning.

 

[hakepb]

At least at MK, DHS and DAK, the guest relations inside the parks have inside lines that are A/C... And since upgrades require park entry for bridging, I normally wait until an afternoon break and stop in a Guest relations before leaving a park.

 

[ttintagel]

I think it's the same issue we're seeing across every industry with a large customer service elements. Companies are looking to save money by slashing the number of staff, while simultaneously implementing computer systems that are meant to make up for the reduced staff while not taking into account that you need to keep extra people on for a while to train the remaining staff and work out the bugs in the new systems.

 

[tndisneyfan]

We had a similar experience at DHS guest relations. We paid to park and had bought APs at the gate. DH wanted to go to guest relations and get reimbursed for the cost of parking that day. The line at at GR inside the park was super long, there was AC inside but we were lined up outside. He waited in that line a while then we decided since we were leaving anyway let's just hit the one outside the gates because it's usally less crowded. When we got our there it wasn't any better. Huge line. There were proably 15 people in front of us, most of them one large group who were trying to sort their tickets. A CM actually came and pulled them out of line and took them somewhere else to help them. But when we finally got up there I was surprised at how long it took to get reimbursed. I was just talking to DH to make sure, but we spent nearly 10 minutes with the CM getting that $15 back. As a PP posted earlier, I was surprised at the number of keystrokes it took for something simple, or at least it in my mind it was simple. The CM seemed competent there was just a lot of steps to go thru.

After that we would check GR lines as we would walk by them. We never saw lines like that one day at DHS. I guess it was bad luck or maybe bad timing on our part.

 

[jodls01]

How early and how late is guest relations open at Magic Kingdom and DTD? We are going on Dec 20 and we don't want to waste precious RD time. We have Undercover tickets that need to be converted.

 

[hakepb]

How early and how late is guest relations open at Magic Kingdom and DTD? We are going on Dec 20 and we don't want to waste precious RD time. We have Undercover tickets that need to be converted.

I'd just enter the park with the UT tickets, enjoy the rope drop morning in the park, then go to Guest relations as I leave in the afternoon.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . An express window for easy items? Or sending people to a specialist if it is not resolved easily? . . .

1) You mean like the "10-items or less" register at the supermarket?
2) The one where people go with 15-20-30 items?
3) I AM SURE that everyone would use the GS express line.
4) And claim their problem was small/short.

NOTE: I have never worked the Guest Service desk. But, I work Concierge Desks
about 15-days per month. Several (or many) times a day someone sticks their
head around the booth and wants a "quick" answer. We either ignore them or
tell them to wait in line - regardless how long the line. NO ONE deserves special
treatment or is allowed to "jump" the line. It is not fair to others.