Awful horrible service pop century

[Deb & Bill]

iam wondering if you think because you checked in online that means the room is ready? Rooms are not guaranteed to be ready until 4pm. Where did you leave your bags?

DVC is after 4PM. Disney hotel rooms and suites are after 3PM.

 

[Disneylover99]

You got off to a rough start OP.
Shake it off and enjoy your trip!
You might even find out you actually love Pop!

 

[focusondisney]

i am beyond appalled at the horrific service at Pop century during check in. We had our bags held at 10am. Came back to retrieve our bags and check in at 2:50pm, it’s now 3:21pm and no one knows where our bags are. Check in was rough, I reported both cast members who are beyond rude during check in, I’m confused how the check in works on the ap, after complaining to a supervisor that both cast members refuse to listen to my issue of not being able to check in, finally I got a very lame apology and rushed thru check in with no exploration as to why the check in on the ap doesn’t work. Pop century, this is our first and last stay here. The rudest cast members ever.

So wait, in exactly 31 minutes, you had time to check in, interact with 2 rude CMs, report them to their supervisor, ask bell services for your bags, find out they can’t find them and post about it on the Dis????

 

[ColoradoMom12]

Sorry they lost your bags! I would have been very upset too. Last year Pop Century lost a package I had sent to myself to have arrived about 5 days before we checked in. They couldn’t find it at all. I had to purchase from Garden Grocer everything I had shipped, which defeated the whole purpose of shipping anything. I was upset. Eventually the box was found, but by that time we had left Pop Century and moved over to Wilderness Lodge. Sorry they lost your bags. Not a good start to a vacation. At least they were found in a relatively timely manner. Hope the rest of your trip is enjoyable!

 

[TinkerbellTris]

So now that things have calmed down, here’s the entire issue at hand. Those of you who were fast to be mean on here, I am not surprised, I’ve been a long time dis member and the quick snaps on someone who has anything negative to say about precious Disney is getting old. Disney is NOT perfect. Mean people do work here. And for the $8500 I just dropped to take my family to universal horror nights vip for 2 nights in a club level room plus Disney with 3 tours and Halloween party....plus gift baskets delivered to our room, it’s pretty rough to except horrible cast members. Especially when I booked in December 2017 and planned every single detail down to potty breaks 10 months in advance. So here is the deal, after a very smooth 3 nights at universal club level I had a private car transfer us to pop century from royal pacific universal. Arrived right on time at 10am and checked our bags. I asked a cast member a random cast member about how to check in from the ap on my phone. Yes...the ap everyone on here complains about not working properly, that ap. I was shown by the cast member how to do it. So I did it, thought it was done and carried on to Hollywood studios. Me, my husband and 19 year old son. After a 40 minute wait for the bus......because it broke down, finally one came. Then we went off on our way. We got a weird text stating we had pictures of us on the Disney ap. I looked and there was nothing. Then I got another message about opening my room door with my cell phone. I ignored it. We ate lunch at T. rex , I went to pay via my magic band and a barcode popped up on her device with no name. So I paid via credit card and left. I told my husband how weird this was as I had already put in my credit card info months ago online to use, and it didn’t work. No biggie, I thought well since it’s pushing 3pm I guess I’ll go see what’s happening with our room. You know, cause rooms are “said” to be ready by 3pm, not promised but said to be ready. So I get in line to check in, but am confused cause I got an email stating my room was ready with no room number. So a cast member in Blue carting a clip board walks up and says did you check in online. I replied yes I did but my credit card isn’t working for room...she talks over me and says ok do you didn’t check in then. I said yes I did but there’s some issues, my credit card...she cuts me off again and says you didn’t check in. Again I said well you know what I did cause I got a text saying my room is...she cuts me off and literally said no you didn’t check in, you must not know how to use....I turned around and looked at my husband I talked over her and said to him I’m done, now I want a supervisor, I turned around and she walked off. I was next. The man called me up, I immediately asked for a supervisor. He asked what happened and I told him and his response was “sorry, yeah there’s be issues with the ap today”. You actually did check in but your account was frozen because the ap isn’t working correctly for check in, it’s been happening a lot today. So I tried opening the ap to ask questions because maybe I’m not sure if it’s me not knowing how to use it, he wouldn’t explain or show me anything. And no exploration as to the text about my phone opening the door... At that point he Rushed me thru check in, and tried to send me off. I stopped him. I asked if we had a gift basket waiting here in the lobby for us. He said no. I told him check again I have an email stating it’s here and I want it. He looked again, went and found it then apologized again. I was really irritated at this point, not fuming.....just irritated. Then came the bags. I checked them in at the baggage hold desk. 4 bags. Baggage hold. Presented my pickup ticket. The man goes the get them....about 7 minutes later he comes back saying he can’t find them. Ok, now I getting mad. Another cast members goes looking.....time keeps ticking by and no guy....no bags. I ask another guy to go find the man looking for my bags, this is ridiculous. Almost 30 more minutes go by and here comes some random cast member with our bags. Where in gods name were my bags? Sorry....they were in an area to be sent out for airline check in for magical express. Oh my god. Well thank god that didn’t happen! I was fuming at this point. I took my stuff and went to my room. I’m just very disappointed. As anyone else would be too. I’m not gonna give the benefit of the doubt to rude people. I work in customer service and it pure unprofessional to be rude to people in a customer facing job. Let’s be real. What I’m seeing is a few employees I e been unlucky to encounter that need to find a new job, cause clearly they hate this one. As for pop century this is my impression of this hotel. Sure, I could have stayed Deluxe, moderate, but I chose this one due to the absurd cost I was spending as a whole for the entire vacation and thought it would be fun to stay someplace new. I’m not new to disneyworld by any means, but this is our first trip in 2 years and a lot has changed. It’s just not a good start to Disney and not at all what I’d have expected from Disney cast members.

 

[TinkerbellTris]

So basically your main issue was that you did online check in and felt entitled for your room to be ready and it wasn't ready until when they are required to make sure its ready?
Hope you enjoy your trip.

No I never once stated that. Not once. But thanks for being rude, and we had a fine trip until I checked in at pop thank you very much.

 

[bumbershoot]

Check in was rough... I’m confused how the check in works on the ap, after complaining to a supervisor that both cast members refuse to listen to my issue of not being able to check in, finally I got a very lame apology and rushed thru check in with no exploration as to why the check in on the ap doesn’t work.

Ok so you did do online checkin before you got there?

Or you didn’t?

What part was rough?

MDE has been awful recently; did you know that?

CMs don’t always know how tools are working.

Did you do in-person checkin at 10, or at 2:30?

No it said to come at 3pm and the room would be ready.

What said to come at 3?

And what said the room would be ready?

If you were going by a generic email saying that rooms are ready starting at 3, that’s not the same as YOUR room is ready AT 3.

If you got an email saying that your room was ready, that’s from online checkin. Lucky you yo get that! I never have.

No need to be so nasty/sarcastic. Unless you were there with her you have no idea if the CMs were rude to OP, where her bags are or what her stress level is.

Queen asked several specific questions to try to get more understanding, and they weren’t answer.

I always fully complete the online check in, but I always STILL have to go through the whole check in process at a desk with a CM, literally every time.

That’s odd.

I’ve never gotten a room-ready text based on online checkin, but I only have had my info lost back when MDE wasn’t quite MDE and magicbands were brand new.

 

[bumbershoot]

Arrived right on time at 10am and checked our bags. I asked a cast member a random cast member about how to check in from the ap on my phone.

Wait what?

If you hadn’t done online checkin, just check in there with a cast member.

I was shown by the cast member how to do it.

He showed you how to do it while you were there in the lobby?

ive noticed that when I’m stressed and too firm the CMs will simply answer my questions, not tell me the full answer. (Bc usually people being given full answers get rude when they don’t think they are being answered)

I had already put in my credit card info months ago online to use, and it didn’t work.

Then you had previously done online checkin.

And then you overrode it. During a time the app wasn’t working well. Ouch.

And yes sometimes they lose the info.

But it’s would bet this is because you had done it and then overrode it.

I got an email stating my room was ready with no room number.

So that’s what told you to come back after 2.

It’s wrong that the cm wouldn’t let you explain, but at main checkin time it’s best to be succinct. “I got this email and need to know the room number.” No mention of cc issues needed until you got the info. Or at least until your booking was being actively looked at. Keep it simple.

 

[TinkerbellTris]

Yes. Exactly.

Also, doing online check-in does not guarantee that you can skip the front desk.

i wasn’t trying to skip front desk. Just trying to sort out this mess called Disney ap.

 

[TinkerbellTris]

Wait what?

If you hadn’t done online checkin, just check in there with a cast member.



He showed you how to do it while you were there in the lobby?

ive noticed that when I’m stressed and too firm the CMs will simply answer my questions, not tell me the full answer. (Bc usually people being given full answers get rude when they don’t think they are being answered)





Then you had previously done online checkin.

And then you overrode it. During a time the app wasn’t working well. Ouch.

And yes sometimes they lose the info.

But it’s would bet this is because you had done it and then overrode it.





So that’s what told you to come back after 2.

It’s wrong that the cm wouldn’t let you explain, but at main checkin time it’s best to be succinct. “I got this email and need to know the room number.” No mention of cc issues needed until you got the info. Or at least until your booking was being actively looked at. Keep it simple.

Yes he showed me how to check in online in the lobby by where I checked my bags. I would have rather checked in with a person at 10am but the cast member said it’s faster to check in via the ap right then. Here’s the issue, I swear I did check in like a month ago and put in all my cc info, and yes that very well could be what froze my account. It very well could have been me, but no one explained anything so I don’t know. It was very confusing and my concern was my cc not working. We are not on a dining plan, so my cc needs to work.
It does now that it all got fixed.
It was an actual email I got stating the room was ready but no room number. However after my account was fixed I received another email stating my room was ready with my actual room number this time. This was after I already checked in and was in the turmoil of lost bags.

 

[TinkerbellTris]

So wait, in exactly 31 minutes, you had time to check in, interact with 2 rude CMs, report them to their supervisor, ask bell services for your bags, find out they can’t find them and post about it on the Dis????

31 minutes? Do your math again.
This did not all happen in 31 minutes.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Planning every detail down to potty breaks 10 months in advance almost sets you up for failure if something strays from the plan.

It sounds like there was a lot of misinformation, miscommunication and confusion.

After reading through your entire explanation instead of just the little bits when you were very upset it was much easier to piece together.

I'm almost wondering if you accidentally went to RAC to ask for your bags to be held instead of bell services.
Perhaps they lead you down the wrong path to check in because they thought you were talking about your flight.

Disney online check in is not meant to be done while standing in the lobby. Its meant to be done further ahead of time.

If there is a next time and you have not done online check in then walk up to the regular check in desk and they will be happy to check you in and put your cc and other info in.

The unlock your door with your phone email was probably just Disney explaining this is a new feature.

Getting a room ready text without a number means you have to either look in your app or go to a check in counter to get it.

I hope you have smooth sailing from here on out and do enjoy those awesome extras.
I've always wanted to take a tour such as the behind the seeds tour at Epcot since my dad is a farmer and I find agriculture interesting but I usually take short trips and can't get anough of the attractions so don't feel I have time for a tour.

 

[bfost87]

31 minutes? Do your math again.
This did not all happen in 31 minutes.

You might want to do your math again, according to you:

"Came back to retrieve our bags and check in at 2:50pm, it’s now 3:21pm and no one knows where our bags are"

That is 31 minutes.

 

[cobright]

From the time they said your room would be ready, 3pm, how long did it take until your room was open and baggage was on it's way?

• 3+ hours - I would be furious and demand an upgrade and maybe a couple golden tickets.
• 2 hours - Still pritty ticked, but these things do happen .get us a pair of anytime FP or squeeze us into a hard to get reservation and I'll let it slide.
• 1 hour - meh. Just lie to me and tell me they wanted to really clean the room up top notch or something. I'll ask for complimentary credits for the kids to use in the arcade, they'll give them to me, and then I'll go play coin dozer for an hour.
• Less than 1 hour - just a part of the human world we live in. So etimes we just eat a 45 minutes dumpling when the world gets a little banjaxed now and again. Karma catches you back up, you'll be smiling soon enough.

To be honest, in most cases the cm that comes off as rude is having a worse day than you already. These are not usually power mad authoritarians who get pleasure from ruining vacations. I throw them a bone. I apologise in advance for probably not expressing my problem correctly and ask them to have a little patience and look into it themselves.

From WDW perspective, having an angry guest is a reputation neutral event because the attendant crowds assume to a degree that the agree person had high expectations. A sad pleading guest, " what can we do? We just need to get into our rooms..." Is far more sympathetic and I have seen these guests taken immediately out of line and granted upgrades.

It can feel like pushing rope. But so etimes that's just what it takes.

 

[Selket]

I'm not sure what happened but I think if it was me and I was frustrated about check-in and rude employees and lost bags, I'd go back to the desk at Pop today (the next day) and ask to speak to a manager there to iron things out. I've had really good luck emailing them too: WDW.GM.PopCentury@disney.com and it may not hurt to write it down and send it in an email and ask to follow up in person. They responded within hours to my email.

I've never tried the online check in because I know I'm going to run into some problem or another. I do about everything else online I can to avoid waits but I like checking in at a WDW resort in person to make sure they have my credit card right and magic bands work and (rarely) I've asked for something like a renovated room (not an issue at Pop cause they are all renovated). I've still had the occasional issue (got to the room and magic band wouldn't open the door, had a renovated room that flooded one morning - lol!). I hope the rest of your trip is smooth sailing!

 

[jarestel]

OP, I would take the reaction of the Disney apologists and excuse makers with a large grain of salt. It's quite easy to have the patience and understanding of the saints when sitting comfortably at home reading about someone's travel travails, but I'm pretty sure the beatific attitude wanes quickly when it's them who have to actually deal with issues and problems. When I arrive at WDW I want to be in vacation mode, not problem solving mode so I can understand your frustration. I hope the rest of the trip was fun!

 

[ellbell]

On my last trip I checked in at the desk at 12 and my dining plan and credit card hadn't been activated. My room also wasn't ready. I went and ate lunch and then had to go back to the desk to get it fixed. I wasn't annoyed or angry because hey that's life, sometimes things happen and why let something so small bug me.

You're bags weren't lost for long. Even if they were in the airport checkin area they check tags as they load and would have realized they were in the wrong spot and got them too you.

I'm sorry that a couple CMs were rude but speaking as someone who works in customer service most of the time it's the customer that is rude first and the person in customer service is just sick of the abuse.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I'm also curious to know where your bags ended up?

Possibly behind some other bags in a very crowded luggage storage area. It did only take 29 minutes (right? 3:21 to 3:50?) from when the bags couldn't be found until they were

No matter how you checked in no one has the right to be downright rude to you. Lost bags would irritate the crap out of me too.

Sometimes rudeness is genuine, sometimes it's perceived.

DVC is after 4PM. Disney hotel rooms and suites are after 3PM.

Yup. After. Not necessarily at.

Sorry they lost your bags! <snip>. Sorry they lost your bags.

Temporirly unlocateable. Not lost.

From WDW perspective, having an angry guest is a reputation neutral event because the attendant crowds assume to a degree that the agree person had high expectations.

I would venture to say unreasonably high expectations.

but I'm pretty sure the beatific attitude wanes quickly when it's them who have to actually deal with issues and problems.

I am sure you would be shocked to know most, if not all, the posters in this thread have had to actually deal with problems and issues many, many, many, many times throughout our lives and have managed well.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Mean people do work here.

Mean people work everywhere; nice people work everywhere; mediocre people work everywhere. Sometimes how we interact with people affects how they interact with us. You've heard the expression, "kill 'em with kindness", right?

And for the $8500 I just dropped to take my family to universal horror nights vip for 2 nights in a club level room plus Disney with 3 tours and Halloween party....plus gift baskets delivered to our room, it’s pretty rough to except horrible cast members. Especially when I booked in December 2017 and planned every single detail down to potty breaks 10 months in advance.

What to do and spend, and where, are choices we make. Not mandatory. I do find it interesting that, in a few hours, the two Cast Members have gone from rude to horrible.

I had a private car transfer us to pop century from royal pacific universal. Arrived right on time at 10am and checked our bags

Arriving hours before the next hotel check in starts is the choice you made.

Yes...the ap everyone on here complains about not working properly, that ap.

My understanding is that the app 'everyone' on here complains about is the one that allows checking in as far in advance as 60 days. This is the very first mention i've ever seen of checking in via the app while standing in the lobby.

You know, cause rooms are “said” to be ready by 3pm,

No. Check in BEGINS AT 3:00PM (early check in notwithstanding). I truly do not have the slightest idea why you feel it is "by".

And no exploration as to the text about my phone opening the door.

I think it is completely unreasonable to expect a front line employee anywhere to have or provide explanations for technical issues.

I stopped him. I asked if we had a gift basket waiting here in the lobby for us. He said no. I told him check again I have an email stating it’s here and I want it. He looked again, went and found it then apologized again. I was really irritated at this point, not fuming.....just irritated.

If you ever opt in the future to have an item waiting for you at a hotel check-in, perhaps the ost reasonable way to address it is to first make the person you're asking aware of the email? The way this interaction is described, it seems more like a challenge: "Do you have my gift basket?" " No. " "Well, this email says you do!"

Where in gods name were my bags? Sorry....they were in an area to be sent out for airline check in for magical express. Oh my god. Well thank god that didn’t happen! I was fuming at this point.

As someone else asked, is it possible you left the bags with RAC, and not Luggage Assistance?

but I chose this one due to the absurd cost I was spending as a whole for the entire vacation

Personally, i would not soend what i personally consider an absurd amount.

 

[Farro]

@TinkerbellTris - I hope you don't feel the need to respond to the line by line analysis of your explanation of what happened to you (that no one was owed, by the way).

You had a bad CM interaction, they misplaced your bags, you were upset. End of story.

Now enjoy your trip!!!