My Experience at the Polynesian

[starousse]

In my opinion, something more should have done for the OP' family. This is a Disney Deluxe Hotel and service here is key. Whether it being a night comped in the room or a nice basket along with a letter of apology. Something more than bringing a vacuum to the room for her to clean up the glass herself was warranted here. I'm the last person looking for a freeby, but if it were I, I would've addressed management in how they were going to do right by my family and keep us as returning customers.

 

[ArwenMarie]

They should have been moved to a different room, even at a different resort. Immediately. Shouldn't have even been allowed to stay in that room, if they care so much about their liability, which I don't believe they do.

And then the room should have been deep cleaned before anyone else was allowed to stay in there.

 

[eliza61]

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.

Lol, I always found it to be an interesting phenomenon that people here tell others what they should and should not be upset about.

 

[Kaigler]

It's an unfortunate accident for sure. Sorry that happened to you. Looking at it from Disney's perspective, they're not sure you didn't break the glass yourself. Im betting they don't want to do more than apologize because it makes them look guilty. Everyone is so sue happy these days and big companies like Disney are at the top of the target list. So with no other witnesses except your immediate family, I can see (sadly) why Disney has reacted the way they have. It sucks but that's the world we've created.

 

[Monykalyn]

Totally agree Baler but what I find so interesting is that usually customer service lawsuits can be avoided if the complaint is handle immediately.

I'm not in the hotel industry but rather the restaurant industry. grew up in a family run soul food joint in NYC, so I don't think it's a far stretch.

Generally, people "ratch" incidents off when they feel they are being "blown" off. We found out very quickly that by handling complaints immediately and with compassion, most of our "complainers" not only left happy but came back.
*snip*
Sure you a have a small group of folks who will sue just to get something but I do think that's small %.

I'm not op but I'm willing to bet had the front desk simply offered to change their room, sent up a bellman to help them relocate, then sent up a flunkie to make sure the family was ok and dad did not need medical assistance, we would not have been reading this.

three easy things that wouldn't cost the company a single dime. Oh well it is what it is.

Yes, to this entire post. Even in medicine, it's proven that doctors and hospitals can reduce malpractice lawsuits and payouts by apologizing. Apologizing is a powerful tool.

I work in healthcare-we had a lawyer (who started as an RN and now works defending MD's against malpractice) talk about this very thing. There is a very very small percentage of people who will sue no matter what happens but most won't depending on how well they thought they were treated! All about a Dr's bedside manner, how staff handled their concerns etc (lawsuits are rarely about the unexpected outcome). As anyone who has ever worked in a hospital I have a list of personnel who are allowed to handle my care and a stricter list of who is not (seriously would rather take my chances being transported somewhere else or waiting until someone on OK list available). Yet those on the "no" list won't get sued but the excellent MD's -with the gruffer bedside manner- will. The take away is-acknowledge the complaints (you can do so without accepting liability), offer a sincere "how can I help" then follow through. Most people are actually quite reasonable when asked what they would like to see happen. In the OP's case-clean up immediately, offer of medical care and immediate offer to transport to another room would be reasonable - and without accepting liability.

Disney used to provide excellent customer service-heck as a temporary college program placement 24 years ago they invested a week in nothing but that, plus 3 days cash handling (specific to my position), plus trainer that was with me for first month on job and available as same shift for another month after that! What company invests 2 month of training for a temporary 5 month position?! Sadly-I don't think even the permanents receive that level anymore...

 

[Kaigler]

It definitely would have been better from a service perspective and from a PR perspective to make it right. I would have expected Disney of all companies to reacted in favor of service rather than the corporate save-***.

 

[Lilysmom]

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 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.

Well I guess if the consensus is OP should have had a room change over the broken glass, this poster should have had a bed swap or room change over the offending bed. Why do for one but not the other? If they just came up and fixed the bed isn't it enough to just come up and fix the broken glass?

And there is no way four towels were "soaked through" with blood and a hospital trip wasn't required. It would have looked like a murder scene and there would have been an accident report filled out immediately.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I work in healthcare-we had a lawyer (who started as an RN and now works defending MD's against malpractice) talk about this very thing. There is a very very small percentage of people who will sue no matter what happens but most won't depending on how well they thought they were treated! All about a Dr's bedside manner, how staff handled their concerns etc (lawsuits are rarely about the unexpected outcome). As anyone who has ever worked in a hospital I have a list of personnel who are allowed to handle my care and a stricter list of who is not (seriously would rather take my chances being transported somewhere else or waiting until someone on OK list available). Yet those on the "no" list won't get sued but the excellent MD's -with the gruffer bedside manner- will. The take away is-acknowledge the complaints (you can do so without accepting liability), offer a sincere "how can I help" then follow through. Most people are actually quite reasonable when asked what they would like to see happen. In the OP's case-clean up immediately, offer of medical care and immediate offer to transport to another room would be reasonable - and without accepting liability.

Disney used to provide excellent customer service-heck as a temporary college program placement 24 years ago they invested a week in nothing but that, plus 3 days cash handling (specific to my position), plus trainer that was with me for first month on job and available as same shift for another month after that! What company invests 2 month of training for a temporary 5 month position?! Sadly-I don't think even the permanents receive that level anymore...

Very interesting.

I do think training is playing a big part (as you said, lack of). And I also think that the resorts are understaffed at all levels, from housekeeping to management to customer service, so employees are just so stretched.

I remember at the Omni, we had a problem with noise, like something was rattling in a vent. Anyway, I called to the front desk (where a real live person at the front desk picked up). They had a front desk person come up to our room immediately, take us to another room, make sure we liked it first. Then had bell services come and help us with our bags. Then we got settled, and a few minutes later, the front desk person sent up a small basket with a a bunch of snacks in it for the kids, like vending machine stuff, nothing fancy, but the kids thought it was great. And it was the thought, as you said, the acknowledgement, that wowed me. And this was all done and settled within an hour. For a slight annoying noise.

 

[averysmom]

If anything like that happens again, take the ambulance... It's complimentary. Disney pays for the Rady Creek paramedics. When my dd rolled out if bed in the middle of the night and hit her head on the night stand, we too didn't want the ambulance b/c we didn't think it was necessary. They told us it was free, and it was sure nice to not have to figure out how to get to the nearest urgent care at 2 am with a hurt child. They took her to Celebration (now, the ER wasn't free) and the hotel sent a vehicle (with an appropriate car seat b/c she was only 3) to pick us up.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

It's an unfortunate accident for sure. Sorry that happened to you. Looking at it from Disney's perspective, they're not sure you didn't break the glass yourself. Im betting they don't want to do more than apologize because it makes them look guilty. Everyone is so sue happy these days and big companies like Disney are at the top of the target list. So with no other witnesses except your immediate family, I can see (sadly) why Disney has reacted the way they have. It sucks but that's the world we've created.

Generally speaking, good customer services means assuming that the customer is telling the truth unless you have good reason to believe they're not. Even from a liability standpoint, even if the guest broke the glass, the hotel would want to ensure that the room is thoroughly cleaned before any guests go back in.

 

[itchin2go]

Well I guess if the consensus is OP should have had a room change over the broken glass, this poster should have had a bed swap or room change over the offending bed. Why do for one but not the other? If they just came up and fixed the bed isn't it enough to just come up and fix the broken glass?

And there is no way four towels were "soaked through" with blood and a hospital trip wasn't required. It would have looked like a murder scene and there would have been an accident report filled out immediately.

If the bed frame accident was the result of a defective and dangerous bed frame, then yes, I would have asked to move rooms. However, avoiding an offending piece of bed frame once you know it's a hazard is easier (theoretically) than avoiding many tiny shards of glass, which could be anywhere.

I didn't see where OP said "soaked through". I saw "solidly crimson". I don't have an equivalency chart to tell me how much volume of blood it takes to do either. I don't see how it matters. It appears there was more blood than OP would have expected. It appears it was unsettling.

My daughter once had a cut above her eyebrow that bled and bled and bled. I don't know how many things we "soaked", but it was a lot of blood (which I have since been told is typical of cuts in that region.) A lot of blood is unsettling - to me, anyway. Does it really matter how much the volume of blood was?

 

[smiths02]

I agree that customer service should have been better. They should have moved your room, etc. I am wondering OP if you were not told to fill out an accident report immediately because your DH did not seek medical attention?

 

[oceanmarina]

I am not a 'woe is me, gimme gimme' type of person. But I think it's ridiculous that the OP isn't being treated better or offered anything.
This wasn't just an inconvenience. They missed the parade and fireworks on the last night they were there because the OP had to stay and nag them to do their jobs! And the OP's DH had an injured foot. Even if they could have gone on with their night, it would have been painful for him.
Housekeeping's mistake cost the OP and her family time (which at park prices, is also money) and caused an injury, and they failed to handle it properly at pretty much every turn.
This deserved way more than just an "oops so sorry, here's a band-aid" and unanswered phone calls.

I strongly agree, this was a terrible lack of any kind of customer service on Disney's part. Like another poster said, we are paying extremely high rates to stay on site, the customer service needs to match the price.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

I haven't read all the replies. To the original poster, please know it makes me absolutely SHUDDER to think of how hurt your little daughter and baby could have been on that glass. I would have been red hot then and red hot now. I am so sorry your husband was cut, that you missed some events on your vacation and that Disney has blown you off. It's extremely disappointing.

 

[toodycat]

I am so sorry to hear about your experience. That low level of customer service and responsibility is not acceptable at any resort. Immediate medical attention, a heartfelt demonstration of concern,inspection and cleaning of the room and moving the family to another room would have all been appropriate responses. I wouldn't presume that the OP wants something more than to have Disney hear what happened and acknowledge it. When a company does not do that, it weighs on the customer more over time.

 

[ryansstitch]

I haven't read all the replies. To the original poster, please know it makes me absolutely SHUDDER to think of how hurt your little daughter and baby could have been on that glass. I would have been red hot then and red hot now. I am so sorry your husband was cut, that you missed some events on your vacation and that Disney has blown you off. It's extremely disappointing.

This exactly. It's not just how hurt or unhurt her DH was. It's also about the level of risk and potential for serious, even life threatening injury that was left in the room. What if the baby tried to EAT the glass, as everyone knows babies will eat random junk anywhere! Or if the older girl had played on it? Had he not stepped in the glass and "taken one for the team" the reality is a child was likely to be hurt. The traumatic vacation memories alone are enough to warrant someone caring enough to at least give this family some respect. I'm honestly shocked they would even let OP go back to the room. As far as liability is concerned, it would seem they made themselves more vulnerable by knowingly placing a family in a hazardous room after injury has already occurred.

 

[luvlife]

I haven't read through the whole thread but the first thing that came to mind was this could have been an absolute nightmare. What if when walking into the room the child fell and the glass cut them on the face or belly? Thankfully this was a minor injury but it could have been a lot worse. I feel from the OP's point of view that she is trying to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else. I also think that a little TLC from Disney's side would have alleviated the fears that OP has from this incident. Not being the OP I can only think of how I would feel if the staff at Poly had handled the situation better from the get go.

 

[disneynutz]

Here are my thoughts and observations.

Disney isn't perfect, they process millions of guests each year and they make mistakes.

Calls to the front desk are answered by a call center who often makes mistakes.

You are dealing with people who can make mistakes. What's important to you may not be important to them. Your DH's injury was upsetting to you and your family, to others they might of pulled out the piece of glass and moved on.

With Disney, at some point with this type of issue Disney's perception of the guest changes due to something that was said. When that happens the guest is treated differently maybe because of a potential liability action. Disney doesn't know the OP, what really happened, or what will happen next.

Once claims gets involved it's a whole different ball game, they are there to protect Disney's interest and saying that they are sorry could be used as an admission of guilt. They have policies on what they are allowed to say and do put in place by Disney legal. They want to process and close the claim and move to the next one since they probably get a few hundred thousand each year.

Bill

 

[maxiesmom]

I would be in the camp of they should have sent someone to clean up the glass asap, and then I would have moved on. I don't think that a new room or an upgrade is necessary any time there is something wrong with a room, but I get others feel different. Unfortunately I also get that the minute word of broken glass in a room causing an upgrade people would start "accidentally" dropping things at an alarming rate. Anyway, thank goodness no one was hurt any worse!

Anyone else notice how there is this thread at the same time on another thread people are in a dither over having to have shoes on their babies while at WDW?

 

[maxiesmom]

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.

Absolutely they have the right to be acknowledged. However the OP's husband didn't feel the need for anything more than a band-aid. Why would Disney feel the need to fill out a report for that? I would never assume they fill one out every time they handed out a band-aid, the reports would be constant. Who here really assumes they fill one out every time a guest asks for a band-aid?

I think Disney could have done better, but I also think this reminds us all that if something is wrong we need to be clear on how we expect Disney to handle it, and what they need to do to make it right in our eyes. Never assume they know.