Hello to all!
I'm not a frequent poster, but I do a lot of lurking on these boards! We went to WDW on Dec. 2000 and had a wonderful time, except for a couple of rude cast members at the hotel (ASM) and some housekeeping problems such as stained sheets/unvaccumed carpets which seemed to take forever to resolve with the sluggish staff.
I wrote an e-mail to the executive offices as soon as I got home telling them how our stay had been marred by these instances. I was very specific in my account of situations, right down to the names of cast members if I remembered them (and you bet I remember the rude ones). A couple of weeks later I was called twice by Mr. Hawes. He mentioned that the rude employees were given a warning, that they were sorry that we had run into cast members who did not reflect their corporate philosophy, and so on. The first conversation went on for about 40 minutes, as I made several comments on how we had a great time, yet WDW's magic seemed to be fading through lack of maintenance, unhappy cast members, etc. I admit I also stressed that some things were wonderful (such as TON, Test Track, R'NR Coaster). At the end, Mr. Hawes asked for my home address, since he would be following our conversation with a letter, and said he appreciated my comments and that they were of paramount importance to management.
About 2 weeks later, I received the letter, which once again apologized for the inconveniences, had some language regarding the complex operations at WDW and how guest satisfaction is really important (as I read it, I thought it was canned stuff). Then came the punchline: If we ever decided to visit again, he wanted us not to call WDW reservations, but a different number. About 3 days later, Mr. Hawes called to check if we had gotten the letter (we are outside the continental U.S. and he said he was worried whether he had the right spelling for our address). He also stressed their offer for arrangements for our next trip.
Lo and behold, we decided to go again for the 100 YOM celebration. Upon calling the numner, we were even asked about any special dates/events we wanted to see in December 2001, and whether we celebrated anything that month (our DD's bday and our wedding anniversary happen to be in Dec.) and even if we wanted a specific room at our resort or had any special requests!
Upon checking into ASM (AGAIN!) on December 6, we got a world of a different treatment! When I gave my last name to the cast member, she went into her terminal and said "Well, hello, Mr____. Welcome to ASM. Excuse me while I go get your package". Three minutes later, she cames back with an envelope and a guy who introduces himself as Tom (?), from Guest Satisfaction (I din't really get the title). We were told that we were VIP guests, that they would do anything possible to make our stay magical, and to please contact him directly whenever possible if we needed something or there was anything wrong. The envelope contained our card keys/tickets ready, a smaller envelope with a guest satisfaction questionnaire, and other stuff. We went immediately to our room, which was perfectcly clean and had our special requests ready. On the table, there were a bday card for our daughter signed by Mickey with an dedicated/autographed picture, and a different one from Mickey and Minnie congratulating us on our anniversary!
This time, our days at WDW were truly magical - everything was close to perfect and we had less complaints - but we did officially complain about the hat!!! We think it looks good, but heeds to be somewhere else. I plan to write a detailed trip report on on the reports board...
Sorry for the LOOOOOOOOng message!
Ari