Wow. My worst ever experience with a CM today

[OneThree]

Maybe its something about Indy. The only bad experience I ever remember having with a CM is at Indy when my wife asked the CM standing near the front of the ride a question about rider switch. He barked at her that she was blocking the line even though she and he were standing off to the left side.

I reported him to City Hall but also gave props to about six other CMs. Clearly he was in the minority.

 

[pfalcioni]

Maybe they were frustrated because they had to tell an adult not to sit on a rope -- something that even kids know isn't allowed.

If you follow the rules and a CM is a jerk to you, then definitely report it. If you're not following the rules and someone yells at you, then, well, you weren't following the rules. Why make a difficult job harder for someone who gets little pay and high stress for the work they do? Sure it would be great if CM's never lost their temper and always asked nicely for us to quit breaking rules, but in reality if you follow the basic rules you're not going to get yelled at.

 

[WonkaKid]

Maybe they were frustrated because they had to tell an adult not to sit on a rope -- something that even kids know isn't allowed.

If you follow the rules and a CM is a jerk to you, then definitely report it. If you're not following the rules and someone yells at you, then, well, you weren't following the rules. Why make a difficult job harder for someone who gets little pay and high stress for the work they do? Sure it would be great if CM's never lost their temper and always asked nicely for us to quit breaking rules, but in reality if you follow the basic rules you're not going to get yelled at.

Question: do you think yelling (your word, not mine) at guests appears anywhere in official Disney policy? I suspect it doesn't. Moreover, if we apply your approach, then when people accidentally break rules -- and it has to happen on a daily basis -- then they get yelled at. I believe it's best to deescalate a situation than to actively make it worse -- as this CM did. Low-paid or not.

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

I did. I also said that I feel the CM's response should have been proportionate. A simple "Would you please get off of the rope?" would have sufficed. The CM's actions were excessive and still have me unsettled nearly a day later.

Well I definitely agree their behavior was inappropriate, but you were also doing something that could have hurt you, another guest and damaged Disney property. I don't really know the correct way to address a guest in that situation. But I don't think "please" is necessary to ask a guest to not hurt themselves or damage property. A stern command seems more appropriate.

You and I clearly don't have the solution. But surely engineers/imagineers who design such things for a living could come up with something better. In the meantime, if it's such a common issue, perhaps CM's could be trained on the best ways to address guests who sit on ropes. Surely it can't be to try to knock them off.

You want the ropes to have seats? The ropes are not designed to hold your weight, nor should the imagineers need to concern themselves with that. Imagine the engineers saying, "how can we design a rope to hold 200 plus guests weighing an average of 150 lbs while they stand in line?"

All that said, he was clearly out of line, so I don't know what the right answer is. I do feel bad for you, because clearly it was upsetting.

Issues like this are tough. Here is a touchy question....will you sit on the ropes again? (I am guessing no.) Had they asked you really nicely, would it have prevented you from doing it again later that same day? (I doubt it)

So how do they ask you in a way to permanently drive home the importance of not sitting on the ropes, ever?

 

[wilkeliza]

Question: do you think yelling (your word, not mine) at guests appears anywhere in official Disney policy? I suspect it doesn't. Moreover, if we apply your approach, then when people accidentally break rules -- and it has to happen on a daily basis -- then they get yelled at. I believe it's best to deescalate a situation than to actively make it worse -- as this CM did. Low-paid or not.

Disney rules say Safety takes priority over show and courtesy. So "yell' is probably not the best option but making a comment even if it is a cute one is with in the rules. I often used hey buddy can you get down? I can promise you an ambulance is not the best ride at WDW although I'm sure no matter what my tone was someone may have thought it was snide. I had heard other CMs use those are ropes not rides can you please get off them. For chains I just asked them not to hang or sit on the chains but like I said the ropes not rides is something I've heard before.

 

[ImDMous]

"It's a rope, not a ride" is one of the signs above the bag check lines, is it not? It certainly used to be, not sure if they are still there. There's even a pin for it. http://www.antiquesnavigator.com/d-414036/timon-pumbaa-its-a-rope-not-a-ride-safety-disney-pin.html

I'm sure he was annoyed at having to tell this to an adult.

 

[pfalcioni]

Question: do you think yelling (your word, not mine) at guests appears anywhere in official Disney policy? I suspect it doesn't. Moreover, if we apply your approach, then when people accidentally break rules -- and it has to happen on a daily basis -- then they get yelled at. I believe it's best to deescalate a situation than to actively make it worse -- as this CM did. Low-paid or not.

I guess "common sense isn't very common" comes to play here. You didn't "accidentally" break the rules, you've been to the parks dozens of times, you have to realize sitting on the ropes isn't acceptable. Even if it was your first trip to any place that uses ropes to cordon off areas, you'd look at the rope design, understand the configuration isn't made to hold the weight of the average adult, and not sit on the darned thing.

There are things we learn over the years that keep us out of trouble and safe without having to follow signs telling us how to behave, things like looking both ways before crossing the road, knowing there are certain ways to behave in public that make life easier for me and for those around me, knowing that all the rules apply to me just like they apply to others, and realizing that if I do something stupid and I get yelled at I need to suck it up and accept I was wrong, not try and transfer the blame to the person who yelled because they responded in a manner that seemed rude or inappropriate. Common sense says your behavior was wrong, secondary "wrongness" by the CM doesn't absolve your behavior. You goofed, just apologize and move along.

 

[wilkeliza]

"It's a rope, not a ride" is one of the signs above the bag check lines, is it not? It certainly used to be, not sure if they are still there. There's even a pin for it. http://www.antiquesnavigator.com/d-414036/timon-pumbaa-its-a-rope-not-a-ride-safety-disney-pin.html

I'm sure he was annoyed at having to tell this to an adult.

That is exactly where it comes from! I don't know if they have them at Disneyland but at WDW that is one of Timon and Pumba's safety tips. They use to give us cards to hand out to kids with those on them.

 

[ImDMous]

That is exactly where it comes from! I don't know if they have them at Disneyland but at WDW that is one of Timon and Pumba's safety tips. They use to give us cards to hand out to kids with those on them.

They do have them at Disneyland, at least they used to when they first had the bag check lines. I haven't noticed if they are still there recently.

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

I can seriously see how easily someone gets hurt. A teen girl leans on it, half sitting down to text and someone on the other side of the rope 10 feet down, who is heavier sits down and swings the rope the other way and the girl goes flying backwards.
Even two friends are siting and one person stands up suddenly and the whole rope swings.
Worse a pack of boys sits down, rope snaps from the weight and it's like a chain whip in the crowd.

 

[tarheelalum]

Why did this become a pile onto the guy who got treated like garbage? All to often you see this in forums. Disney can do no wrong in some peoples eyes.

 

[wilkeliza]

Why did this become a pile onto the guy who got treated like garbage? All to often you see this in forums. Disney can do no wrong in some peoples eyes.

So if the guest is in the wrong first the CMs are just suppose to take it? I already said touching the ropes was in the wrong but what the CM is is actually something Disney has put out so can't really be mad about that part.

 

[mousehockey37]

If they'd had another one because the CM caused me to fall, they'd have had a lawsuit on their hands. The only reason I would have fallen in that case would have been due to the CM's overreaction.

Sorry. The CM was in the wrong, but you shouldn't have been on the rope. If you would've been off the rope, the entire interaction wouldn't have taken place. Don't cry victim when you were the cause of the problem.

 

[adisneyaunt]

Thankfully u didn't get hurt. Agree, the CM should have handled it better and if it's "so common"... it should 've just been said without even thinking, rather than with anger/disrespect/malice.
....even Disney CM's can make a mistake..... you reported it and I hope that it helped to make ur visit better after that!
In all my visits, I've not experienced that type of interaction... I know I'd be really disheartened. I'd like to think that "bad" behavior is few and far between!

 

[WonkaKid]

Sorry. The CM was in the wrong, but you shouldn't have been on the rope. If you would've been off the rope, the entire interaction wouldn't have taken place. Don't cry victim when you were the cause of the problem.

Yup. I conceded that in my original post. I also raised the notion of proportional response. That is, having the response be in correct proportion to the infraction. If a cop pulls you over for speeding, he/she doesn't then get to smash your windshield because you were in the wrong. He/she explains, with courtesy and professionalism, why you were pulled over and issues a citation. I'll say it again: trying to make me fall off of the rope was inappropriate.

I didn't "cry victim." I complained about the overreaction of the CM, as I think any reasonable reading of my original post will show. Please don't mischaracterize what I said.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I think many here are missing the point...

The way I see it is the CM was right, but could have accomplished the same thing in a much more "customer service friendly" manner.

No need to be rude.

MG

 

[LizzyS]

The action wasn't right in the first place, but the CM overreacted if he copped attitude. In saying that, I personally wouldn't have reported the CM because he was probably just having a bad day, which happens to everybody on the job from time to time. Even though they may be in a service-type job, they are still just human and maybe people had been giving him grief all day for all we know. I would only report egregious behavior to City Hall, which I have luckily yet to witness.

 

[mousehockey37]

I think many here are missing the point...

The way I see it is the CM was right, but could have accomplished the same thing in a much more "customer service friendly" manner.

No need to be rude.

MG

There's always 3 sides to the story... we have 1.

 

[jevs]

OP, maybe you were the 700th person to sit on that rope that day? Move on and don't sit where you shouldn't is the lesson here.

 

[Patty2005]

Nope. CM was wrong and should be counseled or terminated. I don't care what you were doing wrong. That is not how you treat a guest. Disneyland is not boot camp. You don't get to yell at me if I break the rules. You treat me with respect and I will reciprocate. You can ask me politely and I will comply. I will probably even apologize. This thread is disturbing. I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think that the cm chastising you was ok.