I had the rudest experience trading with a CM

[HayGan]

My mom and I had a great time during a recent trip to the World. We had so much fun trading and for the most part we had wonderful trading experiences with all of the CMs. Some were very friendly others were just accomodating but nothing bad except for 1!!! We were at the WDW store at Terminal One of MCO. One of the ladies at the register had a Mission Space Fast Pass pin (which I have been looking for) as well as a open edition Aurora pin which I thought my niece would really like. I asked her if she would trade them and her response was "well, it depends on what you have!" I was taken aback by her comment but I pulled out 2 very nice pins, one of which was one of the albums from the recent record set on Disneyshopping.com. She then tells me "I can't take that because it is a Disney Store pin and we are Walt Disney World." I said it is a Limited Edition pin from Disney Shopping which is a Disney owned company but she wouldn't take it So I just pulled out another pin and gave her that.

I understand that there were alot of "professional" traders around that weekend but it was no excuse to be so rude. Plus to create your own rules is unbelievable. Since when are Disney Store pins non-tradeable She even had a second CM only pin that I didn't ask for. My mom and I trade for fun - not as a business or even hard core traders. We just ask for what we like. Even if I had the look of a profesisonal trader, it would be no excuse to be so rude!!!

Has anyone else experienced such a rude CM when trading?

 

[Dancenash]

I had that a few times with the narnia pins from the disney store. I was like is a disney pin. I just said forget it and then the next cast memeber said wow really cool. This won't last long. Why do they care anyway they aren't their pins..

 

[rigs32]

The DisneyLAND rules for pin trading actually set forth that many of the Disney Store pins cannot be traded there. WDW is usually much less strict about what you can trade.

 

[FigNewton]

Would you happen to have a link to the DL rules? I actually didn't realize DL's rules were different.

 

[HayGan]

The DisneyLAND rules for pin trading actually set forth that many of the Disney Store pins cannot be traded there. WDW is usually much less strict about what you can trade.

But it wasn't even a Disney Store pin it was a Disney Shopping pin which is a Disney company and is fully tradeable. She made the comment that it depended on what I had even before I showed which pins I would trade. She was clearly trying to find a reason not to trade with me

This is the first I have heard about Disney Store pins not being tradeable as well.

 

[pointandshoot]

I had the exact same experience with a cast member in the store at MCO. Very rude, abrupt and said the exact same things. She told us they were "cracking down" on pin trading. LOL. She even followed is to another register. We questioned the her manager and she explained that she was a seasonal worker.

I am writing a letter to Disney about her behavior. She acted like we were being distrustful. Do you recall her name. I will not post it but send you a private note.

It is a shame that the last memory yof our Disney vacation is a rude CM at the airport right before your leave Orlando. I hope other families are not having this experience.

 

[terri01p]

I have also come across a CM that freaked because I wanted to trade a tigger pin for her peter pan, I thought she was totally out of control, we got so embarrassed that we just walked off, not worth it to us.

 

[HayGan]

I had the exact same experience with a cast member in the store at MCO. Very rude, abrupt and said the exact same things. She told us they were "cracking down" on pin trading. LOL. She even followed is to another register. We questioned the her manager and she explained that she was a seasonal worker.

I am writing a letter to Disney about her behavior. She acted like we were being distrustful. Do you recall her name. I will not post it but send you a private note.

It is a shame that the last memory yof our Disney vacation is a rude CM at the airport right before your leave Orlando. I hope other families are not having this experience.

I didn't catch her name. To be honest, I was so shocked and irritated by the whole thing that I just wanted to get away from her (once I got my pins). My mom said I should have gotten her name and written a letter as well. She obviously was uneducated in proper trading etiquette which was clearly demonstrated when she couldn't even properly identify the source of a pin. BTW, she even had a propin on her lanyard

 

[Dsnyfam]

HayGan -- Yes, we encountered a rude cm in the park (AK). She refused to trade with DD initially, as the pin said "made in China" on the back. I am really NEW to this pin-trading thing, and had no idea about the rules of the game. I have read all the posts on here to catch-up, and am getting educated quickly. She finally decided to trade with DD anyway because she is young, but it was embarassing for both of us. She could have used more tact, and been more discreet (seemed like she blared it from her lips..."THIS PIN READS MADE IN CHINA!). It was humiliating. I bought the pin in a local store, and paid about $3.00 for it. She acted as if I bought it by the bulk from China?!

Other cm's have made up rules too (I've found out from reading all your posts), and we are beginning to catch-on. On our last visit, DD asked to trade with a lady with a colored lanyard. She said it was only for children under "5" years of age?! DD turned and looked at me bewildered, so I asked this CM for a supervisor (nicely and calmly). She paused, and then said "well, I reserve the right to trade with any children. Therefore, which one did you want to trade?" WOW---what a turn of events! I just can not believe these people work for WDW?! Perhaps I should have still insisted to speak with a supervisor to let them know how she is behaving on property with guests, etc. She probably turned down the next 7/8 year old who approached her!

I have had bad experiences in that Disney store in MCO as well. I went to purchase a limited edition Epcot globe years ago. They had it on display, and it previously came with a package of some kind--but was for sale with a price on it. They claimed it was not for sale, and went on and on. The manager finally came out, apologized--and sold it to me for "half" the marked price!!

Next time you have trouble with these cm's--ask to speak with a supervisor or store manager. They do not have the right to ruin the magic for you and your family. As others mentioned, I hope they are not treating others in this manner (but know they are).

 

[pointandshoot]

Most guests expect that if they purchase a pin from Disney OR trade for it off a cast member lanyard, it is a DISNEY pin. With over 40,000 known pins on pinpics, no cast or guest can identify the origin of every pin. Disney or cast can make up rules but people on vacation are looking to have fun; not debate over a pin trade!!!

During the same trip, I traded for two United Ways pins from a cast member outside MGM. Inside the park, a cast member, who I was not trading with, took the time to inform me that the two United Way pins on my lanyard were not tradable. Funny thing, a few days later at MGM, a manager gave me the 2006 United Way pin on its card for being a polite trader.

After these two situations, my wife commented that Disney's customer service was slipping. I reminded her that these were two isolated incidents and that we had made many trades and met many, many outstanding cast members during our visit.

Do not let a few "unmagical" people ruin your magic or make you overlook the many great cast members at Disney you meet each trip. I would politely ask to speak to a manager. If that does not work, jot down a name and write a note. And if you meet a great cast member, take a moment and let a manager know as well.

 

[LubsPoohBear]

ok im confused can we trade the pins we get at the disney store or not ..... i want too know before i get them for my girls for the next trip in april shhhhh lol they don't know we are going ..

 

[EpcotMatt]

ok im confused can we trade the pins we get at the disney store or not ..... i want too know before i get them for my girls for the next trip in april shhhhh lol they don't know we are going ..

Yes, Disney Store pins are perfectly acceptable for trading. And always remember, if you come across a CM who may be uninformed & won't accept a pin that you know is fine, just save the pin for another CM.

 

[noodleknitter]

My son traded a CM for a Rainforest Cafe pin. It is cute, but, theoretically untradeable. They have also traded for several sedesma and propins. When my youngest then wanted to trade one of them (the ugliest hyena you've ever seen! He traded FOR 3 of them!!!!) away, he was lectured to by the CM. He was a mean man who had no business interacting with children.

Most of the CM's though are lovely, thoughtful and pleasant, even if they don't really know the rules, all of the time.

 

[aterriq]

Depends on the pin also. My DD bought a pin at SOG that had the look of a stamp. It had Mickey and Minnie and the word "Love" like a special stamp the Post Office puts out.

She had a couple of CMs that would have traded for that pin. It is a cute pin.

 

[~Kathie]

Unfortunately, many cast members are not trained in the art of pin trading and are basically handed a lanyard with a few instructions and that is is. They become "pin-Nazi's." They think they know it all when they don't know anything. Hence the problems some of you have encountered.

If you encounter a problem with any CM in trading or anything else, ask to speak to a supervisor.

Pin trading with CM's is supposed to be fun not a stressful situation.

 

[Dsnyfam]

Unfortunately, many cast members are not trained in the art of pin trading and are basically handed a lanyard with a few instructions and that is is. They become "pin-Nazi's." They think they know it all when they don't know anything. Hence the problems some of you have encountered.

If you encounter a problem with any CM in trading or anything else, ask to speak to a supervisor.

Pin trading with CM's is supposed to be fun not a stressful situation.

Thanks for the advice and info Kathie. I believe a "stressful situation" is exactly what we witnessed in the AKP one afternoon on our last visit. A little girl was crying, and her mom was steaming mad and accusing a cm of something. A man came over in a dark blue blazer with a thing in his ear like secret service wear. He was really nice, and knelt down to talk with the little girl and offer her some pins off his lanyard (which had a lot of nice ones!). I kind of loitered with my family around the outside pin kiosk in Dinoland, to figure out what had happened?

After they left, he took two employees aside to speak with them privately. I could not hear what it was about, but I think it had to do with their tactics and the things you wrote in your post. Do supervisors wear more professional clothes and a microphone, etc.--in their ear? I know she was standing around waiting for someone when he walked up and introduced himself by name (before turning his attention to the little girl who was still tearful). I do not believe he even took any pins from her, and gave her more than one from his own lanyard including a moving or light-up one he demonstrated for her. In the future, I will ask for a Supervisor as you suggested.

 

[agnes!]

My mom and I had a great time during a recent trip to the World. We had so much fun trading and for the most part we had wonderful trading experiences with all of the CMs. Some were very friendly others were just accomodating but nothing bad except for 1!!! We were at the WDW store at Terminal One of MCO. One of the ladies at the register had a Mission Space Fast Pass pin (which I have been looking for) as well as a open edition Aurora pin which I thought my niece would really like. I asked her if she would trade them and her response was "well, it depends on what you have!" I was taken aback by her comment but I pulled out 2 very nice pins, one of which was one of the albums from the recent record set on Disneyshopping.com. She then tells me "I can't take that because it is a Disney Store pin and we are Walt Disney World." I said it is a Limited Edition pin from Disney Shopping which is a Disney owned company but she wouldn't take it So I just pulled out another pin and gave her that.

I understand that there were alot of "professional" traders around that weekend but it was no excuse to be so rude. Plus to create your own rules is unbelievable. Since when are Disney Store pins non-tradeable She even had a second CM only pin that I didn't ask for. My mom and I trade for fun - not as a business or even hard core traders. We just ask for what we like. Even if I had the look of a profesisonal trader, it would be no excuse to be so rude!!!

Has anyone else experienced such a rude CM when trading?

What a jerk. I have had a few CMs with green lanyards who didn't want to trade with my DD even though she was within the age range(we didn't know the rules quote so well then), but that's the worst we've run into. "Your" CM at the Disney Dtore in MCO certainly takes the cake...and I mean that in a yucky way! ANY authorized pin that has "(copyright symbol)Disney" or "copyright Disney" is tradeable with a WDW CM, it doesn't matter if it's a WDW or DLR or DisneyStore or DisneyShopping or Disneyland Paris or Hong Kong Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea...them's the WDW rules & every WDW CM who wears a pintrading lanyard or hip-pack or has a pintrading book(like at DTD/WOD) *has* to abide by the rules. If you *ever* run into a CM who seems to be making up stuff as they go along, asking for their supervisor in a nice way is certainly warranted. It is certainly possible that WDW has changed the rules and none of us know about it...
And the next guest who wants to trade with that snarky CM will thank you for getting the snark's pintrading "rules" corrected !

HayGan -- Yes, we encountered a rude cm in the park (AK). She refused to trade with DD initially, as the pin said "made in China" on the back. I am really NEW to this pin-trading thing, and had no idea about the rules of the game. I have read all the posts on here to catch-up, and am getting educated quickly. She finally decided to trade with DD anyway because she is young, but it was embarassing for both of us. She could have used more tact, and been more discreet (seemed like she blared it from her lips..."THIS PIN READS MADE IN CHINA!). It was humiliating. I bought the pin in a local store, and paid about $3.00 for it. She acted as if I bought it by the bulk from China?!

(...edited)...

Next time you have trouble with these cm's--ask to speak with a supervisor or store manager. They do not have the right to ruin the magic for you and your family. As others mentioned, I hope they are not treating others in this manner (but know they are).

LMAO...this CM was freaking out because your pins had "MADE IN CHINA" on them? Almost ALL Disney pins are Made In China!!!! Hahahahahah...

agnes!

 

[wdwpirates]

My husband and I aren't really traders but we are MAJOR collectors. A few years ago we were at MCO waiting for our departing flight and we were in the Disney Store. The CM refused to trade a pin with my husband that was a disneyshopping pin. She said that was "the memo" they had gotten. Um....can I see that memo??? I think that particular Disney Store location is just delivered the "memos" a little too late, or not often enough...or not at all.....

 

[~Kathie]

Do supervisors wear more professional clothes and a microphone, etc.--in their ear? I know she was standing around waiting for someone when he walked up and introduced himself by name (before turning his attention to the little girl who was still tearful). I do not believe he even took any pins from her, and gave her more than one from his own lanyard including a moving or light-up one he demonstrated for her. In the future, I will ask for a Supervisor as you suggested.

How nice that he made that little girl feel better. Yes.......sounds like he was a "suit" as Disney fans like to refer to them. They are the supervisors or managers. Most of the times adults can take the guff but to give it to a child........give me a break.

Not just as Disney, but everywhere you go, there are some people who just should not be dealing with the public.

Just last week I told our Postmaster that the nasty clerk he had on the window should be "in the back stuffing mailboxes, instead of dealing with the public." Miserable woman.

 

[~Kathie]

The DisneyLAND rules for pin trading actually set forth that many of the Disney Store pins cannot be traded there. WDW is usually much less strict about what you can trade.

I just wanted to add that I had no trouble trading DS pins at Disneyland in July.

They weren't the newer DS pins like the Incredibles..that are all over the place.
They were the older Magical Moments series. Took them without any problem.