"What time does the 3 o'clock parade start" and other stupid questions.

[Keggy]

Did it ever occur to the bus driver to ask if the guest meant Magic Kingdom? I know that since the eraly 80's tehre has been more to WDW than just MK, but some of us still call it Disney World instead of Magic Kingdom out of habit.

I was going to post this as well. Anyone who works at WDW should know to ask, do you mean the Magic Kingdom? This is common for guests to refer to MK as WDW.

Also, on the 3:00 parade bit - that never bothered me when I worked at Magic Kingdom for the parade, since the parade hits different places in the parks at different times.

 

[cmwade77]

Some of my favorites from Disney Parks:

Why can't the fireworks take place during the day?

Why can't they have fireworks when it's raining?

Right next to the sign for the restroom asking a cast member where the nearest restroom is.

Here's one that I found funny on the part of the CM working at the entrance to Autopia:
Guest 1: Where is the distribution for Fastpass?
CM: Up the stairs and to the right.

Guest 2: Where is the distribution for Fastpass?
CM: Up the stairs and to the right.

Guest 3: Where is the distribution for Fastpass?
CM: Up the stairs and to the right.

Guest 4: Where is the nearest restroom?
CM: Up the stairs and to the right.

Oops, I guess when you get so used to saying one thing repeatedly....

 

[wvrevy]

We actually have terms for these kinds of things in the IT world. We call them "I-D-Ten-T" errors (ID10T), or, if we have to classify them on a report, we can sometimes get away with "PEBCAK" (Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard).

 

[Lorix2]

I'm a waitress and get this question often, when the customer asks what our vegetable choices are:

Me: "Your choices are broccoli, carrots, corn or mashed cauliflower"
Guest: "no green beans?"

Or whatever other veggie they wanted, but I didn't mention because I don't have it to offer

 

[raysnkaysmom]

well being in the same industry I get the same questions

My favourite is "I need to leave the West Coast at a certain time, go to the East Coast for meetings all day and return the same day" Which would be all well and good if they were in the same time zone!!!


My favourite job was working for a cruise line up in Alaska and the Yukon.

in Skagway there is a clock painted on a cliff. It is obviously PAINTED on there. Never fail, at least once a week... "Is that clock right?" yep twice a day.


Every cruise we would hear "Will we be seeing any animals today?" hmmm I dont know let me call ahead and see if they have released them yet.

Another common one was "With all the money Alaska has its oil, cant they do something to clean up those glaciers? theyre filthy!"


My all time favourite though was when I was helping greet passengers coming off the ship. Now if youve never been to Skagway, it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. there are mountains on 3 sides and the ocean on the other. There are mountains that come right up from the ocean and tower over the town. Anyway, this guy gets off the ship, mind you it is an OCEAN GOING SHIP, and he says "Excuse me, Miss, but what elevation are we at?" Um well.... lets see you look to be about 6 feet tall... the dock is maybe 3 feet above the water.... so lets say 9 ft?

LOLOL...Even though I get it...that elevation question would probably be something I asked before it dawned on me what a stupid question it was!!

Generally, what frustrates me is when, I'm at work.. wearing a name tag, and possibly on a ladder or something obviously employee related...they will stop and say
"Excuse me, do you work here?"

Nah..I just like the spiffy name tag and ladders

 

[SamRoc]

My cell phone stopped working so I dialed the customer service number on my home phone. I explained to the girl the problem, that my cell phone stopped working, no incoming or outgoing calls. She asked me this really stupid question "Are you calling from the cell phone with the problem?!" I couldnt believe it!!!

 

[Missy1961]

Or-"What time is Midnight Mass?" My favorite from volunteering at Church.

Well, my church hasn't had a Midnight Mass in years....they now have an 11 PM instead! Maybe it's someone from my area.

 

[jennyl772003]

I had my usual stupid question yesterday. It never fails.

I was at Hartsfield airport working for the USO. Another lady was volunteering and in conversation, I had to explain that I was legally blind and needed help noticing soldiers coming up the escalators. She just looked at me, said she never would have known and then asked,"Why don't you just get glasses?"

It never fails.

Are there any hearing-impaired folks out there who get asked why don't they just get some hearing aids?

I hear you. DS is legally blind. When he was little, people would say that all the time. Now, he's also nearsighted, so he wears glasses. Which of course in the minds of people who don't know any better, cures him. It's hard for people to grasp that even with glasses, he is still legally blind.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

My cell phone stopped working so I dialed the customer service number on my home phone. I explained to the girl the problem, that my cell phone stopped working, no incoming or outgoing calls. She asked me this really stupid question "Are you calling from the cell phone with the problem?!" I couldnt believe it!!!

Last weekend my phone's screen randomly went blank and wouldn't come back. I called my mom to get ideas on how to fix it. She couldn't talk then, but said she would ask her coworkers (techies) and call me back. The next day I called her. She said she sent me a text message saying she didn't know how to fix my blank screen....

 

[txSleepingBeauty]

I work in a bookstore....

Me: What can I help you with?
Them: Umm, I lookig for a book.
Me: ooh sorry, I just sold the last one!

and of course the "Do you work here" when I have a nametag on, a huge stack of books in my arms or am sitting in front of a section clearly realphabetizing it....

oh and, does my library card work here?

 

[Chattyaholic]

I'm a waitress and we have a full menu, plus a daily buffet. We always have broasted chicken on the buffet, along with another meat or two. It never fails, when the restaurant (seats about 100 people) is busy someone standing in front of the buffet will stop me and ask "are they going to bring out any more chicken?" I always say, "yes, they will bring it out as soon as it's finished cooking" but I want to tell them with a serious look on my face "no. No more chicken for today. People have had their quota."

Another one is when I bring water glasses to the table, place each glass in front of a person, and while I'm in the process of greeting them, one person will ask "can I get a glass of water?" Duh...it's right in front of you...

And my favorite of all, we close at 8:00. At 2 minutes to 8:00 people will walk in with sheepish looks on their faces and ask "Are we too late?" Good grief, yes, you're too late!! But of course we can't say that. We have to grit our teeth, smile and say "oh, no, you're not too late", then they feel they have the right to stay and stay and stay, linger over coffee, all the other customers are gone, we've put up chairs in the other room, they're taking the buffet down and one of them asks "oh, I bet you guys want to go home, don't you?" That's the stupidest question of all!!

 

[mdrob214]

Or-"What time is Midnight Mass?" My favorite from volunteering at Church.

Well, my church hasn't had a Midnight Mass in years....they now have an 11 PM instead! Maybe it's someone from my area.

Here, too. The 'midnight' service on Christmas Eve gets out about midnight, but starts @ 11!

 

[rwrocksme]

My dad works at a convinece store, and a man walked in one day and asked,
"Are you guys open?"

Um, yeah...hence the unlocked door!

 

[binny]

Hey Binny! I hoped you would see my post, I knew you'd understand more than anyone. There are a lot of really clueless travelers out there.

You'll like this one. I didn't take the call, my co-worker did.

The caller was a secretary booking a flight for her boss between New York and LA. Because of the time zone change, of course you "gain" time going West and lose it again going back east. The secretary wanted to know why the flight going from LA to NY took so much longer than the flight going to CA.

Believe it or not, this is a very common question, and usually as soon as we say "time zones" the light bulb goes off over their heads and they laugh at themselves for forgeting. No biggie, happens all the time and it good for a chuckle.

Not this time!

This secretary, somehow, did not understand the very concept of time zones. Did not under stand that when it's 3 PM in NYC it's 12 noon on the west coast. My co-worker spent a good five minutes trying to explain it to her. Finally, co-worker gives up and tells her the plane going to LA was much faster than the plane coming home. That made her very happy and she booked the flights and hung up!

My mum once called a call centre and got someone on the other end who was a little clueless. My mum asked her questions and the lady was nice enough but then asked my mum what time it was. My mum gave her the time then said " oh well I guess thats right. I'm in Newfoundland and we are 3 hours and 35 minutes ahead of you"

Now Newfoundland IS at that 30 min mark but last I checked different areas didnt get extra minutes LOL

So what is 5:30 in St Johns Newfoundland is still 5:30 elsewhere in Newfoundland not 5:35




ETA for anyone who is interested:



Newfoundland Standard time is 30 minutes ahead of Atlantic Standard Time (in effect in the Maritime provinces) and 1.5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (in effect in New York and Toronto).

Newfoundland is located in a time zone unique in North America, half an hour later than Atlantic Time, one and a half hours later than Central Canada and four and a half hours later than the west coast of the country, the only place in Canada with a split in the set variations of one hour between time zones. Daylight Saving Time is observed from April to October after which the province returns to Newfoundland Standard Time.

Note: The Labrador portion of the province operates on Atlantic Standard Time (½ hour behind Newfoundland), except for the area on the coast from L'Anse au Clair to Cartwright which operates on Newfoundland Standard Time.

Many people wonder why Newfoundland has a time zone that is a half hour different rather than one hour. The system of Standard Time employs 24 meridians; each are theoretically the centres of 24 Standard Time zones. Each local governing body can choose in which Time Zone or part of a time zone it chooses to adopt. Newfoundland lies in the eastern half of its time zone and chooses to adopt its own time zone.

Newfoundland, (but not Labrador), lies squarely in the eastern half of its time zone, exactly three and a half hours from Greenwich. The Newfoundland government attempted to bring the province into conformity with the other Atlantic provinces in 1963, but withdrew in the face of stiff public opposition.

 

[goofinoff]

I had a customer ask me while waiting for the elevator "Is this the down elevator?" (There are only 2 floors in the building and we were on the first.) I said "Excuse me?" And he said "My wife is upstairs and told me that she would meet me by the elevator and I want to make sure that this is the one that comes down." Seriously?

 

[DisneyWorldOct08]

I work in auto insurance and the operator's crash reports I get are priceless...

Today I got one where the person wrote, and I quote, that "the road was sleeping"



I also got one once where a man claimed he had not even "disturbed the dirt on the bumper" of the car he rear ended in traffic and therefor there was no damage and his rates should not go up. But yet, he broke three ribs and required ongoing medical treatment from this accident.




Don't even get me started on the people who hit the parked, unoccupied cars that have somehow wronged them...just sitting there, parked...unoccupied...

It's a constant source of entertainment.

The absolute best one ever was an operator report which stated:

"When I am asleep, I am driving down road..."



They are out there. And they have cars.

 

[goofinoff]

and of course the "Do you work here" when I have a nametag on, a huge stack of books in my arms or am sitting in front of a section clearly realphabetizing it....QUOTE]

I worked with a woman who asked a customer if she could help them and they said "Oh, do you work here?" and she said "No, I just walk around and ask people if I can help them." I almost peed my pants!

 

[goofinoff]

I just thought of one that my friend told me. She is a nurse at the hospital and she told her boyfriends mother that she had to work on Christmas. The mother said "That's terrible that they are open on Christmas!"

 

[paintnolish]

I work at an Italian restaurant. I had a guy get ravioli. When I stopped back to see how he was doing, he wanted to know if this was supposed to come with a side of spaghetti. Um...pasta with a side of pasta? He must not have been on Atkins!

 

[CapeCodTenor]

Did it ever occur to the bus driver to ask if the guest meant Magic Kingdom? I know that since the eraly 80's tehre has been more to WDW than just MK, but some of us still call it Disney World instead of Magic Kingdom out of habit.

I'm sure it did, however, he could have been stringing her along...I know I would have.

I work in a bookstore....

Me: What can I help you with?
Them: Umm, I lookig for a book.
Me: ooh sorry, I just sold the last one!

and of course the "Do you work here" when I have a nametag on, a huge stack of books in my arms or am sitting in front of a section clearly realphabetizing it....

oh and, does my library card work here?

When I started working for The Disney Store, we use to wear the sweaters with the Disney Crest on it. Well, we'd get guests who'd come up to us all the time and ask, "Excuse me, but do you work here?" We'd get this question all the time, and it always killed me, especially in the summer. You see, my store was in an outside mall and we'd frequently have the doors open to bring the guests in. I'd always think to myself, "Let's see, I'm wearing a Disney sweater in a Disney Store in the middle of August when it's 90 degrees outside with 90% humidity because I'm cold."