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Tip #3: Be specific

Image: DisneyThe only person who knows all the specifics of your situation is you. Your customer service response will mirror the attention to detail that you show in describing the events. When you lodge a complaint, don’t assume that Disney will understand your point of view immediately.

The best strategy is to provide the most detailed description possible. If you’re walking up to Guest Services, look the cast member in the eye and relay all pertinent information about your situation. In my experience, the workers here will bend over backwards to provide the best customer service that they can.

If you’re writing a formal complaint or calling the customer service phone number (I recommend the former), your specificity should include bullet points. Don’t offer a laundry list of things that went wrong on your vacation. Disney actually expects things like long lines at attractions and restaurants. You won’t do anything but cause the person listening/reading to tune you out by offering a freeform airing of grievances.

Image: DisneyInstead, hone in on the issues that you found truly unacceptable. Let Disney know how and why you feel aggrieved. State the ways in which you feel the company let you down and how you believe they could have done a better job. Disney uses all customer complaints as opportunities to enhance the company’s efficiency. The suggestions you offer have value to their business. They could learn of new and better ways to solve such problems based on your feedback. This really does happen.

In order to do your part toward improving the Disney experience, you need to think about your issues from a customer AND business perspective. Where did Disney go wrong? Was the situation avoidable? Did you or your party have any culpability in the matter? Think about all of these questions as you’re formulating your complaint. The customer service representative who reads your letter will give you greater consideration if you approach the situation from this perspective. It’s more valuable to Disney that way.

Tip #4: Have a goal in mind

Image: DisneyReceiving adequate customer service is more difficult in some industries than others. For example, if you go to a fast food restaurant and they mess up your order, a simple fix is possible. You point out the issue, and the customer service agent replaces your order with the appropriate food, possibly offering you additional compensation such as a gift card in the process. When you buy a broken item from a manufacturer, you expect a replacement free of charge and possibly a warranty extension, too.

A problem at a Disney theme park isn’t quite so finite. When you address the issue with a cast member, they won’t know exactly how much frustration you face nor will they understand what you need to feel better about the situation. Inevitably, a Disney customer service agent will ask, “What would you like us to do?” For the love of all that is holy, please don’t reply with something ambiguous such as, “I dunno. What would you suggest?”

That sort of vague reply has two likely outcomes. One is that the agent will offer you something that you don’t want. The second is that they’ll offer you something that you feel is nowhere near satisfactory for your situation. That’s the Ogre’s Choice of Disney customer service.

Image: DisneyTo avoid this situation, put some thought into the matter before you approach a cast member. Think about what has transpired and what you feel Disney should do to make things right. Then, when the customer service agent asks for your feedback, give a straightforward reply. If you had an issue that caused you miss a couple of hours of park time, ask for a few FastPasses to use. You can skip the lines and thereby make up the difference. If you had an issue with your room, request a new one and some sort of compensation for the trouble.

The worst thing that can happen with this sort of request is that the Disney employee says no. Since they are trained to please customers, they’ll likely come back with a counter that should provide you with satisfaction. Understand that you’re entering a negotiation when you have a customer complaint. Ask for tangible options that you believe Disney can provide.

People love Disney so much that even the idea of complaining about their service is divisive. That’s unfortunate because the company can and does get better thanks to the feedback of its customers. Businesses learn from mistakes, just as people do. That’s why you shouldn’t feel afraid to tell the company when they’ve let you down. By following the suggestions above, you can receive Disney’s legendary customer service while doing your part to help the company get even better.

 
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Today is Jan. 9,2020 and my great nephew Christopher came to Disney in Florida for the first time and he is 4. Christopher is non verbal autistic and he adores Mickey Mouse. Many hours Mickey is on the tv and Christopher is mesmerized. He finally got to meet his pal Mickey today and the person inside the costume WAS AMAZING!!! They not only let Christopher touch them but they actually came back to him for more joy. I cried at the video my niece sent me because Mickey was in Christopher's world!!! Please let the person know how grateful we as a family are. Christopher got to touch Daisy also so please let the person in costume know they both were angels of mercy to a little boy and his ENTIRE family. May the Lord bless these two people. Thank you.

We had a situation on our Disney trip last month. Shot an email off to the resort manager at 10:55 pm, had a voicemail by 1124 pm (was asleep due to a busy day). Had a text at 8 am the next morning, situation was on its way to being rectified by 9 am. Also, received some perks, for being inconvenienced. We did not ask for anything, everything was offered because we treated Disney cast members with the utmost respect. It's true "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar".

Disney customer service is really legendary for a reason. They can and will go out of their way to accommodate you even when you aren't expecting it. One example I have is somewhat mundane but staying at the Coronado recently I ordered room service. Granted it was late 10:45 pm and they stop service at 11. However it took over an hour to get our food, which was cold by the time we got it, and it was the one time I was not satisfied with food at Disney world. The "homemade" chips were really just lays, pizza was soggy and the chicken sandwhich was dry and tasteless. When I politely told them my issues they refunded the entire amount without any questions.

Another time customer service really impressed me was when we were visiting the Magic Kingdom in December. It was cold and I had mistakenly put my 4 year old daughters jacket in someone else's stroller (it was dark!) on the way to see Tiana in Liberty square. When we asked a nearby gift shop if anyone had turned it in the employee went to the back and produced a wonderful (and pretty pricey) Christmas themed Mickey sweater. She stated that Mickey Mouse wouldn't want anybody to get cold while visiting the Magic Kingdom. It was so unexpected and touching we will remember it forever. I know Disney is a large company and a business but it really does say something when that large business has policies in place that allow employees to be so kind and generous. I will always be a fan because of that.

I had an issue with one of my Disney Stays. All started with our flights being delayed. Long story short is that we got into disney around 7PM instead of 1145AM.

so we head to Downtown Disney to get some dinner (because we missed our regular dinner reservatiosn) We hang out until about 10pm, and get to the hotel around 1030PM. Using DME with the free luggage to room delivery, we were expecting our bags. Walk in to find an empty room.

Down to the front desk. I come to find out that it takes up to 5 hours, not the 2-3 that is sated on Disney literature (that right there needs to be addressed). Come to find that only 3 of our 5 bags were in Disney. Finally found them stashed away in the bag check area. Other 2 are nowhere to be found. Front Desk helped me call the airline, and turns out they were in our layover city (see above with travel problems, not Disney's fault) and they were able to get onto the fist flight of the morning.

In the end the front desk wsa able to get my local bags to my room (even helped me carry them) as well as give us a credit on our account. I let the CM know how i was disappointed in the service, based on what Disney stated, but upon knowing the "real" timeline, I was able to better understand the full situation.

In the end, Disney was able to help right the wrong caused by them, And I was able to let them off the hook for something that was beyond their control. Sucked our first day in the park we werne't fully prepared, But when we got back for an afternoon rest, the remainder of our luggage was there.

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