My Experience at the Polynesian

[eeyoreandtink]

How is that similar, except that you got a cut? OP's husband's heel was cut to the point of soaking 4 towels with blood, due to glass shards all over the bathroom floor, there because of staff negligence. You cut yourself on a necessary item in any hotel room, a bed frame. There was nothing for that hotel to fix. Besides providing a bandaid, were they supposed to remove the bed so you wouldn't get cut further? OP had to call, and then go to the front desk, to get housekeeping to remove glass shards that should never have been there.

I was cut because the bedtime was broken and sharp, just like a broken glass cut the OPs husband. The hotel provided appropriate first aid and removed the hazard, just as in the OP's situation. It was over. Should they have noticed the broken frame, yes, just as they should have noticed the broken glass in the OP's room, but no one is perfect. Accidents happen and things are overlooked. As I said above, there is no way for anyone to bleed enough to soak 4 towels and not require medical intervention.

 

[grimley1968]

I mistakenly said 6 months once, sorry! Cuts from glass, even minor ones bleed a lot, especially feet hands and face. She said all that was needed was a bandaid. That is minor. There is no way a cut that did not require stitches and a hospital trip fully soaked 4 towels. If you loose that kind of blood volume you will need medical intervention, period. I don't doubt they got blood on 4 different towels, but there is no way he completely soaked 4 and was able to just put a bandaid on it and move on. I think we can be pretty sure that soaking 4 towels is an exaggeration. I read he post, but I didn't see anything she reported as negligent. Her perception is that they didn't care, but other than not getting to the glass fast enough for her, I don't see any of their actions as negligent.

...Second, yes it was a small puncture, but there was a lot of blood. Four hand towels were solidly crimson. ...

I take the OP at her word.

Housekeeping failing to clean up the glass they obviously broke while OP was out for the day is textbook negligence.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I take the OP at her word.

Housekeeping failing to clean up the glass they obviously broke while OP was out for the day is textbook negligence.

It simply isn't possible. It takes about a half liter of fluid to soak a towel. That would mean he lost 1/4 of his blood volume. You cannot do that and just move on. He would have been weak, shaky, with low blood pressure. It would have been debilitating to the point he likely would have been unable to stand, much less carry on as normal. He would have needed IV fluids at a minimum.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

I agree that they should deliver the same quality of service but they simply don't need to because in terms of pull and drawing ability Disney is at the top of the mountain. (not saying i condone that)

But if you look at the latest round of discounts, most of the available rooms were at deluxe resorts, so they are not filling them up without an incentive. And there have been many reports that one of the reasons DVC has been expanded is to help with lower occupancy rates at the deluxe hotels.

I'm going to start off by agreeing with you about the call center. It's economics, of course, but that's an issue that feels penny wise and pound foolish, to me.

OP has been dealing with this issue for three months. She says she's not seeking compensation, just verification that there will be a policy change or retraining. I don't think she's going to get that after all this time. She's not going to get information on retraining or disciplinary action. She, frankly, doesn't have the right to that information.

There is a greater issue that I see on Disney sites and that's the expectation that Disney must provide something MORE than what you paid for to make sure your vacation is "magical". A few people get lucky upgrades and everyone wants them even for run of the mill problems that are taken care of both properly and quickly. I'm not going to make excuses about their being glass on the carpet. There's just no excuse for it. Whether the room was never properly cleaned to start with or housekeeping broke something and didn't do a proper re-cleaning, it doesn't matter. It was wrong. Period.

She does, however, have a right to be acknowledged. To have her fill out an incident report, assign her a case number, and provide her with a contact person that she can't get in touch with is wrong. Not responding to her is terrible customer service. (And a large portion of my job is customer service.)

Disney markets themselves as "magical" They have commercials that portray front desk CM's as fairy godmothers. They set that level of expectations themselves.

 

[calismic]

It simply isn't possible. It takes about a half liter of fluid to soak a towel. That would mean he lost 1/4 of his blood volume. You cannot do that and just move on. He would have been weak, shaky, with low blood pressure. It would have been debilitating to the point he likely would have been unable to stand, much less carry on as normal. He would have needed IV fluids at a minimum.

Oh for the love of god, they were hand towels, not beach towels. He wasn't holding them on his foot until dripping wet. I stated they were solidly crimson, I didn't say I could ring them out and fill a container. I'll leave it at this, again I'm not asking for compensation. I felt there are members of this board who would benefit from hearing my experience and it was cathartic to share. If I was wrong, I can easily take the post down. I expected attacks, but I did not expect to be called a liar. I have nothing to gain from making Disney look bad. My stories not the first and it certainly won't be the last.

 

[emcclay]

Things happen. I would have asked for another room for safety and gone about my vacation. Disney is a smart company and I am sure they took care of this and provided extra training to their CM's.

 

[Dug720]

I mistakenly said 6 months once, sorry! Cuts from glass, even minor ones bleed a lot, especially feet hands and face. She said all that was needed was a bandaid. That is minor. There is no way a cut that did not require stitches and a hospital trip fully soaked 4 towels. If you loose that kind of blood volume you will need medical intervention, period. I don't doubt they got blood on 4 different towels, but there is no way he completely soaked 4 and was able to just put a bandaid on it and move on. I think we can be pretty sure that soaking 4 towels is an exaggeration. I read he post, but I didn't see anything she reported as negligent. Her perception is that they didn't care, but other than not getting to the glass fast enough for her, I don't see any of their actions as negligent.

Excellent points.

And she said the person she spoke with at the Poly offered to call an ambulance, but she and her husband refused. At that point it makes the injury minor and puts the emphasis on cleaning up the broken glass, which was done, and an apology is given.

And others are correct in that internal things such as new or modified policies will NEVER be discussed with the guests. Even a "thank you for your recommendation" response can set up false expectations that they're going to implement the suggestions which could create problems down the road when the guest returns and doesn't see her suggestions being implemented. The "forwarded to the appropriate parties" response is pretty much all you are going to get or they are obligated to give you for suggestions/recommendations.

 

[artemis908]

My expectations for Disney is higher than my expectations for other companies. The amount of detail they put into everything always stays with me and the customer service I have received during my many trips there is what has kept my family going back from age 7 to 32. That's how you keep guests coming back and staying exclusively at your resorts and going to your parks instead of going to Universal. I don't think Disney failed on this as much as specific people at Poly. This could have happened at a different person at a different resort and it may have gone differently. All they had to do was go the extra mile in their customer service and they would have never heard from her again. And that's what I have come to expect from Disney, maybe my expectations are too high.

 

[MinnieMeep]

Oh for the love of god, they were hand towels, not beach towels. He wasn't holding them on his foot until dripping wet. I stated they were solidly crimson, I didn't say I could ring them out and fill a container. I'll leave it at this, again I'm not asking for compensation. I felt there are members of this board who would benefit from hearing my experience and it was cathartic to share. If I was wrong, I can easily take the post down. I expected attacks, but I did not expect to be called a liar. I have nothing to gain from making Disney look bad. My stories not the first and it certainly won't be the last.

OP, I am so sorry this happened to your family. I appreciate you telling your experience, I really do! All I have to say is I hope none of these people who are downplaying the incident, telling you to get over it, or it's just a little cut move on, never experience what happened here (no, no one died or was seriously injured here; but it could have been a lot worse). I guarantee they would be singing a different tune if it were THEM (or a spouse, child, or other party member) who encountered and got injured by broken glass in their hotel room and no one at the resort giving a crap about it. Your family was not the negligent ones in this instance- the housekeeper had to of known that they broke something and did not adequately clean it up. I'm sure you would have mentioned this previously, but did you happen to take pictures? I know at the time you were probably 100% focused on making sure your family was okay and cleaning it up.

 

[BlackMagicWoman]

I think it is the apathy that makes her keep pushing. It would chap my butt too to be honest. I would just want to be taking seriously. I mean, really, having to ask for a vacuum is ridiculous. It would infuriate me.

 

[itchin2go]

Yikes, I missed quite a bit of conversation! Let me first say, I am the very last person to ever ask for anything. I understand accidents happen, but it was important to me that Disney understand that the management of the situation was very poor; and as someone who has invested more money than I care to admit into Disney, I'd like to see that they take their guests opinions seriously. I genuinely had good intentions, whether I am believed or not. The manager had no problems sharing with me that they do not document when damage occurs. If they're willing to make this public, then it would be just as easy to say "We will take your recommendation into consideration." Instead I was ignored.

Second, yes it was a small puncture, but there was a lot of blood. Four hand towels were solidly crimson. No adult should go through that on a vacation, and no child should witness it. When you ask my daughter how her trip was, 3 months later, the first thing she brings up is that daddy got hurt. I want her to remember the princesses, the fireworks, the parades, not that! With that said, I've learned from this experience. I've learned that I should be more cautious when walking on hotel floors barefoot, I've learned that if I'm injured not to expect the world class service that Disney is known for, I've learned that Disney is more concerned with liability than their guests well being. My post, admittedly was in part to vent my frustrations to a group of people who I have found invaluable. The DIS has helped me for so many years with my travel and planning, I felt this was something I could do, to bring aware the potential dangers and maybe to bump Disney a bit off their pedestal. Will I go back? Of course! I have a trip planned in December. But I will carry with me a bit of disdain.

FWIW - you don't have to justify anything to me. I would have flipped out, probably more than you did (cause that's who I am). I probably would have insisted that they move my room, and if I got the responses you did, I certainly would have contacted someone after the fact. If someone else wouldn't have reacted the same, that really means nothing.

 

[FoxyGranny]

Once front desk was notified, medical care should have been offerred( ambulance offered, declined) and dispatch housekeeping ASAP. It should have not required 3 calls to manager as well as informing again at front desk. Clean up should have been ASAP.

I too feel they management is more worried about litigation. OP expected and deserved attention to this situation. WDW dropped the ball. Period.

Frustration with the way this was handled, is worse than the incident. IMHO

 

[Angel Ariel]

I am only saying that I just cannot see perusing it this far over something that was so minor, unless one is looking to get something out of it.

I understand why you "cannot see persuing it this far."

I understand having a different view/perspective on what you would do.

None of that, though, means the OP is not sincere in stating she was not out to get a freebie.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I understand why you "cannot see persuing it this far."

I understand having a different view/perspective on what you would do.

None of that, though, means the OP is not sincere in stating she was not out to get a freebie.

You are absolutely correct. I'm not saying she was, just that I don't understand another motive.

 

[lmcarr49]

You are absolutely correct. I'm not saying she was, just that I don't understand another motive.

Go up 4 posts and you'll understand.

 

[ms tom morrow]

I have had a similar experience occur in the main building club level of the GF.

DH and I arrived back to our room to find a glass bottle of my personal (brought from home) face cream broken on the bathroom countertop and on the floor. It definitely wasn't broken before we left, so either housekeeping broke it while cleaning the bathroom, or moved it into a precarious position on the shelf and it broke after they left. Either way, it was still there when we entered.

Luckily, it was pretty noticeable since the cream was also splashed among the shards of glass so we both left our shoes on. DH went out to the concierge desk to request someone come vacuum and I grabbed a washclosh and attempted to be helpful by pushing all of the countertop shards into the trash. Of course, I'm a clutz and somehow managed to slice my finger open. DH came back just in time to see the blood beginning to gush, poor guy. I wrapped a hand towel around my finger and was applying pressure when the housekeeper came in to vacuum. The bleeding wasn't slowing down, so DH and I decided to head to the concierge desk and ask for help. We let the housekeeper know we'd be leaving the room and to please make sure to vacuum the area around the bathroom as well.

The CM at the concierge desk was sympathetic and asked if we would like an ambulance, and I declined saying I'd rather go to an urgent care facility than a full blown ER. They asked if we would require transportation, but we had a car and elected to drive ourselves there. I ended up getting 3 stitches in my finger.

We arrived back in our room around midnight and all of the mess had been taken care of. Throughout the rest of the week the CMs in the concierge lounge checked in on me asking if I needed any ice, how I was doing, etc. We never received an apology for the broken glass, my lost face cream, or my injury, however I was satisfied with Disney's response -- when they were alerted to the broken glass they quickly sent someone to clean it up, and when they were alerted of my injury they offered an ambulance or other transportation to get it checked out. It stinks that I had to spend my evening getting stitches instead of enjoying my vacation, but accidents happen everywhere - even when you've paid a lot of money for a "perfect" vacation! Now DH and I call that scar my "Wishes scar" -- partly because we were supposed to be watching Wishes while I was getting stitched, and partly because we wish I weren't a clutz!

 

[lmcarr49]

It's called apathy as BlackMagicWoman stated. Surely you can understand that.

 

[smiths02]

This was the point I was going to make. Be careful of the response you get from calling the front desk and if you get to the front desk and they don't know what you are talking about that is because when you call the front desk from your room you are calling a call center. Just like if you call the Polynesian from home using the resort number. They may act like they are at the resort but they are not.

I have found that housekeeping has lacked in many ways at the Polynesian for the last decade or more. I'm not convinced they will ever give much effort to fix it. They have had many complaints and I have heard the horror stories from staff that use to work for housekeeping. Last trip I just put the "do not disturb" sign up so I didn't have to deal with them. Either a poor job was done or they did not even clean my room until about 6:00 pm with me out of the room since about 8:00 am.

Ok, the bad housekeeping makes me sad. We are staying there for 3 nights in Feb. We probably won't ever get to splurge on it again, so I would be disappointed if they can't even keep the rooms clean enough to be safe.

I think it is ridiculous that you have to know NOT to call the Front Desk, but it is what it is. At Art of Animation, we called Maintenance (or Engineering..can't remember what it is called but there is a specific button for it) about the fridge door just coming completely off when we tried to open it. We had a new fridge in 15 minutes! When I needed more plastic spoons, I pressed Housekeeping and someone was there in about 5 minutes. So I am guessing those buttons don't go to the call center?

 

[GeneralTso]

This is awful AND stuff like that happens all the time. All the time. It's hard to see glass, and they did a crappy job cleaning.
Their response was pathetic. They should have moved you, comp'd you and probably a whole lot more. But they didn't.
We had a situation and I kept saying how disappointed I was, and that I was really an unhappy customer. I truly was! They bent over backward to make it right.
I hate reading stories like this and how vacations just get blitzed for something that isn't supposed to happen. I know, life isn't fair and all that, but seriously, when you have stuff like this happen, it takes a lot to get past and move on to a magical time.

Disney isn't perfect and I don't make excuses for the mistakes. They really blow it sometimes. I have experienced really great customer service from them when things go sideways. I'm not a jerk about it, but I make sure I'm heard and why it's not OK. I've never asked for anything.

I always do a walk-thru of any hotel room I'm in. We travel a lot and I want to make sure it's all good and nothing crazy is going on. Like shards of glass on the floor!!!
This last trip we came back to our room to find another family's luggage in our obviously "lived in" room! It was cleaned, but our stuff was on the counters, etc. Cracked me up and I felt REAL bad for the family who had missing luggage. They took care of it right away. I just shook my head and wondered how on earth they screwed that one up!

 

[smiths02]

This is awful AND stuff like that happens all the time. All the time. It's hard to see glass, and they did a crappy job cleaning.
Their response was pathetic. They should have moved you, comp'd you and probably a whole lot more. But they didn't.
We had a situation and I kept saying how disappointed I was, and that I was really an unhappy customer. I truly was! They bent over backward to make it right.
I hate reading stories like this and how vacations just get blitzed for something that isn't supposed to happen. I know, life isn't fair and all that, but seriously, when you have stuff like this happen, it takes a lot to get past and move on to a magical time.

Disney isn't perfect and I don't make excuses for the mistakes. They really blow it sometimes. I have experienced really great customer service from them when things go sideways. I'm not a jerk about it, but I make sure I'm heard and why it's not OK. I've never asked for anything.

I always do a walk-thru of any hotel room I'm in. We travel a lot and I want to make sure it's all good and nothing crazy is going on. Like shards of glass on the floor!!!
This last trip we came back to our room to find another family's luggage in our obviously "lived in" room! It was cleaned, but our stuff was on the counters, etc. Cracked me up and I felt REAL bad for the family who had missing luggage. They took care of it right away. I just shook my head and wondered how on earth they screwed that one up!

We had my DH throwing up in the room on his birthday. He couldn't go to his birthday dinner, so I went to Yachtsman with 3 kids by myself (cancellation policy and we ordered a cake, not something I would recommend). The staff at Yachtsman bent over backward for us...they even sent the cake to our room at AoA so I didn't have to carry it (and offered me a taxi back to the resort...I was driving, though). Then, we had a little fender bender in the parking lot at AoA. The Front Desk person got security, changed our FP+, and even called us later to make sure we didn't need anything else. Anyway...these are things that could have really made the trip stinky, but Disney helped and the trip was our best trip yet!
So I guess my point is that they could offer better service, AND I think they could do so without admitting responsibility. Disney wasn't responsible for my DH getting sick or for the car accident, but they helped us (and they helped us without us asking or complaining!). Honestly, we had planned to be offsite for our trip next year, but the great service at AoA is pushing us to stay there again. (And the service at Yachtsman will probably make us do a re-do of the birthday dinner) Does Disney not realize that? I will also tell my friends how our $7500 vacation was worth every penny and help them plan vacations.