Who do I complain to?

[nakedbear]

I visited WDW the first week in June and was pleasantly surprised to see that my favorite ride was operating, the Carousel of Progress. I generally travel off season and it is never open when I arrive. While the show was wonderful, the seats were in terrible repair! Two next to me had no cushions, on one the seat was hanging by one side, and when I sat on one that seeme ok I almost slid off to the floor! The seats were in worse repair than my crappy movie megaplex. I have been a long time Disney Park goer and I have never had such a rotten feeling about the place. Disney used to mean quality! Who do I write!!

 

[renknt]

see the post from DVC Landbaron :

Disney Addresses


Start with M. E and work down stop when you hand cramps up

 

[WDSearcher]

Actually, a letter to Michael Eisner is inefficient. You need to "stay local" on this one. All Michael's office will do is send it back to Florida, since it's something that has to be dealt with there. And that means it will take twice as long for your complaint to get to the person who can actually fix the problem. You should certainly cc: Eisner on anything you write, but don't start there and "work your way down." Start with Al Weiss -- he's the president of WDW, and that park is his responsibility. Also write to Lee Cockerell and Phil Holmes. It should be the same letter, written three times and mailed seperately. All three have the same address:

Al Weiss, President
Walt Disney World
PO Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Lee Cockerell, Executive Vice President, Operations
Walt Disney World
PO Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Phil Holmes, General Manager, Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World
PO Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Make your letter short, simple, and address this one problem. If you found other things you didn't expect -- good or bad -- keep them for another letter. Things will get done a LOT more quickly if only one problem is mentioned. That way, the action is focused and the complaint is clear.

Also, if you want a response, be sure to ask for one. Obviously, Disney gets a ton of letters every year, and they can't answer them all. If you want to be updated on the progress or contacted in person, say so.

 

[Lebjwb]

I'd bet that if you had reported it to a Cast Member at the time, it would have been repaired quickly. They are super people and I tip my hat to them!

 

[Phoebesaturn]

Originally posted by Lebjwb
I'd bet that if you had reported it to a Cast Member at the time, it would have been repaired quickly. They are super people and I tip my hat to them!

Errr..NO. I afraid that rides and attractions in disrepair are standard fair these days....seems that Disney waits literally until they are falling apart to fix them.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by Lebjwb
I'd bet that if you had reported it to a Cast Member at the time, it would have been repaired quickly.

It probably wouldn't have been repaired right there and then, but it definitely would have gotten in to the repair cycle that day and gotten fixed a lot more quickly.

It's always best to report a problem -- whatever it is -- when you're in the park and have just experienced whatever it is you're upset about. Unfortunately, most people don't want to take the time while on vacation to wait for a manager or to file a complaint.

I'm sure all the CMs tip their hats to you too!

 

[Planogirl]

I've noticed that attractions that Disney doesn't care much about any more tend to get run down. It was painfully obvious on Horizons for example. I hope that this isn't the case with COP.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by Phoebesaturn
Errr..NO. I afraid that rides and attractions in disrepair are standard fair these days....seems that Disney waits literally until they are falling apart to fix them.

They're the "standard?" How do you measure that? I'll agree that there are rides that need some work. But I hardly think that it's a problem so rampant that broken-down rides are the standard.

 

[Braque]

Im afraid that further complaints regarding the deteriorated condition of COP will ultimately result in the permanent closure of the attraction rather than repairs. I'd rather have access to a shabby COP than no access at all - but that's just me.

 

[manning]

They're the "standard?" How do you measure that?

To the days when high standards were the norm!!!


Deferred maintenance equals twice the cost to fix.

 

[WDSearcher]

I agree ... deferred maintenance is much more expensive in the long run.

My point was that you cannot condemn an entire entertainment organization because of a handful of attractions. You can, and should, complain about the sorry state of those attractions. You should condemn those particular attractions and the people who are responsible for them, and push to have time and effort taken to fix them. But to give out a blanket statement like "that's the standard now" is a cop out. It's an easy way to complain and never be satisfied, thereby allowing you to keep complaining.

Attractions in disrepair is NOT the standard. There are unfortunate, annoying exceptions, like COP and WOL. How they got that way and why is what needs to be addressed.

 

[Phoebesaturn]

Originally posted by WDSearcher

Attractions in disrepair is NOT the standard. There are unfortunate, annoying exceptions, like COP and WOL. How they got that way and why is what needs to be addressed.

Too bad those are just the ones you know about...I won't burst you bubble and let you in on the rest of them. Including the ones that are so bad that have to be suddenly shut down and rebuilt from the ground up to due to poor maintenance.

 

[Mickmse2002]

Originally posted by Phoebesaturn
Too bad those are just the ones you know about...I won't burst you bubble and let you in on the rest of them. Including the ones that are so bad that have to be suddenly shut down and rebuilt from the ground up to due to poor maintenance.

Such as?

 

[Sarangel]

Such as?

Disneyland's King Arthur's Carousel comes instantly to mind. Anyone else?

Sarangel

 

[All Aboard]

DL Space Mountain perhaps?

 

[TiggerFreak]

Didn't the "Upgraded" sound system on DL's SM have a major role in hastening its decline?

So much so that Irby's "streamlined" maintainence schedules fell even shorter of the head-above-water level and the attraction started failing so often they where forced to take drastic measures.

 

[Lebjwb]

Originally posted by Phoebesaturn
Errr..NO. I afraid that rides and attractions in disrepair are standard fair these days....seems that Disney waits literally until they are falling apart to fix them.

Having been an operations manager in the resort industry for the past 30 years , I'd have to say that "a state of disrepair" is NOT "standard fair".

I have been very impressed by the CM's at WDW in the numerous times I have visited Orlando. As an Operations Manager , I often have my "radar up" regarding resort operations, service, maintenance, F&B, etc. Considering the size of WDW and the logistics of such an immense operation, I'd have to say they are doing a pretty good job.

I tend to visit in February when things are slower and they are gearing up for the high season, so I'm sure that has something to do with my view point.

 

[manning]

Why do some don't want to embrace high quality.

I worked for a large corporation whose mode of operation was good enough.

When we implemented zero defect quality control, management went into an uproar. It can't be done and would cost more.

Let me explain the term zero defect. You won't get there but you strive to get there. You would be surprised how close you can get.

What shocked the nay sayers was we ended up producing product far superior to our competitors and at a reduced cost. That's right at a reduced cost.

We called it doing it right the first time. Correcting the error cost more in time and money.

 

[Lebjwb]

Originally posted by manning
Why do some don't want to embrace high quality.

What type of Corporation did you work for? There is a big difference between manufacturing and the Hospitality Industry.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by Phoebesaturn
Too bad those are just the ones you know about...I won't burst you bubble and let you in on the rest of them. Including the ones that are so bad that have to be suddenly shut down and rebuilt from the ground up to due to poor maintenance.

Would this be based on your last trip to WDW in 2002, or is this based on more recent info? Your case might carry more weight if you used actual examples instead of big ol' blanket statements. Go ahead ... burst my bubble.

There's really nothing that has been "suddenly shut down" and rebuilt from the ground up. If you're talking Small World, that rehab was on the books for months -- people first started posting about the long rehab about three months ago on this board, farther back on some of the rumor sites. The first news articles were about three weeks out. It's shut-down was not sudden.

The Honey I Shrunk playground and Tom Sawyer's Island are currently in rehab -- rehab that was, again, scheduled and had plenty of notice. And that's pretty much it for things that are down currently.

Both COP and Wonders of Life are "seasonal", and they look it. They need far-reaching work and need to be taken down and refurbished big-time. And, in my opinion, they shouldn't be open on any basis -- seasonal or otherwise -- until that happens.

What else is on your apparently long list of rides and attractions that are so in need of rehab that they are the new standard at WDW?

Note, please, that I'm not talking Disneyland. I haven't been there recently enough to gauge the attractions there.