Would anyone want to hear about the trouble I had checking into the Contemporary?

[Principessa Alba]

In other words, would anyone like to hear me whine?

I'd made 3 payments, paid in full. Right?

Wrong?

The CM checking us in said we hadn't made any payments at all and owed the entire balance. (When's the last time they let you make a reservation and no deposit? Does that even make sense???????)

Problem was, I had proof of my deposits with me and showed them.

Hmmmmm, they said. Then they made some calls and said we owed $112.00. I again showed them the proof that I'd already paid in full.

Hmmmmmm, they said, back to the phone.

20 minutes later, me still standing at the desk, waiting, husband sitting on the couch nearby nearly passed out, they say, OK, we have to charge you 112.00 again -- but we'll refund you $112.00.

Uhhhhhhh, whatever! I guess they know what they are doing...

Moral of story - make sure you have your reciepts of payments when you check in!!!

 

[mom23boys]

Sorry you had a hard time. It is was smart to bring your proof of payment.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Sorry for the distress I'm sure you felt during your checkin! Even though it was eventually taken care of, how very frustrating while they are arguing with you.

I almost always bring my receipts with me - but had gotten lax on the last few trips, as I've never needed them. Thanks for the timely reminder, I will definitely bring my proof of payment next trip!

 

[Tissa]

Wow I never thought of needing to bring the proof of payment. That could have been really bad. Thanks for the warning.

 

[Principessa Alba]

Wow I never thought of needing to bring the proof of payment. That could have been really bad. Thanks for the warning.

Yes, I hope I can save someone a little trouble with this post! They told me that had I not had my proof, they would have made me pay again and then straighten it all out when I got home!!!! I would not have been happy it I had to pay again!

 

[LadyLt]

Yes, I hope I can save someone a little trouble with this post! They told me that had I not had my proof, they would have made me pay again and then straighten it all out when I got home!!!! I would not have been happy it I had to pay again!

I agree that this was an upsetting situation. And it is great that you had the proof of payment with you. That is great advice for everyone.

What I do want to add is that it was NOT the fault of the cast members at the Contemporary. It could have happened at any WDW resort. Somehow, DRC (Disney Reservation Center) did not key in the correct information. All that the Contemporary CM could see is what DRC showed in your reservation. Yes, these mistakes sometimes happen. It is very rare, considering the total number of reservations made each day at WDW. And it usually does take a few phone calls between the resort and DRC to get everything taken care of. Try not to blame the cast member standing in front of you. He/she is reading what is showing in the reservation in the computer.

 

[AMcaptured]

Last year at the Yacht Club, they said they didn't have our deposit on file either. I knew I put the deposit on the room when I made the reservation so I pulled out my cell phone and called AmEx customer service, the number is on the back of ones cc and they gave Disney the date it was applied, the amount, etc. Amazingly, instantly, our deposit seemed to appear on Disney's screen. The CM proceeded to tell me that Disney's computer system is antiquated and pieced together, which I personally don't buy because they are able to post almost instantly every single purchase you make resort wide on your room charge.

I am sure it happens all the time at Disney, which to me is weird, you would think they had stuff like this all worked out.

 

[Principessa Alba]

I agree that this was an upsetting situation. And it is great that you had the proof of payment with you. That is great advice for everyone.

What I do want to add is that it was NOT the fault of the cast members at the Contemporary. It could have happened at any WDW resort. Somehow, DRC (Disney Reservation Center) did not key in the correct information. All that the Contemporary CM could see is what DRC showed in your reservation. Yes, these mistakes sometimes happen. It is very rare, considering the total number of reservations made each day at WDW. And it usually does take a few phone calls between the resort and DRC to get everything taken care of. Try not to blame the cast member standing in front of you. He/she is reading what is showing in the reservation in the computer.

While I agree that it could have happened anywhere, and I certainly was very patient and polite through it all, I do blame the Contemporary CMs for the way they handled it.

I had all my receipts - did they think they were faked or something. And while I'm sure that they had to look into it, did I have to stand there for what amounted to a total of over a half an hour while they figured it out? Did they have to keep ignoring my receipts, telling me sorry, we have no record of your payment? (Even though the receipts were directly from Walt Disney Travel?) Did they have to keep making me feel like it was somehow my fault? Did they even really apologize when it was all over? No! It was like, "Oh, now they've found it. They put it in the wrong place. We'll have to charge you the 112.00 again and then debit it because we don't know how to move it. Here's your room key - buh-bye!

I don't know how many times I said, "I've paid in full and here is the proof" before anyone even looked at me like they understood what I was saying.

 

[johnvree]

I agree that this was an upsetting situation. And it is great that you had the proof of payment with you. That is great advice for everyone.

What I do want to add is that it was NOT the fault of the cast members at the Contemporary. It could have happened at any WDW resort. Somehow, DRC (Disney Reservation Center) did not key in the correct information. All that the Contemporary CM could see is what DRC showed in your reservation. Yes, these mistakes sometimes happen. It is very rare, considering the total number of reservations made each day at WDW. And it usually does take a few phone calls between the resort and DRC to get everything taken care of. Try not to blame the cast member standing in front of you. He/she is reading what is showing in the reservation in the computer.

That's very understanding of you. However, even if it was not the resort's fault, it is their job to compensate you for your inconvenience and stress. A good hotel will comp you for at least a night for something like that.

 

[Jane E.]

I'm sorry that you had such a difficult check in. What a way to start a vacation. At the very least they should have sent up a bottle of champagne for compensation. I hope the rest of your vacation went better than the beginning!

 

[cara loves the poly]

wow! i never would have thought of bringing a proof of pymt, i will now.

 

[Principessa Alba]

I'm sorry that you had such a difficult check in. What a way to start a vacation. At the very least they should have sent up a bottle of champagne for compensation. I hope the rest of your vacation went better than the beginning!

I really want to make it clear that compensation didn't even enter my mind. I just thought it was kind of a funny story and thought it could serve as a reminder to others to bring their confirmation letters and proof of any deposits they've made.

It really wasn't that big of a deal and didn't ruin my vacation, but I think it was just bad customer service and just would have been a little happier hearing someone say, "Boy, we're sorry! This was so messed up and it was all our fault!"

 

[Ladyhawke10]

Sorry that happened to you! Hope your next check-in experience goes much, much better.

Hope the rest of your trip was great

 

[Letsbgoofy]

Principessa Alba,

Isn't it amazing how much a "sorry" can change your whole experience?

I had a rude CM our last day at the GF. Their mistake, and never a "sorry" for all the time I had to spend fixing the problem. I haven't ever been back, and when I think of the GF stay that is what I remember. It didn't ruin my trip, just my memory of that resort.

 

[MandaPerry]

I really want to make it clear that compensation didn't even enter my mind. I just thought it was kind of a funny story and thought it could serve as a reminder to others to bring their confirmation letters and proof of any deposits they've made.

It really wasn't that big of a deal and didn't ruin my vacation, but I think it was just bad customer service and just would have been a little happier hearing someone say, "Boy, we're sorry! This was so messed up and it was all our fault!"

You are so right. While the CM waiting on you may not have had the authorizationto fix the problem, I have learned after many years in customer service a sincere apology for ANY hitch in service goes a long way. And thank you for the tip about the proof of deposits. Glad you enjoyed your trip.

 

[abacobaby]

Wow, thank you so much for posting this!!! I do not have all of my receipts from DW yet, but I have gotten together my CC payment receipts, which clearly states I paid DW X amount of money. I'll take them with me just in case. Our total trip is over $3000 and I would HATE if they tell me at check-in, I have not payed anything yet and have to pay it again.

Thanks again for the info and I'm really sorry you had to have such a horrible experience.

 

[k5thbeatle]

While I agree that it could have happened anywhere, and I certainly was very patient and polite through it all, I do blame the Contemporary CMs for the way they handled it.

I had all my receipts - did they think they were faked or something. And while I'm sure that they had to look into it, did I have to stand there for what amounted to a total of over a half an hour while they figured it out? Did they have to keep ignoring my receipts, telling me sorry, we have no record of your payment? (Even though the receipts were directly from Walt Disney Travel?) Did they have to keep making me feel like it was somehow my fault? Did they even really apologize when it was all over? No! It was like, "Oh, now they've found it. They put it in the wrong place. We'll have to charge you the 112.00 again and then debit it because we don't know how to move it. Here's your room key - buh-bye!

I don't know how many times I said, "I've paid in full and here is the proof" before anyone even looked at me like they understood what I was saying.

AMEN! Agree, agree, agree! Great post! We had a very similar situation happen last year at the BCR. We had booked this trip ~1 year in advance and paid in full. With three and a half months before our trip it worked out that we were able to stay longer and so we added three days onto our stay and again paid in full. I talked with several reservationists and contacted BCR directly with several correspondences to make sure this would not confuse them and that we would not need to change rooms or anything. So everything was set...right?

So when we check in what happens? Well of course there is no record of the addition and we will have to pay. I guess I should be lucky that they had our initial reservation. Fortunately unknown to me my wife had brought the receipts and confirmations from Disney but when the manager (the cm had called a manager to help by now) looked at them it was like she was looking at some foreign document with ancient hieroglphyics or something even though it was from Disney. This person also had the personality of a troll and should have somehow been featured at Maelstorm in Norway! Finally after standing around and wasting about 40 minutes it was decided to give us our room and they would check into it. Two days later it was settled but we NEVER so much as received a sorry for the inconvenience. I later wrote Disney and never received a reply so I just dropped it???

Principessa Alba I wonder if our manager was transferred to the CR??? Sounds like the same person! Lol
Moral of story:
Please do yourself a favor and take nothing for granted. Bring your receipts and all confirmation letters and have them on your person. Chances are you will never need them but if an error occurs you can save yourself and your family a lot of heartache!



What has happened to customer service in this country???

 

[Principessa Alba]

ortunately unknown to me my wife had brought the receipts and confirmations from Disney but when the manager (the cm had called a manager to help by now) looked at them it was like she was looking at some foreign document with ancient hieroglphyics or something even though it was from Disney.

Oh this is too funny! Yes, we really must have had the same manager - she was looking it the same way! Like she was waiting for it to talk to her, or like she was illiterate and trying to prentend that she knew how to read.

 

[Nancyg56]

A big Thank You! It never occured to me to bring proof of payment. Another thing to add to the Passporter. If we had a problem like the OP, my Dh would not be passed out, he would be having a stroke!

 

[Principessa Alba]

There is one more funny side note to this story -- the 112.00 I mentioned -- it didn't correlate with anything at all. There was not deposit made in that amount ever, so where they got the amount, .

Over a period of about 1/2 hour they kept finding deposits, and then finally we ended up with that amount that they said they "found" but could not move.

Honestly, it was more funny than a problem, but it would not have been so funny if I had not brought my proof of deposits!!!