They want to "bend over backwards." What should I ask for?

[PRINCESS Ariel34]

Welcome to the Dis Mouse

First let me say that I am happy your baby was not harmed. You know the saying No one is Perfect but GOD.


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My answer is to throw the special number out and be happy that someone listened to your complaints. I would not ask for anything out of it whether it is a balloon, PSs, or a card. That is my final answer! LOL!
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Whatever you do don't throw out the special number. YOU decide what you want to do with it and don't feel the least bit guilty about your choice. A "CLEAN" room is very important to me as to many people on here. I would not hesitate to request that they double check to make sure everything is tip top shape and to your satisfaction. ONe thing you will come to find out just as I have is there are some really reallyy nice people here on the DIS who are willing to help and not criticize when you post something. Then there are those who you really have to just shake your head at, because you would think as "ADULTS" they would know how to talk to people. Unfortunately some never learn. Believe me the Good out numbers the bad


So welcome and Goodluck with your choice

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

Originally posted by skiwee1
Jealous that I didn't have cookies crumbs on my floor? LOL! Not quite. I don't see the big deal she is trying to make it out to be other then trying to get a free something or other. Come on. Cookie crumbs? Call housekeeping! If it was one time then it certainly wasn't warranted to write to complain about it. Was the cookie crubms left there on a daily basis? If so then complaining would be the right action but once? WDW isn't accepting any responsibilty for it. They probably feel they have to pacify her or they will lose a guest. Do you really think WDW believes they put her child's life in danger over a cookie crumb that may not even have been peanut butter. LOL! Too funny!

I agree with niks81- you're being rude.
And what they meant by JEALOUS is jealous of the fact she's getting a number to call to have them "fall over backwards for her" -ofcourse. You should be able to figure out what they meant about the jealous part. Not jealous of cookie crumbs- get real.
It was not only poor housekeeping and FOOD that COULD have hurt her allergic child... but also a door unlocked. Granted she could check to make sure- but you're right about them placating her to not lose a guest. Duh. If they didn't do something to not lose a guest then I guess it would mean they didn't care if they lost a guest, right? So I don't see what your complaint is. You would rather WDW not care at all and tell her to buzz off? That's what it sounds like.
I wonder- have you ever stayed in a deluxe room paying deluxe prices and do you have a 2yr old (or any age really) that you care if they have an allergic reaction while on an expensive vacation?! I wonder.

I see nothing whatsoever wrong with her writing a letter and also see nothing wrong with her accepting some good gestures from them that they OFFERED after she said she didn't really want anything- just wanted to let them know. Hey, maybe they are offering that to her because she didn't demand some sort of compensation like probably lots of people do! So they wanted to do something nice for someone who obviously wasn't hateful and demanding with them on the phone. So be it. Stop being jealous.

 

[MouseinMelbourne]

The Sybah Shelstah -

This may not be the thread to ask, but I noticed you JUST completed your first trip to WDW! How incredible! I hope it was everything you had hoped for and more. My first trip was when I was 4 - it was within months of WDW opening back in the 70's. I've been dozens of times over the years and relish the stories of first-timers. WDW is truly magical - I am glad you made it.

FWIW, this thread is based on my first stay at a resort. Since I was a local (Orlando) for so many years, I never had stayed in a hotel. Other than the issues being discussed, the WL is incredible and our stay was fabulous - as I also told Wl in my letter.

Carolyn

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

Oh and btw- I think it's a FAB idea to ask for special cleaning- to make sure this doesn't happen again on your stay. In fact, I would probably mention it when making any reservations from here on out! (maybe even mentioning the problem you had before- each time!)
I still don't think a card or balloon would break WDW's bank either though.

I bet if you called the number and only asked for the room to be FOR SURE really clean and maybe a card or balloon in the room- the person taking your call will probably (after you hang up) go: "wow.. that's ALL she wanted?!?"

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Taking something for nothing just doesn't sit right with me.

Taking something for nothing??? You must be joking. Do you know how many thousands of dollars people spend on trips to Disney?? I'd hardly call that nothing. Many, many people have been given free upgrades to better room catergories and never even asked for them. Many people have also recieved towel animals from housekeeping, Birthday cards and cakes from Mickey, special gift baskets, free park passes, late check-out, extra shampoo and towels, etc. Should we be charged for all those things? Is it wrong to accept a nice gesture from Disney?? No way!

 

[cinder1]

Just my 2 cents worth too. A peanut allergy is very dangerous and crumbs on the carpet is gross. Housekeeping should have no problem keeping the floor totally vacuumed. As for the door, it should have been locked. Since you didn't ask for anything and WDW offered, then of course, you should accept. We have received free meals at restaurants when things weren't up to par. We have never asked for anything free, but we have expressed displeasure with certain situations. If the powers that be want to compensate you, then fine. My guess is that they offered because you were nice about it and because it is a safety issue.

As for what to ask for--well I agree that a great cleaning comes first and I also agree that you should always mention this. I'd always call the resort before your stay and request a great cleaning. (IMO probably the cleaning all of us should be getting!) I'd also ask for something for your DD like an autographed picture of Mickey or Cinderella. They give these out for birthdays all the time. Otherwise, I'd just see if maybe they could give you an upgraded view.

You are right to be upset with the situation and it's totally ok to take their OFFER.

Paige

 

[jgates]

Well, I'm sorry skiwee - I think this should be brought to attention of management. She made it clear she did not expect something. If they want to offer something to ease their own guilt then so be it. I feel they really dropped the ball by having 2 problems - I would expect all door locks (sliding- adjoining rooms-etc) to be checked when the room is cleaned (& vacuumed!). I also expect all light fixtures to have bulbs (Motel 6, South Bend Indiana - empty socket - & Courtyard by Airport - Memphis TN) and all previous dirty laundry/towels/washcloths to be removed from the room (also the same Motel 6), clean toilet (without feces smears in it - Super 8, Evansville IN) and the floors vacuumed so that stuff is not poking into my feet. There is really no excuse for a dirty/not complete room.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Champaign IL on our way home from Disney. What did my daughter find? A PRESCRIPTION PILL loose in the drawer and an empty soda bottle on the floor by the headboard. How dangerous could that be - guess it depends on what the pill was - it wasn't just Tylenol or Advil - but I don't know what it was? I took them to the front desk the next morning and the gal just said OK and threw them in the trash. So I KNEW the manager never found out about it. (We checked in around 1:30 a.m. and had the last room - changing wasn't an option for us).

I wrote to Hampton and the only thing I requested was an apology. The gal that responded by email said she would make sure I received an apology - never came - then she refused to respond to my messages that I had never even received an apology.

What would I ask for? Something that would be directly beneficial to my child since they were the one put in danger. I don't think a view would be that significant for a child of that age so I would request as follows:

1. The extra cleaning of the room.
2. A mickey ballon and a set of ears (or stuffed Mickey if your child has ears) waiting in the room upon arrival. The balloon and the ears will cost them only pennies.

That is probably sufficient and would be good - but if the person handling the reservation asks if you are sure they can't do more then I would ask for a room/club level upgrade (but indicate ONLY if available as you wouldn't want to take it away from a paying customer).

So yes- I feel working your way up the ladder is the proper thing to do - otherwise they don't find out about this stuff - it is hidden under the rug!!

 

[disnaholic]

I agree with TigrlvsPooh how serious this situation could have been. At a former job, we had a child enrolled that was so allergic to peanuts and peanut products that having one even touch his skin could have sent him into anaphylactic shock. Extrordinary precautions had to taken at lunch and snack time to ensure his safety.

WDW probably realized the potential severity of this situation.

This could have been a life threatening situation for a person allergic to peanuts and I would have complained anyway due to the glitch with housekeeping. I would not want to arrive in any hotel room and find it dirty. Plus, how else will WDW know about these things if the visitors don't tell them?

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

Originally posted by MouseinMelbourne
The Sybah Shelstah -

This may not be the thread to ask, but I noticed you JUST completed your first trip to WDW! How incredible! I hope it was everything you had hoped for and more. My first trip was when I was 4 - it was within months of WDW opening back in the 70's. I've been dozens of times over the years and relish the stories of first-timers. WDW is truly magical - I am glad you made it.

FWIW, this thread is based on my first stay at a resort. Since I was a local (Orlando) for so many years, I never had stayed in a hotel. Other than the issues being discussed, the WL is incredible and our stay was fabulous - as I also told Wl in my letter.

Carolyn

It's okay to comment/ask. I have seen many threads here turn to other subjects and I don't think the mods are hardhanded about it. I think they basically just move threads if they belong in another forum (which also means they'd get more and better answers if a question was in the proper forum!)

Yes! It was my first WDW trip... at age 33yrs old. I had always wanted to go- all my life... far back as I can remember. It was a very spur of the moment trip, however. Within days of the idea even hitting my brain we were on our way- we drove.. with children 8yrs old, just turned 5yrs old and 2.5yrs old. It was an experience! We all enjoyed it- but I'm sure I enjoyed it the most. Just because I'd wanted to go for so long!
I'm going again (yes, I know- so soon! LOL) on a solo trip though. I just didn't feel like I got my "fill" of WDW out of the 4 days we spent there on my last trip. Seeing as how we went during their busiest time -I missed a lot! Coupled with the fact that we had 3 children (one who couldn't ride hardly anything- even if the height requirement was 36" she couldn't ride... and another one at 42" couldn't ride a lot of rides also) and had to do the childswap thing a lot. Ofcourse add naps, kids needing to eat when we weren't really hungry, and them wanting to go back to the hotel earlier than I wanted to- I just felt the need to go again! hehe The next time we go as a 'family' will be when our youngest is big enough to ride atleast almost all of the rides (I doubt I'll wait till she's over 50 or so inches! LOL That's too long!)

We had always planned on going when our youngest was big enough to ride most of the rides (and also not be so much "work" to take them- if you know what I mean.. diapers, strollers, etc.) but we kept having another child and another one- before they got that size! So we gave up and went... and while it was enjoyable for all... I just gotta have more WDW! I'm hoping I can get my "fill" for awhile with this trip- since I'll be alone and doing what I want, when I want. My only *pout* is that the parks are also closed earlier when I'm so not a morning person. LOL But I will make myself a morning person because of the EE advantage. Guess we should probably go as a family during the times when they have earlier closing hours- so I won't feel like I'm missing out to head back to the hotel so early... but that's also not when my children are out of school so that's probably not ever going to happen.

I haven't posted a report of our trip yet in the other forum. I should do that soon so you can "revel" in our first trip there! hehe

 

[peachgirl]

What should I ask for when calling the "special number" and how exactly should I phrase my requests?

When we visited WDW in 2000 we had a couple of complaints. I wrote Disney about them. Several weeks later I got a very nice phone call and we talked about the issues. The person didn't offer any compensation and I didn't ask for any. I wanted the problems corrected and that was enough for me. A few weeks after that I received a written letter with $50 in disney dollars included. I was pleasantly surprised and figured that was the end of it.

Last spring I started planning our December trip. A month or so after having made reservations I received a phone call from Disney. The woman I spoke with said she was just calling to see if everything was going smoothly with my upcoming trip. At the end of the conversation she gave me a phone number and her name and told me to be sure and call if I had any questions or a problem or if there was anything she could do to make our trip special. I was amazed to get a phone call so long after I had made the complaint! I never used the number, but I was very impressed with the attention!

Since you asked what you should ask for, I'll give you my opinion. Due to your daughter's allergies, I'd call the number and ask that they be especially careful when preparing your room. You have to assume that they have taken care of not locking the sliding door and other than the crumbs on the floor, you have no other complaint.

If that's what you ask for, how to word it is very simple. Quickly explain how you got the number, what the problem was and what you want them to do. I'd have trouble figuring out how to ask for any more than that.


I'm of the opinion that if you have a problem, any compensation should deal with that problem. Your complaints were valid, but there was no actual harm done. IMO, you should ask for whatever insures those problems don't happen again. Anything more than that and I would feel like I was trying to get something no matter what Disney told me.

While you did have have circumstances that made the crumbs on the floor an important issue, free upgrades to concierce or a suite, cakes, balloons and flowers seem a bit excessive because the maid did a bad job of vacuuming. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't do "something" without you having to ask for it. But sometimes it's best just to "let" the magic happen instead of creating it.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

I just wanted to hop on here for a second and remind you all to be kind to each other... we are all entitled to our opinions... but we do need to be respectful to each other..

I also want to welcome MouseinMelbourne to the Dis and the Resort Board.. I was thinking here what would I do with that phone number and how I would have reacted to the little incidents you have described... First and foremost, the rooms need to be clean...had it been a decent hour, you could have called housekeeping to redo the room and believe I have done that before... Also, I always check the slider and the alarm clock and that is because of past experience, the door being unlocked and being awakened at 5:30am by an alarm clock that was not reset by housekeeping, which I think should be part of their duty in accepting a new guest to the room..

So use the number, ask for whatever you want.. it is your call... but I would ask for them to make sure the room is clean of all food items dangerous to your child..

 

[dreaming]

when we were at the bc in december we found a prozac pill on our bed - thought it was awful nice of mousekeeping to leave it there just in case our trip started getting out of hand!

 

[firstmickey]

thanks for my laugh for the day
I enjoyed your post tremendously!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

When we checked into our room at the GF last week we found a pair of dirty socks in the nightstand, used kleenex under the bed, and the door to the adjoining room wide open. I didn't even bother telling anyone because in past experiences they don't care. I did however call housekeeping on the days we didn't recieve towels, shampoo, kleenex, etc, and they brought the items immediately. I probably should have complained to the manager, but I didn't want to ruin my trip by getting more upset. Maybe that's why I sympathize with the OP. I just like the idea of Disney actually DOING something when things go wrong. It's one small step in the right direction.

 

[Talking Hands]

Cookie crumbs are not what I expect on checking into a room. Pointing out the danger without asking for something it not out of line. In fact, it was exactly what I did when I found out my church was leaving peanut butter cookies on their visits to visitors to the church. Pointing out dangers is always reasonable. And sometimes it gets action even at Disney.

Also she did not ask for anything. Disney offered. It is up to her whether to accept or not.

 

[peachgirl]

Originally posted by Talking Hands
"Cookie crumbs are not what I expect on checking into a room. Pointing out the danger without asking for something it not out of line. In fact, it was exactly what I did when I found out my church was leaving peanut butter cookies on their visits to visitors to the church. Pointing out dangers is always reasonable. And sometimes it gets action even at Disney."


Not that your post was directed at me, but I agree that her complaints were valid and that they needed to pointed out. I did the exact same thing. I've always found Disney to be very good at responding to complaints and problems.

"Also she did not ask for anything. Disney offered. It is up to her whether to accept or not."


It is up to her, of course. But she did ask what people thought she should request. I would assume because she asked, she wanted to get input from others as to what they thought would be appropriate to ask for. I wouldn't expect all the opinions to be the same. I gave my opinon and I tried to do it without being insulting or rude. Because opinions differ don't make them insulting, although some people have trouble both posting opposite views and accepting them without being insulting.

What Disney offered was a general offer, not a specific compensation. Because of the way they handled her complaint, anything she gets she will have to ask for. I can understand her being unsure of what she should ask for.

At any rate, I hope Disney satisfies the op's expectations and that she has a wonderful trip!

 

[awatt]

It is both usual and customary for housekeepingto vacuum when one guest checks out and and the room is readied for the next guest. THerefore crumbs on the floor should not be acceptable.
Guests should not have to inspect their carpet upon check-in.
If you think so,perhaps you need to travel outside of Disney a little,where rooms are routinely clean.

Disney made a mistake,a potentially lethal one. If you don't understand this go to webmd and look up anaphyllactic shock.
They have offered an olive branch and the original poster is doing nothing wrong in considering accepting it.

Lastly,the degree of rudeness on this thread by some individuals is disappointing.

 

[Trekker]

The issue of rudeness and appropriate posting to this thread has already been addressed by one moderator.

Please get back on topic of what the OP ask about - and keep in mind differing opinions does not make any one else wrong.

 

[cinder1]

Well said awatt. I also think when the op calls, she can discuss with the CM what is an appropriate request. The CM may have a few suggestions that we haven't thought about that are reasonable and magical!

I hope you have fun on your trip and that no one has scared you off. Quite frankly, if you had spoken to a different CM, nothing may have been offered. It has as much to do with the personality of the CM as anything else. The fact that you were friendly and not greedy helped too. Nothing wrong with that.

Paige

 

[DisneyFreaks]

I totally agree with TigrLvsPooh. It was nice to hear that Disney actually took the steps to do something to accommodate her. We have never had that pleasure either. Our last stay at WL someone unlocked the door to our room and tried to enter in the middle of the night! My husband called the front desk and we didn't even get an apology. I felt they at least owed us that if they weren't even going to investigate why this happened.