Incident with large ball at Epcot

[javaj]

Okay, this happened last month and I tried to forget about it but it just bothers me when I remember it so I'm venting. Please ignore my post if you don't want to read a long vent.

I was pushing DS (3yo) in the stroller at Epcot and as we passed a CM selling balls (in the kiosks), she threw one of those large balls in DS' face. We weren't looking at her, so we weren't expecting it, and DS started to cry and complained about his eye. I told her that she shouldn't be throwing balls in young children's faces. She looked sheepish but didn't say anything as we walked off.

When we got to the Land, DS was still whimpering and his eye was tearing, so I told a CM what had happened, and he was very apologetic and called a supervisor. I wasn't thinking rationally at this point since my "baby' had been hurt so I wasn't even thinking of what to say to the supervisor, I think I just needed to vent.

So a supervisor came within a few minutes with a yellow pad, I told him what happened and he said "I'm sure she didn't mean anything." And I was still upset and said "That doesn't excuse her actions, he's just a little child" And he said "Well, what do you want then?" What he said and how he said it just irked me, I said "How about an apology and some courtesy, and reassurance that this shouldn't be happening to children?" He said fine, didn't write anything down, and walked off.

DS' eye was red the whole day, but he was fine otherwise. Overprotective parent that I am, we even got his eye checked when we got home.

Anyway, I just don't like the way the supervisor handled this. I'm sure that CM didn't mean to hurt him, but should she even be throwing balls at children's faces like that? And shouldn't that supervisor have been more courteous and apologetic?

I never made a complaint because this was shortly before we left, and I never wrote a letter because I hate to complain about something every trip plus I got the standard "we're sorry but too bad" reply regarding my no-hot-water complaint at the CR from Dec 04 anyway.

But I just wanted to vent to my fellow DISers. If you got this far, thanks for reading!

 

[DawnCt1]

How rude of him. I think that would have pushed me over the edge and I would have complained about him. Corneal abrasions are not uncommon when a foreign object comes in contact with the eye. From the redness and the discomfort, that could indeed be what your child had. Fortunately most heal quickly, however why should he be frightened and made uncomfortable by some jerk hawking balls? I would write a letter now that you are home. Did you get the name of the CM that handled your complaint?

 

[we3disneygo]

yeah we encountered the same thing at the Magic Kingdom and our feelings were the same-why hurl the ball at people

 

[ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]

This seems to be a common occurance when it comes to these bouncy balls. My df and I were walking towards Space Mountain (same thing, different park!) and this guy just throws a ball at my face. No Lie! Luckily my catlike reflexes were intact. But just thinking about it, after reading your post...I think I would have been even more upset if I wasnt paying attention and hadn't caught it. Infact, I probably would have done something irrational like throwing it back at his face. This is pretty ridiculous, I can understand these CM's are bored out of their mind standing around with a product noone has any interest in (or maybe not, I really dont know nor do I care) but that doesnt mean they can entertain themselves by throwing these things at people. Perhaps they are told to do this, and if thats the case someone needs to let them know its rude!

ok, rant off!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

You know- I read this thread and thought OMG... that means when it happened to my son on our very recent trip it wasn't on accident?? (it was at Epcot also!) His eye didn't get hurt- but one did tear up and looked red around it a bit and he said it hurt his nose. I thought it was a complete accident and in fact thought perhaps another guest (not a CM) from the other side (walking the opposite direction perhaps?) had thrown it or "hit" it (you know the ones that float on the "air" there at the kiosk?) and hit my son on accident. Now I wonder if it was thrown intentionally by a CM since it went straight at his face. I mean that is a strange coincidence isn't it!

I'm so sorry that happened to your son!!!... my son is 7 so he got over it quickly and I was only mildly annoyed because I thought it was an accident or some other child just not being careful when they "hit" the ball as they passed by- I had NO idea it might have been a CM who regularly (apparently) throws balls at people. geesh

 

[Disneyjosh229]

How rude! Whats up with some CM's lately? Some seem very cheerfull and kind, and others are extremly rude. My friend and I (Phantom Blot) trade pins, and he was turned down by a CM at DTD for a trade!! She kept saying, I don't like pooh, trade me something else!

 

[TammiMcMan]

It's not just at Disney either. Have you seen some of the stupid things they have at the mall kiosks? Flying airplanes zooming around and other items leaping out at you.

I've seen the ball sellers in Epcot many times and everytime I've seen them, there are balls bouncing around either by the CM's or guests playing with the ones that are already blown up. I know you were looking for an apology, but unfortunately in this day and age, if you do something and say you're sorry, it can be construed as acknowledging blame. At the very least, it could have been handled with courtesy and an offer to escort you to the first aide station to have your child looked at. I'm sure that there are many sketchy folks who try to get compensation for "made up" injuries or complaints, but unless this supervisor was a mind reader, I don't think he should be pre-judging anyone.

I'm glad to hear that your little one is doing okay.

 

[FanofTink]

As a mother, I couldn't agree with you more! The situation definitely could have been handled better!!

 

[bicker]

This practice is universal -- the sales folk who sell these inflatable balls are to engage in the game with those who would be in a position to (ahem) encourage their parent to "buy me one!" Just having the balls piled up in a bin probably wouldn't result in many sales. To be honest, I don't understand why anyone would ever buy one, but that's really irrelevant -- there are a lot of things that I don't understand why anyone would buy. Playing with the balls with the children that pass by surely is going to prompt sales, and that's why you see it done regardless of where these things are sold, theme parks, malls, wherever.

It seems that these balls are safe, and indeed need to be safe even in cases where a person "encounters" the ball while unaware it is heading in their direction. Their size and loft minimizes any chance of harm that could be represented by a smaller or harder ball. If they're not safe to play with, with small children around, then there is probably no real reason to sell them -- they should be banned. Rather, my feeling is that they're safe to play with with children around -- that incidents where children get hurt because they're hit by such a ball unawares are remarkably rare.

So the substantive issue is whether folks selling these balls should engage their most-likely user, a child, in trying to make the sale. That's really a part of a much larger issue. I suppose we could make it illegal for any sales person to engage any child with any sales-related interaction, under the banner of protecting children. I'm not sure I'd buy into that kind of regulation perspective, though.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Hmm, well I guess all the "rare" cases all post on Disboards. Quite a coincidence that a few here already have stated their child was semi- injured by being hit by the ball unawares.

She kept saying, I don't like pooh, trade me something else!

how Rude! I thought the way it works is they have to trade you? All the times we traded they didn't even look at what we gave them- soon as the child (at the time-I had 3 children with me trading LOL) said which one they wanted they took it off and waited for me to give them the pin we were trading for (because after the first 2 days my kiddos got tired of the weight of their lanyards so we decided in the room which they wanted to trade and I kept them in my backpack. LOL)

I think I would have asked her what does it matter if she doesn't like Pooh- someone else might want it! And besides.. how rude for a Disney CM to tell you they don't like Pooh! Get another job then. LOL (I'm not saying all Disney CM's must like Pooh- but don't TELL people you don't like him! LOL)

 

[bicker]

If serious injury isn't rare, then I'd agree that the balls should be removed from the market as unsafe.

 

[lagunaseca]

I'm sorry to hear about this happening. It's like deja vu though. We were in Epcot recently and every time we went through the walkway that goes by Mouse Gears to Mission Space there were CM's with those big balls. No matter whether it was a female or male CM they always threw them at my boys which is fine since they are 9 and 11 and play sports so they were never taken by surprise and thought it was fun. I truly think the CM"s mean no harm but it did worry me since my boys would whap them back at the CM and THANKFULLY nobody got hit but it could have happened. I told them to be careful and they were (and thankfully both have good arms and aim) but if someone had been hit I would have felt bad but what's a 9 year old going to do when a ball gets hit to him - he's going to hit it back right? And seriously, I know they look fun but do they think I'm going to buy one and bring it back to the hotel with me so it can tempt my kids to knock it around and inevitably *I* would be the one knocked up side my head. That's just how my luck runs.

 

[Disney Gator]

Lighten up people. So your kid's eye was red and tearing for a while, if that's the worst thing that happens to them that's pretty good. Kids get bumps and bruises all the time, that's part of growing up. Do you want compensation for all of them?

This was an accident. The problem here isn't that the CM threw the ball at your DS, the problem was with the supervisor who talked to you. The CM that threw the ball was doing his/her job, while the supervisor was not.

 

[wfloyd]

We have walked by those vendors quite a bit and they always are tossing or bouncing the balls to kids or adults if no kids are around. The majority of the time, the kids love it and play with the CM for a while. Granted there are times when you are not paying attention but it may look like you are. It can be hard for the CM's to tell if you are paying attention or in a good mood or not so they just toss the balls like they are told to do. Probably why she looked sheepish when it hurt your DS. She wasn't intending to do harm just create a smile.

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

Lighten up people. So your kid's eye was red and tearing for a while, if that's the worst thing that happens to them that's pretty good. Kids get bumps and bruises all the time, that's part of growing up. Do you want compensation for all of them?

This was an accident. The problem here isn't that the CM threw the ball at your DS, the problem was with the supervisor who talked to you. The CM that threw the ball was doing his/her job, while the supervisor was not.

If the ball had gotten away from the CM and struck the child in the eye, that would have been an accident. This sounds like a bad sales ploy that maybe should be changed. Maybe throwing it at 3yr olds head isn't the smartest idea. I'm sure that if the CM accidentally elbowed the child in the eye, there wouldn't be a post about it.

 

[pjupton]

I've had them throw those at me too. I never know it is coming and hate it.

Last time I checked (a few years ago), the ball people were not CM's, they are just contractors, so it doesn't suprise me that a CM supervisor couldn't really do anything about it.

Write your letter, maybe it will get passed on to the actual employer of the ball thrower.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

how Rude! I thought the way it works is they have to trade you?

I think I would have asked her what does it matter if she doesn't like Pooh- someone else might want it!

I totally agree, although I wouldn't call it behavior rude...more like bizarre?!? I was always under the assumption that the CMs were given, as in, for free, the pins on their lanyards to trade freely with guests, no questions asked and no requests denied. Maybe they were just playing with the kids, kind of bargaining, to make it a little more fun than just giving up the pin without interaction?

As far as the giant inflatible bouncing balls, the CMs have been bouncing them at guests at EPCOT since the park opened. Typically, the CMs only throw them after they make eye contact (no pun intended) with the guests. For those who have not seen the kiosks, the ball, typically the same size and a little bit heavier than a beach ball, is tossed slowly underhanded or bounced, not fast pitched. Hope your son has made a full recovery!

 

[Marseeya]

Lighten up people. So your kid's eye was red and tearing for a while, if that's the worst thing that happens to them that's pretty good. Kids get bumps and bruises all the time, that's part of growing up. Do you want compensation for all of them?

This was an accident. The problem here isn't that the CM threw the ball at your DS, the problem was with the supervisor who talked to you. The CM that threw the ball was doing his/her job, while the supervisor was not.

Who said anything about compensation? I'm sure an apology would have gone a long way in the OP's situation, but instead she got defensiveness and dismissal.

And like another poster already pointed out, throwing a ball right at someone, especially a tot in a stroller who likely can't catch anything even if completely prepared, is no accident.

 

[Dare2Wish]

I always walk far away from those ball sellers. I had a "Marcia Brady" experience back in High School when I happened to be walking by 2 boys tossing the football before a game. To this day, I am cautious of people playing catch. DD, on the other hand, could gravitate right over to those things if I let her. I'm not really afraid for her safety, I just don't want to be "stuck" buying one of those things. Why are they so "special" anyways?

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Why are they so "special" anyways?

Hmmm...made of plastic/poylester, full of air, no beneficial use, if inflated, a real pain for Mom and Dad to carry around, destined to be popped/thrown into the closet when finally taken home, never to be used again...what kid wouldn't love that?!!?