Just back, I couldn't believe what I saw!

[SnwflkCts]

I know threads of this type can degenerate into flaming but here is my take. First, I had a WONDERFUL time at WDW in Feb and no rude CMs to be found.

I also agree that many incidents can be overlooked if you realize we are all human and do have bad days. That is a CM (or any employee) can look distracted, sad or not perky. I don't always have to have service with a smile ... but I do want service. I don't want snide remarks or strange reactions or a general attitude of "I don't care." I am very forgiving because I can see where restaurants get crowded and wait staff are stretched to the limit. Patience on both the customer's side and the CM (employee) IS a virtue!

I, and family members, have worked various service jobs with the public and I know what that is like.

That being said, I hope the average person can determine the difference between an incident to be overlooked and true rudeness. And if the incident is bad enough, and those alarm bells ring, and a person feels strongly enough (and brave enough) it should be reported. Your only other recourse is to avoid the place where rudeness occurs. I sure would hate for that to be WDW!!! I learned to avoid local stores who ignore me or are rude. I doubt it makes a real difference to the store ... but it does to me. I also share with others my dissatisfaction.

I would feel really bad if I saw anyone being cruel to a handicapped person like in the OPs post! Here's wishing for better/happier CMs in the future!

PS: Maxie'sMom - what a horrible customer. Yes there are bad customers out there!!!

 

[NC State]

Just returned yesterday and yes, I have to agree the "customer service" isn't what it use to be Little magic in the parks!

 

[hismattjesty]

My wife and I were in WDW from 8/23-9/1, and did not encounter a single rude cast member the entire trip. Based on what i had read on various boards, I was expecting nightmares in guest service and cleanliness of the parks. Boy was I surprised to find things just as I had remembered them from my 2001 trip! Everything was great, and I look forward to my trips next year.

Now the guest service at DisneyLAND............................that is a different animal altogether!

 

[mapmakerj]

We just got back yesterday and we only encountered friendly, courteous CM's on the entire trip. I guess it's the luck of the draw as to where you are at any given time in the "world". My DS was given many special treats and moments from lots of CM's during our trip.

 

[StevePSU1]

Whenever we encounter a rude cast member, we really try to bring them around to have a great day. I've had a few servers that have started out a bit rough, but with a bit of talking and joking, they always come around.

What a sad thing...working at WDW, having a bad day, and spreading it to guests. It's our duty as loyal guests to "bring them around"!!!

 

[Josiah]

Hmmm...this is an interesting topic.

We are about to go to WDW in a couple days. Let's see what happens.

I'm not a naysayer, and I do not have a generally negative outlook of life, but those of us who are older (like myself) remember a time when everyday courtesies and considerations were an expected norm, and now that general unspoken agreement has lapsed among many of us. We see this, not only in the rudeness of staff, but also in each other (guests). No one seems able to change the trend, and I think what I heard in our original poster was mourning for what has been, and may never be again unless we take what steps we can to correct it.

My only suggestion is for each of us posting here to go the extra mile (or at least block) for someone else. Experiment at WDW and see how it works for you. Then try it at home. For example, when we last went, we made it a point to smile, look at the CM and say "Thank you" each and every time we exited a ride. How often do you think they hear that? Now, not one of them said, "You're welcome", but that could be becaause the concept has become so foreign to them.

I do believe that there are other factors involved here, too, for example:
lower standard of education among the job force
lack of customer service training
reduced expectation by supervisors (if I raise the standard, they may quit, and then I won't have a replacement.)
workload issues (the CMs are probably trying to 'do more with less, like many of the rest of us)
CM expectation of guests (see www.stupidguesttricks.com)

You may ask, "Are those issues my problem?!?" Yes, they are! You are the one on the receiving end of the CM rudeness!! Also, that very question is part of the problem. Think about it.

What else can we do? We can:
give the other guy the closer parking space at the World;
take a second to pick up a wandering piece of litter;
compliment where you can;
etc...

Let's bring back WDW courtesy one Disser at a time!

 

[novdisneydreams]

I have to agree with the last poster - what a great idea to try to cheer up a weary CM. While I think that there is no excuse for downright rudeness , especially to a child (like the incident that the OP related ) - I do think that we have to remember that CMs are only human and may just be having a bad moment or even a bad day. Think about this - if they are getting paid $7 an hour , they are taking home about $230 after a 40 hour work WEEK ... thats 40 hours, lots of time on their feet and in the heat, for less than many people pay for a night or two at a Disney hotel. I know, they took the job, and I do agree that they should abide by Disney standards while at work - but when you put it into perspective you can certainly see how an electric bill, car repair, or rent payment may be weighing heavily on a CMs mind. As one who has experienced times of extreme financial stress I can't help thinking about this. I've also taught elementary school, so I am well versed in the "check your problems at the door" and walk in smiling philosophy. You certainly can't take out your frustrations on 6 year olds. And they shouldn't be taken out on Disney guests, either, but you can see how every now and then a CM might have trouble staying chipper all day. Maybe they've just dealt with the rudest guest they've ever met immediately before you walked up, maybe management has been on them about clearing tables more quickly because ADRs are running late ... you just never know. Wouldn't it be great if cheerful, polite guests could get the burned out CMs smiling again?

Oh - and I do think that the CMs should be paid more, but thats another whole story ... maybe Disney is "getting what they pay for" ?!?!?

 

[mickaholic4077]

You're so right,Josiah. The next time I go to WDW,I'll make a point of picking up trash that I see and saying Thank you as often as I can.

 

[Eeyore2003]

It is my opinion the problem lies more with guest expectation than it does with anything Disney is doing. Most complaints are about obscure references to rudeness, not getting something the guest thought they deserved that was above and beyond the general park experience, other guest rudeness, and my favorite, 'it smelled funny'.

Disney does not promise guests that other guests will treat them as if they are the only people in the park. Disney does not promise there will be only pleasant sensations, smells and sights. Life still goes on inside a theme park and some things are beyond any company's control. Disney also does not promise their employees will tolerate being used as whipping boys and girls all day, every day, and still have a Stepford Wife smile on their faces at the end of it all, just so someone won't feel 'offended'.

Employees get to the point where they've had enough of it. People cut in front, stop in front, bump, burp, yell and stare. Millions of bodys congregating in any given area are bound to make smells, as is water that's been running around an attraction for 6 or 8 months at a time.

I can rip Disney up with the best of them, but most of what I see posted on the boards is stuff that could EASILY be forgiven and forgotten if people really want to enjoy their stay more than they want to complain when they return.

Just my opinion. Your milage may vary.

DITTO DITTO DITTO DITTO DITTO DITTO!!!

I have also JUST returned this week and believe me, I would have a VERY VERY VERY hard time being nice ALL the time to the rude guests. Meet them half way people!!! I encountered no outwardly rude CM's even the bus drivers were funny, BUT the GUESTS!!! Geesh people. What is this country coming to!!! Maybe it's because I live in MN and the people here are really nice (believe me, I've lived elsewhere, and it's noticable), but when we got home, my DH said, "You can really tell we're home by how the people act." And he WASN'T talking about the CM'S.

 

[melomouse]

Hi Madelinesmum -

I'm sorry there are posts here on slander and expectations, but for the most part, I think DIS'er's are agreeing with your observations.

I always wonder when I reflect back on a trip whether my pre-trip expectations influenced my perceptions and sensitivity to rudeness. Just back from trip #6 in late September, I suspect that you have observed more rudeness from overworked, underpaid CM's who are often abused by the very guests they serve.

When I read here about the overattention to detail now a "hobby" for trip planners, I can't help but think that their expectations will be dashed in short order on arrival to the most "PERFECT" place on Earth.

That said, it's definitely not "like it used to be".
But then - almost nothing is!!!!!!

I tend to be very proactive and be sometimes overly friendly to CM's, saying hello to housekeepers and food service personnel, and I thank them for even the smallest accomodation. I like the other suggestions here about doing that and think that one by one, we do have the power to influence for the good.

 

[PamNC]

My wife and I were in WDW from 8/23-9/1, and did not encounter a single rude cast member the entire trip. Based on what i had read on various boards, I was expecting nightmares in guest service and cleanliness of the parks. Boy was I surprised to find things just as I had remembered them from my 2001 trip! Everything was great, and I look forward to my trips next year.

Now the guest service at DisneyLAND............................that is a different animal altogether!

We have recently noticed a decline in service overall and a decline of that special magic, BUT that isn't always the case. It seems to vary because the last time we went the CM's were fantastic!! The time before that, not so fantastic. We went to Southern CA in 2005 for vacation and we visited Disneyland for 2 days. MAN what a difference! It made us appreciate WDW. We encountered so many rude CM's and CM's not "in the show." Unbelievable. I even heard a CM say "WHATEVER" to a guest with a horrible tone. A CM who served dole whips was slamming things around and talking to her manager on the phone in front of guests complaning about how many hours she had worked. It was actually embarrassing.

We're going in 13 days and I'm going to think positive and know that the magic will be there waiting for us.

PamNC

 

[Brise Nannie]

Well said, Josiah. We try to instill politeness and good manners in both our DGSs but I can't tell you how many times my 10-year old DGS has been ignored while he stood holding a door open for an adult. Heck, I've come across many who do the same thing to me! I guess they think I'm the doorperson! I'll be the first to tell ya I'm big on good manners and respect and it really irritates me when I see it lacking especially in adults who should know better...CMs or otherwise. By the same token I have little patience for ill-mannered children. I'm on-board with ya Josiah and with any luck the Diz spirit will remain. It has to...we leave for our trip in 35 days and I've been preaching to my family how great all things Disney are!

 

[Wendy1953]

I did not experience any rude or obnoxious CM's, but I also was not out on the hunt for them either. I smile at them, say hello, please, thankyou, and have a good day or night to them!

I did experience many rude guests though....spitting, yelling, screaming, cursing, wheelies, pushing strollers into people, ecv's going way to fast.

But we had a great time!

 

[disneyjunkie]

I've ran into my share of snippy CMs, but I just ignore it.

There are certain rides my son and I just HAVE to have the front seats for(Splash, Space Mountain, Safari, RNRC, Dinosaur) when we reach the front of the line, we ask for the front row. Most of the time were just directed where to stand. We've had a few CMs roll their eyes at our request or come out and say it doesn't matter where you sit, what's the big deal... I just ignore the attitude getting ready to enjoy the ride.

I can understand where the rudeness comes from, but that doesn't make it right. I'm sure having people request certain seats day in and day out gets old after while.

 

[hockeybabe]

Here are a few thoughts:

I wonder if WDW retail employees get paid the same as Walmart employees? If there is not a significant wage increase, I don't expect we'll see much better service. If the CM mutters a greeting, gets everythihng scanned right and bags your items, they did their job. We expect more because we spent alot of money on the whole package, but a retail experience in WDW is a retail experience, says WDW's wages.

The same goes for waitstaff. I love it when the waitstaff goes the extra mile to make our meal magical, and reward such people with a good tip. Poor service goes unrewarded, just as it does off property. I expect the food to be of the quality I am paying for, but the service, well, I pay for what I get, just as I do in any restaurant. WDW's wages say that's good enough.

I do, however, expect that in my ticket price that I walk into clean bathrooms and do not encounter many overflowing trash cans. Major department stores, and even Walmart have the bathrooms checked each hour, and have that little chart on the door with the time it was checked and the signature of the person who checked it. Disney can afford to hire enough employees to have this system. BUT, there is no reason the cleaners should have to do anything but keep the toilets sanitary, empty trash, restock paper items and wipe down the counters. Why should they have to flush toilets, pick up trash, clean up refuse off fixtures and walls and floors, and other even grosser things? How many times I walk into any public toilet in the US and the toilet isn't flushed??? Really, I don't want to look at your refuse!!! Slow down, flush the toilet, and look and see that everything went down, and check the seat while you are at it. Takes 1, maybe 1 1/2 seconds.

I also expect someone who is serving in a capacity outside of retail and restaurant staff to be helpful and friendly. It's called customer service, and I expect the standard Walt set to be alive and well in every customer service employee. The rude CM the OP mentioned being rude to a handicapped person should be removed from thier position and placed where they would not have to represent Disney in a helpful situation. Off moments? Yes, but complete situations handled badly from beginning to end are not acceptable in my opinion. I hope WDW trains and pays CM's in these positions to represent WDW to perform at the level WDW expects.

Quality hotels have forever been setting the standard for customer service. When you pay for quality, the face of the company, the desk staff, should meet the standards for which their establishment sets. I expect they run into some rude customers, but you have to get over that customer the second they leave your counter and treat the next person like they will be your favorite of the day. If they are not, I guess the service will reflect it, but it should be a result of the customer in front of you, not the customer you had 2 hours ago.

I'll bet that when Walt opened Disneyland, the customers were more appreciative, demonstrated more manners, showed more respect, and were more accomodating. As our population changes, it is changing on both sides of the counter. The fact is that the ticket price we pay does not include a guarantee of great service. Maybe when Walt was alive it did, but not anymore. Disney has the money to pay for employees to give exceptional customer service, but according to what I have read on these boards, they don't seem to care to require higher service levels than employees from Walmart, Denny's and Motel 6. You get what you pay for, Disney, and while millons of people keep cramming themselves through your gates, I guess good enough is good enough.


Whew! Off my soapbox now

 

[madelinesmum]

I'm the op and I will add this to my post.
First of all, I'd like to say that I understand and respect most points made here.
Let me also start off by saying that during my trip, and every trip, I go the extra mile to make someone have a better day that includes being extra nice to CM's, other guest, making sure we don't walk in front of people, having patience.
The incidents described in op were not, I'm having a bad moment I'm talking about severe flat out blatent rudeness.
Look, I overlook lots of things and I fully understand that people are mistreated and have bad days, are tired, feel bad, are under paid but that's no excuse for flat out mistreating people.
I'm not some spoiled little brat that throws a fit because Disney doesn't treat me like a princess every moment of the day but THEY SET THE BAR and I have been going there for 30 years. When I encounter something that I've never seen before, nothing even close....I'm going to be upset. Especially when it's alot easier to be kind, and I'm not talking about overly excited and perfect, kind, respectful and decent.
I agree that there are far more rude guest than could ever be CM's but that's part of the job. If you have problems dealing with the public, take a desk job with little or minimal interaction with people.
I also stated in my op that we went in December,which let me add....is a much busier time than Oct/Nov and only encountered one rude CM.
As far as slander goes, let me tell you.....there were plenty of witnesses to her behavior including that of other CM's. I even had a CM at the counter tell me that she was sick and she was grumpy.
Now, with all that being said, I go out of my way to say please, thank you, great job, that was so kind of you, you name it and all I ask is basic kindness.
As far as the smells, cleanliness, once again, Disney set that bar and even some of the things I saw would rival a state fair. They invented smellovision so if the water/rides are going to have an odor, off set that with something pleasant.
Sorry for being on my soap box but I didn't expect some of the things I saw and it was quite alarming. I'll never give up on Disney and I'm going to keep going back as long as things don't get any worse. I truly do love and appreciate that place and yes, even with all the things that happened, it was still a very magical place and I did have all of my dreams come true.

 

[ogreenlee]

Go Hockeybabe!!

You're absolutely right.

 

[Martha7]

We used to live in South Florida, and I like to keep up to date by reading the Sun Sentinel online. I think it's getting really tough to survive financially in Florida, now that the insurance companies are upping everyones' rates, and property taxes, (and consequently, rents, I would think) will be skyrocketing, all as a result of last year's hurricane activity. I'm sure that people who are earning minimum wage are wondering how long they can hold on. I think it would contribute to stress and bad moods. I agree, however, that you expect a certain level of service at Disney. I'll also be upset if we encounter lots of dirty restrooms and cranky CMs!

 

[back2disney]

Still a whole lot better than 6 flags. Just came back from 6 Flags Fiesta - it put things in perspective really quick!!!

 

[tomerin]

actually i agree with much of what has been written here. i know from my extensive reading here that there are a great many issues with the "quality" of the product that WDW in general has been putting out lately. i have read about the CM issues, the cleanliness issues and now with the popular DDP, food quality issues.

when WDW raised the standards or wants the buying public to believe the standards dealing with all services are higher at WDW and you encounter something that isnt up to par, yes, people are going to be shocked and very dissapointed and angry. especially those of us who have been fortunate to enjoy the parks over many years.

i can think of a few reasons for this. the "quality" of some of the CM's may not be up to what was considered WDW standards is because of staffing issues. i have a friend in the orlando area and she has told me that the area is in a bit of a bind now because there are simply not enough people applying for jobs in the service industry. the lack of applicants will prohibit you from staffing your business with an appropriate amount of quality employees. you have to hire people who might not be up to your standards. hence IMHO this may be why some of us have had unfortunate encounters with apathetic and rude CM's.

i work in retail management and i know of this first hand. i live and work on long island new york and the competition for employees does exist. with all of the chain stores and chain resturants that are popping up all over the place, you often wonder where are all of the employees going to come from. businesses are often saddled as to how are they going to enitice employees to come work for them. offer good benifits or good salaries or even a good working environment. sometimes you have to hire that employee you know from experience may not be right for the job but you hope once they get started that they will like it.

its not as simple as offering a higher rate of pay to attract better employees. when you have a publicly held company like Disney is you have to ultimately answer to stockholders. as management will so often mention , especially at contract time, that the highest costs of running a business are the labor costs and these are the ones they can control the easiest. this can be a bit of a problem for current WDW management. if they want to keep up with the standards that Walt set you need quality people to sell a quality product. quality of any kind does not come cheap.

hopefully Eiger and his team will realize that if they want to keep the throngs of people flocking to WDW that more salary and more extensive training of their employees, may be as important then adding another attraction.