How does Disney expect people to make reservations when they are always down

[disneybride96]

Hey- I'm glad someone understood my warped sense of humor!

 

[sherry8253]

i just tried to get a package quote on-line for a Dec '05 trip (nothing like planning the next trip before you leave for this trip). But the booking engines are down again!!!! I was trying to figure out what this new package would cost us but I guess I will have to wait.

 

[Becky2005]

I tried it about 8 pm cst and low & behold it worked. I did get the "we are slow" message but not only did I get it to work, I actually got the Contemporary to work without having to leave one of my older kids home
(I just left the baby off since he's only 1 anyway, so won't affect the price quote).

So, now I have official numbers for the couple different ways I was contemplating changing things around and WOO HOO!! It works to my benefit.

 

[erinz]

I work as a Customer Service Associate for a Health Plan and I just wanted to get my 2 cents in here.

There are many reasons why computers could be down. All our computers in Oregon and Washington went down a few months ago because down in California a bulldozer accidentally cut through a trunk line. It took 3 days before we were up again.

The other thing is, when the programers (usually 10 states away...and with an unlisted phone number....) enter a new program, our computers crash on and off for days.

The point I want to make is that the CMs, at this point, are more upset about it than you are. I can't tell you how horrible it is to be on the phone for 8 hours just to tell customers that you can't help them, and to try later.

After a day or two, you just get yelled at for most of the day.

Disney should be fixing this and providing the customer service they promise. But the CMs are total victims. I'm sure they are passing around the Valium as we speak!

 

[eeyore0062]

"But the CMs are total victims. I'm sure they are passing around the Valium as we speak! "

Ain't that the truth... pass the Valium!

 

[luvthatduke]

Aha! Now I understand...

Today, I was actually able to book our stay in April
at a Value Resort, but every time the extremely
nice & helpful "Glenn" tried to put in the AP code
it wouldn't let him book me.
He then tried for AAA, but again same thing.
He was on the phone w/me for a looooongggg time,
even going back & forth with someone higher up
(not at my request, he suggested it!).
I won't mind the phone bill because he was so nice,
however, now I have to call back as often as I can
to see if the vicious new program will allow another CM
to give me a discount!

I didn't realize there even was a new program until
just now when I logged on the boards.
Thank God for the DIS!

 

[MagicKingdom05]

I sent you your PM this morning. I hope it helps.

 

[my3kids]

EERRGGGG! Now it is Delta that is over stressed. I think it is worse than Disney was!

 

[luvthatduke]

PM'd you back, MagicKingdom05 - thanks!

 

[disneyjoe2005]

I suppose timing is everything. I called Monday morning at 8am and re-booked our 3 Poly rooms with the AP discount (259/nite Lagoon View!!!). Apparently, ever since then, the system has been a mess. Our friends want to book a trip at the same time (March 5-12) and have been unable to get in for 2 days. Good luck everyone!!!

Hi Prince John,

I know this is a little off topic but I am headed down to WDW in April for a conference and have the option of staying at coronado springs. Was wondering your impressions of it. Wife and 2 kids (9&14) will be there with me for 5 days.

Thanks

DisneyJoe

 

[bytheblood]

Hi,

Ok I have been a trooper and supportive of the new system and all, but it only seems to work, when no one wants to use it like between the hours of 10-11 pm and right before they open. At my place of work, the summer is the big time for people to take off especially around holidays and those times fill up fast. Without knowing when I am going, it makes it hard to take that time off. I don't want to put it in to find out later that Disney is filled up for that time.

I am about to say the heck with Disney all together. All you get from them is that the system is currently down please try back later, which is the same think they have been saying since Sunday. At some point people are going to say lets go elsewhere this year.

You may be surprised, but this happens to a lot of companies when they do upgrades to their systems. The company I recently left was down for three days because of an upgrade. We had huge customers like Chevron, Bristol-Myers, Cisco, Johnson & Johnson, among many other hospitals and pharmaceutical companies.

A lot of companies do not implement enough time in testing. Also, a larger amount of the problems come from the difference in beta (testing) and live. Things may run smoothly in the beta version, but sometimes going live is a whole new story.

 

[bytheblood]

Hi Prince John,

I know this is a little off topic but I am headed down to WDW in April for a conference and have the option of staying at coronado springs. Was wondering your impressions of it. Wife and 2 kids (9&14) will be there with me for 5 days.

Thanks

DisneyJoe

You may want to create a whole new thread to ask your question. Also, there is a thread on this board dedicated to CSR.

 

[bytheblood]

However, if you call and try to shop/book a ressie in Jan '06 they tell you they don't show any availability.

WOW!! They should be able to do room only, just not a package. Sounds like the system is way messed up!!

 

[bytheblood]

While I am equally as frustrated about not being able to get a quote or book, it's not like Disney wanted this to happen, AND I have to put this into perspective.

There are far worse things to be upset about and I'm not going to waste my efforts being mad about this.

One of my co-workers was rear-ended on the way to work this morning. Then after that, a truck in front of her on the highway had ladders fly out of the back onto the road. Several cars hit the ladders (including hers) and now she has extensive damage to the bottom of her car - and a flat tire.

Luckily, no one was hurt (including her 6 month old baby in the back of her car). The guy with the ladders got out, picked up the ladders and took off. What a jerk! She wrote down his license plate though. What a horrible thing to go through in one day!

It's this type of thing that makes me remember that there are far worse things going on this world - like the tsunami disaster and those poor people - and minimizes the importance of me making a reservation for November.

Again, I fully empathize with those feeling the frustration. But this is just my 2 cents.

Very well said!!

 

[bytheblood]

"But the CMs are total victims.

You are right, they are. Every person who has to wait or who has been angry on this board, has more than likely been angry when the CM answered. It is not the CMs fault. Believe me, this is just as annoying to them as it is to all of us.

 

[Sleuth]

True, it is not the CM's fault. BUT today when I called about my reservation I was on hold for 20 minutes. Okay, fine, no biggie. The CM was completely clueless. Okay, fine, no biggie. I wanted to split my 6 night stay between two resorts. She gave me a quote of over $1,000 for the first three nights! I told her the entire stay (6 nights at POR plus 7 days of MYW tickets) had been quoted at $1,400 and I already had the reservation!

By this point I was a little irritated. BUT then she put me on hold for over 15 mins. 15 mins! My phone gives me the time I'm holding so I'm not exagerating. Anyway, she came back on and said it wasn't possible. Fine. I also had another thing for her to do- to drop my 7 day MYW tickets to 6 days since we wouldn't use the 7th day. She then proceeded to put me on hold for an additional 20 mins! I am not kidding folks. And when I first called she verified their system was up and running. No appology for holding, no nothing.

After she picked up the last time, I finally complained, but nicely. No appology. Their service has gone way way down from what I am used to. All I was looking for was an appology for holding, etc. Over an hour out of my day wasted and she couldn't even appologize. Disney needs to do something and something fast about this entire problem.

 

[Sleuth]

Oh, forgot to add I questioned her about the Dining add on since Disney's site is less than knowledgeable about it.

She told me she THOUGHT it was $34.99 per adult per day. I asked her for a total for my 6 days... And she told me I'M NOT SURE. Not kidding! I sat here on the phone with her and used my calculator to total the price. I asked her if that was right and she said it "sounded right." No help at all. Let's just say I didn't purchase the add on.

The whole phone call was a nightmare.

 

[232271]

sorry to hear you have been getting "clueless" CM's.

I believe your wait times, I was on the phone for 57 minutes yesterday as well, while the CM tried to figure out why my daughter who is 11, is listed as
being 7 on the Magical Gatherings cruise. She and her supervisor couldnt figure it out, so they charged me the child rate for her instead of an adult rate. The birthdate they had was right, the computer just had it calculated wrong.

The CM was very very polite and apolgetic and she even offered to call me back so I wouldnt spend anymore money on the phone call.

I too do not understand why they implement a new computer program and then none of the CM's can work it w/o help! in this case even the supervisor couldnt help!!

 

[dvcmomdeh]

It's not much better booking ressies on the phone. I was on hold for 54 minutes today to confirm one reservation and then tried to book another. While waiting for the computer the cast member lost me. I had given her my number incase we got disconnected. I waited 12 minutes for her to call. I then called back to make my second reservation for another 35 minutes. I think the need have more cast members on the phones during peak times.

All said and done I have ressies for March and July.

 

[n2mm]

I called on Tuesday and was told that their system was down -- waited about 10 minutes.

Called today (Wednesday) and was on hold about 10 minutes again (11:00 AM). I felt for the poor CM and was very patient with her. I only needed to add a day to my existing reservation. Normally I would have waited, but I needed to do this in order to get a great airfare on Independence. Once the CM put in my one day, it took the computer about 20 minutes to come back and say if the resort was available. She put me on music hold, then kept coming back and said, she's still waiting. Once it said it was available I booked it. But everything was so slow--putting in my info and my credit card info. She said the system needs some work, but they don't know what problems are there until they have them (the whole process took about 30 minutes). Fortunately since hubby is a CM, we have a special CM number to call. She asked if she could help me with anything else, and though I needed to change some other ressies, I told her not today and I would call back when things were better. I wished her well and she sounded so frustrated and worn out...my heart goes out to these guys on the front line, they are so frustrated with the new system, having to not only learn so much new information, plus new software, and know that everytime they answer a phone, there's probably a very frustrated guest on the other line. Hope it gets better soon.