Mr Grumpy's Vacation

I'll give you that ... it really is more difficult to both complain and praise. But still, if you as a guest have a bad experience, Disney won't know unless you tell them, and it won't get fixed. There are e-mail addresses listed here on this very board where you can write to complain or compliment. I -- and other CMs -- often copy off a post and forward it to appropriate people. Both good posts and bad ones. So, there are always ways to get your comments out there if you feel that strongly.

:earsboy:
 
So, there are always ways to get your comments out there if you feel that strongly.
Like writing an Op/Ed piece if you happen to work for a newspaper? :smooth:

Sarangel
 
You've got to be kidding me. The U.S. has some of the highest unemployment rates in decades and you tell me there is nobody to hire? Are you FIRCKIN KIDDING ME?
 
Actually Yoho 5.7 unemployment rate is very low. Maybe Ohio has an above average unemployment rate, but last I heard WDW was about 1000 miles away.....makes for a long commute. And let's not confuse an unemployed warm body with a qualified worker.

PS: Is "Firckin" a word ?
 

Originally posted by Sarangel
One point to consider is that Guests are no longer allowed to regiser complaints or compliments at City Hall (something to do with the lawyers). This makes it *very* difficult to report someone either doing a very good job, or a very bad job.

Sarangel
When did this happen? We filled out several complementary reports regarding outstanding cast members the last time we were there 2 years ago. I'd hate to think that we've lost the oppourtinity to do so.
 
WDSearcher,
No, my experience wasn't "that bad," but it also wasn't great, magical, or morale lifting. I had leads tell me not to ask questions if I liked working there and who wouldn't let me go to Health Services when a guest spilled scalding water on my hand. Two different leads regularly referred to the CPers as the slaves of the company and the bottom of the barrel. I had guests actually scream insults and curses at me if the restaurant was out of something or if they weren't allowed to have the things they wanted for free. Another guest demanded for me to get him and his party sodas when I was busy cleaning tables and the machine was Right There. This guest was not handicapped- he was a football coach with a football team in the Pop Warner Conference staying at All Star Sports. The food court is not a full service restaurant. I'd love to go on, but I don't think that most people want to hear about my difficulties with the company. If you'd like to hear more, feel free to PM me.
Casey
 
It is not the guest's responsibility to let a company know about its problems. Any company that teaches their employees this has serious problems.

Its a company's responsibility to find out what their customers think, and that doesn't mean loaded survey questions that are designed to prove a point or make somebody look good.

Have I had that bad of an experience? No. If I were consistently having experiences like the writer did, I would do what the vast majority of people would do. I'd just stop going.

But yeah, personally, I've noticed some differences, though my baseline is Disneyland.

Searcher, certainly I respect your experience within Disney, and respect your opinion that there are no morale issues relative to years past.

However, there are many others, even some who are largely supportive of current management, who admit that things have slipped in at least some ways.

This is not to say working for Disney has become akin to a stint as an indentured laborer for everybody involved. Just like a trip to WDW or DL is not like a trip to a Turkish prison.

Its just that its not what it used to be, and more imporatantly, its not what it SHOULD be. The fact that senior management does not value the job done on the front lines as highly as it once did is pretty well known. That attitude cannot help but work its way down the ranks, and its most likely the main cause of the slippage in morale.
 
When did this happen? We filled out several complementary reports regarding outstanding cast members the last time we were there 2 years ago. I'd hate to think that we've lost the oppourtinity to do so.
We found out at Disneyland in September 2003, and had it reinforced when we went to WDW in November 2003. Sorry.

Sarangel
 
Originally posted by raidermatt
It is not the guest's responsibility to let a company know about its problems. Any company that teaches their employees this has serious problems.

Its a company's responsibility to find out what their customers think, and that doesn't mean loaded survey questions that are designed to prove a point or make somebody look good.
Did I say it was soley the guest's responsibility? No. I said that if you don't like something, say something. If I stay at a resort or take a cruise or buy a product and it's not what I was expecting, or I feel I didn't get what I paid for, it is my responsibility to make that known, and I'll do that whether there is an automatic feedback mechanism in place or not. If the company sends out a survey and I can do it that way, great. If I don't think the survey addresses the problem, then I write a letter, or make a phone call, or send an e-mail. How many of those "tell us what you think" cards really get sent back, do you think? Even by people who hated their resort or thought their dinner was lousy? And "Let us know what we can do to help make your stay more pleasant" or "Please give us your comments" are not loaded survey questions. (Yes ... the surveys in the parks contain a lot of loaded questions. But those surveys are not WDW's only means of feedback.)

I know that in a perfect world every company would constantly send out feedback forms, the questions would be exactly what they should be to address problems, and customers and guests would actually take the time to fill the forms in and send them back and they wouldn't be annoyed by the time it took out of their vacation to do so. But if I'm hating my experience somewhere, then I have two basic choices .... I can complain and complain about it on a public forum or to my family or to my co-workers until I feel better (or they get sick of listening) or I can send an e-mail or a letter and tell the company what they did wrong.

We've been told this since we were kids. If a person is picking on you, tell someone. If you think your grade was unfair, talk to your professor and get it changed. If you think you deserve a raise, ask for one. I don't know of anyone who was ever told, "If someone is picking on you, just hang tight. It's the teacher's job to ask you if everything is okay on the playground." or "If you get a grade you don't think you deserve, just hold onto it. It's the professor's job to ask you if you're satisfied and thought it was fair." or "I know you think you deserve a raise, but don't say anything. It's your boss' job to recognize what you're doing."

We live in an age of empowerment and we teach our kids to speak up when they are wronged. Except, apparently, if they're at Walt Disney World, in which case, they should just be quiet and wait.

:earsboy:
 
Originally posted by caseymaureen
WDSearcher,
No, my experience wasn't "that bad," but it also wasn't great, magical, or morale lifting. Casey
Obviously, the conduct of the guests is outside Disney control. But hopefully you were able to give some of that feedback in your exit interview (if you got one ... some areas dothem, some don't) or you were able to find someone in your area to discuss this with. If not then, as I said, I'm sorry your experience wasn't what you wanted it to be. Hopefully there were also things you enjoyed about the experience and you've had a job or jobs since then that have been more pleasant and have met your expectations.

:earsboy:
 
***"We live in an age of empowerment and we teach our kids to speak up when they are wronged. Except, apparently, if they're at Walt Disney World, in which case, they should just be quiet and wait."***.....................

"Wait" until they get home and post a negative review on one of the Dis boards.
 
Originally posted by YoHo
You've got to be kidding me. The U.S. has some of the highest unemployment rates in decades and you tell me there is nobody to hire? Are you FIRCKIN KIDDING ME?
Fircking?

Did we SAY that there is "nobody to hire?" No. Of course there are people to hire. But you also demand that WDW hire quality people. They must be friendly and service-oriented. They must live in Florida or want to move there from somewhere else. They must want to deal with the kind of guests caseymaureen talks about, as well as with managers and other CMs that may or may not be an ideal team. They must want to work in a theme park environment. They must want to follow the grooming guidelines. They must have flexible schedules and not mind working weekends and holidays. They must not be underqualified or over-qualified.

So yes ... there are people out there to hire. There will always be people out there to hire. If you say it's okay for Disney to just hire the next 500 people who walk in the door for the next 500 jobs that are available, then the positions would be filled by sundown. But unfortunately, the expectation is that the exact right person must be hired for each and every job. Even if Disney strikes a compromise in there somewhere, it's still going to require matching skills to positions. I know it's hard to believe, but not everyone on the unemployment rolls is qualified to sell popcorn or do maintenance or run a ride. And not everyone on the unemployment rolls wants to pick up garbage or clean bathrooms or fill sodas.

:earsboy:
 
Just a different perspective on Grumpy's editorial column. I picked up the main feature of the story to be Las Vegas watch out! Urban sprawl is heading our way and it is all California's fault. At least half the column centered around Grumpy's fears that Vegas would be overrun by traffic snarls, lower income people having too many children, etc.

Yes, he did seem to have a bad time at the parks due to crowds, but he didn't say he wouldn't go back. And he did have some legitimate complaints about Paradise Pier. I'm not sure that his column was really focused on "I went to Disney and had a lousy time." I think it was just a way to put out his warning about urban sprawl.

I really feel bad that he had a bad time at Paradise Pier. I stayed there last summer and loved my room and experience. I was lucky; he was unlucky.
 
"Grumpy's fears that Vegas would be overrun by traffic snarls, lower income people having too many children, etc."

Isn't this already the case in Vegas?
 
This article was more about Vegas vs So Cal than Disney. I found it very coincidental that the writer just happened to wander into a casino during his trip.

It appeared Disney was being used to sensationalize the headline. Nothing more.
 
Originally posted by WDSearcher
But as a journalist, shouldn't he have been a bit more objective going in?

Ha! Ha! Good one! Journalist being objective... :rotfl:



Rich::

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