Rude CM's

[LuluLovesDisney]

Answering questions over and over and over and over:

My experience as a CM *greatly* prepared me for my teaching career. I can tell my students to study for a test daily for a week, and point it out on the board where it is written in bright green chalk and underlined, but the day of the test, someone will ask "Do we have a test today"?

I'm calm about repetitive questions. What bothered me was when people didn't believe me. ie: Someone once asked where to catch the monorail. I worked at the Studios. I told him the monorail only went to Epcot, MK and the monorail resorts. He insisted that I just didn't know and he'd find it on his own. As long as guests believed my answers, I was happy!

 

[MOmousefan]

We have experienced slightly rude behavior only once, and it was mildly annoying. I guess we all anticipate the trip, look for a perfect experience, and wonder why it doesn't happen. Our family is a perfect example; We become annoyed at line cutters and people who crowd the fireworks shows at the last minute.If you figure how many guests are in the parks at a given time, the number of rude guests is very low.
I would apply the same equation the number of rude CMs to the total number of CMs. We have drawn the attention of ride operators by turning in our seats on the TTA. I was so "into" the ride my daughter finally told me it was me they were warning. Multiply my brain lock by the number of times this happens and it would get old.
I teach high school students and am appalled by their lack of attention. We go on vacation and the rules of good behavior seem to be left at home. My hat is off to the many great CMs who have made our vacation that much better through their politeness and positive attitude!

 

[Cinders Mum]

There are a few rude CM's- not many - but with so many people, they're not all going to be up to par. I can remember when I was a CM, there was one particular woman who got angry with anyone who had conversations with the guests. She never spoke to anyone, Never smiled. Only did exactly what needed to be done. I've seen her pretend she didn't hear guests when they asked her to take a picture of them! (And yes, she had pretty good hearing the rest of the 4 months I knew her)

oooohhh ... that wouldn't be our very own "Smiler" who works/worked in Fantasyland ... redhead with a miserable face which made her look like she was sucking on a lemon???

We were shocked how someone could be so miserable, then every year we have gone back we found ourselves looking out for her and sure enough there she was still sullen looking and clearly not feeling the pixiedust .... funnily though didn't see her last year ...

Val
xx

 

[Ltl Mermaid]

I was a CM at DL for 2 1/2 years while in college, so I understand how irritating people can be, but there is still no excuse for rudeness (unless the guest is breaking the law or doing something inappropriate like public nudity etc.) For my college graduation present I stayed at the GF for a week and then went on DCL for a week. I was a CM at the time so I got GREAT rates and was SO excited to be able to stay at GF finally. Boy was I disappointed . We checked in with an older gentleman and he was rude from the moment he found out I was a CM also. He was snide about my discount and basically implied that I was outclassed by others staying there because I paid a cheaper rate ! I was appalled to say the least! I was trying to be friendly and I noticed that he was from Germany. I started asking him about it, when he came to the US, how long he's worked at GF etc. He flat out said "I am not from Germany and this isn't my name badge." Which was a lie because he had an obviously German accent ! I wasn't being smart or anything....I am part German but have never been, I was sincerely interested. It was early Febuary so we asked if they had any lagoon or MK views open for upgrade. We did not specifically say we wanted a FREE upgrade. he said "We are sold out" very shortly. My sister, being shocked, said "wow, the resort is full!" Not a question, just suprised cause it was during a slower time. Then he said, "that is what sold out means". I could not believe my ears. We just signed and took our keys. We were very unhappy and decided we should visit the front desk to see if they would have any better rooms opening up later that day or the next day. We met a GREAT CM who upgraded us for FREE that instant to an MK room (we just had to wait 2.5 hours while it was getting cleaned, no big deal). Thanked her and said "I thought you were sold out!", to which she replied "oh no we are only at 70% capacity". She asked us why we thought they were sold out and we explained the first guy we dealt with. She sighed and said that he was notorious for that kind of behavior . We got a surprise from her later that night...she sent up a Graduation Congratulations with a wine and cheese platter. She was SO great and we made sure to write a glowing comment about her . However, everytime I tried to use my CM discount at Gaspirilla (sp?) Grille and Games I was given attitude by the CM working there. I was shocked at that, I would have thought that other CMs would understand getting a CM discount! I am sure they would have used theirs at DL if they ever went on vacation to California. We still had an amazing trip but my image of GF greatly changed after that and I probably won't stay there again. It's all about WL, CR, and BC for me!Thanks for listening to my LOOOOONG rant!

 

[ainmama2001]

I got a rude CM on the phone when I was making my ressies. Evidently, she didn't have the info I needed ( I was asking about hours of things in DTD) and she was very snippy and short because she didn't have the info. I guess I'm spoiled, because most of the CM's I get are just great.

 

[dizprincess717]

Because that is part of what you are being paid to do. If it wasn't for these clueless guests and their dumb questions you would not have a job.

Um... Oh yes I would. Do you think I'd let these clueless guests press the load 1 and load 2 gates closed buttons and the dispatch button?



Or do you REALLY think I'd let these clueless guests sit up in the Tower and be responsible for all their idiot ideas - such as sticking their hands in water that if, heaven forbid they clueless guests fall in, they have to get a tetanus shot?



No one in real life is as stupid as some of the guests are. Answering questions here and there is expected. However, never ONCE did I go one single minute without being asked "Where do I get a fastpass?" Um... All 8 HUGE machines are definitely behind me. Open your eyes and look.



Customer service? Guests are to picky when it comes to customer service. If the fastpasses are gone for the day it's the biggest let-down ever. And if their child is too short to ride the attraction, well then it's magically the CMs fault. Get over it.

 

[dizprincess717]

Um, not to start a fight here, but I used to work in college at a local restaurant for $5.25 an hour and my job sucked. However, if I EVER acted like some of the CMs in these accounts did to one of my customers, I would not be given slack. I would be shown the door instead. Customer service is customer service. Disney has never been the only employer on the planet, kwim? What some of these accounts detail is not simply a CM "being a bit cranky."

As for most of the other instances you named, the PPs ASKED THE CM in charge at the time if they were doing the right thing and were told they were. They didn't just take it upon themselves to do what they pleased.

I have not had any problems with any CMs at WDW. They have always been so nice actually.

~ ~ ~ ~

Okay, and $5.25 back then is equivalent to what nowadays? I got paid $6.40 and we just got a raise a month before I went down there to work! So yes, you were lucky when you got paid that wage. We, however, were not.

You also had the luxury of air conditioning. I, however, did not. So when you as a guest could go seek shelter in an air conditioned building I got to stay outside in the awful heat.

Guests also can complain to Guest Relations and then CMs get in trouble with their managers. A friend of mine once got reported to Guest Relations, and do you want to know why? Because he told the guests that the railroad was closed for the evening due to fireworks. They claimed that "he was very sarcastic." He was NOT sarcastic because he asked me and I told him that the railroad was closed for the night.

CMs put up with clueless guests from the moment we clock into CDS until the moment we clock out from CDS.

And trust me, being asked 5 times in a row, back-to-back, when you could HEAR me say the first time where the FastPasses are located, sorta puts a damper on your day.

And so does working 14 hours straight.

So once again, I ask to please cut CMs some slack. I guarentee you're not all sunshine and roses, either.

 

[crisi]

dizprincess717 - its a good thing you are out of that job. Because you weren't cut out for it. Some people thrive off that environment. I have a friend who did the college program and got so many guest compliments they offered her a management position - she loved it. But, yes, there are TONS of stupid comments. Not everyone reads. People will ask you a gazillion times a day where the bathroom is. They will have unreasonable expectations. If you can't hack it, there are other jobs. No one cuts you slack for doing your job at a minimum of expectation - which means not being rude to guests.

(I do cut CMs all sorts of slack - but not for being rude).

 

[Joanna71985]

Excuse me, but in defense to these CMs, here's a little food for thought.

I worked at Splash Mountain for my college program for 4 months. And during those 4 months I really feel like I lost some of my brains. For example, how can a father not know how many are in his party? How can a party of 5 magically transform into a party of 3? Also, when you are in line and a CM asks "how many?" we DO NOT mean how many YOU want to sit in a row. If there are 4 of you, say 4! Otherwise, especially if you are at Load 2 at Splash (which is the first CM you'll see coming out of the tunnel), you may get separated due to the fact that parties of 2 are fillers for large party logs!

Also... Most Guests do NOT read signs. For example, at the End of Line position, which is like the greeter, there are signs all around. So why on earth do I have to tell people where you get the FastPasses (which, by the way, are right behind me) over and over again? Especially if someone asks that question, I answer it, and another guest asks the same question who was right behind the first person.

And in response to the person who said about the CM "yelling" at the lap-sitting ... There is hardly ANY lap sitting allowed. That can pose a MAJOR safety hazard. When there is lap sitting at Splash and I was in Tower I'd get to go over the PA system and tell parents that lap sitting is not permitted. And usually, the parents would have no idea I was talking to them and then we'd get the managers there to scold them at the end. This is your safety, people.

For the poster who said something about more rude CMs at MK than anyplace else... Think about this. MK has the longest park hours. Usually during busy times CMs are on mandatory 6 day work weeks. You usually work 5 at your job back in reality. We are there to bend over backwards for our guests andyet they can't help us out and read a few signs or get a park map. During Easter weeks I was scheduled for over 70 hours! My shortest day in two weeks was 10 1/2 hours and my longest was 14. I was averaging 12 hours a day! Now you try staying at Splash Mountain dealing with the same questions over and over again and explaining to guests where Row 1 is and I guarantee you'll get a little bit aggravated, too.

So next time, if something goes wrong and a CM gets a bit cranky, cut us some slack. Geez. We cut ya'll enough slack!

By the way, this message was not degrading any of you's here, just giving ya'll food for thought. This is what CMs put up with all day every day for usually 6 days a week for CRAP pay.

I am a CM too. But there is no room for rudeness. I agree- everyone has a bad day. But that is no reason to take it out on the guests. And I agree- sometimes some of the questions get repetitive. But it doesn't kill you to answer them over and over. People come from all over to visit here. Some families literally save for years to come on vacation here. The last thing they want is a rude CM. Now again- I know people will have bad days. But it isn't an excuse. I don't care about the pay- some internships don't even pay at all. And I would rather work here then anywhere else. So again- I'm not excusing rude people. But I won't use working 6 days or $6.40 an hour as a reason.

 

[nkm]

Um, not to start a fight here, but I used to work in college at a local restaurant for $5.25 an hour and my job sucked. However, if I EVER acted like some of the CMs in these accounts did to one of my customers, I would not be given slack. I would be shown the door instead. Customer service is customer service. Disney has never been the only employer on the planet, kwim? What some of these accounts detail is not simply a CM "being a bit cranky."

As for most of the other instances you named, the PPs ASKED THE CM in charge at the time if they were doing the right thing and were told they were. They didn't just take it upon themselves to do what they pleased.

I have not had any problems with any CMs at WDW. They have always been so nice actually.

~ ~ ~ ~

Okay, and $5.25 back then is equivalent to what nowadays? I got paid $6.40 and we just got a raise a month before I went down there to work! So yes, you were lucky when you got paid that wage. We, however, were not.

You also had the luxury of air conditioning. I, however, did not. So when you as a guest could go seek shelter in an air conditioned building I got to stay outside in the awful heat.

Guests also can complain to Guest Relations and then CMs get in trouble with their managers. A friend of mine once got reported to Guest Relations, and do you want to know why? Because he told the guests that the railroad was closed for the evening due to fireworks. They claimed that "he was very sarcastic." He was NOT sarcastic because he asked me and I told him that the railroad was closed for the night.

CMs put up with clueless guests from the moment we clock into CDS until the moment we clock out from CDS.

And trust me, being asked 5 times in a row, back-to-back, when you could HEAR me say the first time where the FastPasses are located, sorta puts a damper on your day.

And so does working 14 hours straight.

So once again, I ask to please cut CMs some slack. I guarentee you're not all sunshine and roses, either.

You CHOSE the job, it did NOT choose you!

 

[Lizzybee]

Jeez louise, I'm a probation officer and I'm not rude to my "clients/defendants". I will not tolerate their rude behavior either, but I have found through experience and training that ONE person in the situation should be calm and polite and the ONLY person I can control is myself. I have techniques for taking things down a notch when people start to escalate. Many of my defendants are there for making stupid choices but I have found that treating them as if they were stupid only makes for a bad situation. Rudeness is a choice not an obligation, when someone CHOOSES to be rude, it's their choice not the so-called stupid guests (defendants, customers...whatever) who MAKE them rude.

 

[k5thbeatle]

Anyone ever encounter anything like this. I will preface this by saying it occured at Disneyland. We were going on the Alice in Wonderland ride. We have a 2 year old daughter who still gets a little scared on some of these rides. As we boarded the ride she immediately climbed in my wife's lap. My wife asked the CM who was attending the boarding area if that was OK and she said it was no problem as long as she was towards the inside of the car and facing forward. As we were exiting the ride (my daughter still in the same position), the CM running the un-boarding area starting waving his arms and yelling at us saying all children must be seated or he would have to stop the ride. As we exited the car he actually berated us in front of all these people standing in the line. It was to say the least humiliating. we told him that the CM at the beginning OK'ed this but he would hear nothing of it and told us next time we would be asked to leave the park. We reported him to Guest Services and they immediately knew who we were talking about and apologized but that did nothing to ease the sting of the embarassment we felt. Anyone else ever have anything like this occur and how did you handle it.

Sadly this is becoming more the norm. After 42 trips to WDW we are seeing this more and more. More and more cm's are just punks in disguise.

 

[HollisterSweetie]

dizprincess717 - its a good thing you are out of that job. Because you weren't cut out for it.

I agree. I seriously doubt you "never once went a single minute without being asked where the fastpasses are." Could you be one of the CM's that some of these stories mention ?

My rude CM encounter, didn't happen to me personally but is still worth sharing. When we were checking into ASMo there was a lady and her son (maybe 5 or 6) checking in next to us and you could tell they were excited to finally be at WDW. The littly boy bumped his head on the counter trying to see what his mother and the CM were talking about. Well, he falls to the ground crying and his mother bends down to help him when the CM looks over to me and starts rolling her eyes and laughing . When the boy's mother gets him calmed down and is ready to finish the check-in process the CM asked very rudely "are you sure your ready to continue now??."

 

[Talking Hands]

1. You also had the luxury of air conditioning. I, however, did not. So when you as a guest could go seek shelter in an air conditioned building I got to stay outside in the awful heat.

2. CMs put up with clueless guests from the moment we clock into CDS until the moment we clock out from CDS.

3. And trust me, being asked 5 times in a row, back-to-back, when you could HEAR me say the first time where the FastPasses are located, sorta puts a damper on your day.

1. You knew Florida was hot when you applied for the CP. Don't like the heat don't come to Florida.

2. You have breaks. Both the union and government require them. Go backstage and get an attitude adjustment.

3. Says you. There are many people with hearing losses who have a very hard time hearing with all the background noise in the parks. The vast majority are not good lip readers even if they can see your lips. Some guests are deaf and do not wear hearing aids as they do no good. And if they do wear hearing aids that may only be to hear background noise. I have friends who can hear music but cannot make out speech at all ever and then there are people like my husband and I who can deal with face to face in a quiet enviroment but if the background is noisy are at a total loss. Never assume you are heard and understood.

 

[CdnDisneyFan]

My one and only encounter with a rude CM was at DL last Sept when I tried to board the new Space Mountain. I am 6' tall, and for the life of me, couldn't figure out how to fit my long legs into that tiny space reserved for them, lol, and my friend had entered first, so I was waiting for her to move, so I could exit, and the cm snapped at me to stop standing and either sit down or leave. I did report her to guest services, but never knew what happened with it, as I never tried to ride again, and probably won't until they decide hopefully to change back to the regular ride vehicles.

Jules

 

[southernbella]

I remember something I read here on the boards that is fitting for this thread. It was written by a former cast member.

"Every time I get frustrated with a guest, I try to remember something a trainer told me. You never know if this is someone's first time to Disney world, or their last. "

Sbella

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I must be truly crazy.

Reading all these responses actually makes me want to go back and be a CM again.

Despite the heat, annoyances, etc. I truly never felt more appreciated. Seeing all the people who came to this thread and even if they shared a rude CM story, they still commented on all the great CM's they met, appreciated, remembered, etc. - they still had the positive stand out - it just made me smile and remember.

It was just so cool to be a part of a place where you were expected to be nice and happy, and where most of the time it was returned to you. Sometimes, like when my college teaching professor told me not to smile when I first met my students, I remember how precious Disney World is. Thanks, guys!

 

[Glendamax]

(Putting on flame-proof suit)

I do not think that the former CM who posted deserves to get blasted throughout this thread. As someone who saves a long time to get to WDW, I too would be upset at at rude CM. However, her post about their work hours, pay, etc., did shead some light into their world. Believe me, I am not defending rude CMs, but I do appreciate her post showing their end of it.

Some people have posted how CMs choose the job and not the other way around, but I know how it is to take a job, and not fully realize what's involved until I'm already there. I really hope that other CMs who are reading this thread will post - I do find your end of it pretty interesting (and please tell the rude CMs to QUIT NOW!!!!).

 

[pampam]

(Putting on flame-proof suit)

I do not think that the former CM who posted deserves to get blasted throughout this thread. As someone who saves a long time to get to WDW, I too would be upset at at rude CM. However, her post about their work hours, pay, etc., did shead some light into their world. Believe me, I am not defending rude CMs, but I do appreciate her post showing their end of it.

Some people have posted how CMs choose the job and not the other way around, but I know how it is to take a job, and not fully realize what's involved until I'm already there. I really hope that other CMs who are reading this thread will post - I do find your end of it pretty interesting (and please tell the rude CMs to QUIT NOW!!!!).

I pretty much agree, as well. We must remember, you get more flies with sugar than you do with vinegar. This works both for CM's and guests. A little pleasantness can go a long way, either making a guest's day brighter, or brightening up a CM's job.

 

[Joanna71985]

I remember something I read here on the boards that is fitting for this thread. It was written by a former cast member.

"Every time I get frustrated with a guest, I try to remember something a trainer told me. You never know if this is someone's first time to Disney world, or their last. "

Sbella

I love it!