Totally Frustrated with wait times calling Disney!

[DaisyNY]

Just waited 1 1/2 hours to talk to someone about our April 2020 tickets (Cancelled Covid trip- Disney was closed) which were no longer linked to MY Disney Experience because they expired in September 2021. I wanted to apply to them for an upcoming trip in March 2022. Because the tickets expired in September, it would have been another 2+ hour wait to talk to someone in ticketing because of the difference in ticket pricing. UGH! Will have to go through this all again another day as I have an early morning wakeup!

 

[Meglen]

Just wait till you get to wdw and you have to wait 90 min for jungle cruise.. ( running joke this trip about why anyone would wait that long...) I think I waited about 2 hours one day on hold than got transfered than hung up on.. called a few days later and only waited 45 min. I feel ya

 

[Narcoossee11]

This is not going to change anytime soon.
Limited staffing , IT issues and alot of new programs starting will all add up to lonnnng waits.

 

[ThreeMountains]

I tried to call three separate times recently for help with planning on My Disney Experience and all three times got a message saying they were having issues and I needed to call back later.

Then I tried a fourth time on another day, got through the entire menu, entered all of my personal info to verify, etc., then they said to wait for a rep....then it gave me an error message and just hung up on me.

Then my mom called a few days later for me since I didn't have any more free time, and it took her 3 1/2 hours to get it taken care of, most of which was wait time.

It's frustrating, but I try to keep my eye on the prize: our trip in a few weeks!

 

[JBRB828]

The other day I had a 1 hour wait to modify my trip with a problem with adding two more days to my trip. Well, the CM couldn’t help with my issue so she said IT will solve the problem. To transfer me over was a 2 1/2 hour wait……I opted for them to call me back, and they did at exactly the said time.

 

[tjmw2727]

I had a ticketing issue that I needed to address in order to add my niece to our December trip and make her park reservations. I started early evening when my kids were out and I was paying bills and working on my laptop with the call on speaker.

At 3 hours 20 minutes my kids were back we were done with dinner and I joked to my daughter that she should start the movie we were planning on and I would just pay attention to both and just then a CM answered!

I will say the CM was very patient and persistent in finding her ticket, it was dated for an April trip she could not join us on as she was exposed to covid. He was able to change the dates (for a fee of course) in about 30 minutes so close to 4 hours to update a ticket.

 

[cindyfan]

The frustration is out of control. Guests having to wait for hours just to have a question answered!
I experienced this a couple weeks ago.... I finally got someone on the line after multiple calls over the course of a week and then 2 1/2 hour wait. I was to the point of wanting to cancel the trip and head to Universal! I also expressed this to the cast member.... she tried to be understanding but I could also hear the frustration in her voice. She actually was super great!
I did end up emailing guest services regarding my experience and have not heard back yet.
But....
I am really tired of all the excuses.... They simply need to get someone in there that can handle the limited staffing and multiple issues created by everything we have been through.
There is not some magical thing going to happen that will increase the staff. They need to figure out how to work smarter!

Disney has the resources to figure this out... they are just getting lazy and want to use excuses instead of fixing things!
First..... FIX the Disney web site! FIX My Disney Experience!! so that it can handle everything it is supposed to do without crashing every 20 minutes!
Second .... Move the staff around to cover the areas that need the most help! Get smart about staffing!!

I also work for a company that is "short-staffed" but we no longer call it that!! and will not use that as an excuse. This is the new normal for staffing companies that such as retail and food service. You need to be smart about where to put your people! You need to take care of your customers!
They really need to question some of what they do! We have all seen it in the parks! Do they really need to have 8 people holding a rope to each land at MK?? They need half that! They can take 4 of those cast members and train them to answer the phone.... or better yet.... Drive the trams in the parking lot!!!
Some of the things they do are just ridiculous....

The leadership has gone down.... The decisions they are making don't make sense.
Everyone needs to email Disney and express the frustrations!

Sorry.... didn't mean to rant and I guess I got carried away... still frustrated!

 

[dhutchin12]

I’m sorry. It took me 11 1/2 hours to get a ticket issue resolved about 2 weeks ago.

 

[emily nicole]

I waited 3 hours to add a day to my trip a few months ago. I had a room discount and it would not let me change anything online. So after 3 hours when no one picked up, I just cancelled the trip and rebooked. It was a hassle. They truly need to make it easier to change anything you need to, online.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

The phone lines are a complete disgrace from a customer service standpoint right now. I literally waited 4 1/2 hours on hold 2 weeks ago to book on their "play" line for a fireworks cruise our group wishes to do. It is beyond ridiculous, but for something like this, there's not even an online option - phone is the only way. SO many stories like the ones listed in this post. I have heard recently about the call-back option for some callers. That would be a very minimal improvement - at least I wouldn't need to listen to the Winnie the Pooh song 8 million times on hold! I used to love that song - not anymore!

 

[tjmw2727]

The frustration is out of control. Guests having to wait for hours just to have a question answered!
I experienced this a couple weeks ago.... I finally got someone on the line after multiple calls over the course of a week and then 2 1/2 hour wait. I was to the point of wanting to cancel the trip and head to Universal! I also expressed this to the cast member.... she tried to be understanding but I could also hear the frustration in her voice. She actually was super great!
I did end up emailing guest services regarding my experience and have not heard back yet.
But....
I am really tired of all the excuses.... They simply need to get someone in there that can handle the limited staffing and multiple issues created by everything we have been through.
There is not some magical thing going to happen that will increase the staff. They need to figure out how to work smarter!

Disney has the resources to figure this out... they are just getting lazy and want to use excuses instead of fixing things!
First..... FIX the Disney web site! FIX My Disney Experience!! so that it can handle everything it is supposed to do without crashing every 20 minutes!
Second .... Move the staff around to cover the areas that need the most help! Get smart about staffing!!

I also work for a company that is "short-staffed" but we no longer call it that!! and will not use that as an excuse. This is the new normal for staffing companies that such as retail and food service. You need to be smart about where to put your people! You need to take care of your customers!
They really need to question some of what they do! We have all seen it in the parks! Do they really need to have 8 people holding a rope to each land at MK?? They need half that! They can take 4 of those cast members and train them to answer the phone.... or better yet.... Drive the trams in the parking lot!!!
Some of the things they do are just ridiculous....

The leadership has gone down.... The decisions they are making don't make sense.
Everyone needs to email Disney and express the frustrations!

Sorry.... didn't mean to rant and I guess I got carried away... still frustrated!

Do you mind sharing the email for guest services? Not only do I want to "vent" about the long wait times but my CM was excellent and I got disconnected from the survey after the call so I wasn't able to give him the good marks he deserved!

 

[Brett Wyman]

It's common sense, but don't call on the weekend or after work hours on the weekdays. Ive had the best luck with phone in hand a minute before the lines open on weekdays, and keep redialing. Using that method you usually get an under 15 wait. Try it 10 minutes later though and the times shoot way up.

 

[AquaDame]

It's common sense, but don't call on the weekend or after work hours on the weekdays. Ive had the best luck with phone in hand a minute before the lines open on weekdays, and keep redialing. Usign that method you usually get an under 15 wait. Try it 10 minutes later though and the times shoot way up.

Good option if you're EST... I don't like having to get up predawn to call Disney for something simple like adding a day onto a ticket. That is terrible customer service any way you slice it.

 

[DWillowBay]

I totally understand that they don't have enough people to handle the volume. So, then, make the website and app more accessible to do simple things. I'm on hold right now for an estimated 50 minutes in order to make a payment. Their voice system is having 'technical difficulties', so even that is down right now. I'M TRYING TO GIVE YOU MONEY!!! You'd think they'd want that. Spent 17 hours (not all at the same time) to pre-register for my son's DAS(because that's what they asked us to do) only to find out that they changed the rules mid-stream and are now only offering pre-registration for trips that begin from Nov. 1 - 15th. Oh....why not put that out there BEFORE I lost parts of 3 days of my life. No matter how you slice it, this is NOT Disney quality customer service.

 

[tjmw2727]

It's common sense, but don't call on the weekend or after work hours on the weekdays. Ive had the best luck with phone in hand a minute before the lines open on weekdays, and keep redialing. Usign that method you usually get an under 15 wait. Try it 10 minutes later though and the times shoot way up.

If I could have I would have ) Unfortunately this isn't something I can do during "work hours".

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Next they will be selling a skip the call wait line there will be a recording to enter your credit card information for a Lightning Hold.
Disney should expand their internet options if they don't have enough staff for the call center

 

[motherof5]

I'm currently on hold. Forgot to bank points hoping they can reallocate with a upcoming vacation so I don't lose them

 

[Sinder]

My last trip was this past August and there were a few times I had to call to speak with someone and the wait times were insane that I would just hang up. However when I called back to "book a trip" instead of modify an existing one the wait times were miraculously shorter.
I would suggest anyone that wants to speak to someone without waiting HOURS try that.

 

[RoseGold]

I couldn't believe the Star Wars wait times for people trying to fork over 10K.

 

[shh]

Next they will be selling a skip the call wait line there will be a recording to enter your credit card information for a Lightning Hold.
Disney should expand their internet options if they don't have enough staff for the call center

Disney arrogance - has it really ever changed? Anyone here remember the old days - trying to book a room or restaurant in the '70s? I remember back in those days, my dad would get so PO'd because WDW was the only resort that didn't have a toll free number. To book or change anything, you had to call them on your dime - and it was a lot more than a dime - long distance was charged by the minute and expensive back then! (Kids: ask your grandparents about "long distance" calls- lol)

He'd grouse that he was the customer paying THEM - and yet it cost him a fortune every time he called to give them more business. They'd put you on long hold at those long distance prices.