Where's that Customer Service that we used to have??

[Pocahontas]

I'm sorry to hear about the poor response. The problem should have be addressed whether you called the front desk or maintenance directly.

We just got back from staying at the Grand Floridian Resort and also called the front desk with a maintenance issue (air conditioning wasn't fully cooling). Not only did maintenance respond within the hour, the front desk called back to make sure that someone had responded to our complaint.

Unfortunately, some workers are just not as good as others. I recommend you write and let Disney know about your experience, and hopefully they'll do something to improve the process.

[Mousemates]

Don't forget that when you call the "front desk", you're actually getting a call center, so a trip to the "real front desk" will probably result in more action on the repairs.

We discovered this the hard way several trips back...we kept calling the front desk and kept getting no response...finally walked to the front desk and they let me know that our calls didn't actually go directly to them. We never hit the call front desk button on our phone for issues anymore, we just take the time to wait and talk to a person face to face.

[Gator]

We discovered this the hard way several trips back...we kept calling the front desk and kept getting no response...finally walked to the front desk and they let me know that our calls didn't actually go directly to them. We never hit the call front desk button on our phone for issues anymore, we just take the time to wait and talk to a person face to face.

Oh, that explains why my trips to the front desk always got things done. I learned something today.

[Ian]

While I agree in princple, in defense of the OP, I must say that sometimes it just isn't practical. For example, what if he was trying to use the dryer while the little girls were napping, and he was the only adult in the unit? He should have been able to call.

Not only is it impractical, it's also completely unacceptable that calling someone to help you doesn't work. I've stayed in hotels all across the country, most of them quite a bit cheaper than WDW hotels and quite a bit nicer, and whenever I've called the front desk someone helps me virtually immediately.

We were in Boston for a wedding a few weeks back and we stayed at the Onyx (boutique chain). Our room was like $300 for the night (smack in downtown Boston) and the staff and service was impeccable. And we got it all done over the phone.

Sorry you are having issues, but I NEVER "call the front desk." It's pointless. Good old fashioned person to person contact when there is a problem is a surefire way to get results.

I hope your issues get resolved to your satisfaction.

While I agree that's the way it is, Nat, it really shouldn't be.

You don't call the front desk for a maintenance issue, you press that button on your room phone that says "Housekeeping/Maintenance" and then you select Maintenance when asked. And then you state your issue directly to someone in Maintenance. If you really called "the front desk" then you were barking up the wrong tree. If it was me, I would call maintenance repeatedly, and then go to the desk in person and ask for the general manager if the repair was not timely. There's no use complaining AFTER a trip, you have to speak up DURING the trip and you have to get the right person's ear.

Well first off I'm quite certain he was using the term "front desk" in the general sense. Secondly, this is not a distinction a guest in one of the most expensive hotels on Earth should have to make. There should be a button that says, "Guest Assistance" and when you call it someone should immediately answer and someone should immediately help you. The fact that this seems acceptable to you is slightly beyond mystifying to me.

Also, he says right in his post that he's still on his trip, so I'm not sure what the extraneous comment with the unnecessary caps was all about.

We discovered this the hard way several trips back...we kept calling the front desk and kept getting no response...finally walked to the front desk and they let me know that our calls didn't actually go directly to them. We never hit the call front desk button on our phone for issues anymore, we just take the time to wait and talk to a person face to face.

Again I get that this is the way it is, but it's a flat out disgrace that not only is it this way but that people seem to just be okay with that!

I'm telling you ... Disney charges as much for their rooms as any of the top chains in the world and you would never get this kind of disinterest from them. It's absolutely unacceptable.

[mom2morgan]

Well said, Ian. Where I live, a hotel the price of what I've paid at Disney would be very, very expensive and staff would be tripping over themselves to wait on us. But at Disney? We pay a fortune and eat the very average service and think nothing of it. Insane!

[azcavalier]

I'm telling you ... Disney charges as much for their rooms as any of the top chains in the world and you would never get this kind of disinterest from them. It's absolutely unacceptable.

While I don't completely disagree, I would point out the law of supply and demand. Disney charges what they do, not because of "added value" or promises of top-notch service. The charge what they do, because they can.

*Should* they have the same kind of service that you would encounter at a fancy, downtown boutique-style hotel? I don't know that it's possible, honestly. The number of staff they would have to hire, with the salaries that someone with that demeanor/skill set would have....that's a LOT of money.

I guess what i'm saying is that the Onyx is not Disney, nor Disney the Onyx. The Onyx lures you with amenities, location, room quality, and the expectation of service. That's their deal. Disney lures you with themeing, location (on property), added extras (EMH, transportation system), and measure of convenience. But I don't expect to be treated like i'm staying at the Bellagio. Places like the Bellagio or the Onyx are just one hotel, that probably employs a hundred (or less) people. They can hire the best, the most experienced, and can probably pay them pretty well. Disney, however, has over 30,000 hotel rooms on property, in 29 different hotels (DVC properties included). That's a LOT of staff. How many highly trained, highly motivated people do we expect to find here? I bet that the profit on these rooms is not as high as the profit on the rooms at boutique hotels.

I too, have had bad experiences at Disney hotels....well, i've had bad experiences staying at All Star Sports. Everywhere else has been fabulous, such as the Mousekeepers that kept my kids wondering every single afternoon what towel animals we would have in our room and what they would be doing (i'll answer this at the end of the post), or the manager that offered to straight up buy a new stuffed "Marie" for my daughter, when we thought that she had lost her's in the laundry when our linens were changed (we later found it). We did not take her up on the offer, but we were floored by it.

Just because you pay a lot doesn't mean you're paying for over-the-top service. Yes, problems *should* be addressed quickly. Dryers should never be non-functional with no resolution. It would be easy for them to dispatch a maintenance person to fix a squeaky door. I would suggest, however, that we only have part of the story. We don't know if there were lazy service people who said that they would take care of it and didn't, or if there were other more pressing things, and they never got to it.

MOUSEKEEPER TOWEL STORY - when our kids were younger, they would all bring one or two stuffed animals with them to WDW. On one particular trip, the Mousekeeper took delight in arranging them as if they were in the act of various situations, and would enhance it by adding towel animals. Once, they were ALL sitting watching the channel with old classic Disney cartoons. Once, two of the animals were obviously getting married, and the others in attendance. Another time, they were "escaping" the bed, with some on the floor by the bed post, two or three shinnying down the post, and a couple waiting at the top for their turn. It was great fun.

[lawgirl]

I have to agree somewhat with the poster right above me. It's Disney...it's not the Ritz or the Onyx...It's Disney! They charge what they do because it's Disney. And we pay it! I don't go to Disney resorts expecting high-end luxury and top-notch service. I do expect a nice room, and if I do have issues, I expect them to be handled appropriately.

I guess I'm just demanding enough to raise some commotion if something like the OP's issue happened to us. If I was treated that way regarding my issue (or ignored as seems to be the case here) I would definitely be making some phone calls and writing letters / emails, making sure my voice was heard and my issue resolved. During our stay I heard a manager on the phone at the front desk obviously talking to a disgruntled customer...is there a way to have your phone call directly connected to the front desk? It seems like others are saying that when you call from the hotel room it doesn't go directly to the hotel front desk...but there should be a way to call and request to be connected to the front desk manager?

[joonyer]

. . . . I'm telling you ... Disney charges as much for their rooms as any of the top chains in the world and you would never get this kind of disinterest from them. It's absolutely unacceptable.

It should be unacceptable. But most Disney guests do accept it, and Disney knows they will. That's how they get away with it. Why? Because the big difference between the Disney Resorts and the top chains of luxury resorts: Disney has four of the world's most popular theme parks on site.

Disney doesn't have to compete with those top chains on the customer service issue. They know the theme parks will keep their resorts packed.

[Granny Jill A]

It should be unacceptable. But most Disney guests do accept it, and Disney knows they will. That's how they get away with it. Why? Because the big difference between the Disney Resorts and the top chains of luxury resorts: Disney has four of the world's most popular theme parks on site.

Disney doesn't have to compete with those top chains on the customer service issue. They know the theme parks will keep their resorts packed.

I agree. They are the only game in town when it comes to great entertainment. They can afford to short-change us on service because we will always come back. Too bad.

[CMCTxMom]

Sorry you are having issues, but I NEVER "call the front desk." It's pointless. Good old fashioned person to person contact when there is a problem is a surefire way to get results.

But it SHOULD get things taken care of. I agree with y'all that going down to the front desk is most efficient in the long-run, but if you call and they say they'll "take care of it", they need to do that!

[MouseHouser]

I have to strongly disagree with anyone who believes you shouldn't expect the same service at a Disney $5,000/week resort as at a non-Disney resort at that price. Why not? What a pixie-dust buster. When you spend the extra money, you expect your cares will be handled; ESPECIALLY at Disney, which in general is all about service. That's where Disney blows the doors off Universal.

Shame that wasn't the case at your resort. The treatment you received from your front desk was below the standards of the average house painter, or taxi driver!

[Ian]

We're not talking about "exceptional" service here. We're talking about fixing stuff that's broken and responding to basic calls for assistance.

This isn't anything extraordinary we're discussing, like scoring tickets to a sold out show or Godiva chocolates on your pillow every night and 2,500 thread count sheets.

It's answering the phone and assisting your guests with defects in their room. The Motel 6 does that.