I know it's not Disney - but hoping someone may have advice

[oynk]

I hope it's OK to post this here. I know it isn't about Disney, but you guys are so knowledgeable, I thought someone might be able to offer some advice.

We had an incident happen about three weeks ago, and I have deliberately waited a few weeks so I had time to calm down and not have an emotional reaction.

My nine-year-old daughter has multiple health issues causing her to have difficulties with significant pain and fatigue. She uses a Convaid "stroller" wheelchair for lengthy travel. We were at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. We have been there several times previously and are familiar with their procedures for "ride accessibility."

We followed their requirements, but we had an awful time. It was so bad that my daughter just asked to leave. It would take several pages to delineate everything that happened, but for a representative sample, we wanted to ride the train that goes around the park. We waited at the handicapped gate and were ignored. I spoke up and said, "Excuse me, we are waiting for disabled boarding," and then showed the wristband and check sheet. The guy running the train refused to allow us to board and instead said, "That's not a wheelchair. It's a stroller. And it's too big to fold up, so I guess you can't ride."

This was NOT an isolated incident. The entire day was like this! She was refused access to rides that the ride accessibility team had approved her for. She was seated in blatantly obstructed viewing areas. We were told we had to tell the ride operators what her diagnosis was. She was told she had to stand up to be measured even though her accessibility sheet listed her height. She was ignored, insulted, and embarrassed.

We spoke to guest services twice and finally made a formal complaint. We were assured that we would be called and that something would be done. Instead, we received a form letter apologizing for a "less than world-class experience."

Please note, we weren't looking for "front of the line" access. We didn't even want to ride most of the roller coasters. We just wanted to have a fun day and enjoy ourselves. I feel like I need to take this further, but don't have an idea how to do this.

So, does anyone know what else can be done in a situation like this? I have really worked with my child so that she understands that she needs to be patient and considerate of others, but that she also needs to speak up for what is right.

Thanks

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Well I suppose the question to ask yourself is what do you want the outcome to be? Do you want the company to be aware of what happened? Do you want compensation?

You've made a complaint at the park already and nothing came of it, so I wouldn't be surprised if you received a similar response if you reached out to them again. You can absolutely try to contact them again and explain what happened butif it really was really that bad...and even if they offered you comp tickets or something, would you really want to go back?

 

[disney david]

i would write Busch gardens here their web site that gives you snail mail and email. sorry she had a bad time they should have not treated you like that the form letter could be just to let you know they are investigating and not to have you think they forgot or didn't listen to your complaints.


http://seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-williamsburg/Contact?from=Footer_Nav

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I'd complain about it on their FB page.

 

[intheshadows]

If Busch Gardens is ignoring you, try contacting a consumer advocate. Chris Elliott ( www.elliott.org) is one that specializes in travel complaints.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would suggest contacting the United States Attorney Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Ask to speak to their ADA specialist. Although the District Court is based in Alexandria, they have branches in Newport News and Norfolk.

I had a situation a couple of years ago with a travel company, and all it took was an e-mail from the US Attorney Office to have them falling all over themselves.

 

[ibcrazie4dizney]

you brought back memories from our july 2012 busch gardens Williamsburg trip. definitely wasn't Disney. we were also kind of ignored at the train, but after we finally got the attendant's attention, we made out ok. dgd uses special needs stroller as a wheel chair. they had us fold it up and load into a special area on the train.

one thing I didn't like was the cut thru in the middle of the park was steep and had lots of steps. it was really really hot and we didn't feel like walking all the way back around, so I had to huff and puff and carry it up lots of steps. but many people with special circumstances could not have done that.

as far as complaining, we had issues at a dinner booking. I was really not happy and felt that we absolutely didn't get our money's worth because of problems on their end. I should have gone to guest services, but instead, I called the next morning. although the person listened, I didn't feel I got anywhere. I did not get the return phone call as I expected but I did get a letter. I was disappointed. I don't know what I really wanted, I didn't expect a full refund, but I did feel they just swept it under the rug. the letter didn't give me satisfaction, as I felt we were short changed. it's a shame, because they probably just lost a customer.

 

[joanchris]

I'd complain about it on their FB page.

A friend of mine recently discovered how effective this can be, I would not have thought of it, but she has had several instances where this tactic was very effective (she's re-building a house so dealing with many companies/contractors etc).

 

[jmartinez1895]

You should call them out on denying your child the right to board the train. I assume it is HCA is they have a HC entrance. Even if the stroller would not have fit in the wheelchair spot, could you have been allowed to leave the stroller and ride the train all the way around and come back to your stroller? Not allowing someone to ride just because they need a mobility aid is not allowed and the ADA will not be happy about that.
As others have said you need to think about what it is that you want from them and be clear. As others have said, do you really want to go back if they give you free tickets? I assume that you are looking to make sure that the proper people know about what happened and that other people with special needs do not have the same experiences that you did.

 

[Mama Who]

Well I suppose the question to ask yourself is what do you want the outcome to be? Do you want the company to be aware of what happened? Do you want compensation?

You've made a complaint at the park already and nothing came of it, so I wouldn't be surprised if you received a similar response if you reached out to them again. You can absolutely try to contact them again and explain what happened butif it really was really that bad...and even if they offered you comp tickets or something, would you really want to go back?

To be fair, we don't know that nothing came of it. The OP complained, BG acknowledged that they had heard her. If they are retraining or terminating employees based on that, they aren't going to tell her that. We don't have any way of knowing what actions they're taking to correct the problem. (Or not.)

 

[SueM in MN]

To be fair, we don't know that nothing came of it. The OP complained, BG acknowledged that they had heard her. If they are retraining or terminating employees based on that, they aren't going to tell her that. We don't have any way of knowing what actions they're taking to correct the problem. (Or not.)

A form letter is often the first response, while a complaint is being investigated.

I have had situations where I made a complaint, got a form letter and then about a month later got an actual reply. So, the OP could be in that 'waiting period'.

I'm not sure where the formal complaint was made (in person at Guest Relations before leaving the park, a mailed letter or email).

I would probably send a second complaint, either snail mail or email (maybe both). My preference would be snail mail, sent registered mail with a signature required.

Address it to 'Disability Department' in a subject line.
Reference the original complaint
i. e. ' On [date], we registered a complaint about treatment that we thought was discriminatory against our daughter during our visit on [date] to Busch Gardens in Wiiliamsburg.
We received a form letter on [date], but have not received the phone call that was promised as follow up. We have not received any other contact from Busch Gardens and want to mke sure our concerns don't get lost.'

Then list each specific incident that you listed in the original post. Make each short, but containing the important points. You want enough to get your point across, but not so much it gets overwhelming or confusing.
You don't want the letter to get so long that it doesn't get read. So, even though you say there were enough incidents to cover several pages, I would not list them all. Mention that there others that they can contact you about, but these are a sample.

Make your daughter a person to them - how the treatment made her feel as you mentioned in your original post.

Finish with what you expect to happen, for example, things like:
We want this not to happen to anyone in the future
We want frontline staff to be educated on xxxxx

I would note on the letter that you are sending a copy of the letter to the address Cheshire Figment mentioned. Just the idea that you are sending it there is often enough to get notice.

I would not personally contact any news media or columnists because you could find yourself in their column.

 

[Schmeck]

For the train situation - was there a misunderstanding as to where your daughter would sit? Do the wheelchairs have to be tied down if occupied, like they would be on a transit bus at WDW? Did the conductor think that you meant for your daughter to stay in the stroller, or did you explain that she could sit in a seat? If the stroller didn't have the proper tie down spots, it might not have been safe for her to be in the stroller in a moving train, kwim?

Sounds like you do need to go further with this - the workers there need better training, and the system needs tweaking as well. It sounds like they ignored whatever the 'accessibility sheet' is, and that's very poor training.

Obstructed views - depends on if the other HC spots were full, etc, and how many other seats (general seating) also had obstructed views. Was it just the HC seating that was obstructed?

 

[oynk]

Thanks guys: I knew you would have some great ideas.

I did end up contacting VOPA (Virginia Office of Protection and Advocacy). They are assisting with contacting BG. I have also heard directly from the ADA coordinator for BG. (Haven't spoken to him yet, just played some phone tag).

As far as what we want. Sure, it would be great to get a million dollars --- somehow I don't see that happening!!

For our family, it is important to see and understand advocacy and disability "etiquette." For us, that means that even though sometimes things may take a bit longer, we wait patiently and appreciate when people are helpful; and we don't "take advantage" of any accommodations for disability; however, we also "stand-up" for our rights. I feel like this means we need to follow through to uphold this standard.

I do think it would be reasonable to receive assurance that they would review and revise their training and possibly invite us back to see the new and improved policies.

As far as the obstructed viewing area, the attendant who sat us specifically suggested that my daughter walk if she is able because "you can't see from the handicapped seating area." It is a known problem. As far as the train, we've ridden many time in prior visits without any problem. They just roll the WC up the little ramp and we put the brake on. It doesn't even need to be tied down.

I will keep you posted!