Major Drop in Quality of Disney CM's

[Stefecatzz]

CMs are hired from the same pool of people the guests come from. Society in general is more rude and disrespectful these days. As a result you're going to find it in CMs as well as guests.

This is exactly what my thoughts are about CMs in the past several years. I'm a Passholder & I'm there quite a bit. I first noticed the decline in guest service in 2012 majorly. I did the DCP in '03 & I can agree with Pete when he made the point this past show about hiring CPs for the front line. But I was Custodial at MK in '03 & I don't know any one of my fellow CPs that ever had a bad attitude toward a guest. If anything, I noticed more of the FTers w/bad attitudes about their jobs. Granted, it is a low paying position for a person of any age. But the training has Everything to do w/the quality of service your CMs will provide. I couldn't believe it when I heard that Traditions was cut down to one day! I took so much away from that during training & can't imagine having to go on stage w/out 3 days of it, along w/all of the other training we had.

Between this & just our society changing attitude and habits in general, a decline in customer service of any company is understandable. There will always be the exception to the rule in any crowd but overall, I find it to be sad. However, I have noticed that when I'm in a better mood & approach a CM w/a smile, I tend to get the same in return.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

I've noticed a significant change of attitudes of the guests toward the CMs. I was in line today with 2 young CMs. I was talking about how this trip I'm trying to ignore the rude people. He works in housekeeping at one of the resorts and he said some people called him and told him they needed more towels. He brought them the towels and they took them with not even a brisk "thanks". As they were leaving the resort he told to have a wonderful day and they turned and said, "can't you even say that right? You're supposed to say have a magical day. Don't they train you people right?" He said he was glad his boss wasn't around even though they're not obligated to say it any more. He did say sometimes a small something can brighten his day like a simple note saying thank you. He said his favorite was where a child colored him a picture and wrote thank you. He still has it. It works both ways. Guests have to remember that CMs are human too.

 

[Money82]

...

 

[Money82]

The boxing up the dinner thing is... wow. To you, you're offended. To the next guest, it might have been "yes thank you we're done". So she just asked, that is not wrong. And 10 min on a soda or forgetting a soup is not a big deal. I'm sure if you mentioned the forgotten soup they'd bring you a free dessert or something.

Yes actually it is wrong. I was slicing my steak and she asked me if I wanted to box up the rest. She could have simply asked if I was done which still wouldn't have been great since I was literally eating the steak as she asked me the question, but it would have been infinitely better than asking me if I wanted to box it up.

Yes 10 Min on a soda/forgetting a soup/bringing a soup without a spoon is a big deal if I'm going to get a bill for $250. It's actually a joke.

Getting the wrong room. Yes, this is a legitimate gripe, but they fixed it as soon as you asked. Getting billed for a cot is moot, cuz you got it credited back. So the CM put in the cot order, the computer system probly automatically adds the charge, then a CM has to go in and comp it back, which is exactly what they did.

Except it required effort on my part, too much effort. It took an extra 20 minutes of my time at check-in to deal with this and then took another 20-30 at check-out to try and get it credited back as the Front Desk girl was having trouble crediting back my money.

And if only 4 CMs stood out in a bad way over the hundreds a guest interacted with, that is pretty darned good! Not a reason to cry to the sky that Disney is going downhill and so are their CMs.

Since when did discussing disappointment in service equate to "crying to the sky?" (which I have no idea what that means by the way) Is that similar to reenacting Marlon Brando's scene from "A Streetcar Named Desire?"

I'm guessing Le Cellier was understaffed for it to take 10 minutes for a drink refill - someone could have called out sick, or gotten sick at work, etc.

How is that my problem? Does that mean I get a discount?

Based in the OP's responses here being snarky I don't believe that at the check in and resturant you were happy polite and the like. As someone said the aura you give off was probably returned. Snappyness eye rolling sighs commenting under your breath could have happened.

I find the fact that you waited 10 minutes for a refill either a total lie or that you never once attempted to stop your waiter/waitress. They put them in 1 area and they serve tables in one area. At any resturant while the sever might not be stopping by my table they are in th vicinity to where I can signal them. I can't imagine that they weren't around any of their tables for that long a period.

As for the boxing up if food, get over yourself. They didn't grab your plate, thy didn't say "OMG are you done yet???" Yes it was two dining meals, it wasn't Victoria and Alberts. All you had to say was no sorry I'm still working on it, you shouldn't be this upset over it, it really makes me feel like the CMS were probably telling about this ungodly rude diner at your table.

This is why I don't bash workers. It sucks to work where others vacation, it sucks that your bad day or bad morning "ruins" someone's vacation while when you are great and happy people don't even remember. I work in customer service, we have to be at 95% accuracy and deliver fast service, we do it all the time but still get people who think we are treble slow stupid lazy workers.

Telling me to get over myself, calling me a liar, telling me that my complaints are no big deal? Who do you think you are exactly except a troll?

My favorite comments are the ones that ask what the OP did to cause the rude behavior. After all, to have this many problems, you must be responsible!
I do have one question: Why didn't you use the straw from your empty glass of coke to eat your soup? If you had done this, instead of wasting time waiting for your server to return, it would have expedited your whole dining experience!

Ah good point. What I should have done was save my soup so that I could drink it when my coke ran out?

By the way, we didn't have any water at the table when my coke ran out. I would have gladly drank water patiently until my server arrived so I could ask for some more coke but alas, that wasn't an option.

Oh and for everyone telling me what a bad guy I am, with a bad aura, and brought all this misery on myself, I still ended up tipping the girl 15% because I felt bad for her.

God I'm such a bad dude.

 

[MPB82]

That's right, blame the OP as opposed to holding Disney responsible. It must be very reassuring to know that Disney is never responsible for crappy service. The OP and PP are all responsible because of their "auras".

No you are right, I should blame someone wanting a diet coke and clam chowder and soup spoon on a 6 billion dollar multinational corporation.

 

[poppinspenguins]

Im sure I will get flamed for this...but here it goes...

These responses are making me sick to my stomach.

So many responses about differences in society, its not Disneys fault, it was you that was rude not the CM's.

The level of rudeness from the replies on this board outweigh the rudeness encountered by the OP.

Would any of you say you snippish, patronizing, sarcastic replies straight to someones face?

If I get bad service at a restaurant twice, i dont go back. But in the minds of some of the posters, i would be led to believe I was the problem, not the waiter or the establishment.

The OP did not state everything was bad, they were relaying a few problems. And yes, 4 or 5 issues is too many for a company that prides itself on service.

Disney must be so glad to know they can do no wrong in some peoples eyes.

I dont care how rude a customer may be, you suck it up or deal with the consequences. Day one of customer service training.

 

[maxiesmom]

I dont care how rude a customer may be, you suck it up or deal with the consequences. Day one of customer service training.

Of course. But then we all have to remember that the people waiting on us are only human, and can have a bad day. Not a single one of us who works has not!

However, I don't think having to wait 10 minutes for a pop refill is horrible enough to warrant a mention of it as an example of the decline of Disney CMs. I also don't think being mad about not getting a particular room set up is warranted, when if you take the time to read your reservation you know that room types are all subject to availability. I also expect someone who has been going to WDW for years and years to know that, and to know that when they call they are not speaking to the resort but to a call center.

So the OP had a few minor irritations, and now the CMs at WDW are all doing horrible jobs. Nope. That is a large leap to make.

 

[poppinspenguins]

Of course. But then we all have to remember that the people waiting on us are only human, and can have a bad day. Not a single one of us who works has not!

However, I don't think having to wait 10 minutes for a pop refill is horrible enough to warrant a mention of it as an example of the decline of Disney CMs. I also don't think being mad about not getting a particular room set up is warranted, when if you take the time to read your reservation you know that room types are all subject to availability. I also expect someone who has been going to WDW for years and years to know that, and to know that when they call they are not speaking to the resort but to a call center.

So the OP had a few minor irritations, and now the CMs at WDW are all doing horrible jobs. Nope.

I personally did not read it like that. the OP clearly did not mention all things were bad. All the things mentioned, in my opinion, were legit gripes. Not gripes that would prevent me from going, but may affect my feelings about their declining service. But, 4-5 bad experiences, when you are used to stellar service, is going to stand out and may be indicative a a more systemic issue. As others have mentioned, Traditions training has been greatly reduced.

If I went to a restaurant on a par with Le Cellier and I had my soup forgotten, no refills, and rudely asked for a box while still cutting my steak, I personally wouldnt go back. Or may give one more chance to see if it were an anomaly.
This may be Disney telling waiter to hurry customers out so more can come in. But in either case (mgt or CM) the blame still lies with Disney

 

[Money82]

Of course. But then we all have to remember that the people waiting on us are only human, and can have a bad day. Not a single one of us who works has not!

However, I don't think having to wait 10 minutes for a pop refill is horrible enough to warrant a mention of it as an example of the decline of Disney CMs. I also don't think being mad about not getting a particular room set up is warranted, when if you take the time to read your reservation you know that room types are all subject to availability. I also expect someone who has been going to WDW for years and years to know that, and to know that when they call they are not speaking to the resort but to a call center.

So the OP had a few minor irritations, and now the CMs at WDW are all doing horrible jobs. Nope. That is a large leap to make.

1) I never said all. But leave it to the Dis to exaggerate what someone said. I'm pointing out the bad experiences I had, which has not been typical of past experiences.

2) Maxie, when you're willing to pay my bill, I'll let you decide what I should or shouldn't be okay with on a trip. Sound good?

 

[Money82]

Of course. But then we all have to remember that the people waiting on us are only human, and can have a bad day. Not a single one of us who works has not!

I love how anytime someone gets bad service, the reply is "Oh well you must have got them on a bad day. We're all human." Yet when someone has a really good encounter, I NEVER hear someone say, "Oh well you must have got them on a really good day. Every once in a while humans go above and beyond."

Hilarious!

 

[Networth]

Networth...you answered my question beautifully...just wanted to know if the resort seemed busy. Thanks!

No problem. If your thinking of staying their be warned you won't want to stay anywhere else lol.

 

[maxiesmom]

1) I never said all. But leave it to the Dis to exaggerate what someone said. I'm pointing out the bad experiences I had, which has not been typical of past experiences.

2) Maxie, when you're willing to pay my bill, I'll let you decide what I should or shouldn't be okay with on a trip. Sound good?

When you make a blanket statement such as Major drop in the quality of CMs, I get to say if I think you are right or not. If that is not what you meant, maybe a title such as Ran into a Few Stinker CMs would be more accurate.

 

[Money82]

When you make a blanket statement such as Major drop in the quality of CMs, I get to say if I think you are right or not. If that is not what you meant, maybe a title such as Ran into a Few Stinker CMs would be more accurate.

Nope, there has been a major drop off in the quality of CM's. That has been my experience.

If you want to say that YOUR experience has been different, then fine. But don't try and tell me what MY experience was or wasn't.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

Op, you posted the exact same words on another thread. Why Did you start a new one with the same post?

 

[Mandy91]

OP, I'm sorry your experiences were less than magical. I have many friends who are CMs and I'm an AP, so I'm there quite often and a lot of times I'll meet up with them and their co-workers to play in the parks after their shift. Every single one of them goes out of their way to create magical moments for guests, even when they're not on the clock or in uniform. And yes, they're all young. So please everyone don't make a blanket statement about CMs. The many that work hard and go out of their way don't deserve to be grouped with the few you think aren't magical. This is a general statement BTW, not talking to anyone in particular.

 

[Money82]

Op, you posted the exact same words on another thread. Why Did you start a new one with the same post?

What is the point of your post? It's not addressing anything discussed in this thread. I didn't realize I was limited to one post per thought.

 

[Schmeck]

Nope, there has been a major drop off in the quality of CM's. That has been my experience.

If you want to say that YOUR experience has been different, then fine. But don't try and tell me what MY experience was or wasn't.

My experience has been much different from yours - I wonder why?

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

1) I never said all. But leave it to the Dis to exaggerate what someone said. I'm pointing out the bad experiences I had, which has not been typical of past experiences.

2) Maxie, when you're willing to pay my bill, I'll let you decide what I should or shouldn't be okay with on a trip. Sound good?

While you didn't say ALL cm's are bad, you have painted a very vivid picture with the title and your first post.

When you comment that "the magic is gone" and that the cm's are more intent on barking orders and bossing people around, it definitely comes across as everyone you encountered were performing their job poorly. I believe you said that you had a couple of good interactions, but the majority was poor. That coupled with, "pretty soon they're gong to have cm's telling you how fast you can walk in the park" leads one to believe that pretty much everything was subpar.

I didn't see it mentioned, but I may have overlooked it, were you able to speak to a manager at the resort or restaurant? That would be the best way to have poor service addressed. Did you speak with guest relations at the parks about the cm's who were barking orders? I know it would have taken time out of your vacation, but if we really want change, the issues need to be addressed. The only thing that is accomplished here is some people will agree and some will disagree, but in the long run nothing changes.

It's disappointing to have such a sour taste in your mouth after a vacation. I hope that you are able to email Disney and let them know dissatisfied you are. Otherwise, the magic may truly be gone for you.

 

[Money82]

I didn't see it mentioned, but I may have overlooked it, were you able to speak to a manager at the resort or restaurant? That would be the best way to have poor service addressed. Did you speak with guest relations at the parks about the cm's who were barking orders? I know it would have taken time out of your vacation, but if we really want change, the issues need to be addressed. The only thing that is accomplished here is some people will agree and some will disagree, but in the long run nothing changes.

No I didn't. As I mentioned earlier, I use to do that to ensure matters were handled appropriately and because I knew I would be returning in the future.

But, about halfway through this trip, I came to the realization that I'm paying too much and receiving too little. At that point I simply no longer had any interest in trying to make Disney a better place. I'm sure I fall in the .001% of people who will take a break from Disney, but there are a lot of trips I can take with $7,000. I'll be heading to a beachfront resort in Puerto Rico next week for 1/3 of what I spent at Disney.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

What is the point of your post? It's not addressing anything discussed in this thread. I didn't realize I was limited to one post per thought.

Is that your answer?