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Disneyvillain
10-28-2013, 01:03 PM
Apologies if this is in the wrong section.

Yesterday, I parked in the Woody parking lot. This is something I never typically do but with the arrival of a new baby, I thought a bus versus a tram would be a better option.

Upon pulling up a cast member informed me that it would $16 for parking. Being an annual pass member and not paying for parking for years, I said "woah, is that how much parking is? that's expensive". I was genuinely taken aback, I mean, I don't know how much parking should be, I just know that $16 seemed pretty high. I'm sure that is par for the course and it's fine but what was not fine is what happened next.

As I pulled away, I hear the voice of Mickey. "That's not expensive, you're just cheap!"

Thankfully, no one was behind me because I threw the car in reverse and confronted the cast member. The kid apologized and made up some ridiculous story justifying the comment that somehow tied in the Downtown Disney parking (it really made no sense).

Not to sound like a jerk but I'd like to report this guy, I'm just not sure where.

I'm not cheap, and the money I spend at Disneyland is something I make a conscious decision to do because I love the brand. I thought about my personal average cost per visit, I thought about how money I spend per year on food and on merch. I'm the guy that will pay $12 for a candy cane without even liking the taste of peppermint because they come out once a year.

So, for this guy to impersonate Mickey and call me cheap was pretty disheartening.

Jeeze... I think I just ranted.

cstephens
10-28-2013, 01:43 PM
Not to sound like a jerk but I'd like to report this guy, I'm just not sure where.

I agree that what the CM said was inappropriate. I hope you at least noted his name on his nametag, and that would help identify who he is. On the Disneyland website, there's a link at the bottom that says "contact us". If you go to that link, there's a form that will pop up, and you can make your comment there. In order for them to better identify the correct CM, it would be helpful if you had his first name, indicated the parking lot you were at, and the day and time, and the best description you can give of the CM. I would then explain what happened and what he said and how inappropriate you thought it was. Frankly, I think it's irrelevant that you're an AP and how much money you've spent. I think more damage would be done if he'd done that to a first-time visitor as it certainly wouldn't make me want to make a repeat visit if I was treated that way on a first visit.

candles71
10-28-2013, 02:26 PM
Exact time, date, etc, should be on the parking receipt, which should be included in an email. Written complaints seem to weigh heavier than phone call.

Disneyvillain
10-28-2013, 03:37 PM
Thanks... I do have that. I regret not asking for his name. But I have all other information. I'll check out the form on th

Rapunzelthorn
10-28-2013, 03:39 PM
That is atrocious. I would not think that someone could even keep their job after behaving like that. Disney takes their customer service seriously. He probably receives a lot of complaints from guests when they find out how much the parking is and so he took it out on you. That is no excuse, I just imagine that is what probably happens and why he decided to "vent" like that. But, yes, that is totally unacceptable.

candles71
10-28-2013, 03:44 PM
Thanks... I do have that. I regret not asking for his name. But I have all other information. I'll check out the form on th
It may even help if you can attach a copy of it somehow. Most cash registers have employee/cashier numbers imbedded somewhere for transaction tracking.
It was an unacceptable response no matter what. He was "on stage". I don't know that it is fireable, but he should at least get spoken to about it and corrections made.

ElJay
10-29-2013, 08:14 AM
Oh, lighten up. The kid probably makes 8 bucks an hour and it was maybe a slow day so he was having a little fun with you. (He said it as you were pulling away....He used a Mickey voice...C'mon. Unprofessional? Sure. Rude, malicious or intentionally hurtful? I don't think so.) I think the fact that you backed up, confronted and embarrassed him was punishment enough.

cstephens
10-29-2013, 09:14 AM
Oh, lighten up. The kid probably makes 8 bucks an hour and it was maybe a slow day so he was having a little fun with you. (He said it as you were pulling away....He used a Mickey voice...C'mon. Unprofessional? Sure. Rude, malicious or intentionally hurtful? I don't think so.)

Definitely rude. I don't care how much money you're making, there's no excuse for that. If you make bad choices, you're likely to do that no matter what job you have. As I said, it would have been worse if he'd done it to a first-time or infrequent visitor. Bad customer service and a "kid" having a little fun at the expense of the customer is what drives customers away.

adriennek
10-29-2013, 10:23 AM
Definitely rude. I don't care how much money you're making, there's no excuse for that. If you make bad choices, you're likely to do that no matter what job you have. As I said, it would have been worse if he'd done it to a first-time or infrequent visitor. Bad customer service and a "kid" having a little fun at the expense of the customer is what drives customers away.

Here's my thought: Chances are, this isn't the first time this CM has done it. It MIGHT be the first time he got caught. The problem is that when good people don't notify Disney, he's going to keep doing it. The goal isn't to get him terminated, but to change the behavior. It's more likely to change if it's addressed, but it won't be addressed if no one contacts the company.

And whether or not it changes, is up to the CM. Best case, the kid moves forward. But if he doesn't, then it needs to be documented so the company can do something about it.

miss bianca
10-29-2013, 01:31 PM
Oh I hate when people use the "He only makes $8 an hour so cut him slack" excuse. Lack of ambition does not excuse being rude. Absolutely report him.

TTFN92
10-29-2013, 01:52 PM
Oh, lighten up. The kid probably makes 8 bucks an hour and it was maybe a slow day so he was having a little fun with you. (He said it as you were pulling away....He used a Mickey voice...C'mon. Unprofessional? Sure. Rude, malicious or intentionally hurtful? I don't think so.) I think the fact that you backed up, confronted and embarrassed him was punishment enough.

No excuse for being rude.

danyoung
10-29-2013, 03:32 PM
The kid probably makes 8 bucks an hour and it was maybe a slow day so he was having a little fun with you.

I completely disagree with you (as do most people here), and I'll give you an example from my life.

Last year, at Christmas, I was walking through our local super-mall to catch a movie. I guess I was walking fast, and my arms were swinging a little. I passed one of those kiosks in the middle of the mall, and very shortly was being shadowed by a young man who was walking fast, swinging his arms, and giggling. And when I slowed down and looked back, he had a buddy back at the kiosk who was snickering as well. I was so shocked by this rudeness that I blew it off and continued, but I really wish I'd gone back and said something. Sure, he was just a bored kid on a slow day. But he was just incredibly rude, and should not be working as a representative of a company at the point of sale.

candles71
10-29-2013, 04:14 PM
and should not be working as a representative of a company at the point of sale.

This.
As a mother, who really mothers everyone in my sphere, "kids" need to be corrected when they exhibit bad behavior.
Having been in supervisory positions in customer service, employees showing rudeness to customers need to be retrained or removed from customer service positions.
Having been a "kid" making minimum wage, It would not have been tolerated and there is a line of "kids" willing to set forth a good face.

Also, just curious since $8 an hour is not enough incentive to not be a "bored kid", what is the threshold for expecting good customer service?

codewoman
10-29-2013, 05:02 PM
This.
As a mother, who really mothers everyone in my sphere, "kids" need to be corrected when they exhibit bad behavior.
Having been in supervisory positions in customer service, employees showing rudeness to customers need to be retrained or removed from customer service positions.
Having been a "kid" making minimum wage, It would not have been tolerated and there is a line of "kids" willing to set forth a good face.

Also, just curious since $8 an hour is not enough incentive to not be a "bored kid", what is the threshold for expecting good customer service?

This.

mxrapu
10-29-2013, 05:46 PM
I've been that smart aleck kid. I thought I was being funny (and even in hindsight, I think it was pretty funny). I've always been an extremely hard worker, super responsible, and every boss I've had, even as a teenager, loved me. But that one particular time I couldn't contain myself. I'm a smart aleck by nature. When the customer complained about me, I went out of my way to apologize to him. He later called the company to gush about me and tell them how impressed he was. I took responsibility for my mistake and it didn't happen again.

What the kid did was obviously wrong, and you should certainly make a complaint. But I don't think it's worth being outraged or that he necessarily needs to be fired over this. I guess my point is that he's young and may be a perfectly good employee who just had a bad moment--and has some growing up to do.

candles71
10-29-2013, 05:52 PM
I totally agree that he doesn't need to be fired. But, he needs to be retrained/corrected in just the same way you were. I love your example, btw. I, too, am a smart aleck, I come by it quite naturally, but time and place. By the complaint being made, hopefully he will learn time and place and be better for it.

Rapunzelthorn
10-29-2013, 06:55 PM
I guess you have to think about what you would do if it were your own business. If I were running a business and an employee made fun of a customer like that, he would be gone. What he said is completely inexcusable. And, considering that he works at Disneyland, there are a lot of people lined up, willing to take his place.

I understand mentoring and supporting the growth of young people (I am in education), but a workplace is not the place for hand holding; it is the real world with concrete consequences. If you are unable to behave professionally, you do not deserve to have a job. I would be totally aghast if someone said that to me. I mean, wow!

Disneyland is known for having superior customer service. There are people who come to Disneyland from all over the world even if they have a Disney park closer to where they live because of the superior customer service that Americans give (consider Disneyland Paris). There are many people who complain about the lack of good customer service in the overseas parks.

He would learn more and learn it more quickly if he were let go than if he is enabled by getting a "talking to." You might be doing him a favor. You are not always helping people by letting them off the hook. Losing a minimum wage job is not going to ruin this kid's life; it may be just what needs to happen to wake him up and help him to be successful later in life.

This is just my two cents. I realize that there are others who see the situation differently. When I imagine this event taking place, I am astounded by the rudeness that the OP was subjected to.

ElJay
10-29-2013, 06:57 PM
What the kid did was obviously wrong, and you should certainly make a complaint. But I don't think it's worth being outraged or that he necessarily needs to be fired over this. I guess my point is that he's young and may be a perfectly good employee who just had a bad moment--and has some growing up to do.

This.

Yeah, he was being a smart alec, but it would've been different if he had been openly rude right in the OP's face..If that was the case then by all means, the heck with this kid. But he didn't mean for you to hear him, got caught, and judging by his fumbling excuse he was embarrassed about it and will probably think twice next time. If not, then he probably won't last long at a place like Disneyland anyway, which from what I understand holds it's employees to a higher standard than most places.

For me personally, life is too short and I'm way too busy to go out of my way to "teach a lesson" to everybody that needs one.

codewoman
10-29-2013, 07:30 PM
If other cast members see him let go, they can learn the lesson too.

ThatCrazyRedhead
10-30-2013, 10:11 AM
What the kid did was obviously wrong, and you should certainly make a complaint. But I don't think it's worth being outraged or that he necessarily needs to be fired over this. I guess my point is that he's young and may be a perfectly good employee who just had a bad moment--and has some growing up to do.

I completely agree with this. Yes, the guy was in the wrong for what he said (and to say it in Mickey's voice - for shame!), but it doesn't strike me as a big enough offense to get fired over. To demand that someone lose their income (say it with me now: "especially in this economy") because your feelings were a little bruised just seems cutthroat.

currence
10-30-2013, 11:06 AM
I don't know Disney's policies specifically but it seems that most larger companies these days have some form of progressive discipline. Especially since this is a "he said, she said" situation (unless they have cameras with audio). If the offender is fired over this, more likely than not it would be because he was already warned/on probation.

Backing up your car and confronting the cast member probably will make a much larger impact in the person's life than a complaint to corporate headquarters after the fact, but having bosses reinforce appropriate standards of behavior is not a bad thing either.

danyoung
10-30-2013, 11:33 AM
.... but it doesn't strike me as a big enough offense to get fired over.

As long as Disney makes it incredibly clear that this is his one and only 2nd chance. A kid who makes this kind of comment probably doesn't have a real customer service kind of mind set. He's probably done it before, and will probably do it again. Some times firing is the wake up call that a kid like this needs.