Hi Cinmell
Just thought I would let you know that I was very concerned about that email response by Michael. As you probably realize, I am a big advocate of his site, and I truly believe that every person who signs up for tgm will be not only completely satisfied, but ecstatic. Actually not just ecstatic, but jumping up and down, throw the wine glasses against the fireplace, falling on your knees, that kind of happy. I would not wholeheartedly tell people how great his site is, if I did not truly believe it!!!!! And please understand that this is only my opinion, and I do respect yours.
I am a very honest person, and so it made me very upset that Michael did not give you a satisfactory answer. I Know he must read these threads sometimes, because once, Melrosegirl had some comments about tgm, and they ended up in his vacation articles. Now, I have been using Michaels avp since nov 4th, the first day (or was it the fifth?) and I am very guilty of emailing him, mostly with suggestions of articles I would love to see him write. But from what everybody else has said, he treats all of us like VIP's in the way he answers our emails. I was very surprised that he did not give you a satisfactory answer,so I wrote to TGMike and told him I was confused by him sending you to the Disney site for general information. There are very few articles he hasn't published yet, and I couldn't imagine him sending you somewhere else instead of just answering your questions for you, especially for what you say is 'general information.'
He was very confused and concerned by my letter because he said he has NEVER sent anyone a link to the Disney site in all the years he has been helping guests, and has no idea why he ever would in the future. He said that everyone knows they only provide the most basic type of information, most of it marketing-related, and anything on their site he could answer. There is no vacation planning help on their site, so why would he send you there?
He also added that in this last week he has only provided two links in ALL the emails he has received (when he wasn't sending them to links on his own site). He said he does his best to answer everyone's questions, and this has been mentioned by lots of people in this thread. One was to a guest asking for SeaWorld information, and another was asking about the Mickey Backyard BBQ. In the first he gave her tips on what not to miss in the park and which Shamu show she should see to avoid crowds. The second one is seasonal, so he hadn't added it. But even then, he sent her to the bbq link on wdwig.com, and gave her the updated 2003 info instead of the 2002 prices that are still on their page.
He also said that it wouldn't be proper for him to respond to your post on these boards because he's a commercial business, but he would be very thankful if you would write to him personally and identify yourself and your concerns. If it is 'general information' you're after, he said he would write the article personally for you tonight - but he has no idea what that is if you don't let him know. And if you are displeased by not finding the 'general information' you need, he will gladly issue you a full refund.
You can probably tell that I actually paraphrased a lot of his letter to me, and I would just like to point out that this genuine, frank concern is evident in all the emails he has ever sent me. I expect you should get the same service because I believe he is this way with all his guests. What say you Treeof life? And has anybody else who owns an avp found Michael to be other than fantastic? Cinmell, are you really only looking at the few unfinished articles without looking at the tons of information he has written on everything else? You're entitled to your opinion - I know this - but you're really missing out if you're not reading what's there.
Hope this info helps you out, and please write Michael if you're unhappy.
cheers
Alison Kelly
Cambridge, Ontario
