RUDE CM's today!! UGH

[streudel423]

Things coated in lollipops is why Disney is Disney and is what sets Disney apart from almost every other company in the world. This is why some municipalities around the State of Florida are sending THEIR employees to Disney Institute to learn customer service. Saying "I don't know" is NOT acceptable at Disney. I don't know, followed by..."but I can find out for you" is an acceptable answer at Disney.

 

[bytheblood]

A very good point. I'm not referring to the OP at all here, but I've seen so many comments on these boards from folks who seem to expect every CM they deal with to be insanely cheerful and entertaining, even if they're working the front desk at a resort or taking dinner reservations. I want the people who do those jobs to be pleasant, efficient and professional. I want them to focus on getting me checked in properly, or correctly recording my ADR, and leave the entertainment to the people in the parks who sing and dance for a living.

I tend to agree with you, but.....I have found that out of the last 10 calls I have made, 2 CMs have been wonderful, a few mediocre and 3 of them were awful. I will describe what I mean by awful.

• One refused to give me pricing for a different resort because I already had a reservation for the Beach Club. She literally pushed back and told me I already had a reservation in the system and she would not give me a quote. I was trying to get pricing for the GF, which would have made her a commission. I told her thank you and hung up. I called back and was able to get pricing from another CM.

• I called Guest Services because they owed me a credit and they put it on a credit card that was cancelled. When I spoke to the "lady" in Guest Services, I politiey asked her for assitance, she said "what are you calling me for?" and I told her I was transferred to her by Recovery and Billing, there was some other dialogue about the issue and she was very rude about it and in a very calm voice I said, "Ma'am, I am only trying to understand where the credit is. There is no need to be rude to me. I cannot figure this out without your assistance." She sighed heavily and said "wait a minute!" Then after about 45 seconds, she confirmed that she put it on the right credit card and hung up on me!

• I called last week to give a flight number change and the lady who answered the phone had a very thick accent I could not understand her. So the language barrier in itself was already an issue. She kept telling me that she would not help me because the phone number and email address I gave her was wrong. I told her that every other time I call, their system reflects old information from 5 years ago and that I have to go through this. She told me there is no way that their system could be wrong and insisted that I am giving her wrong information or I am not who I say I am. I even gave her the old and incorrect information and she did not want to help me. I told her I would like to be transferred to Guest Services and perhaps they can resolve the inaccurate data, then she agreed to help me. This was the most painful phone conversation I had ever had with Disney.

That is not even close to meeting Disney standards nor is it acceptable. They did not have to be overly cheery, but at least do their job and without attitude. If I treated my clients like that, I would be fired.

Things coated in lollipops is why Disney is Disney and is what sets Disney apart from almost every other company in the world. This is why some municipalities around the State of Florida are sending THEIR employees to Disney Institute to learn customer service. Saying "I don't know" is NOT acceptable at Disney. I don't know, followed by..."but I can find out for you" is an acceptable answer at Disney.

That is spot on!!!

 

[maxiesmom]

Things coated in lollipops is why Disney is Disney and is what sets Disney apart from almost every other company in the world. This is why some municipalities around the State of Florida are sending THEIR employees to Disney Institute to learn customer service. Saying "I don't know" is NOT acceptable at Disney. I don't know, followed by..."but I can find out for you" is an acceptable answer at Disney.

I would expect better at Disney, but not from a call center that Disney has farmed out. I just don't expect to feel magic from someone working on their house phone the way I do from a CM at the park. And to do so seems just a tad bit unrealistic.

 

[Lynne M]

I tend to agree with you, but.....I have found that out of the last 10 calls I have made, 2 CMs have been wonderful, a few mediocre and 3 of them were awful. I will describe what I mean by awful.

All of those WERE awful. Those people should be re-educated or let go, no matter what company they work for. "What are you calling me for?" Wow. Utterly, completely unacceptable. That doesn't meet any company's standards, let alone Disney's high standards.

I may not expect 'magical' when I call Disney, but I sure do expect their usual excellent service. Yikes.

 

[streudel423]

I tend to agree with you, but.....I have found that out of the last 10 calls I have made, 2 CMs have been wonderful, a few mediocre and 3 of them were awful. I will describe what I mean by awful.

• One refused to give me pricing for a different resort because I already had a reservation for the Beach Club. She literally pushed back and told me I already had a reservation in the system and she would not give me a quote. I was trying to get pricing for the GF, which would have made her a commission. I told her thank you and hung up. I called back and was able to get pricing from another CM.

• I called Guest Services because they owed me a credit and they put it on a credit card that was cancelled. When I spoke to the "lady" in Guest Services, I politiey asked her for assitance, she said "what are you calling me for?" and I told her I was transferred to her by Recovery and Billing, there was some other dialogue about the issue and she was very rude about it and in a very calm voice I said, "Ma'am, I am only trying to understand where the credit is. There is no need to be rude to me. I cannot figure this out without your assistance." She sighed heavily and said "wait a minute!" Then after about 45 seconds, she confirmed that she put it on the right credit card and hung up on me!

• I called last week to give a flight number change and the lady who answered the phone had a very thick accent I could not understand her. So the language barrier in itself was already an issue. She kept telling me that she would not help me because the phone number and email address I gave her was wrong. I told her that every other time I call, their system reflects old information from 5 years ago and that I have to go through this. She told me there is no way that their system could be wrong and insisted that I am giving her wrong information or I am not who I say I am. I even gave her the old and incorrect information and she did not want to help me. I told her I would like to be transferred to Guest Services and perhaps they can resolve the inaccurate data, then she agreed to help me. This was the most painful phone conversation I had ever had with Disney.

That is not even close to meeting Disney standards nor is it acceptable. They did not have to be overly cheery, but at least do their job and without attitude. If I treated my clients like that, I would be fired.





That is spot on!!!

Oh....my....gosh. That's unbelievable! (but I do believe you! )

 

[KevinCG316]

Im sorry i know what i am about to say does'nt have to do with a rude CM but i thought i was kinda funny. Im the kind of person who likes when i call for reservations and they have all my info ex.. last time i was there, the names and ages of my family members, it makes me feel like im part of the Disney family. We go 2-3 times a year and have been for about 10 years now. I called to make my Thanksgiving ressies and the CM said to me it shows you have been here more than 15 times i said yes, than she said it shows last time you were here was 1972. I said is my info in there she said yes i said can you tell me what year i was born she said 1975, than i said you dont see a problem there she said no i dont .
She told me to hold came back 30 seconds later and said i just looked at the profile we have and the only problem i can possibly think of is you came more than 15 times in 1972. I said i was born in 1975, im sorry sir i dont get what you mean. So i said nevermind lets make the ressies.

 

[BensMom]

and I don't even work for Disney! (although I'm thinking about it).

 

[BensMom]

Im sorry i know what i am about to say does'nt have to do with a rude CM but i thought i was kinda funny. Im the kind of person who likes when i call for reservations and they have all my info ex.. last time i was there, the names and ages of my family members, it makes me feel like im part of the Disney family. We go 2-3 times a year and have been for about 10 years now. I called to make my Thanksgiving ressies and the CM said to me it shows you have been here more than 15 times i said yes, than she said it shows last time you were here was 1972. I said is my info in there she said yes i said can you tell me what year i was born she said 1975, than i said you dont see a problem there she said no i dont .
She told me to hold came back 30 seconds later and said i just looked at the profile we have and the only problem i can possibly think of is you came more than 15 times in 1972. I said i was born in 1975, im sorry sir i dont get what you mean. So i said nevermind lets make the ressies.

LMAO

 

[streudel423]

and I don't even work for Disney! (although I'm thinking about it).

oooo. I'm jealous! I wish I didn't live 9 hours away, or I would, too!!

 

[Mickiethepooh]

Im sorry i know what i am about to say does'nt have to do with a rude CM but i thought i was kinda funny. Im the kind of person who likes when i call for reservations and they have all my info ex.. last time i was there, the names and ages of my family members, it makes me feel like im part of the Disney family. We go 2-3 times a year and have been for about 10 years now. I called to make my Thanksgiving ressies and the CM said to me it shows you have been here more than 15 times i said yes, than she said it shows last time you were here was 1972. I said is my info in there she said yes i said can you tell me what year i was born she said 1975, than i said you dont see a problem there she said no i dont .
She told me to hold came back 30 seconds later and said i just looked at the profile we have and the only problem i can possibly think of is you came more than 15 times in 1972. I said i was born in 1975, im sorry sir i dont get what you mean. So i said nevermind lets make the ressies.

And people wonder why each CM does not have all the answers to everything regarding Disney, I mean with all that brain power you would think they would right? LOL

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . Could you explain the number of visits question in more detail? I have wondered why they ask that every time before your call gets sent through . . . Do my phone calls "about an existing reservation" count against them? Are they annoyed because it isn't adding to their quota? . . .

1) Number of Visits:
. . . you are asked how many times you visit/visited WDW
. . . you are then routed to a class of ressie agents
. . . classes are set for newbies, experienced, and {Disney} world traveler
. . . each of the three classes has a different quota
. . . so, when newbies need extra time, the time doesn't hurt the CM as badly
. . . the CM, might have a quota of, say, $900/hr sales average
. . . so, if you are an experienced guest, the ressie call should be quicker
. . . the CM, might have a quota of, say, $1500/hr, since calls are shorter
. . . note that the different quotas do not have separate bonuses
. . . the quota is based upon the type of caller class
. . . could be high pressure on the CM
. . . do they help you, or make more money, or save their job?

2) Existing Ressie Call
. . . the type of caller is what counts (newbie, experienced, world)
. . . the reason for the call or lack of calls does not count
. . . they have a quota from punch-in time to punch-out time
. . . the quota is set - you make your quota or you don't make your quota

3) Annoyed CM's
. . . sometimes
. . . this is their job and their money
. . . they can't afford to have non-productive or non-sales time
. . . plus, the manager could call them down for guest chatting and not selling


NOTE: This might sound cruel to the CM and rude to the guest, but WDW is a business. The quicker the CM gets one call done and on to the next call, the fewer CM's are needed to staff the center. It used to be that ressie folks would gab and gab and gab, until YOU decided to get off the phone. Now things are changed. The strange twist it that during slow ressie-calling months, the CM will take time with you because they know they can't get enough calls to make their quota.

 

[streudel423]

1) Number of Visits:
. . . you are asked how many times you visit/visited WDW
. . . you are then routed to a class of ressie agents
. . . classes are set for newbies, experienced, and {Disney} world traveler
. . . each of the three classes has a different quota
. . . so, when newbies need extra time, the time doesn't hurt the CM as badly
. . . the CM, might have a quota of, say, $900/hr sales average
. . . so, if you are an experienced guest, the ressie call should be quicker
. . . the CM, might have a quota of, say, $1500/hr, since calls are shorter
. . . note that the different quotas do not have separate bonuses
. . . the quota is based upon the type of caller class
. . . could be high pressure on the CM
. . . do they help you, or make more money, or save their job?

2) Existing Ressie Call
. . . the type of caller is what counts (newbie, experienced, world)
. . . the reason for the call or lack of calls does not count
. . . they have a quota from punch-in time to punch-out time
. . . the quota is set - you make your quota or you don't make your quota

3) Annoyed CM's
. . . sometimes
. . . this is their job and their money
. . . they can't afford to have non-productive or non-sales time
. . . plus, the manager could call them down for guest chatting and not selling


NOTE: This might sound cruel to the CM and rude to the guest, but WDW is a business. The quicker the CM gets one call done and on to the next call, the fewer CM's are needed to staff the center. It used to be that ressie folks would gab and gab and gab, until YOU decided to get off the phone. Now things are changed. The strange twist it that during slow ressie-calling months, the CM will take time with you because they know they can't get enough calls to make their quota.

hmmmm...very interesting...i like hearing inside stuff like that...thanks...good to know

 

[BensMom]

The repeat offenders, who have come to Disney many times, are referred to as Worldphiles. They expect CM's to spend more in depth time and acknowledge that they are, in fact, worldphiles.

 

[streudel423]

The repeat offenders, who have come to Disney many times, are referred to as Worldphiles. They expect CM's to spend more in depth time and acknowledge that they are, in fact, worldphiles.

Forgive me, but I'm missing something here. I know "worldphiles" is a play on words, but I don't get it. lol Can you help me out? I certainly wouldn't consider myself a "worldphile," whatever it is. We've only been twice

 

[BensMom]

Disney has different classifications of "guests." That is why, when one calls in for ressies (not dining), it screens you to see where you fit in. If you have visited Walt Disney World more than...(you know the spiel), then you are considered a "Worldphile," which means you know your way around "the World," you probably know what you want, you have your favorite restaurants for ADR's all scoped out, and the CM's, rightfully so, are expecting you to not have everything explained to you. As with any good business, it makes good sense to handle that Worldphile's call a bit differently. Sort of like being comped in Vegas. If I want to stay at one of the resorts, I've been to them all, I know the diff. But someone who doesn't will need more time expended on the phone explaining options.

 

[streudel423]

oh oh oh oh! thanks!

 

[BensMom]

Yeah, I probably over-explained but I'm like that! I have to laugh, looking at your first visit, Streudel, and comparing your first with mine (1972 ... eek!), you will have many years to become a Worldphile! I went the first and second years WDW opened, but then there was a huge gap for me spanning (I hate to admit it) 26 years. I returned as a newly pregnant 38 year old (1998) and could not ride any of the rides, but I was excited to think that I have the perfect excuse growing inside to have to come back, and back, and back. And that's exactly what I did! Hence, the Worldphile, and I have absolutely loved every minute of it.

 

[doconeill]

I'm pretty sure that the parade taping was announced some time ago - maybe a month or more? But I don't think that Disney heavily publicizes the fact.

As for chatting with the ressie CMs - there is plenty of time to do that while they wait for that 1970s era computer to call up your information. That's why it probably thinks Kevin went back in time and went to WDW 15 times in its first year of operation - because the computer is stuck in 1972!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

When you call Walt Disney World, unless you really know a direct number, you will get one of two offices.

The Disney Reservations Center (DRC) includes Walt Disney Travel Company (WDTC), Central Reservations Office (CRO), Disney Dining, and some other lesser known information lines. To the best of my knowledge the DRC locations are in the International Drive area, Tampa, Kansas City and somewhere in Texas or even Utah. There may be more. Some of the people working at the DRC call centers may never have been to either WDW or DL (or both).

The Main Switchboard (407-824-2222) is also where all calls to Disney Resorts go if you are dialing the phone number on the back of your reservations form. Also that is where calls go if you dial the Operator from your room, and possibly even calls to the Front Desk. The Main Switchboard people will, if asked, also identify themselves as Guest Services. They can put you through to any number on WDW.

At both DRC and MS they have access to a computer which has lots of Guest Information and it is very well organized. Actually, all CMs who have access to a terminal, or who even can access the "Cast Portal" from off-site, have access to this Guest Services information. I will often open an extra window when I am responding to people and go into the Portal for the latest official information.

The people at DRC and MS do not deal with upgrades, partially used tickets, or problems related to tickets. They do not know all the rules. The people at DRC can sell unused tickets; the people at MS don't deal with tickets at all.

The people who work in the ticket booths at the Parks or in Guest Relations at the Parks (and this includes TTC, the Water Parks, and GRO in DTD) deal with ticket upgrades and unusual problems on a daily basis. I would not say that someone you talked to on the phone lied to you, but just they were attempting to answer a question when they really did not have an answer.

 

[cmash95]

That is not even close to meeting Disney standards nor is it acceptable. They did not have to be overly cheery, but at least do their job and without attitude. If I treated my clients like that, I would be fired.

one of the reasons i always make sure I get the person's name i am dealing with before i do anything. and i would be considered a worldphile as we stay on property at least three times a year. yet I have never gotten any upgrades or discounts because of it. I personally feel that disney cm's on both coasts need retraining. Not because of lack of respect as much as lack of pride in their work. and I think the idea of quotas for ressies is rediculous. most people calling for the first time are doing so in order to get a price quote and not necessarily book. and since the calls come in randomly, you don't really know what you are getting.