Comment Cards - The Hard Sell

[iZon]

Just off Fantasy (10th cruise). Server and assistant each gave 5-minute spiels about comment cards the last two nights. About the importance of Excellent over Very Good. One said they needed the rating to get a promotion and to be able to send money to their sick mother. Rest of my table mates were embarrassed. It was very uncomfortable to sit through. One said it amounted to begging. I joked ‘what happens if they don’t get an excellent rating do they get thrown overboard.’

I’ve never seen it that hard before. Usually they mention a little bit and that’s it. State room hostess didn’t say anything. The thing is both of our servers were excellent and I was going to give them that rating anyway. Has something changed? Or was it just these two in particular or is this a trend? I’ve never seen such desperation before. It was indeed begging. And I noticed on the comment card they don’t ask anymore if you felt pressured into giving your rating. Interesting.

 

[jdb in AZ]

The best answer I've seen here on the DIS -- when a server starts with the hard sell, just say "I'll give you an 'excellent' rating if you don't bring up the subject again."

 

[Princesca]

My comment card asked if I felt pressured, I think. I lied and said no because I didn't want anyone to get in trouble, but man, I felt pressured. :/

 

[Dailymeel]

Just off Fantasy (10th cruise). Server and assistant each gave 5-minute spiels about comment cards the last two nights. About the importance of Excellent over Very Good. One said they needed the rating to get a promotion and to be able to send money to their sick mother. Rest of my table mates were embarrassed. It was very uncomfortable to sit through. One said it amounted to begging. I joked ‘what happens if they don’t get an excellent rating do they get thrown overboard.’

I’ve never seen it that hard before. Usually they mention a little bit and that’s it. State room hostess didn’t say anything. The thing is both of our servers were excellent and I was going to give them that rating anyway. Has something changed? Or was it just these two in particular or is this a trend? I’ve never seen such desperation before. It was indeed begging. And I noticed on the comment card they don’t ask anymore if you felt pressured into giving your rating. Interesting.

Really unfortunate that he had to really sell it, but perhaps he was genuinely desperate and really needed it…as you said, he was already very good. I really feel for the guy and I wouldn’t blame him for begging if he’s in a desperate situation. I hope he gets all the “excellents”

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My comment card asked if I felt pressured, I think. I lied and said no because I didn't want anyone to get in trouble, but man, I felt pressured. :/

And the situation will never improve if we all did that. IMO, it's up to me to let DCL know how my trip went. If I don't the bad never gets fixed. And the good might disappear.

 

[Kingkonig]

I understand the need for surveys as they will allow companies to see what works and where to make improvements, but I have got to say that the hard sell (or worse, the guilt tripping) is really frustrating the past few years everywhere. At the Apple Store "Hey anything under a 10 is a failing grade!" - what exactly did the service I get in having you go to the back to pick up a computer that I ordered online that qualifies as anything other than average? A nice day at Topgolf followed up by a hard sell on a survey for a "discount" of $5? Or a week long cruise with excellent service that has the last night or two guilting passengers into hand delivering an envelope with tips that we paid for 3 months ago already credited to the service staff's account? And with a survey that pushes even harder for everything to be "excellent". I think they'd get more honest reviews if they asked to list the staff members who made the best impression (but limited it to maybe 2 or 3?)

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

I didn't feel pressed at all this last (April 22-April 29) cruise on the dream but there was definitely a harder sell when I was on the magic (though the latter was during covid protocols so there was especially higher motivation with half capacity). .

 

[Mango7100]

Similar experience on the Dream in March. It got really uncomfortable. Our server talked each night for about 5 minutes about the excellent rating and if we didn’t give him excellent it would affect his job. I also felt very guilty and pressured. I would have given him a very good because that’s what the service was—I usually only give excellent on other surveys for knock my socks off service. But I gave him excellent because he made it sound like I would basically be getting him fired if I didn’t. Our cabin steward did not say anything. I hate the Disney surveys. On our Wish cruise in July we are going to say something if that happens again, it’s getting ridiculous

 

[Remysister28]

I'm almost dreading my cruise this week on the Wonder, but since this is my first cruise, and first DCL cruise, I will try to be patient. I've been reading the boards here for months and see the frustration grow on the part of cruisers and the reaction to servers. Is this because most of the servers are new, not quite fully trained since the veterans seemed to have left after the reopening or did they all go to the Wish? I'm also dreading the sales push at the spa but gosh darn it, I want my massage and will tell the person I don't want a sales push.

 

[Remysister28]

I understand the need for surveys as they will allow companies to see what works and where to make improvements, but I have got to say that the hard sell (or worse, the guilt tripping) is really frustrating the past few years everywhere. At the Apple Store "Hey anything under a 10 is a failing grade!" - what exactly did the service I get in having you go to the back to pick up a computer that I ordered online that qualifies as anything other than average? A nice day at Topgolf followed up by a hard sell on a survey for a "discount" of $5? Or a week long cruise with excellent service that has the last night or two guilting passengers into hand delivering an envelope with tips that we paid for 3 months ago already credited to the service staff's account? And with a survey that pushes even harder for everything to be "excellent". I think they'd get more honest reviews if they asked to list the staff members who made the best impression (but limited it to maybe 2 or 3?)

I hear you. I have been bombarded by doctor's offices, CVS Pharmacy with surveys after each visit, even if I only use self checkout! Also the same goes for restaurants and fast food outlets.

 

[mmouse37]

Every cruise we have been on has given the speech one way or another but we were never "begged" for an excellent. The last few cruises I do stop them and say something like I know you need the excellent and I know the game. You don't have to worry and don't need to ask again. We will take care of you.

That usually does get them to stop. Guilting me into a good rating will not work. We always have excellent service so its no problem to give them an excellent. Except this last cruise on the Fantasy I felt the servers were less friendly but still efficient so gave them the excellent. I hate that the temp of the food or quality of the food affects their score. The food should not be tied into their service.

MJ

 

[shananigans]

We sail on the Fantasy May 27. I hope we don’t get the guilt trip. I have no problem giving excellent ratings where they are due.

 

[cvjw]

Our server on the fantasy a few weeks ago has been our server multiple times and we consider him a friend now. He told us that the survey questions about the quality of the food at the 3 rotational restaurants also affects his score from DCL. That hardly seems fair since they have no control over the food.

He is an excellent server - top notch and his service is impeccable, so he always gets excellent from us on the survey. And the scores do impact their promotions and raises, it seems.

 

[AquaDame]

We've had hard sells, and no sells, mostly medium sells. I wish they would stop it... I don't have to fill out surveys for CMs anywhere else.

 

[RedmonFamily]

Our third cruise this February on the Magic we were pressured. Unfortunately our assistant server was not "excellent", she forgot our drinks twice and would often not come back for refills. My husband wanted a beer. First night she said they didn't have the beer on that was listed on the menu, this was by the time we already had our main course. Second night he tried for a beer, she just never came back to the table. We never ordered a beer again. One night our table mates missed dinner and the wait staff guilted them the next night, asking where they were and that their review of them should still be excellent even though they missed a meal. It was so awkward. We are going on a seven night and I have anxiety about skipping a dinner, but with a toddler, a two hour dinner every night is a lot.

 

[Mommb]

I have heard, both from servers and from guests who've talked with cast members, that the "food quality" rating reflects on the servers. I believe that this is true, but I can't understand why -- the servers are not cooking, and they don't have a strong understanding of my individual tastes, especially on shorter cruises. If DCL wants them to steer me away from ordering food that is not good (which my servers have done, and which I appreciate), wouldn't it be better for DCL to improve food that's not good, rather than expect servers to help guests avoid it?

I have been fortunate enough not to get many "please give me a great score" speeches from servers, but getting any is annoying. (I have never gotten such a speech from a room steward -- I may have gotten a single reminder to fill out the survey, but I don't recall any pushes from the steward about giving good scores.) I can't remember if the survey on my January Fantasy cruise still had the "Did anyone pressure you?" question. I hope that that question does stay, and that people feel comfortable answering it honestly when they do feel pressured. What would really help is to keep that question and have the Cruise Directors emphasize at shows and daily updates when they're stressing the importance of completing the survey that it's important to answer all questions honestly -- but I don't expect that to happen.

 

[iZon]

Yes, our server mentioned that even though they don’t cook the food he gives us a recommendation and therefore our rating of the food quality reflects back on him. This has never made any sense to me why they are told to recommend certain dishes. Obviously it’s going to be the personal choice of the diner, maybe you like fish and not steak for example, and shouldn’t they be confident in all of their offerings?

 

[sadiecatie]

I plan to just tell our head server on the first night that we already know about the importance of the survey, and while we don’t mind at all them checking throughout the week to make sure our needs are being met, being at all harassed about the survey and excellent ratings will prevent me from giving any excellent ratings I shouldn’t have to do that, but I’m also not going to sit through a lecture from my servers on my vacation

 

[dwg]

DCL and many other companies created this situation. It is not the servers fault. As far as the companies are concerned if the employee gets anything less than an excellent rating it is considered a fail. Companies don't really want to see an honest survey response. Until the companies change their attitude about their surveys the situation will not change. Asking the customer on the survey if they felt pressure to provide an excellent rating is disingenuous since DCL knows it will happen. Unless DCL is specifically instructing the servers to not comment on the ratings/survey other than to politely ask that the guests to please complete the survey at the end of the cruise and provide an honest opinion of their experience on the cruise in order to help us continually improve. I think I would fall off the chair if that happened. LOL.

Years ago purchased a car and gave an honest survey which was less than all excellent as I am of the opinion that their is always room for improvement. The salesman later told me that it was lowest survey rating he ever had gotten even though it was not a bad survey response. . The lesson I learned is that the company does not want an honest survey response because anything less than excellent will most likely result in the employee getting lectured.

 

[ArtemisPhoenix]

Does anyone know if they do this in Concierge too?