Here now, a little annoyed :/

[maxiesmom]

I'd rather they pay attention to what they are doing than chit chat with me when I am checking out.

 

[jeanico2000]

It starts from the top down, not the bottom up. We have to stop making excuses for inexcusable management decisions. When you get your work "schedule" for the next month and discover that you have not been scheduled to work any hours for the next two weeks, how do you go into work with a great big smile on your face?

You have to keep smiling, because it's your job. Same way anyone has to maintain the quality of their work through adverse or difficult conditions... as do teachers, nurses, etc... I'm not saying it's easy, because it's really not, but it is what it is when you are in customer service. Visitors to the parks should not be made to pay for whatever management's poor decisions are or whatever mood the CMs are in, sorry. Again, nobody is forcing anybody to work for Disney!

 

[gsp4ever]

Great for Disney, as it allows them to staff minimum wage, low skill jobs with high IQ talent

Admittedly, I don't know FL employment law. However, I'm wondering if it also circumvents a lot of the "issues" Disney might have when hiring regular full time and part time CMs. College Program participants are, by their very nature, essentially temps and Disney wouldn't have to have the documentation (or unemployment comp) issues if and when they needed to make staffing changes. Also, little/no union involvement, I would guess.

 

[JimmyV]

Same way anyone has to maintain the quality of their work through adverse or difficult conditions... as do teachers, nurses, etc...

And the people in all of these other professions have bad days every now and again too. No one is immune. It goes against human nature to think that 100% of all employees can be 100% happy 100% of the time. The world just doesn't work that way.

 

[Jennasis]

Please do not confuse an explanation with an excuse. They are separate things.

 

[jeanico2000]

And the people in all of these other professions have bad days every now and again too. No one is immune. It goes against human nature to think that 100% of all employees can be 100% happy 100% of the time. The world just doesn't work that way.

This is my world in the service industry: Good day or bad day, when speaking with or faced with a customer, whatever is bothering me? I suck it up and smile...

 

[L&Lfan]

I have yet to experience BAD customer service at Disney (or a Disney Store) .. .

But in general, you get what you pay for ... (and what you train for). If they continue to hire on the cheap with college interns that are just using this as a stepping stone .. then yes .. you will get people with the "dont' care" attitude.

The good attitude is out there, it takes quality training and good pay .. and a feeling of being "invested" in the company you work for.

Just look at the difference between how you are treated by an employee at McDonald's versus an employee at Chick Fil-A.
At McDonalds the customer is treated as a nuisance or an annoyance, while at Chick Fil-A you are always treated with a smile and a "my pleasure"

There is a reason that Chick Fil-A's are always super busy ANY time of day and McDonald's (despite being everywhere) are usually pretty empty except for people sipping on coffee taking advantage of the free wi-fi.

The Chick-Fil-A experience is like night and day from the experience at McDonald's, Burger King, etc. I find the employees delightful at Chick-Fil-A. They could be working for (old school) Disney.

 

[walker0829]

See above. We were typing at the same time, saying the same thing.

Indeed. I remember listening to her and I didn't want to be mean or burst her bubble. As someone who was in that same position as a junior in college being lured into an "amazing" job opportunity(albeit not Disney) and learning the hard way, I just felt bad.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Odds are...they are.

My daughter did Fall Advantage CP and had the time of her life. We visited her several times while she was there (for seven months) and met many other CPs who all seemed to enjoy what they were doing and to enjoy interacting with guests. She knew her role before she accepted it and she knew it could mean long hours and she was fine with that. I really hate to see the CPs get slammed so much because those that we encountered on our last several trips really went out of their way to make things special for us and other guests.

 

[kbelle8995]

Being a CP or a CM is not easy. Not every CM/CP is bad. On the CP side you have to realize that some of them think that this is a semester in Florida and something good to put on the resume and that's it. You get what you bring to the experience. It is no different from any other internship. Not that you should ever take it out on Guest or customer no matter where you work.

We can talk all we want about quality of CM or guest services but the Truth is the Disney name still gets attention. And if you get in tough job market you take what advantages you can get. The good CMs are the ones who find it positive to work for Disney overall and that's what they bring to their work.

 

[Boski]

And if the person is desperate enough to accept such a low wage I would think they would then be grateful for said offer.

C'mon, no one in America is happy with their pay, don't you read the facebook?

 

[ArwenMarie]

Is there a labor shortage in Orlando? Why are they relying on college students so much? Sometimes I think it is to keep a certain look in the frontline CMs rather than out of desperation for labor.

 

[Davey Jones II]

I definitely blame Disney management. They are cutting staffing just when the parks are booming, at record profits. That is beyond ludicrous, and a slap in the face for employees and guests alike. It is well known that Disney has skimped on training in recent decades. CMs are underpaid, overworked and overstressed. After all, they have to deal with us all day long!

That being said, I would encourage guests to report CMs who are surly, unpleasant or indifferent. They can certainly be replaced by someone who actually likes working with the public.

 

[Accident]

I was there last week and I had a great experience. Yes there were times where a cashier might have paid more attention to ringing me up, but it was busier times and they did a great job at getting me on my way to enjoy more things.. It's 1000% better than it was in 2014 and there have been noticeable improvements. Sure they still have more to go, but they are going a good direction.

Also I can understand a little uncertainty in them, people are getting cut because shanghai is expensive. i'd be a little less than dapper in that situation also.

 

[AngiTN]

We got home last night from a 6 day trip. I even had a couple of difficult situations that needed to be dealt with. One was trying to check in at the Poly when the entire computer system crashed and everyone had to be checked in manually, on paper. The staff made it as painless and quick as possible. I was not expecting that as their service has suffered a lot lately
I can't think of one single interaction with a CM that was unpleasant.
DH and I, though DH more than me, are quick to chat with CMs too. Especially now that we are visiting frequently enough we recognize some. Our favorites to talk to are the Epcot CMs from the various countries. Maybe it's that different for them but they are always wonderful.
Now, I'm not saying I doubt they happen, we are talking about humans, bad experiences with them are bound to happen.
But I do think they are not the majority of interactions.

 

[JimmyV]

This is my world in the service industry: Good day or bad day, when speaking with or faced with a customer, whatever is bothering me? I suck it up and smile...

Yes, but keep in mind that: "Six Out of Seven Dwarves Are Not Happy!"

 

[EricInPA]

Seems every time these threads come up, I read the complaint and think "that's it?". Maybe my personal standards aren't as high as others.

DisBoards Disclaimer: This opinion expressed by me reflects my experiences alone and is not intended to replace or dismiss the experiences of the Original Poster, other posters that agreed, or posters yet to come.

 

[larryz]

We have to stop making excuses for inexcusable behavior.

I don't think we're so much excusing the behavior as discussing alternative theories about why it's occurring.

 

[CinderellasKastle]

I don't mean to sound full of it, but I moved down to Orlando with the intention to get a part-time job at Disney. I have been rejected from countless Disney jobs that someone in high school could do. I consider myself friendly, outgoing, and love to be around people. Then I go to the parks and have similar experiences like you had - no one really making eye contact, everyone working there looks so serious, no one is having fun. I joke that maybe my friendly, outgoing, and desire to be surrounded by people is a little too "overqualified" for the job and that's why I keep getting rejected. Heh. We're out there, it's just a matter of figuring out how to get Disney to hire us!

 

[lilly6]

We were there last week and we had great service from the CMs. One thing I've really noticed is improvement in dealing with guests with disabilities. My mom had to use an ECV 24/7 and the bus drivers could not have been more courteous and helpful. A vast improvement from a trip about 15 years ago when I was in a wheelchair 24/7 and had guests climbing over me to get in the back doors of the bus and a CM at the Poly actually told me to stand up and fold up my wheelchair to get onto the monorail.