Report horrible service? (this has been resolved)

[Nancyg56]

I am about to send an email to guest services. I do realize I could have done a lot of things differently in the situation, but making me feel bad about not doing those things is a moot point. In the moment you do what you do whether that is what someone else would have done or not. I don't want him fired, I don't want any kind of compensation, I would like for him to learn from this and with a little re-training learn to give guests the service that should be expected from Disney.

I have no idea why you shoudl feel badly about how you decided to handle the situation. Every family has individual concerns at any given time, and your decision was appropriate for you. I am glad you shared yoru experience with guest services so that they can at least let the manager of the restaurant know they should provide more training. '

I have to say that my family reached the "I'm just done" attitude at 'Ohana onour last trip. It is off our list and I was too darn mad to even complain. For me, that is when I don't care if the place ever opens or closes again, I am not going back, and it was not worth my time to complain.

OP, I sent an Email to Disney after I got home to compliment an employee’s good service. And I figure if people can write after they get home to give praise, they should be allowed to complain too.

I totally get that there are times when you don’t want to complain in the moment. Enjoying time spent with your young daughter without the unpleasantness of discussing service issues with a manager is a very valid reason.

I would be curious to see the response though I wouldn’t blame you for not sharing it here.

I agree. We trade the time to share the good and the negative.

 

[Luvs Mickey]

We had a similar experience at Coral Reef three years ago and I wish I had said something at the time. Seriously, it could have been the same server! There’s just something about complaining to a manager when you’re with your kids at an experience like that. You just don’t want to be that mom or dad, as my kids are embarrassed when I do say something.

It is definitely not too late. You have such specific information to share with management, and multiple guest observations to boot, that it would be helpful for the manager to provide targeted coaching to the employee. They can’t fix what they don’t know about. Unfortunately, most people don’t want to say anything, which is understandable.

 

[sotoalf]

After almost twenty years of patronage, we had an embarrassing experience at the Citricos bar in December 2014. The bartender condescended to my parents, making them feel as if they didn't know what 21-year-old scotch was. Infuriated, I let the manager know. He apologized and minutes later returned to the table and offered us free champagne and dessert – a nice gesture, admittedly, but it mattered more that the restaurant addressed my problem and responded as if they cared.

 

[Arielfan98]

I still don't understand how people make this sound like it's my fault, seriously. I was with a CHILD on a special trip, I felt like doing more would make a scene of it all and I didn't want to do anything. Also, I did try to flag people down and was ignored on multiple occasions, so did the table next to us. That's not the point though. Also, I don't think the girls worked there by the sounds of it, I could hear most of what one girl was saying because she wasn't really quiet. They were there on a friends trip and having a great time sharing stories with him about how she flirts with boys and talks too much to them.

Don't worry, OP, I understand where you are coming from. Now, if only people could be a little nicer on these threads.

 

[Spencer Wright]

I faced similar service when I went to Skipper's Canteen back in Jan. 2017 and I really regret not speaking to a manager about this. I mean our waiter was almost a copycat of what you described. Later on I read a review from a woman who dined at Skipper's Canteen 2 months later and we put two and two together and realized we had the same waiter. Had I spoken up to a manager, who knows? Maybe the lady wouldn't have suffered the same fate as me and maybe I would have received some sort of small compensation such as a free cupcake or fast pass I don't know. Point is, maybe something would have been done, and I regret not speaking up. I do feel my experience is a little too late, but I don't think yours is.

I had a bad experience at Skipper's Canteen and often if you complain in the moment you can get pretty substantial recovery. For example, we had a HORRIBLE experience at Cape May Cafe (long story short our magic bands or the machine weren't working, and the waitress said if we didn't pay she would call security, it was quite a scene); and we ended up getting THREE FP's each! You could argue it was overkill but regardless, Disney is pretty good at guest recovery, but only if you say something in the moment.

Still, I do not believe it is useless to report it after the fact.

 

[Arielfan98]

I had a bad experience at Skipper's Canteen and often if you complain in the moment you can get pretty substantial recovery. For example, we had a HORRIBLE experience at Cape May Cafe (long story short our magic bands or the machine weren't working, and the waitress said if we didn't pay she would call security, it was quite a scene); and we ended up getting THREE FP's each! You could argue it was overkill but regardless, Disney is pretty good at guest recovery, but only if you say something in the moment.

Still, I do not believe it is useless to report it after the fact.

I agree 100% I mean what do you have to lose? If Disney decides to disregard your info, then that's on them, but at least you tried to share your experience. I will keep this in mind as I go on my August trip.

 

[DSLRuser]

. Including the waiter grabbing my arm with my magic band on it to pay for the meal. I was not going to leave there with him getting that tip this time. I spoke to a manager and the meal was compensated and his tip was returned to my account. I think the manager compensated the meal mainly because he grabbed my arm like he did.

I don't get it. He grabbed your arm so the device they use to connect with your magic could work properly. Are you upset at the mere prospect of him touching you? Or did he hurt you in some way?

I can see where those devices can be finicky. And if your wrist / arm was not in position, a guiding touch is not out of the ordinary.

 

[coast2coastmickey]

I don't get it. He grabbed your arm so the device they use to connect with your magic could work properly. Are you upset at the mere prospect of him touching you? Or did he hurt you in some way?

I can see where those devices can be finicky. And if your wrist / arm was not in position, a guiding touch is not out of the ordinary.

At least in the US, personal space is a generally accepted social norm, and touching a stranger without consent is typically frowned upon. A guest touching an employee? May or may not be appropriate, but it's possible that the guest can use it as a learning opportunity. A cast member doing the same? I'd argue that he/she should know better.

I am of Mexican descent, and when I visit, those social norms are quite different. Much less personal space, and touching is much more socially acceptable, if not encouraged.

I don't mind when strangers touch me, but I can see how others would mind.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't get it. He grabbed your arm so the device they use to connect with your magic could work properly. Are you upset at the mere prospect of him touching you? Or did he hurt you in some way?

I can see where those devices can be finicky. And if your wrist / arm was not in position, a guiding touch is not out of the ordinary.

I'm not the poster but no waiter/waitress should be grabbing your arm so you can pay with the MB.

I can't imagine that they train the staff to touch a patron to pay with the MB.

That's like when you're checking out at one of their stores them grabbing your arm to pay.

All they need to do is instruct how to do it.

 

[djc9699]

I still don't understand how people make this sound like it's my fault, seriously. I was with a CHILD on a special trip, I felt like doing more would make a scene of it all and I didn't want to do anything. Also, I did try to flag people down and was ignored on multiple occasions, so did the table next to us. That's not the point though. Also, I don't think the girls worked there by the sounds of it, I could hear most of what one girl was saying because she wasn't really quiet. They were there on a friends trip and having a great time sharing stories with him about how she flirts with boys and talks too much to them.

I totally get not saying anything in the moment while trying to enjoy time with your child. I have an 18 year old son who becomes embarrassed by anything he 'thinks' is confrontational. If something comes out wrong (i.e. baked potato instead of broccoli) and I ask for what I ordered, he thinks I should just not say anything. Definitely have to pick my battles with that one around. You did what you needed to do and only you can decide what is right for you and your family. Hopefully y'all had a nice time for the rest of your trip.

 

[Sarahslay]

I totally get not saying anything in the moment while trying to enjoy time with your child. I have an 18 year old son who becomes embarrassed by anything he 'thinks' is confrontational. If something comes out wrong (i.e. baked potato instead of broccoli) and I ask for what I ordered, he thinks I should just not say anything. Definitely have to pick my battles with that one around. You did what you needed to do and only you can decide what is right for you and your family. Hopefully y'all had a nice time for the rest of your trip.

Thank you, we had a fantastic time! I think that giving it a few days also allowed me to get my thoughts straight and report the facts and not just the emotion. If I had gotten a manager or gone to guest services right there I would have blown up, it's been known to happen, and that's not what I want on my mommy-daughter vacation. I can only imagine how easily I'll embarrass her as she gets older

 

[KellyHonos]

I used to serve for 4 years, so I'm reading OP's post just cringing. While serving, one thing I made a point to do with each table was COMMUNICATE! If I was slammed and unable to tend to someone's needs immediately, I would literally just tell them that I was tending to someone else but if they could sit tight I'd be right with them. If I was really too busy, I'd reach out to a co-worker for assistance. If ticket times were running longer than usual, I'd tell them. I'd offer them something small to show appreciation for their patience. I'm really confused as to why servers don't just speak up about these very basic things. If you can communicate with your tables, your guests will be a lot less annoyed/unhappy. Rational people are able to tell the difference between what is out of the server's hand (food errors, long waits, prices, etc) and what's the server's responsibility (catering to the guests needs, checking in with their guests, filling drinks, clearing plates, offering suggestions, making sure the check is correct, etc). So, as I'm sure you all could guess, when you did a job for an extended period of time, you can't HELP but have a more fine-tuned observation of scenarios like this.

If the server that this OP had was truly just socializing with a table and neglecting others, that's reason enough to complain. I'm sorry, but it is. When I am in a restaurant, busy or slow, and I see someone ON THEIR PHONE, or socializing with co-workers, I instantly become annoyed. It's hard for me to like my server after I've watched them ignore me as they sat on facebook or gossiped with their friend for 10 minutes as i sat there needing something. The server mentioned originally should be held accountable for giving you and other tables the cold shoulder during your visit. He shouldn't have a job there. Work is not social hour. There's nothing wrong with making small talk and making your guests feel welcomed and relaxed, but by the sound of OP's description, he wasn't doing that. Maybe to the table with the girls, but not the rest of his guests.

In regards to whether or not you should complain now, hmm....I guess you could. However, I'd make it known in your email the reasons you didn't report at the time. When I was serving, people would complain 2-3 days later about them not liking their food, expecting a full refund. Lol. *Scratches head*. When there is a delayed response to something that is angering you enough to reach out and bring it up, it can raise suspicion to managers. It looks like a money grab. But in OP's situation, the food wasn't necessarily the complaint so much as the service and overall experience. Again, lay out WHY you're writing after the fact and stress the reason you were irritated by this server's lack of attention paid to you and others.

It pains me to hear that this server didn't care, because honestly, Disney trips are looked forward to by SO MANY for so LONG! I know for me, I count down the days til I get to go back, and I peruse the menus of the restaurants I have reservations for. I look up photos and reviews. I build up my excitement so much that by the time I get there, I'm only expecting the best because of the way I built up the excitement in my own reality. I know for these servers, this is their everyday routine and the magic may start wearing off a few shifts into their time there, but they need to keep in mind that the people they're waiting on have been looking forward to this meal and are hoping for the best. I'm completely understanding of things that are out of their control, but the LEAST a WDW server could do is have a good attitude and a smile on. If they can't do that, they really shouldn't be serving. When people came into my work for their anniversary, birthday, retirement, etc., I'd be so honored to be able to make their night special. Seriously, it sounds cheesy, but it's true. I know my response was long-winded, but I empathize with the OP because I know how annoying it is to have high hopes for a place and then be given a server like that. It just sucks. It makes you wonder why the heck this person serves if they don't like it or care to do it. Thankfully, I've yet to really truly have a bad dining experience at WDW...did I just jinx myself?

 

[Sarahslay]

I have been trading emails with Guest Services this afternoon, and they have gifted me with several anytime FP+ for my next trip (which happens to be with my other daughter in July). They wanted to compensate me but I told them I didn't want that, we did eat and mostly enjoy our food so the resturaunt and WDW should not take a financial hit just because one of their employees wasn't bringing their best. I did not expect anything, but I won't complain about a few FP, they are free for the company to hand out after all, doesn't cost them anything. Thanks to everyone who was understanding of the situation and gave good constructive feedback, I really do appreciate it.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I always think about it from this perspective: if I were the manager / if I was Disney -- would I want to know this? This strikes me as worth letting them know. Not because as a PP said you're "expecting" anything (though nice that they offered something) -- just to give feedback and give them the opportunity to take corrective action and make future guests' experiences better than yours.

And to those who say you should have said something while you were there, I did just that back in April at Via Napoli and had an even worse experience as a result -- the manager was AWFUL at handling the situation. I noted their names (waiter and manager) and wrote to Disney after I got home -- for the first time EVER in 25ish or so trips. It was that bad.

 

[sgc]

Even better than an email or in person complaint the phone camera video so prevalant these days.

Nobody especially Disney wants this type of action and no doubt would get you a satisfactory resolution in any case as you have documeted your concerns.

Disney probably places a higher level of concern on phone video complaints as that is actual
proof of what happened as opposed to letters etc.

 

[PeakSeason]

Meanwhile there was an Asian family who still hadn't been helped after nearly 15-20 minutes, and surprise surprise he was their waiter.

Why did you feel the need to point out the ethnicity of this family?

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Any time we run into a "Bad" waiter or waitress I will speak up within the first 15 minutes and ask to be moved to another section with a new server. Only once I was asked why and I told them exactly why and we got great service. Now if the server is slow because they have too many tables and I can see they are trying I won't complain and I will actually give them a larger tip. We eat out at nice restaurants pretty often and though I have had bad service elsewhere, I have never had bad service at WDW. I guess we're lucky.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Even better than an email or in person complaint the phone camera video so prevalant these days.

Just because it's prevalent doesn't mean it's proper. Generally, you either record the entire experience, or you (in this case) pick and choose and only record the server not attending to you. That can appear to be edited, potentially to make the server look bad when they're not.

 

[Nancyg56]

Even better than an email or in person complaint the phone camera video so prevalant these days.

Nobody especially Disney wants this type of action and no doubt would get you a satisfactory resolution in any case as you have documeted your concerns.

Disney probably places a higher level of concern on phone video complaints as that is actual
proof of what happened as opposed to letters etc.

Not in my experience. I have always been happy with te response I have received from Disney, and I have never resorted to taping an interaction. I find it not only unnecessary, but intrusive as well.

I am always shocked that people want to go directly for the big guns when all they need to do is use their words. If you are capable of communicating, you are capable of discussing a situation that you need rectified. There is no need to place somone on a video in order to drive home a point, and honestly, if I was charged with addressing this I would be less inclined to be generous with the complainer.

 

[jo-jo]

Just to share how a server's actions can "stick" in your brain.
About 33 years ago, our FIRST disney trip. Our 2 1/2 DS was horrible. (I blamed it on airplane air.) We had the gold plan, which included TS. Sitting down with goblets of water, our DS knocks over a glass, water everywhere. I'm in tears. Our server took it very calmly. Came over and said "oh we can just fix this like a leaky tire, we can patch it. He took a few cloth napkins, laid them down. Took care of the mess, no eye rolling, no "when is this family leaving" look. I thought he was being very kind.

About 10 years ago, we had a server at the other end of the spectrum. When you are asked "how are you", the automatic response is "fine, how are you". Well, she was tired. So tired, in fact, later when she checked on us, she decided we needed more details. SHE SAT DOWN WITH US. I had to move a bag for her to sit. We were eating, both DH and I put our forks down, while she told us why she was so tired. It seems her mother needed to move because of a rent hike. So our server was soooo busy helping her and now she too tired to do her job at disney. DH and I were flabbergasted of her actions. I wanted to speak to the manager, DH wanted to finish the meal and get out of there.