UPDATE! Complaints to/about DLR

[Brady's Mom]

I have discovered in my evolution from a "not say anything, suffer in silence person" to a "you must make this right for me person", that NICELY and FIRMLY will usually get you what you want. A lot of times the first person that you speak to either doesn't have the authority to do anything or are afraid to do anything because they don't want to get in trouble.

Always ask to speak to someone higher up if you don't feel you are being treated fairly. I have found that when I am nice and firm and specific about what I want and how this is inappropriate that I can usually get the problem resolved.

Although I have never had a problem at DLR, I wouldn't hesitate to say something when I am there. I think sending an email later helps, but I think that saying something right there and asking for a resolution is even better.

And I still get all freaked out and shaky when I have to confront someone about something. But, I have learned from my DH that I can do it and not be a *itch about it.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Did you just finish your trip? Was it you who was doing the whole Northern California thing, then down to San Diego and breakfast with Shamu, and then to DLR and a stay in the GCH, or am I thinking of someone else entirely? (My brain is getting fuzzy...age setting in...) I didn't realize your trip was this soon! Did you do a trip report? It can't hurt to let DLR know about anything they need to improve upon. Their customer service usually far surpasses any service from non-Disney places, so I am sure they slip every now and again. They are held to such a high standard. I almost felt guilty having to e-mail them this time but the PPH issues were worth mentioning, and they should make sure that waitress at Carnation gets her act together! The CM's should have all of their facts straight about the DVC discounts and all the discounts because, in this terrible economy, many guests are going to be relying on those discounts to go to DLR in the first place. Even if you never speak to anyone at DLR, sending the e-mail through the Contact Us section of the website like I did can't be bad! It will at least bring to their attention that they need to make sure all the CM's are informed about DVC points and other discounts!

Yes, that's me! I've only written a couple of quick things not a real TR yet. It will be coming. We got home late Friday night. Had to do laundry and go to a birthday party Saturday. Finally, today (Sunday) I am about to get my pictures onto my computer. My DH will most likely write the TR. He kept a journal on our 10 day trip. He's only actually written 2 days (and made notes on the rest.) I did already edit and order my photopass pics though!

 

[JDBlair]

I want to send DL an E-mail about a CM that really made a magical moment for my DD on Wednesday. Does anyone know where I can send that?

 

[Sherry E]

I want to send DL an E-mail about a CM that really made a magical moment for my DD on Wednesday. Does anyone know where I can send that?

I assume you would go through the same channels to do that as you would if you sent complaint. You go to the DLR website and click Contact Us at the bottom of the page and follow the prompts. I clicked the option that said something like, "Comments about a recent trip to DLR," so you could select that one, BUT I almost think that I saw an option to select that was more specific to what you want to do, like especially for praising a good CM. You will see the list of options once you click Contact Us and then fill out your contact info.

 

[Sherry E]

Well, here is a non-update to my initial post in this thread!! I am assuming that, for whatever reason, I either stumped the Powers that Be in Guest Services at DLR and they don't know how to respond to my complaints (about poopy water in the PPH room) OR they are inundated with more complaints than usual from other guests this month, because I STILL have not heard a peep from them! I sent the first e-mail to them about the PPH issues ,as well as my Carnation Cafe comments, about 1-1/2 weeks ago, and still no reply. This seems unusual, given the time frame in which they usually respond to guests' complaints, according to what the fine folks of DISboards have told me!! Then, after thinking about it, I realized that I probably should separate the hotel-related e-mail from the dining-related e-mail, because, chances are, two separate divisions of Disney/Guest Services would handle those problems. Also, I had a feeling they wouldn't say/do much about the dining problems at Carnation and that was okay, but I wanted them to pay attention to the PPH water problem, as that could be a health hazard. So I re-e-mailed them with the PPH issues addressed in one message and the dining issues addressed in a separate e-mail. And it has almost been a full week since I sent those two out!

So something tells me that with the greater number of people attending the parks this Halloween season comes more complaints, and they are probably trying to sift through them all! Either that, or they are 'investigating' my complaint about the water in my PPH room and verifying if what I said about it is true.

 

[Sherry E]

DLR's Guest Services Dept.'s ears must have been burning, because, right after I posted that I had not heard anything from them, I received this e-mail:

"Thank you for your e-mail to the DISNEYLAND® Resort. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us. We are sorry for the
disappointments you mentioned in your e-mail.

We apologize that our usual high standards were not apparent during your
recent stay at DISNEY'S PARADISE PIER Hotel. We strive to provide the
best in service and accommodations and have always prided ourselves in
providing our Guests with a clean and safe environment. Please be
assured our standards have not changed. It is unfortunate that we were
unaware of your dissatisfaction while you were here, as prompt,
corrective action could have been taken. Your comments have been shared
with the appropriate management teams in order to avoid similar
situations in the future.

We also appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts about
priority seating at the Blue Bayou Restaurant with us. As you know,
this service allows our Guests to be seated at the next available table
as close as possible to the requested time. In some cases, parties may
be seated almost immediately, while at other times, there may be a wait.
We apologize if our Cast Members did not clearly explain the process.
Please be assured we take your comments very seriously.

Again, thank you for contacting us. Comments such as yours are welcomed
in that they assist us in evaluating our operation and our success in
generating happiness for our Guests. We hope you will have the
opportunity to visit the DISNEYLAND® Resort soon and that our
attractions and entertainment will delight you in every way."

What is funny is that I barely mentioned the Blue Bayou at all in my complaint - I only said it was an hour wait even with the PS's we made. So they are being rather patronizing in their commentary on that. And I already knew all about the PS process, so no one was misinformed in that area. But they ignored my Carnation Cafe "bad service" comments entirely, which were much more detailed. And, as for my PPH stay, you notice they are basically implying that I should have complained while I was there and they would have remedied the problem, but since we left the property, we are out of luck!! They never explained what the poopy water smell was, though!

Well, not surprising, I guess. If they don't take other guests' complaints of food poisoning at their restaurants seriously, they wouldn't take poopy water form the faucet seriously either! But the moral of the story is: if you have a problem when you are at the hotel, complain while you are there and not when you get home, as I did!

 

[evilprncess96]

It sounds to me that you received the bit about BB because they get the complaint a LOT and that was just the standard cut and paste answer. With that being said, you would think that they would be on top of the customer service complaints in all of their restaurants. That seems to be one of the biggest compaints that I hear on this board. I think that people are getting more and more disappointed with BB because of the service. Everyone knows that it is going to be overpriced, but people are willing to pay for that for the experience. Now with the experience going down the drain, the die hard fans are walking away. Unfortunatly it is in enough of a demand that they won't notice they are loosing customers.

 

[Sherry E]

It sounds to me that you received the bit about BB because they get the complaint a LOT and that was just the standard cut and paste answer. With that being said, you would think that they would be on top of the customer service complaints in all of their restaurants. That seems to be one of the biggest compaints that I hear on this board. I think that people are getting more and more disappointed with BB because of the service. Everyone knows that it is going to be overpriced, but people are willing to pay for that for the experience. Now with the experience going down the drain, the die hard fans are walking away. Unfortunatly it is in enough of a demand that they won't notice they are loosing customers.

I think you're right. They just pulled out the go-to Blue Bayou reply and inserted it in the e-mail!! I told them that I think Disneyland Dining overbooks the PS's for Blue Bayou, and that is why so many people are left waiting for so long. If they cut down the number of PS's they accept or began to take REAL reservations, it might help this problem a little bit. I think you are right on the money when you say that BB is in hot enough demand that DLR won't notice (or care) if they are losing business.

I am still really surprised that they ignored the Carnation Cafe complaints entirely - perhaps they don't have a 'standard' reply to that one that they could stick in the response! And the reply about the PPH is what I expected, though I think it is a cop-out in a way. They could make reparations or reimburse anyone they want to - whether they are still on the property or not. There are likely tons of guests whose agendas are busy or they have limited time in the parks and don't have time to deal with lodging a formal complaint while they are there and going through that drill, so they wait until they get home. It happens all the time. People write letters to restaurants after they have eaten there, people write to hotels - it is a common practice! DLR just doesn't want to really accept responsibility (as proven by their responses to the folks who have complained about getting sick from their food) so they try to justify doing nothing by implying that they 'would have acted promptly' had the complaint been filed on the spot. Blah blah blah.

Anyway, it is all very enlightening but not shocking, I suppose. It is a bit disappointing that they don't try to make it right with guests as other non-Disney places would! But, oh well. I will still go back to DLR again, and I am sure next time will be better!! This was really the first time that so many things went wrong in one trip! Usually, they are on their game!

 

[toocherie]

Sherry: one week is nothing.

I sent a message to Disneyland on SEPTEMBER 7TH and still have not received a reply.

I emailed disney@visit.disneyland.com

Is that the address you used?

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry: one week is nothing.

I sent a message to Disneyland on SEPTEMBER 7TH and still have not received a reply.

I emailed disney@visit.disneyland.com

Is that the address you used?

What I did was - and supposedly, according to the CM I spoke to in Reservations, this is the most efficient way to get a reply - go to the DLR website, then click on Contact Us at the very bottom of the page. Then, a form pops up to fill out your address and phone number, message and all that. You then select the subject of your e-mail from their menu, and one of the options was Comments About A Visit To DLR (or a similar title). I selected that one, and that is what got the response I received today. Northshoremama mentioned in another thread that she did that once and they (Guest Relations) e-mailed her back as they did with me, and she wasn't satisfied with the answer so she hit 'Reply' and sent an e-mail back to them again until she got an appropriate resolution from them. So it seems they have their standard 'defenses' but when 'nudged' a little, they may offer an acceptable solution or compensation!!

 

[perlster]

This is one area where Disney doesn't seem to be all that special - their vague, boiler-plate responses remind me of Knott's Berry Farm. Over two visits, I had poor experiences eating at three different places. The reply was simply that my complaints would be passed onto management. Given the slow, poor service I experienced, I was disappointed that I was offered no compensation of any sort. My response is that I haven't been back in a couple of years, and won't be putting any more money into their restaurants.

 

[toocherie]

I'm not looking for them to compensate me for anything; my issue is with accessible access to the Toy Story Mania ride--the way they have it set up (with having to go up stairs at the end of the ride or else you have to use accessible area) is insane. And creates a real bottleneck in the accessible area at times.

 

[Sherry E]

This is one area where Disney doesn't seem to be all that special - their vague, boiler-plate responses remind me of Knott's Berry Farm. Over two visits, I had poor experiences eating at three different places. The reply was simply that my complaints would be passed onto management. Given the slow, poor service I experienced, I was disappointed that I was offered no compensation of any sort. My response is that I haven't been back in a couple of years, and won't be putting any more money into their restaurants.

You're right, Perlster. Disney doesn't seem to surpass Knott's in their handling of customer complaints. They don't even necessarily surpass other restaurants in terms of handling complaints - and that still boggles my mind because I am positive that if you ate at, say, Denny's or Red Lobster or Chili's, etc., and were dissatisfied with the meal, that establishment would say, "Your dinner is on us," or offer you a free meal in the future. That is what they SHOULD do for good customer service, within reason, of course. The more I think of it, there should be compensation for that sort of thing by Disney. But they either feel they offer so much 'magic' that they don't need to attend to the little details such as that, or they just don't feel responsible for anything.

I'm not looking for them to compensate me for anything; my issue is with accessible access to the Toy Story Mania ride--the way they have it set up (with having to go up stairs at the end of the ride or else you have to use accessible area) is insane. And creates a real bottleneck in the accessible area at times.

Yes, I see in your complaint, it wouldn't be one requiring compensation but more an issue of safety. When I first got off of TSMM for the first time and saw those stairs, I remember thinking that people with various orthopedic problems or people otherwise handicapped or immobile would have a heck of a time getting out. You are right - it is not a good set-up for the exit of that ride at all and can cause traffic back-up if you try to use the accessible exit. I can totally see where that could happen!

 

[pixiewings71]

As someone who receives a lot of the same request/complaint/suggestion emails, many times we simply cut/paste. It's time saving and it gets repitious typing the same thing over and over and over and over and over again. I'm sure you understand. BUT in your case Sherry, they should have at least updated the restaurant info and made sure it was to suit YOUR issues and not everyone else's. And yes, they should have offered you some kind of reparation, it shouldn't matter when you made your complaint, it should only matter that you made it. I'm sorry they seem to have blown you off, send a reply and let them know that you aren't happy and see what happens from there.

 

[Sherry E]

As someone who receives a lot of the same request/complaint/suggestion emails, many times we simply cut/paste. It's time saving and it gets repitious typing the same thing over and over and over and over and over again. I'm sure you understand. BUT in your case Sherry, they should have at least updated the restaurant info and made sure it was to suit YOUR issues and not everyone else's. And yes, they should have offered you some kind of reparation, it shouldn't matter when you made your complaint, it should only matter that you made it. I'm sorry they seem to have blown you off, send a reply and let them know that you aren't happy and see what happens from there.

That is exactly what I did, Pixiewings71! (Borrowing a page from Northshoremama's book!) And I understand some people can get crazy with complaints, i.e., "I didn't like the color of my curtains," or "The thread count of the bedsheets wasn't up to snuff," or "Why didn't Mickey Mouse come to our room and visit us personally?" But sometimes, people DO have legitimate complaints that DLR should handle in some way - nothing outrageous, obviously, but at least show they are interested in making it right. I think it was Audrabolster who said in this thread that she got very ill after eating at Cafe Orleans, and even though she did not take DLR up on their offer, they did ask her to call them so they could make it right somehow. Now, it seems like they don't even care if people get sick at their restaurants - they have "regular inspections," so, of course, there is no way the food could possibly be spoiled or bad!! Thus, it is not their fault!

Ah well...I still love the Mouse and always will. And I will still go back to DLR and pay ridiculous prices for things (when money allows) because they DO provide SO much magic and so many memories and all that. I guess they are showing some signs of a breakdown in the Customer Service side of things, but hopefully, they will soon get back to their usual above-par service!!

 

[Sherry E]

I wrote Guest Communications back after that e-mail they sent me last week, and they replied a few days ago:

"Thank you for your continued correspondence with the DISNEYLAND® Resort.

We regret that you were not satisfied with our original response to you. Your comments concerning your visit are appreciated and are taken into consideration when evaluating our operation. We can assure you they have been shared with the appropriate management for their review.

Regrettably, we can only address those concerns that are brought to our attention. If our Front Desk or Guest Services Cast Members had been made aware of your plumbing concerns, an immediate request would have been made for our plumbing staff to investigate the situation in your room. If needed, certainly a room move could also have been arranged.

We are of course sorry that you were not satisfied with your dining experience at Carnation Cafe. We strive to provide the best in service and food, and we regret that this was not the case during your visit. Your server should certainly have been both willing and able to adjust or replace your order to meet your satisfaction.

To help alleviate your disappointment, we would be happy to consider offering you food vouchers for a future visit. In order to do so, we need to ask you to send us your actual receipt from the Carnation Cafe. We suggest retaining a photocopy of the receipt for your own records.

Again, if in the future you encounter any inconveniences or disappointments, please feel free to inform a Cast Member that you would like to speak with a manager. You are also invited to visit City Hall in DISNEYLAND® Park or the Guest Relations Lobby in DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE® Park to register your comments. We are confident, when given the opportunity, our Cast Members can resolve your concerns with the utmost professionalism and courtesy. It is our goal in any situation to provide outstanding service to your family and exceed your expectations.

Once again, thank you for contacting us. It is through feedback such as yours that we can identify and develop ways to meet the needs of our Guests and ensure they have a pleasant visit. We look forward to having you as our Guest again in the future."

Okay, so that is that. End of story. They won't budge on the hotel room issue (because that is the costlier issue for them, and they don't want to credit anything back for it if they can get away with it) but they will "consider" offering me food vouchers when I send in my Carnation Cafe receipt. That is something, at least. Better than nothing. But I did complain about both the hotel AND Carnation at the same time, and you notice they CAN cough up something for the Carnation meal after the fact (when they want to) but not for the hotel room after the fact. Interesting. And I don't even want a full refund of my money - not even half of it. Just an offer to do something - a small credit of some kind. But they won't do it, so that is the end of that saga! We all know now to make any hotel complaints while we are still there - no matter how much time it takes out of your trip!

Has anyone received food vouchers from DLR before? Do they apply only to a certain restaurant, or can you use them for any meal in the parks? In any case, if they do send them, we will gladly use them wherever. Usually, Carnation is great, so we will go back there and try it again if that is what the vouchers are for!

 

[reynmagsmom]

as too knotts complaints i had a biggy 2 years ago and when i contacted the park 6 months after my vacation my complaint was handled as if it had just happened in our case they offered us comped tickets to visit the park again to see if perhaps our issues had indeed been addressed and you know what we used those comped tickets in april of this year and every issue we had was addressed and our trip to knotts was on par to the many times i went growing up, a much better exp. was had.... although i have never had an issue with DLR i would hope(although now hope seems slim after reading all of your posts) they too would make sure the same thing didnt happen again

 

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

Wow. That is crazy about their response to you Sherry. At least you got SOMETHING. Geez. I'm sorry that all that was for a food voucher. Thats how i felt when I contacted Tortilla Joe's. I talked to the manager there on the phone while I was STILL sick and all he could say is 'we checked the kitchens and everything was in order.' He didn't offer me ANYTHING even though I had stated to him that it was my engagement weekend and all the time and effort had gone down the drain because we couldn't enjoy DLR because I was projectile vomiting for hours.

Thanks for the heads up about contacting DLR while still in the hotel. If I find any issues, I'll definitely go to the front desk and handle it when we are there (if anything does happen!).

 

[Sherry E]

Wow. That is crazy about their response to you Sherry. At least you got SOMETHING. Geez. I'm sorry that all that was for a food voucher. Thats how i felt when I contacted Tortilla Joe's. I talked to the manager there on the phone while I was STILL sick and all he could say is 'we checked the kitchens and everything was in order.' He didn't offer me ANYTHING even though I had stated to him that it was my engagement weekend and all the time and effort had gone down the drain because we couldn't enjoy DLR because I was projectile vomiting for hours.

Thanks for the heads up about contacting DLR while still in the hotel. If I find any issues, I'll definitely go to the front desk and handle it when we are there (if anything does happen!).

Oh, yes, I remember your TJ's story well, Jasmine. I remember the good experiences people have had with complaining to DLR, BUT I also remember the bad ones too! (I file them away in my mind for future reference!!) I can see that the response you got from TJ's was similar to a response someone else on DISboards said they got when they complained about getting ill after eating at one of the DLR restaurants. The reply they got was basically what you got - they do regular inspections, blah blah blah, and basically, it wasn't their fault. That answer makes me nuts (and I am not even the one who got sick!!)!! We all know DLR is pretty immaculate for a theme park. They do an exceptional job of keeping the grounds, bathrooms and property clean every day, despite the thousands of people tromping through there on a daily basis. So I expect they take the same care with their kitchens. But just because they don't have rodents or roaches living in the kitchen and the facilities are clean does NOT mean that they couldn't have served you bad chicken. You had the chicken sandwich, if I recall?. The chicken could have been spoiled or not handled properly or left out too long. The "regular inspections" can't cover all of that every second of the day. Maybe DLR did not purposely seek out bad chicken, but that doesn't mean they didn't serve it. So, even if they were not aware it was bad, the fact that a customer got violently ill at TJ's and complained about it should definitely warrant an offer of a free meal (not that you want to go back to TJ's!) in the future, or a refund of that meal!!! I still can't believe they treat people getting food poisoning so lightly! I imagine if you had really pushed them like I am and continued to send them e-mails, they would have eventually comped you something, but I am sure you don't want to bother with all that trouble when you are so busy. I couldn't even get around to sending in my Carnation receipt to DLR on the last couple of days because I have been swamped with freelance work. So pursuing a complaint is very laborious and time consuming and who wants to deal with that? I imagine a lot of people just give up and let the issues go and so no reparation is made.

Anyway, yes, it will be interesting to see if this lady I sent my original Carnation Cafe receipt to will deem me worthy of getting the food vouchers! They are not budging on the hotel issue at all, so they are REALLY chintzy if they cannot offer up some free food for a bad experience!

 

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

Anyway, yes, it will be interesting to see if this lady I sent my original Carnation Cafe receipt to will deem me worthy of getting the food vouchers! They are not budging on the hotel issue at all, so they are REALLY chintzy if they cannot offer up some free food for a bad experience!

I KNOWWW !!! Lets hope they do because it would be ridiculous if they didn't. Geez, what a way to kill the Disney buzz. Next time you'll be able to enjoy Carnation Cafe for its greatness (hopefully) !!