Reply from WDW Guest Communications

[kdnmom]

I thought there might be some interest in reading the email response that I received from Guest Communications after my email to them a week and a half ago.

Here's my email:

To Whom It May Concern,

We are a family of five who have lived within a few hours of Disney World for the past 10 years. We have very frequently visited the parks, restaurants, and resorts, usually multiple times a year, over that time frame. We have had annual passes on and off and estimate that we have spent approximately $100,000 at Disney World over the past 10 years.

I don't wish to type a lengthy email but did want to inform Disney that, because of recent changes, we will not be returning to Disney World and will instead spend our vacation money elsewhere. In short, the FastPass Plus system is driving us and our vacation dollars away. The system too negatively affects our park touring experience. This is in part because we will necessarily be spending more time standing in lines with the new system, but also because we have found that use of Disney's computer technology in terms of the website and apps has been difficult and glitchy. We don't have confidence in a system that places further emphasis on this technology and relies on it for touring the parks.

In the past, we have also visited with family and friends and helped numerous families plan trips to Disney World. We thought you might like to know that we are no longer recommending trips to Disney World to our family and friends.

Sincerely,
****

And here's their reply:

Thank you for contacting us regarding the Walt Disney World® Resort.

We appreciate you taking the time to share your comments about FastPass+ and the use of the My Disney Experience application. Your feedback is valuable to us, especially during this early roll-out period of MyMagic+. We continue to take Guest input into consideration as we test and adjust this new offering.

Ms. ****, we look forward to future opportunities to entertain you and we appreciate your loyalty to the Disney brand.

Best Regards,
*****

 

[aa87]

I thought there might be some interest in reading the email response that I received from Guest Communications after my email to them a week and a half ago.

Here's my email:

To Whom It May Concern,

We are a family of five who have lived within a few hours of Disney World for the past 10 years. We have very frequently visited the parks, restaurants, and resorts, usually multiple times a year, over that time frame. We have had annual passes on and off and estimate that we have spent approximately $100,000 at Disney World over the past 10 years.

I don't wish to type a lengthy email but did want to inform Disney that, because of recent changes, we will not be returning to Disney World and will instead spend our vacation money elsewhere. In short, the FastPass Plus system is driving us and our vacation dollars away. The system too negatively affects our park touring experience. This is in part because we will necessarily be spending more time standing in lines with the new system, but also because we have found that use of Disney's computer technology in terms of the website and apps has been difficult and glitchy. We don't have confidence in a system that places further emphasis on this technology and relies on it for touring the parks.

In the past, we have also visited with family and friends and helped numerous families plan trips to Disney World. We thought you might like to know that we are no longer recommending trips to Disney World to our family and friends.

Sincerely,
****

And here's their reply:

Thank you for contacting us regarding the Walt Disney World® Resort.

We appreciate you taking the time to share your comments about FastPass+ and the use of the My Disney Experience application. Your feedback is valuable to us, especially during this early roll-out period of MyMagic+. We continue to take Guest input into consideration as we test and adjust this new offering.

Ms. Shah, we look forward to future opportunities to entertain you and we appreciate your loyalty to the Disney brand.

Best Regards,
*****

One family out, ten new ones to replace them.

 

[minnie mum]

Interesting. Especially that last sentence, where they totally ignored what you said about not vacationing at WDW again. And were NOT recommending WDW to family and friends. Basically a "have a nice day" reply.

 

[kdnmom]

Interesting. Especially that last sentence, where they totally ignored what you said about not vacationing at WDW again. And were NOT recommending WDW to family and friends. Basically a "have a nice day" reply.

Yep. Made me think that they just opened the email, saw FP+ complaint, and clicked on the FP+ complaint response form letter. Took them a week and a half to do it, though.

 

[ConvenientTruth]

Why was a letter necessary couldn't you simply stop going?

A customer mentioning how much they spend in establishment as to why one should fight to keep their business is second only to "do you know who I am"...

 

[Marionnette]

Sounds like the canned response that anyone would get when contacting Disney with a complaint about the new FP+ system. I'm not sure what kind of response you were expecting since you didn't ask a question, just made a comment voicing your opinion.

FP+ is here to stay, in some form or another. Disney will tweak it as they deem necessary, based on the input of guests like yourself and other who are solicited for their input. I do not foresee them abandoning the technology unless there is a serious impact on their bottom line.

I sincerely hope that you find pleasure and enjoyment in your other vacation choices. It's a great, big world out there beyond the Disney bubble and you will find many positive experiences when you venture into it.

 

[JanaDee]

Typical canned response.

 

[kdnmom]

Why was a letter necessary couldn't you simply stop going?

A customer mentioning how much they spend in establishment as to why one should fight to keep their business is second only to "do you know who I am"...

You don't think a business would find revenue losses relevant?

 

[patty57]

Why was a letter necessary couldn't you simply stop going?

A customer mentioning how much they spend in establishment as to why one should fight to keep their business is second only to "do you know who I am"...

I couldn't disagree with this more. I think it's important for WDW to hear from customers if changes negatively impact them. I don't know if it matters at all, but I still think it's important.

 

[mchouse]

Why was a letter necessary couldn't you simply stop going?

A customer mentioning how much they spend in establishment as to why one should fight to keep their business is second only to "do you know who I am"...

Bingo!!!

 

[JanaDee]

I'm getting really tired of the attitude that if you have something critical to say about Disney you need to shut up and go away.

 

[ConvenientTruth]

You don't think a business would find revenue losses relevant?

Not from an individual who uses a line such as that....and what did you expect from them...an apology....it is a business...your dollars will be easily replaces by a dozens other families...spending just as much, if not more.

 

[GotLabradors]

You don't think a business would find revenue losses relevant?

A business would find it relevant if they didn't have a way to cover the loss of business. But the reality is that Disney is making profits, keeping resorts filled, and people in the parks. Until they see a decline in attendance at the parks and reservations at the resorts, it will be just like someone above posted. One family leaves and there are 10 more ready to replace them. We pushed our trip back a year hoping that the wrinkles of MB/FP+ will be ironed out by the time we go.

 

[flutterby3744]

This is exactly the response I would expect to receive. They are acknowledging they received your feedback, and will add it to their test data. Feel good that your opinions are heard, and they will hopefully tweak the system accordingly.

Any rollout takes time and A LOT of data to get it right. Most companies will adjust based on this data, and I'm sure Disney will do the same.

 

[ConvenientTruth]

I'm getting really tired of the attitude that if you have something critical to say about Disney you need to shut up and go away.

It is a discussion forum, offering counter points is part of normal discussion.

 

[JanaDee]

It is a discussion forum, offering counter points is part of normal discussion.

Telling people to shut and go away isn't a discussion.

 

[kdnmom]

Not from an individual who uses a line such as that....and what did you expect from them...an apology....it is a business...your dollars will be easily replaces by a dozens other families...spending just as much, if not more.

Nope, didn't expect an apology. I thought it would be relevant to a business to know the impact of their business decisions. If they hear from thousands of people saying that they will no longer be spending money at Disney, that may impact how they proceed with their business in the future. Maybe my dollars will be replaced by dozens of others, maybe they won't. Obviously, Disney has determined that they think they will, but that remains to be seen. And I absolutely think it's relevant that we were repeat customers with a lot of money spent there. I do think that a business would find a loss of more money more relevant than a loss of say, a single person that bought a single day ticket. I'm just providing information, by emailing them and by posting here. They, and you, can do with that information as they/you see fit.

 

[reebs2]

Why was a letter necessary couldn't you simply stop going?

A customer mentioning how much they spend in establishment as to why one should fight to keep their business is second only to "do you know who I am"...

Agreed.
This whole FP+ complaining is getting old. You don't like it then don't use it. If something like this gets someone so worked up that they are angry the whole trip and need to go home and write a letter then maybe it's time for a change.

We were there in January and, while the FP+ was a bit of a pain, we sucked-it-up and enjoyed our time at the Happiest Place on Earth.

 

[ConvenientTruth]

Telling people to shut and go away isn't a discussion.

Who said "Shut Up and go away?"

 

[WillAustin]

This is exactly the response I would expect to receive. They are acknowledging they received your feedback, and will add it to their test data. Feel good that your opinions are heard, and they will hopefully tweak the system accordingly.

Any rollout takes time and A LOT of data to get it right. Most companies will adjust based on this data, and I'm sure Disney will do the same.

Definitely. I expect there are still major changes yet to come with FP+. All the feedback is very important.

We were there in January and, while the FP+ was a bit of a pain, we sucked-it-up and enjoyed our time at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Some people aren't really interested in paying a ton of money and needing to "suck-it-up", especially when it wasn't required before.