Rude CM's

[xWishes]

I am going to keep my opinions to myself. In fact I was not even going to post on this thread, but I just want to wish peace for EVERYONE

What FlowersChild said lol

Oh and I've never run into a mean CM..but then again I'm always thinking about how happy I am to be in Disney to care haha

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

DizPrincess717

I know being a CM is tough. As I said, I've been there. But, the more you defend your earlier posts, the worse it sounds- for you and for WDW at large. Think about the positives. You don't need to convince those on these boards that the CM's have difficult jobs in many cases. They know this. I know it firsthand.

The moments that tried my patience as a CM are the ones I learned from. They made me a better person and a better teacher. Of course certain things can be annoying, but as you get older and more mature, you learn not to let those things bother you. I am at the point where I can repeat something seven hundred times a day to my students and still smile. Do I feel like smiling after the 699th time, of course not. Are guests occasionally rude? Of course0 just read the "Shocking" thread! But CM's are a step above that. We wouldn't want a world where the CM's speak the same way to the guests! That is not what Disney is about. That is what maybe Action Park was about. There is a huge difference. Anyone who knows the Disney magic knows how huge that difference is.

I know it is difficult to be patient all the time, but trust me you need it. As a teacher, sometimes students are rude, too. A teacher is above that. I cannot curse back at a student because that would only escalate the situation and ruin my authority. Sometimes students do not listen. I must repeat things. As a teacher, sometimes I have to swallow my annoyance and do what is best for the student. As a cast member you must do the same to serve your guests. If it makes you feel any better, if I could support a family and begin a life on a WDW CM salary, I would be wearing my nametag already.

You have to not let everything bother you. The only things that bother me are things people do to hurt one another or without thinking of others. When someone asks me a question, I don't get annoyed that they should know, I just tell myself that they are trusting me to help them out and use it as a positive, not a negative.

I'm not sure how old you are, but I would guess you might still be in college, or close to that age. Here's my advice- being a WDW CM requires a great deal of patience, knowledgeability and people skills. Life itself, including almost any job, requires the same. It doesn't matter how intelligent or organized or skillful you are- if you can't get people on your side, and make them feel good about themselves, then you will be fighting on your own.

Please try to think about the positives from your experience and when you do think of the negatives, think of the lessons that they have taught you. I know it's helped me.

 

[DanaHesson]

Moderator?

 

[xWishes]

I don't think it should be closed. It's interesting to hear about people's experiences w. the CMs. I just think people should get back on topic.

 

[Daydreamer64]

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.

I just want to share some information with you . Apparently you didn't really like your job and that's O.K. because we need to try different things until we find the job that we can live with. I'm about 1/3 of the way through this thread and twice now you have mentioned answering the same question over and over when the person in front had just asked the same question and it seemed to have bothered you quite a bit.

I want you to know that I'm sorry if I asked you that or any other questions during your time of employment- you see I'm deaf and I can't read the lips of the person or for that matter the five people in front of me asking you the same question over and over through the back of their heads, and I don't have all day to stand in front of you to "hear" the question from each guest and then jump behind the guest to "hear" your answer especially while I'm trying to look all around me to make sure that I don't step in front of anyone who is telling me excuse me and so on- so again if you had to help me by answering a question that you thought that I should have "heard" you answer already- -
I do hope that you are no longer employed with any customer service oriented jobs.

sorta puts a damper on your day.

Getting rude CM's puts a damper on our day too!

 

[I'm No Fool]

I want the CMs to think I'm clueless. It's when they act like they think we should know better that the rudeness occurs. Hey CM's, we didn't know that we can't stand here, or sit there, or go through that door, so don't yell at us when we do. We had no clue.

 

[maddhatir]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Race the Reaper
Send him here! Our local Arby's has openings!

Surely you jest! If he's rude, he bellongs at my local Super-Walmart

How about the DMV (div of motor vehicles)

 

[jeck4]

It's true, while most are good, and some are truely EXCEPTIONAL, it is the few bad that leave a mark. We will always remember the EXCEPTIONAL CM's we had AND the RUDE one's as well. However, we will NOT let it spoil our vacation nor the magic WDW offers.

Based on what we heard from a couple of the CM's, WDW is having trouble getting enough help. Based on what we experienced, I believe that to be true.

I LOVE WDW and look forward to returning again soon.

 

[Talking Hands]

I just want to share some information with you . Apparently you didn't really like your job and that's O.K. because we need to try different things until we find the job that we can live with. I'm about 1/3 of the way through this thread and twice now you have mentioned answering the same question over and over when the person in front had just asked the same question and it seemed to have bothered you quite a bit.

I want you to know that I'm sorry if I asked you that or any other questions during your time of employment- you see I'm deaf and I can't read the lips of the person or for that matter the five people in front of me asking you the same question over and over through the back of their heads, and I don't have all day to stand in front of you to "hear" the question from each guest and then jump behind the guest to "hear" your answer especially while I'm trying to look all around me to make sure that I don't step in front of anyone who is telling me excuse me and so on- so again if you had to help me by answering a question that you thought that I should have "heard" you answer already- -
I do hope that you are no longer employed with any customer service oriented jobs.

Getting rude CM's puts a damper on our day too!

Well put Daydreamer. And I bet just looking at you no one can tell you are deaf. It is exactly what I have been trying to point out to the poster. You don't know who is and who isn't deaf or hard of hearing.

 

[maddhatir]

i am not saying that i agree with dizprincess717 saying the reason anyone is rude is b/c guests are clueless etc-- but how many times have you read a thread on the boards about what stupid thing- or annoying thing that you see people do in the parks.

imagine a CM that has to see and deal with that everyday..all day?

as i said- i dont think there is ANY excuse to be rude. but we are all getting uptight when we think the CMs call US clueless- but we sit here all the time and write about the clueless things we see people do!

 

[ucfsweetie82]

There is no excuse for the rudeness some of you encountered. As a CM, yes you answer the same questions many times a day. I get asked is this a ride every five minutes when I am out front.(Some of you may be able to figure out where I work from that) I answer this question with a smile, because you never know if it is someone's first time or how hard the parents have worked to bring their kids to Walt Disney World. I want to make their visit to my attraction as great as possible. It doesn't matter how many long days you have had, or will have during the busy season, there is no excuse for being rude.

 

[DisneyDotty]

The only rude (albeit former) CM I've ever encountered was here on this forum. (you know who you are... )
I have a good friend from childhood who's been a CM at WDW for over 20 years now. Yes, he has good stories of idiotic guests doing truly amazingly stupid things. But those are MY opinions of guests' behavior--my CM friend just relates the story and lets me decide. IE, he doesn't berate the hand that feeds him.
If working conditions are so awful for some CMs, isn't that more the fault of the company than of the guests? And isn't that why CMs choose to find employment elsewhere?
To the 99.9% of CMs who keep the magic going--thank you! To the other one--thank goodness you no longer work for Disney!

 

[BroadwayGirl]

The only rude (albeit former) CM I've ever encountered was here on this forum. (you know who you are... )

To the 99.9% of CMs who keep the magic going--thank you! To the other one--thank goodness you no longer work for Disney!

You know, I'm feeling like this poster and many others are personally attacking dizprincess which is really not very nice. She is entitled to her opinions and while I think she expressed herself poorly I honestly don't think she was trying to excuse rude behavior on the part of CMs. Nor was she trying to disrupt the magic. She may have made some bad decisions about how she expressed herself especially after the attacks began, however, I truly believe her original intention was just trying to make people see that CMs are humans with feelings who, for whatever reasons (whether "clueless" guests, personal issues or workplace issues) occasionally allow those feelings to slip past their work demeanor. So I think she was trying to point out that one negative encounter with a CM doesn't mean that that individual is horrible and always rude - they could just be at the end of their rope and unfortunately allow their human emotions to take over despite their best efforts.

And unless you are an audioanimatronic figure I'm betting that every single poster here has done the same thing. That is, we all have allowed our personal situation to impact our work situation. We are all human - we have feeling and emotions that are sometimes too strong to remain hidden. Most of the time we can either take time off of work or take a cigarette break or do something that allows us to regain our composure, but sometimes it just doesn't happen that way. Nothing excuses rudeness of course but maybe we all need to respond with more compassion instead of aggression.

Furthermore, none of us knows whether we ever encountered dizprincess while she was working at WDW. Just because she acknowledges that working at WDW wasn't always sunshine and pixie dust, doesn't mean that she wasn't always giving 110% when she was there. They are called CAST MEMBERS and they know that they are playing a part while onstage, even if when they go backstage they are griping about "clueless" guests or wishing for better pay and schedules. So despite feeling frustrated about the guest who just asked the same question that the 5 previous guests had asked, most CMs, including dizprincess, will smile and respond appropriately and then vent about stuff with their coworkers when they go backstage.

So I propose we stop bashing and attacking dizprincess and instead continue the original discussion or ask a moderator to close this thread. Because right now all it seems to be is an attack on dizprincess.

 

[micknpluto]

There is no excuse for the rudeness some of you encountered. As a CM, yes you answer the same questions many times a day. I get asked is this a ride every five minutes when I am out front.(Some of you may be able to figure out where I work from that) I answer this question with a smile, because you never know if it is someone's first time or how hard the parents have worked to bring their kids to Walt Disney World. I want to make their visit to my attraction as great as possible. It doesn't matter how many long days you have had, or will have during the busy season, there is no excuse for being rude.

which attraction or I should ask where do you work in the parK? Please tell me now Im curious?

 

[maddhatir]

Quote:
Originally Posted by DisneyDotty
The only rude (albeit former) CM I've ever encountered was here on this forum. (you know who you are... )

To the 99.9% of CMs who keep the magic going--thank you! To the other one--thank goodness you no longer work for Disney!

You know, I'm feeling like this poster and many others are personally attacking dizprincess which is really not very nice.

I not sure but are you sure that disneydotty is EVEN talking about dizprincess?? just curious.....

EDIT--- SORRY I DIDNT READ DISNEYDOTTYS POST CORRECTLY-- i just think she might be talking about her.....

 

[dizprincess717]

Wow. Thank you, fellow posters, for putting words in my mouth and once again assuming things that are not true.

First of all, I was never ONCE rude or snippy to a guest. I held it ALL in all day, everyday, sometimes for 14 hours.

Second of all, YES I can name all 7 Guest Service Guidelines. My managers had a little game going through all of Frontierland for about 3 weeks to see if we could collect 7 "gold nuggets" (representing the GSGs). I got 5 out of the 7. Thank you for reminding me of Traditions, and yes, I still know them. I think I will ALWAYS remember them.

And how dare any of you claim that I disliked my job?! For your information I ADORED my job! My biggest fear was working at Small World for fear of the music of in Animal Kingdom for fear of the wonderfully colorful costumes. I really felt that Walt was watching over me while they were placing me in my job location. It was perfect for me.

I was NOT saying rudenss should be tolerated.

All I was doing was trying to OPEN UP SOME EYES to how it ISN'T always sunshine and daisies and rainbows for us CMs!

This is what REALLY goes on off stage. This is the way we are treated. Poor pay, the heat, guests, etc. Now, with that being said, I LOVE the heat. In fact, I never once wore shorts while I was there. Even when it got extremely hot and humid, I was fine. Some CMs, however, cannot tolerate it. For example, my boyfriend's parents work at Crush and there was a pregnant CM there. The managers took away their water bottles that were part of their costume because "it wasn't in the Disney Look Guidelines." Imagine that, women. Pregnant. The heat. Standing around for 45+ minutes WITH NO WATER.

For those of you sticking up for me, they can bash me all they want. I was NOT calling anyone here stupid. Obviously, if you are a memeber on these Boards you actually do research and know A LOT about the World. I highly doubt, or would like to believe, that you don't have to ask what time the 3 o'clock parade is.

So thank you, everyone, for making me the center of your attention.

And it's safe to say, I would NOT like to be Mickey Mouse. I can't handle all this fame!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Having worked in fast food, retail, and banking customer service, I (and I'm sure most people reading this) have worked with customers who are rude, annoying, and/or clueless. Thankfully, most are not this way.

But when I encountered behavior that disturbed me (for whatever reason), I understood that I was being held to a higher standard of conduct. WHY? Because I was paid to be there. It was my job to help the customers. Yes, it was crappy pay, hot working conditions, all the same things that have been mentioned. And those clueless, annoying, rude customers? They were the ones doing the paying. They paid for the pleasure of my assistance. If the business has no customers (even the rude, annoying ones), the business has no reason to be paying me.

Should I have expected the customers to be polite? Absolutely. And for the most part, they were. Should they have expected me to be polite? Absolutely, and I always was; but more than that, they should have expected me to be helpful, accurate, quick, and a host of other qualities.

Were they always polite? Not on your life! There was something every single day, from the woman shrieking that she got 8 onion rings when she knew she should have gotten 7-9, to the guy who delivered a bomb threat. How did I handle it? Did I get snotty, rude, condescending? No, I was (if anything) unfailingly polite, more careful to be accurate, more helpful. And when I got home, I vented to whoever would listen. (Well, I did file a report on the bomb threat...but I was very polite about it.)

So for the temper tantrums I've seen (over one onion ring), I can only imagine how someone would feel about a poor experience at WDW or DL, for which they have paid thousands of dollars to enjoy their vacation of a lifetime. As we can read by the many posts on this topic, one unfortunate incident can ruin the entire experience for a guest.

I in no way mean to excuse poor guest behavior, only to point out that the CMs must be held to a higher standard of behavior. When a guest behaves poorly, the CM must be the bigger person.

I am going on my first Disney trip ever in September (to DL) with my family, and I fully intend to take down names of CMs who wow me, and they will be reported. And if any exhibit the behavior mentioned here, I'll be sure to get their names, too.

 

[allicat]

When all is said and done, being a CM is a job and just like any job it can get tiring and tedious.That being said, it is their job to be courteous to guests no matter how ignorant and annoying guests may seem.
In all my trips Ive seen so many rude guests, but no rude CM's stick out other than the one who checked us into Beach Club Villas. They made an error on our arrival date and had us in the computer arrivng 3 days later. Fortunately, I had my confrmation! Anyway, the CM says, "we are completely booked." "What do you want me to do? Build a room for you?" And he said it in a very nasty tone.
Well, after my husband got through talking to the manager, a room magically appeared.

 

[goofyernmost]

In today society Rude means...you didn't say exactly what I wanted to hear or do exactly what I wanted you to do. I've said it before and I'll say it again, entitlement on any level is the downfall of society.

How's that for broad brush strokes?

 

[Lizzybee]

This was supposed to be a thread about rude stuff that happened not defining rudeness or explaining rudeness or excusing rudeness, but rather for observations of rudeness by CMs. Maybe the reason that the rude behavior sticks out is that it's pretty rare and most CMs are fabulous at creating that magic feeling. Even the vast majority of guests are happy, well-intentioned people basking in the magic created by WDW, enjoying their vacation. I thought this thread was created for observations of rudeness, not for debating about determining for whom, when and where rudeness is acceptable.