Would you have complained?

[WDW LOVR]

I was wondering what some of your opinions are on whether we should have registered a complaint or not.

We spent the first 3 nights of our trip at AKL which was nice. We moved over to OKW (one BR) last Sunday evening. We went to DTD for the evening. Upon returning to our room and getting ready for bed we discovered the hide a bed was broken. It would not open. I called the front desk and they sent a lady from Mousekeeping (she arrived ~15 minutes after I called, around 9:30). Now I'm no male pig, but if I can't open the bed because there is a piece of broken metal jammed into the folding metal pieces on the side (which I explained to the front desk), I'm sure the Mousekeeping lady won't have a chance. But I let her try which took about 30 seconds for her to say they had called the wrong department and she would call engineering.

~9:50 the first CM from Engineering showed up. I explained to him about the broken piece and he proceeded to look at the opposite end of the couch for 5 minutes or so before I again stated the problem was with the other end and he finally looked at the broken piece. He then called his supervisor to determine what they should do, either fix the broken piece or replace the guts of the hide a bed.

To make a long story short, after multiple visits from CM engineers to replace the guts of the bed and a return visit from Mousekeeping to make up the bed, I was finally able to grab my oldest son who was sleeping in a chair in the bedroom and we were able to lay down at ~1:00 am.

Let me say, all the CM's were very polite and appologitic and the Engineering guys were working as fast as they could. I have nothing but praise in that regard which is why I didn't complain, but upon returning to our room after a day at BB and DTD, falling into bed to prepare for our next day at MGM would have been very nice.

By the way, we LOVED OKW. The size and quiet of the room were outstanding, the main pool fun and overall we thought the resort was great. The hide a bed was the only problem in a fantastic week (even if the spring break crowds were unbelievable).

 

[JimMIA]

No. They responded pretty promptly, they worked as quickly and efficiently as they could, and they fixed the problem. I would have missed my sleep, but I wouldn't have complained about that experience.

Many would.

 

[cristbaby]

I certainly would have complained and expected some type of compensation for being so inconvienced. Maybe some type of discount on a meal or something of that sort. Sorry to hear about your awful experience.

 

[joepoe]

Things break. Stuff happens. They did the best they could. What's to complain?

No. They responded pretty promptly, they worked as quickly and efficiently as they could, and they fixed the problem. I would have missed my sleep, but I wouldn't have complained about that experience.

Many would.

 

[iwaseeyore]

I think I would have let my child sleep on the unopened sofa and called iun the morning.

 

[WDW LOVR]

I guess that is where I was conflicted as to whether to complain or not. They handled everything in an efficient, courteous manner, but a meal on the house would have been nice for the trouble.

The couch had been ripped in multiple places where the broken piece had torn the fabric while being opened and closed, so I can only assume no one had reported the problem before us, but that was the only real complaint I had, it was obvious it was a problem before us, so doesn't Mousekeeping report those kind of things they find while they are making the rooms up?

 

[WDW LOVR]

IWASEEYORE- The only problem is my wife and youngest son were sleeping in the bed and if my other son slept on the couch, your's truly would have been on the floor.

 

[JimMIA]

IWASEEYORE- The only problem is my wife and youngest son were sleeping in the bed and if my other son slept on the couch, your's truly would have been on the floor.

I'm not touchin' this with a ten-foot pole, 'cause I'm just happy to be allowed to sleep indoors!

 

[iwaseeyore]

Isn't that what we do for our beloved children???

 

[WDW LOVR]

Not like I haven't slept on the floor (or couch) before, but sleeping next to the wife at WDW is one of my favorite things to do!

 

[iwaseeyore]

 

[Disney Doll]

I certainly would have complained and expected some type of compensation for being so inconvienced. Maybe some type of discount on a meal or something of that sort. Sorry to hear about your awful experience.

You're joking, right? They looked at the problem, fixed it, everyone was polite & apologetic. There were some hours of lost sleep, but that's basically it.

I might make a suggestion that in cases where they think something may take more than, say, 30 minutes or so to fix, that they should consider bringing a replacement item, even if it is a couch. I would imagine that they have a couple of extra couches somewhere in storage, in the event that one gets broken irreparably.

But no, I would not expect any compensation.

 

[LIFERBABE]

If they were constantly addressing your problem as it sounds like they were, and they did respond promptly, then I personally would not have complained.
Yes it took time but if everyone put their best efforts forward to correct the problem and then I called their boss and complained, I just wouldnt feel fair to those CM's who worked so diligently for my family, even if it did take them until 1 am.
You could have received a meal or something, but those CM's would have been questioned on why it took them so long and maybe they werent as efficient as they could have been. We all know how managers are. They will make the customer happy, but sometimes it is at the expense of the employee.
In a situation where we are owners and pay to upkeep the resorts there is no such thing as a free lunch. Mistakes do happen and Im sorry you were stuck with the broken sofa but I think their response was very admirable and in keeping with Disney service.

 

[gazeborob]

Someone back a while ago mentioned that there was a need for a Maintenance card in the rooms, or handed out in the check-in package. We had a few items in need of repair in HH last week, and all it took was a call to the front desk. I think that if they had these cards, this kind of stuff could be fixed before the next guest checks in. I think the problem is that people don't take the time to report a problem in the room. So, when the next guest checks in, they have to deal with it.

 

[JimMIA]

... that was the only real complaint I had, it was obvious it was a problem before us, so doesn't Mousekeeping report those kind of things they find while they are making the rooms up?

I travel a good bit, and I stay in pretty nice hotels. I can tell you that is a problem everywhere. The truth is, houskeeping doesn't check things to see whether they work or not. Not only that, they are not even supposed to. Not at DVC, not anywhere. They clean rooms, change linen and towels, restock amenity items, and go to the next room.

If they did anything else, they would notice that the room had no telephones! (supposed to have two, but both were missing) That was at an Embassy Suite.

Another time, at a different Embassy Suite, I was upgraded to an Executive Room (!) because their wireless internet didn't work, and the executive room had a desktop with hardwired high-speed internet connectivity. Which it did, in fact have. Of course, it not only wasn't plugged in - there was no place to plug the darn thing in! The only electrical outlet was behind a nine-ton wall unit!

On a number of occasions, I have checked into rooms (good business hotels on the road, not DVC on vacation) with non-functioning toilets. That one is a little harder to understand. I can understand a maid not logging on to Yahoo, but how do you make even a cursory effort at cleaning a toilet without flushing it???

I've also had rooms with no functioning lights.

Housekeeping keeps house; they don't check for problems. It's up to us to check things and report them so they can be fixed.

 

[DebbieB]

Just curious, what was your building number? Was it one of the old style couches? The new ones have the mattress up the back when you take the cushions off, before you pull it out. I'm staying at OKW next month and hope to get the new kind.

 

[tjkraz]

I probably wouldn't have complained. Many of the CMs would have gotten my "I'm REALLY annoyed here" face, but I can't see walking up to the front desk and making an obvious attempt to secure a freebie.

However, the troubling issue is that it should have been discovered by Mousekeeping and reported first. I know, easy to say, right? Well, if they are changing the linens on the sofabed, it should have been easy to find. This is a little bit different than a broken drawer handle or burnt-out lightbulb that could be easily missed.

The only other possibility seems to be that Mousekeeping may have actually broken the bed after changing the sheets. I'm not taking that bet...

 

[dianeschlicht]

I'm having difficulty understanding what you would complain about. You found a problem. They solved the problem. What more would you want?

 

[Greysword]

If my kids were young enough (10 or younger, I'd think) then they may have enjoyed sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag style. Kids can sleep anywhere

As for complaining, I wouldn't, since they were there and working on the issue. It is all a part of the family vacation, and you'll have the stories for years!

I am curious why they did not just replace the couch with a good one from another room or something, and fix the bad one later. It is just my wife and I right now, so if the desk called and asked to take our couch to help one of our DVC bretheren, I would be happy to let it go.

 

[Sammie]

Things break. Stuff happens. They did the best they could. What's to complain?

I totally agree. I mean sometimes you just have to let things go. If you get worked up over everything that breaks, expect compensation where does it end.

The sad thing is the last guest that closed it up, probably knew it was broken and should have reported it.

For any future guests, learn from this experience, check things when you first arrive, and if it needs fixing call Maintenance not Housekeeping, they only change lines and do cleanups, they do not repair things.

I agree I would have probably just let the child sleep on the sofa and called the next morning.