Might Intrest You On What A Cm Said To Me..

[Peter Pirate]

First off, there is not an excuse for this type of behavior, but maybe, just maybe this person is a victum of Hurricane Charley and perhaps is frazzled by the damage to her house or lack of electricity or something...Again, it is no excuse for treating a guest the way they day but perhaps mitigating circumstances were involved?

 

[samnbilly]

I'm sorry that CM was so rude to you. I had one the other day that I honestly wanted to choke right through the phone. I say this all the time-basic human respect-its not a lot were asking for. If Disney made it a little easier and we didn't have to call every single morning to save a few bucks, it wouldn't be a big deal. I don't ever remember Disney people being as rude as quite a few of the CM's I have spoken with lately. Well, my rant is over-I'll be calling tomorrow promptly at 6:59am. Take that Disney!

 

[skiwee1]

I had a CM say something about AP holders too the other day. I called to ask about rates and we talked a bit. I told her that I always thought it odd that the big spenders at Disney, ie the AP holders, were always treated second class. I know that discounts are not a given but I would think that they would want to treat their best customers, the majority of which I do believe actually go to WDW more then once a year, a little better and give at least a small but definite percentage of AP discounts at a certain time so we wouldn't have to call and seem to grovel for a good rate all the time. Well the CM said that the AP holders didn't spend anything at WDW and that the ones that weren't so knowledgable were the main bread and butter of Disney. She went on to tell me about some guy from South Africa that called the week earlier wanting the nice suite at the GF. I think she called the it Walt suite. Anyway that suite was booked so she took a chance offering him the biggest suite at AKL as that was the only one available. He took it she said, no questions on whether he could get it cheaper. He is paying $25,000 for his stay there now. That, she said, is where the money is, not the AP holders.

 

[Esmerelda]

hmmmm....my thought is if it weren't for "us people...." going to Disney and making all these reservations....that this particular CM would be out of a job......we are the reason she/he has a paycheck....

never forget...alot of phone conversations are recorded by the employer.....she should be a little more careful in her choice of/tone of words....looks bad for business I would think if I was running the show...

Esmerelda

 

[safetymom]

I agree with the CM. It is not the AP holders that are the big spenders at WDW. It is the uneducated visitor that they like because they don't know any better.

The AP was designed for unlimited admission into the parks. The room discounts are not a given because you have an AP.

What they need is a program like a frequent flyer program. The more you spend you could be in a preferred level.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Originally posted by safetymom
What they need is a program like a frequent flyer program. The more you spend you could be in a preferred level.

Or at the very least perks for staying lots of days, which is what the Universal Loews resort do.

T&B

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by safetymom
I agree with the CM. It is not the AP holders that are the big spenders at WDW. It is the uneducated visitor that they like because they don't know any better.

The AP was designed for unlimited admission into the parks. The room discounts are not a given because you have an AP.

What they need is a program like a frequent flyer program. The more you spend you could be in a preferred level.

I agree that the AP is for unlimited admission to the parks. That is what I bought it for as we go about 30 days a year. With going 30 days a year though I also stay onsite. I paid rack rate last time and it was $3500 for my 10 day stay at the Poly. While I belive Disney gets a lot of their money from uneducated consumers, I think the long term AP holders are shelling out a lot more in the long run. I also think that the uneducated consumers are going to be less and less. Will not getting a discount stop me from staying onsite? Of course not! I love the WDW resorts. I wouldn't even mind if they ended AP discounts all together. What I don't like is the ridiculous cat and mouse games that they play. No other business does this. As a stock holder I think this is worse for business then giving out the discounts.

 

[DVCconvert]

I think the long term AP holders are shelling out a lot more in the long run.

I agree. I've paid rack many times, I stay on site during every visit, I buy every meal on site whilie there (mostly sit downs), we without exception drop a pile of money on purchases each trip.

Perhaps the visit 'style' of Florida Residents with AP's is different, but it's been my experience that AP holders contribute more to the bottom line that the amount of (if) any room discount offered to them.

 

[Misty89]

i am not an AP holder, but i work with the public also and that was totally rude....as a consumer i probly would have told her the facts ( a piece of my mind) and i would not have been nice about it. i agree that call had to be recorded and it should be brought to her managers attention!
even with working with the public and getting a ton of calls each day, that is her job, i am 100% poisitve that if i EVER made a personal comment to one of customers( who are 90% of the time QUITE rude) i would have been corrected asap by the boss.
i am sorry you got treated that way....and,
this might be a little off subject, but yesterday i called to get some info/order about the specail desserts, and called teh GF bakery...the man i spoke with was very short and told me i had to call CR....i told him i was told to call his bakery because they were the only ones that made them and he said "who told you that?"..i replied i read it on the computer.... he said " the unoffical website?" i said yes, and he said that we should not always believe what we read on here because alot of it is not true..... i did not say anything but i wanted to.
ps.....i was told to call CR pastry chef and i have still not heard back.

 

[CindysGusGus]

Just a note...The TA who has been dead on with the release days stated yesterday that she cant talk anymore about possible release dates because someone complained. She will now start posting like Mary on mousesavers. The day the code is actually released. No doubt it was our ever so friendly CM that compained!

 

[SnackyStacky]

Originally posted by safetymom
I don't think that is official WDW policy. Sounds like a CM with an opinion.

 

[susy]

Wow! What a rude b****! They can release the discounts as late as they please-if the rooms don't get booked, they can stay empty if they like. If I ever get spoken to in that manner I will ask to speak to a supervisor and then cancel my stay when I'm done with her/him. And the one telling you about the man that spent $25,000 on a room-that was completely inappropriate . Why aren't you guys writing letters is what would like to know? Also we do a lot more than just spend our money on property when we go-we tell others to do the same!!! How many times do you tell others about how great Disney is, to go there, and help them make Ps's and such? They get plenty of free advertising from me....

 

[plutosmyfav]

Originally posted by DebbieB
You're right, that was rude, I take it back. I wasn't looking at it that way. It probably was out of frustration, but that was no excuse.

If DIsney's most loyal fans are "frustrating" the cms by trying to plan trips with their ADVERTISED AP benefits then Disney really should rethink their marketing. C'mon, we're told we get this discount with our AP but we are left hanging on a thread waiting for it. If they don't really intend for us to be able to use it then they should do away with the perk. I doubt I am going to buy another AP this time. There are plenty of really nice off-site hotels. I expected to be treated more like a "VIP" with an AP, not a second class citizen trying to "get a way with something". What a horrible attitude.

 

[Dawnflower]

It's a very interesting point that the cm made re: the non-AP holders spending more money than the actual AP holders. Wonder what would happen if for 1 month, all the passholders refused to go and spend a dime! Let them compare, something tells me that the thousands of AP holders, many of them that have no knowledge of the discount you get on the rooms with that pass, and those of us with the knowledge, probably spend a whole lot more than one would think! I don't know about you all but first you spend the money for the whole family the AP, then the room, food, so on and so forth, drop around $6000.00 1st trip. Ahhh 2nd trip, "we should go honey, tickets are paid for, won't cost as much!" " ok dear, pick a date, make the ressies, I'll tell the boss, but not the kids and we'll make it a surprise" before you know it you have dropped $7000.00 on this trip since you didn't have to pay for tickets, you upgraded the room, took the illuminations cruise, went to 2 dinner shows, bought that piece from the Art of Disney, so on and so forth. Maybe not that much money spent, but I bet there are more of us spending smaller amounts, than the few spending large amounts! It's the Wal Mart theory, except, Wal Mart did it by going cheaper, so more people came. HHHHHmmmmm.

 

[PamNC]

That was horrible. I would have immediately asked to speak to a supervisor. You're right - we are the ones who spend the most $$ at Disney and if they don't have their reservation system revved up enough to handle the calls - that's their problem. They should have a special number or some type of system for Worldphiles like us.

But, I agree that it was simply this one CM with an opinion. Not the opinion of the entire company.

PamNC

 

[safetymom]

Could someone explain to me why you should be treated as a VIP because you have a AP?

I guess I have been looking at it all wrong. I think of my AP as my admission to the parks. All the rest is nice but not what I bought the AP for.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Originally posted by safetymom
Could someone explain to me why you should be treated as a VIP because you have a AP?

I guess I have been looking at it all wrong. I think of my AP as my admission to the parks. All the rest is nice but not what I bought the AP for.

They shouldn't treat AP holders any better than anyone else, but they should be polite and helpful to anyone who calls to find out rates, ask questions, etc. I had a very pleasant experience when I called to find out rates last night. He volunteered that AP rates were not yet out (he asked me if we'd need park passes and I told him that we wouldn't becasue I have an AP). I also asked him to make sure that I wasn't supposed to have a PIN e-mail or postcard and he very willingly checked. He knew that I'd found out about the e-mails/postcards from the internet and was very polite about checking.

That's the way it should work--CMs helpful and polite, callers respectful and friendly. But that's how I treat others, whether I'm calling about rates, shopping at a store, eating at a restaurant, etc. And that's usually the way I'm treated back and when not I will then take action when it is bad enough by writing to the company and complaining. I've only done that a couple of times, though, for extreme behavior.

T&B

 

[safetymom]

I expected to be treated more like a "VIP" with an AP, not a second class citizen trying to "get a way with something".

This is what I was referring to. I agree we all should be greated by friendly helpful agents when calling CRO.

 

[ILoveWDW2003]

Originally posted by CindysGusGus
Just a note...The TA who has been dead on with the release days stated yesterday that she cant talk anymore about possible release dates because someone complained. She will now start posting like Mary on mousesavers. The day the code is actually released. No doubt it was our ever so friendly CM that compained!

More than likely her 'source' was caught giving out the info and was reprimanded. CM's are told not to give out any info about release dates of discounts, etc.

 

[jaygatz]

Could someone explain to me why you should be treated as a VIP because you have a AP?

maybe I am wrong (I am easily confused ), but isn't it the marketing strategy of Disney to say that every "guest" is a VIP? Isn't that why we are labeled "guests" when we visit rather than customers? I know that is one major reason I pay Disney rates, but it seems that the company is losing sight of its appeal. Further, it seems by the quote above that some do not mind this movement away from the ideal that for so many years set Disney hospitality apart as the standard in the industry