Terrible service at Liberty Tree Tavern - mandatory tip!!

[Pumbaa_]

The OP was obligated to pay the 18% gratuity as he had a party of 8 and was not on DDP (he was paying with visa)

I am sorry you had such poor service and you did attempt to have it resolved during the meal. How unfortuante the manager could not resolve it then and there.

Hope the rest of your meals went better!

Just a reminder to posters, different opinions are great, but snarkiness, rude or sarcastic is not. This is your PSA of the day

 

[Uncleromulus]

I find it interesting that the DVC business had any leverage at all. Disney surely knows that they will sell all those points to someone else, so the loss of that particular sale shouldn't have bothered them (financially) in any way.
And I doubt they would worry about any DVC "investigation" into the restaurant service issue at LTT. My guess is that DVC wouldn't REALLY care about that.

 

[barndweller]

I agree with the basic premise that the OP has put forward here. He is not just whining about the manditory tip like so many posters but actually followed through when he felt it should be removed. He was not complaining about a "bad server" but rather about "bad service" due to poor management. If more diners would do this, we might actually all benefit from better service instead of the steady decline we are all experiencing.

I wrote a letter to Disney expressing my dismay at the change in the menu choices lately, as well as the less than stellar service & general crammed seating at TS restaurants. I would like to see a real reservation policy instituted that requires a credit card hold & doing away with the stupid, ineffectual ADR system in place now. I stated that until something is done to stop the decline in the dining experience at Disney, I will not be returning. Of course, I received the follow up phone call telling me my opinion matters blah blah blah. But I know darn well that there are plenty of folks willing to put up with paying more & getting less just because it has Mickey shaped sprinkles on it. I guess my Disney dining days are over!

People complain constantly on here about declining service and rising prices but as long as everyone keeps throwing money at Disney it will just continue. We need to complain to Disney just as the OP has done. He did what everyone should do when they have been charged for something they did not receive. I say kudos to the OP for taking a stand.

 

[TLSnell1981]

This seems to be on ongoing theme at LTT. I'm calling to cancel my ADR this morning.

I think this issue is going to come up a lot in 2008.... with the change in the policy for "gratuities". I keep seeing posts that tell you to ask to have your tip removed if you are unhappy with the service. I have always suspected that this will not be the case.

I can understand the op's feelings at the time. They were happy and excited about their recent (large) investment in DVC. Having such an unpleasant and fustrating experience.....maybe left them a little deflated and unhappy. Just thinking I paid for that many vacations in advance and this was the less than Disney treatment I had received (from the manager) could unsettle anybody. It's not my style...but I can understand.

There seems to be many problems at LTT hopefully, things will improve. I also hope people don't count on removing the 18%, if automatically added to their check....I think they will be in for the same fustration as the op. I know many are sensitive to owners expecting different treatment, but I don't think that was what happened in this instance (well maybe as a last resort). I think the op really just needed to vent. Disney is kind of a personal thing for many of us. It really is "my happy place". I barely walk in the door before a smile comes across my face. I think disappointment at WDW is harder to accept than other places.

 

[MickeyNicki]

You cannot please all people all of the time but you can please some people some of the time. No matter where you go in WDW (or anywhere really) someone is going to have an issue with something, dining, resorts, parks etc. It is just a fact of life.

 

[barndweller]

This seems to be on ongoing theme at LTT. I'm calling to cancel my ADR this morning.

Good for you! I hope you tell them why you are cancelling. If enough people stop going to the restaurants that are poorly run or no longer offer decent menus & atmosphere, Disney will actually try to fix the problems. As long as people settle for being treated like cattle at overpriced troughs, Disney will just take the money & give the big bonuses to the suits in the boardroom. $$$ is the only thing that will get their attention.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

I don't see where the original poster went wrong at all..

If you receive terrible service from a restaurant and are basically forced to leave an 18% tip, receive a terrible response from said restaurant management, and THEN receive an equally poor response from Guest Relations.. would your next logical step be to drop $56,000 to ensure you receive that same quality service time and time again, year after year?

Some of us need to stop snorting the pixie dust on here.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Good for you! I hope you tell them why you are cancelling. If enough people stop going to the restaurants that are poorly run or no longer offer decent menus & atmosphere, Disney will actually try to fix the problems. As long as people settle for being treated like cattle at overpriced troughs, Disney will just take the money & give the big bonuses to the suits in the boardroom. $$$ is the only thing that will get their attention.

I just got off the phone. I didn't really get the time I wanted for dinner, but I didn't want to chance it with LTT. I keep reading the same issues ...understaffed, poor management, etc. I did have an indepth conversation with the CM as to why I was cancelling. She commented that you usually only see bad posts. I told her that wasn't true and what concerned me the most.....was that it was the same complaints over and over. She was interested in that fact. It was interesting that she asked for much more info than I have ever been asked for while making an ADR.

 

[barndweller]

MickeyNicki
Your standard cliche statement has nothing to do with the point of this thread. Being pleased isn't the issue. Being charged for something he did not receive is the issue.

Personally, I don't care if a gratuity is automatically added or not. It is the custom in the US to tip for service and if the restaurant's policy is to do the calculation for me, then so be it. But I refuse to pay for anything I haven't received and so should everyone. As long as people meekly pay for service not given & quietly walk away, management will continue to short staff & cram more tables into the space. Service will just continue to decline and we will have only ourselves to blame.

 

[KevGuy]

Personally, I don't care if a gratuity is automatically added or not. It is the custom in the US to tip for service and if the restaurant's policy is to do the calculation for me, then so be it. But I refuse to pay for anything I haven't received and so should everyone. As long as people meekly pay for service not given & quietly walk away, management will continue to short staff & cram more tables into the space. Service will just continue to decline and we will have only ourselves to blame.

Amen, I agree completely with the OP too! I don't care who thinks what about using DVC as leverage, it got the situation to the OP's liking. It shouldn't have had to happen in the first place if the host/hostess was doing their job properly imo. Encore, I'd do it in a heartrbeat myself. Pay hard earned money for less than what should be received, no way not a chance. Way to stand up for yourself and speak up OP, and not just sit back and take it. Money is the bottom line at Disney a lot of times, and this just illustrated the point. Once they understood the possible loss of the sale it must have clicked that there would be a corresponing loss of a job. Then it was corrected in minutes, pretty magical.

 

[susieq76]

So sorry to hear this happened to you! We had a bad experience at LTT this past February and we will not be returning soon, however, when I discussed it with Mandy she did try to rectify it somewhat and was super nice- she sent all three of my boys dolls & signed pics to our hotel (our problem was b/c of the horrid seat my kids could not get out to see the characters- nor could the characters take pictures with them- they waved!)

 

[TLSnell1981]

So sorry to hear this happened to you! We had a bad experience at LTT this past February and we will not be returning soon, however, when I discussed it with Mandy she did try to rectify it somewhat and was super nice- she sent all three of my boys dolls & signed pics to our hotel (our problem was b/c of the horrid seat my kids could not get out to see the characters- nor could the characters take pictures with them- they waved!)

I don't go to character meals for the food! I am so sorry for your kids....no hugs....no pictures with the characters? I would have been soooo disappointed. It seems like Mandy could have arranged for the kids to see the characters after their meal. I would have found this totally unacceptable.

 

[chorlick]

We had 6:30 reservations that night and we had an awesome meal. We did have to wait 1/2 hour, but the food and the service was terrific!!

 

[boomhauer]

This OP sounds an awful lot like another new poster on the resort board, belittling people for staying onsite. Oddly enough, he has the word "Ohio" in his username as well. One joined in November of 2006. The other joined in December of 2006. They both have under 40 posts.

Connection here? You decide:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1646803

Hmmmmmm....

 

[barndweller]

This OP sounds an awful lot like another new poster on the resort board, belittling people for staying onsite. Oddly enough, he has the word "Ohio" in his username as well. One joined in November of 2006. The other joined in December of 2006. They both have under 40 posts.

So what? Look for conspiracy if you wish. The real issue here is declining service resulting in a poorer Disney vacation experience.

Being billed by Disney for something that you don't receive is still a valid complaint. Many others have posted the same type of experience. The continued willingness of people blinded by Disney pixie dust to just accept the decline in service at Disney is a real concern to those of us who expect more from Disney than your average chain restaurant or amusement park. If it is accepted by the masses, Disney will no longer be the best but just like any other among the many choices. Why would we want that to happen?

 

[barndweller]

I don't go to character meals for the food!

This is so sad. Since when is it okay to pay exorbitant prices for the oportunity to take pictures of your kids with costumed CM at WDW? This was always free before. The characters wandered throughout the parks, greeting the guests & posing for pictures. Now people call 6 months ahead to schedule time in a restaurant that serves cr-ppy food with lousy service at a ridiculous price so you can share your time with hundreds of other saps paying for the same priviledge? Wow, are those Disney execs clever or what! They are raking in the bucks for what they used to provide free to every Disney visitor. I just don't understand why you all just accept their marketing stategy like a bunch of sheep.

 

[satman1962]

How about if you receive poor service, food quality, bad atmosphere...you just don't go back to that establishment.

We spend all this money for goods and services and sometimes let's face it...things don't live up to the hype...


Move on...life's short.

 

[TLSnell1981]

This is so sad. Since when is it okay to pay exorbitant prices for the oportunity to take pictures of your kids with costumed CM at WDW? This was always free before. The characters wandered throughout the parks, greeting the guests & posing for pictures. Now people call 6 months ahead to schedule time in a restaurant that serves cr-ppy food with lousy service at a ridiculous price so you can share your time with hundreds of other saps paying for the same priviledge? Wow, are those Disney execs clever or what! They are raking in the bucks for what they used to provide free to every Disney visitor. I just don't understand why you all just accept their marketing stategy like a bunch of sheep.

It still is free. I don't like waiting in line. The children really enjoy the atmosphere at the character meals. I do it for them. And yes....Disney has a pretty good marketing department. Baaa! Baaa!

 

[NewJersey]

Troll alert.

 

[NewJersey]

This OP sounds an awful lot like another new poster on the resort board, belittling people for staying onsite. Oddly enough, he has the word "Ohio" in his username as well. One joined in November of 2006. The other joined in December of 2006. They both have under 40 posts.

Connection here? You decide:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1646803

Hmmmmmm....

And we have a winner!!