Horrendous resort experiences & compensation?

[WDW Traveler]

Disney must have improved their customer service in recent years. Years ago we had two horrendous stays two years in a row. One at POLY and one at CR. There were plumbing problems at POLY ... didn't get into room until after 3:00 AM (arrived at 9:00 PM) after finding the toilet running all over the bathroom and onto the carpeting in the room. Spent our five night stay "squishing" over wet carpet everytime we used the bathroom. We were offered another room but were informed that it would be an upgrade and they would have to charge us the difference! At CR our AC went out and remained out for two days ... and nights (it was August, by the way). Again offered an upgraded room but again for an additional charge. In all fairness ... they brought us a fan. We didn't ask for any compensation and weren't "disappointed" but what was the most frustrating ... not even one "I'm sorry crossed anyone's lips throughout either ordeal! Needless to say we have never ... and will never stay at either resort again! In fact, it did sour us on Disney for several years after. We have long since "returned to the fold" and (knock on wood) haven't had any problems since.

Wow - I can't believe they were going to move you because of a problem in the room but were going to CHARGE you?

 

[shyjade]

We had a problem at AKL when we were put into a DIRTY room which hadn't been used for weeks (or so they said). I approached a CM in the lobby (he was overseeing the guests being checked in) and explained the problem, and that I would really like the room cleaned before we unpacked. He assured me it would be taken care of right away. We went to Epcot and when we returned for our dinner ressies at Boma, it still wasn't clean (about 5 hours later). After dinner, still dirty. And I mean dead bugs all over, and a layer of dust so thick that the towel animal was actually grey on top! I went down to the desk, nearly in tears, to complain (nicely). I was told the nighttime housekeeping manager would meet us in the room which she did. By this time I was completely disappointed in the way it was being handled, we were tired (been traveling since 4am) and this was our first stay onsite. The manager apologized up & down and offered to move us to a different room, which we accepted. She said the room hadn't been used in several weeks and there was no excuse for it not being clean. At that point, we just wanted to get unpacked and into bed.

Turns out we were moved from our nicely located (and great view) Pool View room to a Savannah. Cool upgrade, right? NOPE! We were in a far-away location, never saw another guest in the "wing" were put in. It was such a long walk everywhere, especially the pool, Mara, etc. And this was the view:

I was very disappointed in how it was handled and as a result, I'd never return to the AKL.

On the flip side, after our bad stay at AKL we decided to try the Poly on our next trip. My DD's jacket went missing from our room the day after we arrived and I immediately called to report it. I was shocked, and felt violated, but still think it was an accident. Why would someone steal only a child's jacket from a room? Anyway, the manager on duty was very nice about it and insisted on giving us a $50 credit so we could replace it in the parks, so she wouldn't go cold. I thought that was very generous and greatly appreciated since she did need something for the cool nights. I didn't ask for compensation but it was greatly appreciated and I was glad to see they cared.

Guess which resort we'll be returning to this year? I still kick myself for not insisting on speaking to the manager on duty at AKL; I didn't want to be a bother. But I should have, because the room we were put in was really, honestly filthy. And I normally stay in places like Holiday Inn or Best Western, so I'm by no means a hotel snob with unrealistic expectations. Believe me, I'll never make that mistake again.

 

[disneymyway]

Once I was having some merchandise shipped from our resort and it never arrived. I had to call about a dozen times and everyone kept saying that they'd send it, but then they didn't.

I had to end up getting really huffy, which I hate doing, and making a big fuss to get my stuff. I think what happened is that they misplaced it and nobody wanted to tell me, because when it finally arrived 2 months later, the box was all smashed up.

I was ticked off but not really at the WDW. Stuff happens. I did complain and they sent me a voucher for dinner on our next trip, which I appreciated.

I figure people can make mistakes, and if they just admit it and make it right then it's fine. I make mistakes myself, occasionally.

 

[MollyMoo]

Wow - I can't believe they were going to move you because of a problem in the room but were going to CHARGE you?

Yeah, in retrospect I am guessing it was a combination of the times (1980's) and the fact that I was a young (sigh) mother travelling alone with a child for special mother/daughter vacations (Dad couldn't get time off from work in the summer). I was much more timid then and didn't want to make things unpleasant for my DD (seven and eight at the time) by making a stink about things.

The good news is that DD still remembers each trip fondly and we have kept the "summer mother daughter vacay" tradition to this day ... six nights at SSR in June ... it was wonderful!

 

[ajk912]

whenever you have a bad experience its best to take care of it immediately.dont wait till you get home to call. the odds of them giving you anyhting at that point are slim, mostly because youve already gotten what you paid for by that time.for exsample i own a restaurant, if you send the food back after the 2nd bite im going to get you new food and you wont pay for it, but if you eat the whole meal and then complain, you are only getting a sorry, you did eat the food. if you voice your complaints on the spot 9 time sout of 10 they will move you or whatever it is you need to make the sitation right.

I totally agree. We call it buyer's remorse where I worked at. You get the bill..and say, "Oh crap, how can I get the bill down?" and get the manager and complain about the first thing that comes to mind.

Not implying anyone posting to this thread did this- the stories I read are horrific and I am really sorry for those who experienced them.

 

[LilGMom]

We are not normally ones to complain about something unless it is something really bad and something that should be brought to management's attention. There have been times when our room fridge hasn't worked, the A/C didn't work (not so great when the temps are in the upper 80s at night so you can't really open any windows or the balcony door), our room wasn't ready until very late, etc. but that stuff happens and I'll let it slide (for the most part).There have been times, in the resorts and various restaurants, when I've seen people complain about less and I'll let things slide.

But when we had a very bad experience at CR we complained during and after and eventually left CR early. I wasn't looking or expecting any sort of compensation I just wanted some acknowledgement (a "sorry" would have been nice) and for the problem to be taken care of which it never was. We had a pretty bad resort experience at POR once and ended up moving to WL after the first night. Again it was brought to the attention of management and we let them know why we were leaving. Not sure if anything was done to correct the issue but after we checked into the WL we didn't really care. When we had an incredibly bad experience at Boatwrights (at POR) I wrote them a letter and never heard anything back. That is the one time that I have kicked myself for not bringing it up to a supervisor on the spot and would have liked to have heard something from them.

On the flipside when I wrote the AKL a letter thanking them for our wonderful stay in May I actually received a phone call. Unfortunately I wasn't home at the time but the message they left thanked me for my letter and assured me that it would get to the proper people.

I'm all for people bringing things to the attention of the 'powers that be' but I think too many times people start expecting compensation for very minor things. We ate at Kona one night and the family behind us cleaned their plates but then one person of that party complained about their meal and got it comped. My thinking is that if it had been that bad they wouldn't have cleaned their plate.

 

[disnut8]

Turns out we were moved from our nicely located (and great view) Pool View room to a Savannah. Cool upgrade, right? NOPE! We were in a far-away location, never saw another guest in the "wing" were put in. It was such a long walk everywhere, especially the pool, Mara, etc. And this was the view:

That was the view from our room and we absolutely loved the view. You might have been on 2nd floor? We were on third floor with the lobby and that was the only downfall. Way too many people walking by our room. I would have killed for the same room one floor lower or higher.

 

[shyjade]

I totally agree. We call it buyer's remorse where I worked at. You get the bill..and say, "Oh crap, how can I get the bill down?" and get the manager and complain about the first thing that comes to mind.

Yep, those are the people that just want something for free. All I really wanted was to stay in the room I paid for, but for it to be clean enough for me to be able to unpack my clothes during our stay.

In my case it definately wasn't buyer's remorse after the fact, I was truly upset at AKL (just ask my DD, I foolishly broke down crying that night because I was overtired and had such high expectations in the resort and staff). I am just a very non-confrontational type of person, very shy, and would rather just stay quiet. Or should I say, I was; I definately regret not demanding to speak to a real manager that first night at AKL.

 

[disneysuncat]

Last October we checked into SSR for a 10 night stay, and things were so bad (a combination of horrors beginning before we even hit the room) that I asked to be moved ANYWHERE. I did ask if they could just move me to Old Key West, as I knew it was the same price range, but after they said it wasn't available, I said "anywhere, I don't care." It took over 2 hours of waiting and dealing with that manager, but finally they said that they could move me, but not for two days. Feeling there was no other choice, I agreed to that. During the two days before we were moved, the maid even left our door open, which sure didn't surprise me considering everything else that happened there. BUT...after our two days we were moved to Boardwalk at no additional charge, where we had a fantastic time. I'd NEVER return to SSR, not even if it was free. (yes, they did move me, but I'd hate to have to go through anything like I did there again.)

 

[catiesam]

My husband is from Florida so we ONLY vacation at Disney (which is fine by me!) We've always stayed onsite and have enjoyed every one of our stays - except one.....the Poly in 1998 over Christmas. We stayed in a lagoon view room. Honestly, I can't even remember all of the problems we had - probably because we're not bothered by much and never complain. We had split our stay between the Poly and BWI Inn Keeper's Club. Upon checking in at the IKC I was telling the CM about our experience and also that we had convinced some friends of ours to stay at the Poly with us instead of their favorite, the YC. Unfortunately, their experience was just as bad as ours and they ended up leaving 2 days early. The CM gave me the name of some bigwig at the Poly and said to call right away. Well, to make a long story short, he was just lovely and ended up sending our friends (there were only 3 of them) 10 one day passes that they could use within 1 yr. and told us that we would have a free night on the CL whenever we were willing to give the Poly another try. I hung on to the letter he sent me for at least 3 yrs. When I finally got up the nerve to stay there again I called and made a 3 night reservation for a CL garden view room. To our complete surprise, we received some kind of suite which had 2 bedrooms, a huge livingroom, diningroom, complete kitchen at least 2 bathrooms and a huge private garden/patio where you could watch the monorail go by! Plus, they sent this AMAZING gift basket that took up the entire coffee table! AND, we were ONLY charged for 2 nights at the regular garden room rate! Now that is the Disney I remember!

 

[snykymom]

when I wrote the AKL a letter thanking them for our wonderful stay in May

That's great! I know that so many times people write to complain, but not to compliment. I always try to write or let managers know about great service (I'm not that good to say I always do ). I'm not a high-maintenance guest, but I do like to get what I pay for, and will complain if I don't. Better than stewing in it!

 

[thomas998]

We had an arrival from hell at the CBR once, we arrived at 4:30... our room wasn't ready.. they first tried to stick us in a handicap room with no doors on the bathroom and beds that were like mattresses on the floor.... then they stuck us in a room that smelled like an ashtray (not acceptable when for someone with asthma)... then they stuck us in a room that hadn't even been cleaned (there were still things in it from the last guests).... and finally we got our room (it was almost 8:30).... SO for their stealing 4 hours of 4 peoples lives or 16 hours total... we were given the grand gesture of a $25 dollar credit against our bill... that's right our time was worth $1.56/hour. Not even minimum wage... Not to mention after waiting 1 hour for someone from the hotel to come to our first room from hell and transferr our bags, we made all the other bag changes ourselves, if we had depended on Disney we might have gotten into our room sometime the next day.... SO in a word, you don't get jack when they screw up... you just get insulted.... its the reason we only stay at a deluxe Disney when we go or an off-site hotel if we can't get the deluxe we want. Quality at disney resorts is not always there and when it isn't no one makes it right.... Did I mention that on the day of the Check-out the staff was very prompt at knocking on our door two hours prior to the check out time... and then 30 minutes later... and then 15 minutes later... and then again... In other words they make damn sure to rush you out but god forbid you expect them to be on time with the actual room delivered to you.

 

[perla75]

Turns out we were moved from our nicely located (and great view) Pool View room to a Savannah. Cool upgrade, right? NOPE! We were in a far-away location, never saw another guest in the "wing" were put in. It was such a long walk everywhere, especially the pool, Mara, etc. And this was the view:

I was very disappointed in how it was handled and as a result, I'd never return to the AKL.

Not trying to be rude, but I just wondered what you didn't like about this view? I think it looks great! You can see the animals out and about. May I ask which savannah this was?

 

[KELSTER]

My dd and I had a miserable stay as ASmo. I wrote a letter to Eisner (remember him? ) that same night we got home. A week later one of his admin's called me and had me go into detail re: the problems we experienced.

The next week I received a check for a 100% refund on my package and they sent a HUGE box of free princess stuff for dd.

 

[Trekker]

In Oct of 2007 DW and I to DD and her friend to WL for a short 4 night trip - I upgraded to courtyard view.

We were a little disappointed because the room we were in looked out over a quiet pool area that was being refurbed. We talked about it and decided not to complain because we do not spend that much time in the resort room anyway.

We had an awesome trip and the room itself was great, at checkout i asked to speak to the manager to thank them for a great stay and I casually mentioned about the view of the refurb pool area. I suggested that for the future they may want to consider that these rooms should be moved to a standard view category during refurb. The manager said she thought that was a great idea and if I would wait just a minute she would refund us the difference between courtyard view and standard view.

I had not asked for anything - had in fact thanked them for a great stay - I thought this was above and beyond!

 

[Hoodie]

I just found this and am in the process of writing to Disney. Unfortunately our experiences happened the last day we were there, so complaining at the time wouldn't have garnered much advantage.

I don't expect a response, just hope to help others avoid the problems in the future.

 

[Hoodie]

That's great! I know that so many times people write to complain, but not to compliment. I always try to write or let managers know about great service (I'm not that good to say I always do ). I'm not a high-maintenance guest, but I do like to get what I pay for, and will complain if I don't. Better than stewing in it!

I am writing one letter of complaint (which I've never done before) and one letter of praise (which I have done before) to the two places we stayed.

I think it's important to praise the good jobs too!

 

[KELSTER]

I wanted to add, that in our letter, I never asked for a refund or anything for free. I simply let them know what had happened. I also included what were positives in our trip.

Each trip since, my dd and I have written a joint letter to the resort mgr where we've stayed and send a cc: to the CEO stating what a wonderful stay we had.

 

[mkycrzy1971]

First off, let me say we LOVE POR and have stayed there several times. During our stay in May 2007 we had some neighbors that started fighting one evening while our teenage daughter (18) was in the room alone...we were at the pool with our younger children. Now I do not mean just an argument, I mean throwing each other against the wall, screaming profanities at each other, saying they were going to kill each other, etc. We had a connecting room with these neighbors making it even worse. Our daughter was so frightened (of course, never experiencing something like this before) she did not even think to try and call the front desk to report the issue, or to call us (I always take my cell when she is alone...even while we are at the pool). By the time we made it back to the room, she was crying hysterically but the commotion was over (at least for the time being) so we let it go. After calming her down and asking why she did not call us, we got the younger kids dried off, bathed, jammies on, and in bed and did the same ourselves. About 1:30am we were awoken by what sounded like someone coming through our wall (our headboards were against their side of the room) followed by more of the ranting and raving, cussing, throwing each other against the wall, threatening to kill each other, etc. I quickly called the front desk and asked for security to come quickly giving them the room # that was causing the disturbance...even told them they were threatening each other's lives. After 30 minutes and another call, they finally sent this man that looked to be about 65-70 years old, very small framed & frail, and had hearing aides in...to top it off, he was alone!!! After listening at OUR door (he got the room with the disturbance and the room that reported the disturbance confused) my husband finally opened the door and told him that the disturbance was next door. He listened at the door (all this time the fight was still raging, but somewhat calmer) and then kind of shrugged his shoulders...he then knocked on their door. While we watched through the peep-hole, the neighbors opened their door...the security guard said a disturbance from that room had been reported but they said something like...well it was not us, we have been sleeping...the guard said "okay, sorry, have a good night!" and went back to where ever he came from!!! Thinking everything would then calm down, we went back to sleep. About 45 minutes later, we awoke to the same thing AGAIN! I called back down to report they were back at it and to confirm it WAS indeed coming from the room we first reported, otherwise it would not sound like they were coming through my wall when they were throwing each other around...I asked them to PLEASE do something about this situation, of course, no one in our room could sleep and we had a 2 year old with us who was beyond terrified each time he heard it. Can you believe that security did not respond this time??? I called again, and the manager spoke with me and said their security confirmed there was NO disturbance so they would not be returning again that night! I felt VERY unsafe the entire night...my thoughts were, "who knew if the "loons" had a gun"...they WERE threatening to kill each other (more than once) I tried to talk to the manager of the security dept (after talking to a different manager at POR the next AM, he suggested I do so and also informing me the couple in that room was checking out that day) again, I got nowhere with the security manager. I was made to feel like I was lying about the whole situation, in reality, I have never been so frighted for the safety of my children as I was that very night (not really knowing how serious this couple was about taking each other's lives). When we returned home I wrote a letter informing Guest Relations of my issues...I did not ask for any sort of compensation, etc....simply and explanation as to why the situation was handled so poorly. Despite resending the letter 45 days after sending it the first time, I NEVER received any sort of response even though I had included telephone #s (2 of them), my address, and my reservation # & details. Although I will never allow the memories of this vacation to ruin future vacations to WDW, I am very disappointed in the manner everything was handled and the way I was made to feel while I was simply trying to ensure the safety (and sanity) of my family...and even more disappointed that I did not at least receive a "sorry" letter or call .

 

[NJ2Boardwalk]

mkycrzy1971.....I would have called 911.