Well this really bites and I'm more than a bit upset with WDW!

[crisi]

Maybe I'm lucky...in all the trips I've done with Disney and all the phone calls I've made, I've neve been on hold more than three or four minutes. And I only call once. I can't imagine that resulting in an $80 phone bill.

 

[Alexander]

The cost for an 800 trunk line is not that large in the greater scheme for WDW and it is in fact a cost they know we will incur just to get our planning done. I don't pay Marriott, JetBlue, Delta, and so on. An 800 is an expected cost of doing business and one of the only things I really flame WDW for not addressing.

Yes, I can use a cell phone but have phone that sometimes service is so so. I also have an x # of minutes per month plan so with the time spent on these calls would have really dented my plan hours and possibly gone over so I would have been paying OOP anyways. Its just a silly thing for a company like WDW to not have this number.

For the person who posted the 800 number, thank you so much! I'll use that while I continue to finalize our last few ADRs. We are really excited to be going and we may not get that last ADR we want (table for CRT b'fast for 2 on our anniversary!) but I'll keep trying and maybe some pixie will sprinkle the dust on me! lol

Have a lovely day all!

Yes, and Marriott, JetBlue, Delta and the like all have competition and want your business. What competition does Disney have? As a previous poster said, people will make those calls regardless if they have to foot the bill or not.

And believe me, DVC members guard their 800 number carefully because we do pay for every single call that goes through. Not to be mean, but do you really know how much an 800 line costs when you didn't even know how much your phone bill was going to cost?

 

[mskayjay]

We do not have a Verizon plan on the home phone so that is part of the problem. We don't use it often enough to make it worthwhile and this time it bit us. I get better clarity with the regular phone so I used that instead of cell so shame on me.

So lets see.....

28 minutes on 5/15 $11.20
2 minutes on 5/19 $.80
69 minutes on 5/19 $27.60
2 minutes on 5/19 $.80
3 minutes on 5/20 $1.20
62 minutes on 5/20 $24.80
21 minutes on 6/7 $8.40
187 minutes total for $74.80 on this part of the bill alone. Add in tax, etc. almost $80!

 

[mskayjay]

Not to be mean, but do you really know how much an 800 line costs when you didn't even know how much your phone bill was going to cost?

Yes, actually I do have a very good idea thank you! And the only reason I didn't "even know how much your phone bill was going to cost" was because we don't normally use it like this. We had the Verizon plan removed just a few months ago as we were not using it that much. Live and learn, fairly expensive mistake but not the end of the world. And competition or not.....my area newspaper that has no competition (Post Standard out of Syracuse) provides an 800 number for their callers to use when contacting customer service from outside the area so their customers do not incur the cost of a phone charge. If a smaller operation is so considerate of their customers, WDW should be as well. Again, my humble opinion.

 

[Matt'sMom]

We use a TA. That way I don't have any time or $$$ invested in calling WDW CRO or Dining.

----------

Making our resort ressies at WDW = $0

Adjusting ressies, to take advantage of the best discounts/special offers = $0

Making ADRs (without ever waiting on hold) = $0

Adding special packages, such as the Candlelight Processional = $0

Stress free WDW vacation planning (thanks to our TA) = Priceless!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

We do not have a Verizon plan on the home phone so that is part of the problem. We don't use it often enough to make it worthwhile and this time it bit us. I get better clarity with the regular phone so I used that instead of cell so shame on me.

So lets see.....

28 minutes on 5/15 $11.20
2 minutes on 5/19 $.80
69 minutes on 5/19 $27.60
2 minutes on 5/19 $.80
3 minutes on 5/20 $1.20
62 minutes on 5/20 $24.80
21 minutes on 6/7 $8.40
187 minutes total for $74.80 on this part of the bill alone. Add in tax, etc. almost $80!

Even when I use my landline phone for long distance, it's only 10 cents a minute. And for the past several years, I've used my cell exclusively for long distance. Usually the only charges I incur are when my parents are at my house and use my regular phone for a long distance call. Call your phone company and get a long distance plan added to your service.

 

[luckytobeme88]

Why didn't you take full advantage of your cell phone plan? FREE NIGHTS and WEEKENDS?????

 

[momto2inKC]

You can't really be upset with Disney because of what you're carrier charges for phone calls

 

[Alexander]

Sorry, one more comment and I'm letting this go...

You are comparing the Post Standard's distribution area to the number of people who call WDW? I live in Upstate NY and know full well the distribution of this newspaper. WDW visitors have no boundaries. They come from all over the world.

 

[my3sons77]

That's great that they do have an 800 # but it is not widely known and they do not send that number out in the information that is mailed to you. They always give the 407 number.

Yes it would be great if we all could make one phone call and get all of our adr's taken care of, but that is not always the case. I know personally I have made several calls, thankfully I have not had to wait for very long.

Disney can afford to get an 800 number and they should.

 

[mskayjay]

You can't really be upset with Disney because of what you're carrier charges for phone calls

Nope I'm not upset with them for that. I'm annoyed that they no longer have 800 numbers available to make reservations like every other major company seems to have. Thats all.

And again, I removed the calling plan on the land line because we didn't use it that much. I made an error in judgement in using the land line to call WDW but did so because you get better clarity on the land line versus our cell phone. Thats all! Yes our old plan cost us .10 per minute too but we rarely utilized it. Silly mistake, my bad, flaming can cease now, I just think WDW should absorb the cost of 800 numbers for guests at teh very least AFTER you have a resort ressie and want to make a call. Again, mho.....

 

[mskayjay]

Sorry, one more comment and I'm letting this go...

You are comparing the Post Standard's distribution area to the number of people who call WDW? I live in Upstate NY and know full well the distribution of this newspaper. WDW visitors have no boundaries. They come from all over the world.

I only mentioned this as you were talking about a lack of competition. PS has no real competitors and provides an 800 number. That makes your argument for WDW not having the numbers due to lack of competition moot.

And yes, lets let it go. We obviously have drastically different viewpoints and I want no hostilities or animosity with anyone on here, really. I'm very easy going. This just really twisted me a bit. Sorry if any of my comments came across as cross.
K

 

[skipperkim]

1-800-711-4344

Just used it. Hope this helps in the future.

[I use Voice Over Internet Protocol - Packet 8. Like Vonage but only $20 a month: unlimited long distance, local, call waiting, call forwarding, automatic call forwarding, email phone messages, remote message checking, 911, etc. We also have a battery surge protector that kicks in for our computer if the power goes out.]

Diana

Thanks for the update.

 

[Katiebell]

Folks, I'm not making a statement on the morality of posting or using a toll-free number Obviously, Disney makes plenty of money from us, and could afford to provide a toll-free number for us to call. But they don't want to, and they don't have to, because as Alexander pointed out, they have no competition -- they don't need a toll-free number to attract our business.

I worked for a long distance company for over 5 years, and one of the products we sold was a toll-free number for business use. Those bills can rack up, especially if you have a lot of customers using the number. Think of the thousands and thousands of minutes of calls Disney gets every single day from thousands and thousands of guests...it does add up. To an astronomical sum

PrincessAli, that number may not be a TA number, at least not one used by AAA, but it's certainly not a number Disney intended for the general public. If Disney had a toll-free number they intended for the public to use, they would publish it on their websites and in their travel literature. So anyone can certainly use that number -- for as long as it lasts. But for every toll free number you see posted on here, you see reports shortly after that it's been disconnected, sometimes within the same thread. Just search for threads that say things like, "Does anyone have a toll free number for Disney Dining? Mine doesn't work anymore!"

BTW, my home long distance is .07/min, nationwide, 24 hours a day. It's not even the cheapest plan out there, but it works for us. If you are paying a high rate for long distance, you should check with your carrier and see if you can get a better plan. Our cell phone has free long distance, but yeah, the reception is better on the home phone.

 

[daisyduck123]

Now that it's been posted, within a very short time after folks see it here and start using it, Disney will shut the number down. Lots of people have posted lots of toll free numbers on boards like this, and every single time, the numbers have been disconnected.

Fwiw, I've been using that number since I saw it posted in February.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

I have long distance included in my phone service, so calling WDW doesn't cost me anything extra, but I can understand why the OP would be upset.

I would also be letting WDW know about this and complaining that they need to get us a 1-800 number again or figure out a way to answer calls more quickly.

 

[CarolA]

Interesting. I also have always wondered why a company like Disney wouldn't have 800 numbers for reservations and dining but your post makes perfect sense. I can only imagine the amount of calls Disney gets in a day. When you look at it like that, I think I would rather pay for my own calls to Disney as opposed to having the cost of everyone's calls passed on to me in higher prices.

To keep long distance costs low for us, I also use my cell phone, make all my ADRs at once and call during "off" times so the waits aren't so long.

A poster on the Resort board told us why there is no "free number" Folks clog it up calling to "talk to Mickey Mouse" (I am NOT making this up and I don't think he was either. He said CRO gets TONS of calls on the 800 numbers where folks think it's a call to Mickey" )

 

[bytheblood]

There is an 800 number you can call for dining. That number is not a widely shared number or given out by Disney Corporation.

I am sorry that your phone bill was so high and I agree with your being upset. It irks me that the only place I ever call for a vacation that has really long hold times is on my dime.

Telling people to use their telephone is a pitiful rebuttle. I never call anywhere on my cell phone where I have to give out personal information such as a credit card number, my telephone number, etc. I have picked up too many others calls where I heard more than any person should. It is a good thing I am honest. Privacy is a right I still have and I choose to use it.

My suggestion to you is that you write to Disney Corporation and share this frustration with them. It is ridiculous that a company of their size, knowing their hold times are long, should expect their guests to pay to hold to speak with a CM. It is even worse when you get a CM who does not know what they are doing which forces you to call again.


WDW.Guest.Communications@disneyworld.com
&
robert.iger@disney.com

 

[Katiebell]

Fwiw, I've been using that number since I saw it posted in February.

If it keeps working, that's great ...but this is what I'm talking about:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=24615477#post24615477&highlight=toll+free

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=24403454#post24403454&highlight=toll+free

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=24409129#post24409129&highlight=toll+free

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=24499415#post24499415&highlight=toll+free

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=21523562#post21523562&highlight=toll free

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1621132

 

[crisi]

Disney can afford, Disney makes plenty of money off of us.....

Do you guys have any idea what a lousy investment Disney has been over the past decade? Disney does NOT make money hand over fist. If they pay for a toll free number, they raise prices to pay for it - they aren't going to eat the expense - shareholder watch their margins like hawks. Particularly when everything Disney provides is getting more expensive - imagine the gas bill Disney has for those buses! Dining is already expensive, do you guys really want the expense of someone's addiction to changing their reservations every two days for 180 days via an 800 number passed on to you?