Grumpy Park Employees

Have you ever reported an employee to Guest Services because they were acting badly toward yourself or other guests?

I have. Dollywood is my home park, so I visit often and know the park's policies quite well which indicates that if you are dissatisfied in any way to contact the nearest 'host' or 'hostess'.One time i took a trip there and rode the Country fair Falls (an old Arrow log flume) there was this very grumpy old man at the controls who was barking at guests like a dog.I took note of his name and when we left I reported him to Guest Services. I have never seen him at the park again.

Have you ever done this?

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Can you feel the thunder?
Thunderhead comes to Dollywood in 2004!
*** This post was edited by CoastermanX 7/9/2003 11:28:40 PM ***

You caused an old man probably retired just trying to get a few extra dollars to support himself and his handicaped wife and you caused him to loose his job...Thats not cool...

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#1 Canobie Lake Park Fan!!! My top 7 coasters:
1. S:RoS @ SFNE 2. Montu 3. Yankee Cannonball 4. Kumba 5. Gwazi 6. Cyclone (SFNE) 7. B:DK

MikeMir87,I hope the guy got fired. He deserved it. He didnt need to be working at a theme park (he was worse than most Six Flags employees) and I was surprised he was an employee especially at DW which has a grueling application process and watches their employees for this problem.

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Can you feel the thunder?
Thunderhead comes to Dollywood in 2004!

So is this a place for me to brag. In the last four years I have had guest complain and report me to GR no less then 5 times. I have been reported from being an accesiory to gettign a lady soaked to being racist (This by far was the best one).

Back on subject, be a little leanant when it comes to grumpy host/hostess its hot, we work long hours and working till 11 or 12 then haveing to be back at work by 8 or 9 the next morning would cause anyone to be a little grumpy causeing them to be mean.
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Nurse - Mr. Hill I have diagnosed Bobby with ADD.

Mr. Hill - Then why has no one ever noticed this before?

Nurse - Mr. Hill very few people have access to the pamphlets I have.

Nurse - Here take one.

King of the Hill

Long hours wasn't this guys problem either. The park had just opened .

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Can you feel the thunder?
Thunderhead comes to Dollywood in 2004!
*** This post was edited by CoastermanX 7/10/2003 1:23:10 AM ***

Remember, employees aren't the only ones who get grumpy. We have to deal with grumpy guests too, its not easy telling somebody they are too small or big to ride, and then dealing with their parents over a policy you have nothing to do with.

Especially in the rides department, it can be difficult. You are in one spot all day, sometimes in the sun, with nobody to talk to but the guests who you don't even know.

I understand employees can be real idiots, but not all of them.

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"Here's my ten cence, my two cence is free"-Eminem

I admire 'most' park employees.

I can't stand rude employees-regardless of long hours or whatever their excuse may be-the guests pay to go to the park and deserve to be treated with respect which didn't happen to a friend of mine on one of his recent visits to DW.

I'm going to try to get work at Dollywood as a ride op soon!Maybe I could control the new Thunderhead......

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Can you feel the thunder?
Thunderhead comes to Dollywood in 2004!

Actually, I think it is better to report the amazing ride operators who do not get the rewards they deserve.

Oh man! Gonch gets to go off :)

I don't buy this whiny "think of what we deal with" crap. It's your friggin' job. Suck it up, smile, be friendly. It's called guest service and as a park employee you are most guests only human interaction with the park. You had a bad day? Had a guest get cool with you? Why should my experience suffer because of it. You were hired and are paid to provide that service. If it's that hard, either find another line of work or crawl back into your hole.

Imagine if your doctor or dentist approached their job with this attitude.

"My last patient was angry because I told him he needed a root canal. Now sit down and shut up - here comes the drill"

Yeah, I'd go back.

Quite simply - it's your job to make the park as enjoyable as possible for the people visiting on any given day.

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Back on subject, be a little leanant when it comes to grumpy host/hostess its hot, we work long hours and working till 11 or 12 then haveing to be back at work by 8 or 9 the next morning would cause anyone to be a little grumpy causeing them to be mean.

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See, you have it exactly backwards. You as a park employee be a little understanding that the guests you deal with have been in the same heat for just as long in most cases...and while you're getting paid for it - they paid to do it.

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Remember, employees aren't the only ones who get grumpy. We have to deal with grumpy guests too, its not easy telling somebody they are too small or big to ride, and then dealing with their parents over a policy you have nothing to do with.

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Again, it goes back to (insert Captain Obvious theme music here [all usage fees paid to 'Playa, of course]) - that's what you're getting paid for. If it's that big of hassle then find a new line of work. I don't care if the last three guests you dealt with kicked you in the shins, spit on you and called you names that'd make Andrew Dice Clay blush - you still better not take it out on me as the 4th person in line.

I have no problem letting a park know when they got an idiot on their hands. On the flip side, I also make sure to let them know when they got a winner.

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www.coasterimage.com
Dorney Park Visits in 2003: 12

Give them a break. They are human and have bad days just like everyone else. If they are really rude or unsafe, than I would report them. I am sure that a park would not fire someone over one complaint, but if a person receives several complaints from different people then they very well may loose there job.

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Keep your Head back, arms down and hold on!

When I see a park employee who is cheerfully and diligently doing a great job at SFA, my first instinct is to file a complaint with guest services. I mean, who do these people think they are that they can go against the park's norm and do an exceptional job?

In all seriousness, I fully agree with Gonchar. I worked retail for close to 8 years, and the #1 rule of thumb is 'The customer is always right.' It can be difficult at times to act pleasant or even civil towards an angry customer, but it is indeed your job to do so. That is why you get a paycheck every week. If every park employee was 'allowed' by management to be rude or obnoxious to guests if they're having a bad day, do you think many guests would enjoy visiting said park? I have a hard time 'giving them a break' or 'cutting them some slack' when I had to put up with nasty customers for 8 years wearing a big ol' toothy grin.

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-Mike B.
Son of Hulk
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The way I look at it is this. No matter what you job is, what your field of expertise is, everyone deals with "customers" each day. It might not be a retail or guest services role, but we all have customers.

Here's an example...I work in IT, the end users are my customers, because they need certain levels of service. My management is also a customer because, they need me to perform tasks for them.

I'd love for someone to find a paying job, where you don't provide a "service" for someone else. And like a said above, that "someone esle" is your "customer".

So, to tie this all back to the topic, if I had a grumpy attitude towards one of my "customers", chances are I'd be looking for a new job and having a lot of free time on my hands...

EDIT: Signature got messed up

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--George H
---Currency tracking experiment... http://www.wheresgeorge.com (Referring to The "George" on the $1 bill - Not Me)
*** This post was edited by redman822 7/10/2003 9:22:48 AM ***

Amen, Pat. If you don't like your job, there are plenty of people who would. We linked to a story a few days ago about how parks are really able to get higher quality employees because there are fewer jobs available in the market.

We spend disposable income on amusement parks to have fun and escape real life. That time and money is precious, and I certainly won't accept jerk employees in that circumstance. I'm not rude to them and I follow the rules (and fork over the bling to be there), so they have no reason to be an ass toward me.

I would also agree that it's worth your time to compliment the park when they are exceptional.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
DELETED! What time does the water show start?

Why should I cut the rude employee slack when he's ripping into me? The employee should be the one cutting me slack because (as Gonch mentioned) it's his job and because I didn't provoke him/her and don't deserve rude treatment.

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"It's not a Toomer" - Arnold Schwartzenkoph
"Those who know don't talk and those who talk don't know." -Jeff

LG, I think you're way out of line here (I think you're my CBuzz-disagree buddy ;) ). Your dentist or doctor does have to give bad news, but they don't have to put up with the kind of crap that amusement park ops have to put up with, and they're not just kids. Remember, you're comparing these kids to professionals. There's a difference between the inspiration to do good and be pleasant in a job that pays you, what like 90 grand a year, that you went to school for for 8-12 years (and have the loans to show for it), and a job that requires basically no training, and pays you between 6 and 8 dollars an hour.

I think that parks cutting costs or whatever by only having one shift per day is a real ripoff to both guests and employees. There should be options to work full days for people that want to do that, but parks should spring for a "day" crew and a "night" crew for most rides. A well rested, well fed op is a lot more likely to be into their job, enthusiastic, interacting with the guests, etc, than one who's been there for 10 hours, standing in the sun, dealing with hysterical parents, hyperactive kids, stupidity in all of its greatest forms, and ride breakdowns. I personally really feel for ride ops and I give them a lot of slack. Anything short of crushing my manhood with a restraint on purpose or slapping me in the face I'll put up with, cause I know that there is no way any normal 16-25 year old can put up with that kind of a work schedule/conditions, and still be as happy, cheery and chipper as if they started an hour before. I know I sure wouldn't (which is why despite people's pushings otherwise, I refuse to ever work at a park).

Edit: another comment, same attitude I have towards rela hardcore complaining about sports player's performances. If you can do it so much better, why aren't you out there?

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Formerly PittDesigner (graduating soon!)
Lifelong fan of all Impulses!
--Brett
*** This post was edited by Impulse-ive 7/10/2003 9:24:22 AM ***

What's the real difference between Cedar Point and Six Flags? Customer service. When I'm at CP, it feels like they're happy to see me. When I'm at Six Flags, I feel like I should protect my wallet (from the park who wants to rip me off at every turn). Granted they're both after my money, but, given the choice, I'd gladly go to CP before most SF parks.

I don't care who they are, why they're there, or how much they get paid. If I have the choice between going to a park with great rides and great customer service and going to a park with great rides and rude employees, you better believe I'm not going to be cutting anyone any slack.

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"It's not a Toomer" - Arnold Schwartzenkoph
"Those who know don't talk and those who talk don't know." -Jeff

"Barky's a cartoon, I'm a grown man that's made a LOT of mistakes"....;)

I'll add to ApolloAndy's statement: I'd much rather have rideops running around and giving high-fives (see Holiday World) than see a ride up who looks stoned as they push a button. Also, if a ride op is just going to sit there, at least do something interesting like eat a sandwich... (see Knoebels) ;)

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Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean I

Gator, someone should put a sign up that says what time the water show is. :)

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-Mike B.
Son of Hulk
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Cap'n Obvious sez:

Huh? Wha? I have a theme song?

I have nothing to add here that I already didn't say when leveling the shoulder-mounted, double-barreled 'Life in the Real World' cannon towards a particular CP crew last year. If ya wanna read it, here ya go.

-CO

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The CPlaya 100--6 days, 9 parks, 47 coasters, 2037 miles and a winner.....LoCoSuMo.