Help Change DSF

To all the past and current costumers of The Disney Soda Fountain,

As you may have noticed the quality of pins have been fair, but most of the time pins are being sold damaged and often in all honestly half way completed. Whether it is chipped enamel, brush strokes, paint bubbles, or splattered paint it is not permitted to be sold. I myself have worked retail for years and the first thing you ever do when you receive a shipment is cheek every item for damage and resend it back for more or a vender refund.

A few have called The Better Business Bureau and a case has been opened, the problem is there are so few complaints that they can’t do much, the last case opened was in 2010, so I would ask from all of you to email your complaints about quality of merchandise from DSF only to the below Email. I only ask that you be truthful and honest about it we want them to take us seriously and to in the end enforce them to have better pins.

Better Business Bureau: Email of Eneida EMORALES@BUSINESSCONSUMERALLIANCE.ORG
http://www.bbb.org/

What complaints do we handle?
Disagreements between businesses and their customers however, we reserve the right to reject complaints that use abusive or foul language.

We do not handle:
Workplace disputes
Discrimination claims
Matters that are or have been litigated
Claims about the quality of health or legal services

How do we handle your complaint?
Everything you submit will be forwarded to the business within two business days. The business will be asked to respond within 14 days, and if a response is not received, a second request will be made. You will be notified of the business’s response when we receive it (or notified that we received no response). Complaints are usually closed within 30 business days.
If you can send pictures as examples as well that would help.

My last subject is about the management team at DSF,

When I think about The Walt Disney Company and its worldwide known costumer service, DSF is at the bottom of that list. Over the past few years that I have notice an attitude and heard disrespectful comments made by the management staff. As a former employee of the WDC this attitude just bothers me. The first things we learn are the four keys, Safety, Courtesy, efficacy, and show it is the basic fundamentals of the company that dictate how cast members handle any and every situation. I know they only work under the name but they should keep in mind that they represent the company as well.

If you would to like to leave a complaint or concern you can call the Project Manager for Disney

Steve Fryer 1-626-773-5100

Are you sure it is actually ILLEGAL to sell the items with small flaws, or was that just the company policy? I have been trying to research any kind of law against it, but all that is coming up is counterfeit claims, and horse meat stories. I found a site that tells about how if you are damaged by a defected item that can cause a lot of trouble (An example of a design defect might be a car with the gas tank placed very close to the back bumper, which can cause an explosion if the car is “rear-ended.) I doubt no one is seriously getting hurt by a pin... well, unless you step on the pin post! :facepalm:

Please help me understand... I really do not see how anything will be done about an air bubble, pattern of the back of a pin, or brush strokes on a pin..

I hope you don't find this post rude, or anything... I just am trying to understand. haha..

The second subject about the cast members I can see how that is a problem. I have heard multiple horror stories from multiple people about the staff at dsf.

BugCatcherJenna said:

Are you sure it is actually ILLEGAL to sell the items with small flaws, or was that just the company policy? I have been trying to research any kind of law against it, but all that is coming up is counterfeit claims, and horse meat stories. I found a site that tells about how if you are damaged by a defected item that can cause a lot of trouble (An example of a design defect might be a car with the gas tank placed very close to the back bumper, which can cause an explosion if the car is “rear-ended.) I doubt no one is seriously getting hurt by a pin... well, unless you step on the pin post! :facepalm:

Please help me understand... I really do not see how anything will be done about an air bubble, pattern of the back of a pin, or brush strokes on a pin..

I hope you don't find this post rude, or anything... I just am trying to understand. haha..

The second subject about the cast members I can see how that is a problem. I have heard multiple horror stories from multiple people about the staff at dsf.

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Sorry mate, but I have to agree with Jenna. It isn't technically illegal, just bad business practice. Now, I'm all for complaining to Disney! Especially about the DSF Cast Member issues. I remember and miss when Disney used to be the utmost in quality and service. If something illegal has gone on, like a CM discriminating against a customer (but only against a customer, the labour board has to deal with workplace discrimination) because of race/orientation/disability, etc, or a CM offering to do an illegal sale, such as violating company policy about LE releases and selling them to you at a higher price and pocketing the difference (its been offered to me, sadly enough), then by all means, take legal action.

The BBB is set up, yes, to take customer complaints about any area of service (except for those listed specifically) or products from any company, but as Jenna said, generally that means when people have been injured by a faulty product. Just because something such as a pin isn't up to general Disney quality standards, however, is a complaint that I doubt would be pushed very far up the line, if you know what I mean. I think you might have better luck with actual Disney customer service. Not at the soda fountain itself (we know that'll fall on deaf ears), but central disney customer service. Also don't underestimate the power of social media! Be vocal and public about your complaints -- write it on their facebook wall where the world can see!

No sweetheart I understand the confession, it's not against the law it's a company policy almost all retailers have, you don't sell damaged or defective merchandise. This has to do with quality controls most of all, like with the BT wall*E some has bubbles on the gloss so it looked bad, what the maker should have done was discard the pin and remake it with better quality. This happened to wdi but they sent the pins back and had them remake the pins

Requesting contact info for central Disney customer service.
The ones for online DS 1-800-328-0368 is dismal @ customer service.

Wait let me clarify one thing, nothing illegal is going on, all that is happening is DSF has bad quality control and at times limits or excluded exchanges of the damaged pins. This is what it's about to light the flame for better quality control

While reporting them to the BBB might get someone in a higher position to look at quality control, since what they are doing is not illigal it might not change anything.

What would change DSF's tune regarding quality and how they handle releases is a loss of business. This sounds really cool, but i seriously doubt a wide spread, "put your foot down and dont buy from them" campaign will succeed.

to many people who want the pins and who collect are not members of forums and pin groups.

yes boss the staff there are not the disney difference and I know what the standards are as a former CAST member.

While the general quality of the pins may be on the wane, I personally think the management at DSF has much larger issues.

They seem to fail to understand the large demand they have for their pins. Particularly the Pin Trader Delight pins, in that they have run out. Simply run out. Don't they track sales trends? Everybody, except whomever manages pins, could see that they were literally flying out the door and had become a steady revenue stream. How do you have more than three months of faster than normal pin sales, not notice the trend, and allow yourself to completely run out of a hot selling item?

How do you have one of the most busy and in demand releases in Beloved Tales and narrowly escape disaster, by calling in extra security, the local police, and appeasing the large crowd by last minute changing from two per person to one per person, fail to have stock delivered on time (Enchanted), and then turn around and schedule a pin event on top of the projected even busier Iron Man 3 release?

This is just screaming that they are out of touch with their target customers and product.

I don't even want to get into the rumors concerning snide remarks made by management to customers, biased "random" numbered wristband distributions, and the general and seemingly purposeful ignoring of customer's concerns of safety.

There has been a lot of mixed signals and the most confusing have been concerning lines. It started with lines being ok. Then they didn't want lines. Then they encourage lines, no more than 24 hours prior to release.

The way I see it, the root issue is that there is a great demand for a limited amount of product. Either produce more product and make more money or go to a system that kills the concept of lines; like a lottery.

This whole thing is a mess and I have little to no confidence in the current management team to resolve this long running issue that has been going on for months but is seemingly repeatedly ignored.

I agree with you all, it's just a hot mess

dopeydoc3 said:

so what happens when DSF finally decides that pin traders aren't worth the hassle? (I'm pleased and impressed that it hasn't already happened actually!) are you kidding? report DSF to the BBB? what's next - consumer protection agency? maybe we should sue them for fraud - for promising good pins and not delivering. good grief, people. if you don't like the pins, or think they are of poor quality, then don't buy them! sorry, but you really aren't gonna be satisfied until DSF just tells us all to take a hike ( <---- or insert your favorite other applicable euphemism here ). I'm usually with ya, Oz, but I think you're kind of off the deep end here.

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+1

I really want to read these posts, but there are too many words. Ugh. I'm so lazy...

< personal opinion here-

As a long time pin trader its comments like this I can see why Disney is slowly 'throwing in the towel' for pin trading.. Yes as a trader its pretty clear how to 'make money' off this group and how to logicially do releases etc but since the powers at be are NOT traders I accept that its a flawed system but since at the end of the day I still like their product and so does thousands of others so while they are not perfect they still will get my money (far less than they could though)

I could easily see the response of DSF to be 'and we are done with pins' and since they (sadly) are one of the few who has good releases it would be a sad day..

-em

:facepalm:

If you want these releases to change you have to try something. I don't think being afraid to rock the boat is going to help. If it were another establishment, eatery ect.. Would you not complain to a higher up? I think Ozzie has some good ideas here. Or at least a start.

The BBB isn't going to concern itself with quality issues...it would only be a matter for them if you unknowingly bought a defective product and Disney refused to give you a refund. It's hard to tell what would be considered 'defective' when it comes to pins, but I suspect DSF would always be willing to take a return and sell the pin to someone else.

This is the worst idea I have heard of in a long time... Ozzie if you and your friends are that unhappy then just stop going to DSF and trade for the pins with those you can inspect yourself before making an offer on it... But this can very easily be the straw that breaks the camels back with all the recent frustrations they have had to deal with, how would that make you feel then if they close the doors and end it all together like Disney Auctions has in the past as a result of this thread and your comments...

The Better Business Bureau is not a government agency, has no actual power, and is considered a by many to be a scam.

This is a very bad idea. No one is forcing us to buy pins from DSF. If you don't like it don't buy it. That's the end of it.

As for the staff, they are doing the best they can with all of these pin crazies. Yes, I said pin CRAZIES!! Lines for 3 days, calling incessantly, practically harassing those workers who are just trying to make a living. It is madness. Don't take out your pin frustrations on them. Maybe we should all take a step back and look at ourselves and our own behavior.

Give me a break! :suspect:

Goofy_Moe said:

This is the worst idea I have heard of in a long time... Ozzie if you and your friends are that unhappy then just stop going to DSF and trade for the pins with those you can inspect yourself before making an offer on it... But this can very easily be the straw that breaks the camels back with all the recent frustrations they have had to deal with, how would that make you feel then if they close the doors and end it all together like Disney Auctions has in the past as a result of this thread and your comments...

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I also have to agree with Moe. If you're unhappy, just stop going.

If I'm not mistaken, the complaint is that there will be a certain amount of pins that people will find unsatisfactory and will exchange them for one of their liking. This is a simple exchange of like pin for like pin. No chargebacks to credit cards, no forms to fill out, nothing extra to do except for the one to one swap of a percieved flawed pin for a better one.

In the past, it was exchanges were allowed until the customer was satisfied.

Now it is three or sometimes less exchanges per person.

Are they telling me that I have three chances to be satisfied with the product and if I'm not satisfied, after three exchanges, it is too bad? How is that customer service again? How is that the Disney standard of customer service? Really? Three tries and then too bad? Unacceptable.

For those telling me not to go there anymore, I have quit. My wife still goes, but they have lost 50% of my total business. But they don't care. They KNOW there are plenty more people who are willing to take the abuse and get in what used to be a line to buy their stuff.

I know a lot of people will continue to take the abuse and bad customer service, because those pins easily garner a person 2 to 10 times the original value the day they announce them. The competition has grown fierce and some have demonstrated that they are willing to go to great lengths to get these pins and others feel forced into going to great lengths to get these same pins.

I contend that they got EXTREMELY lucky that hardly anything bad happened at the BT release. DSF creates unsafe rules. DSF creates unclear rules. DSF creates chaos and seemingly continues to mismanage these releases and toss customer safety and satisfaction out the window.

DSF is not the only guilty party either. Their customers hype the release to the boiling point. Their customers taunt other customers. Their customers are aggresive towards other customers. Not every customer is bad and not every customer is completely innocent. People need to look in the mirror and take a step back, as someone above me suggested.

DSF management has been given suggestions for methods that would help alleviate the madness, yet they appear to not listen to any of them. I hope they continue to remain lucky and that the Iron Man 3 release is uneventful, because I didn't see anything but them making a bad situation worse, by scheduling a pin trading event on the same day as potentially 500 people showing up to get pins only.

I agree with dopeydoc3... if you attempt to attack a Disney-owned establishment, there are bound to be negative repercussions. We are fortunate that they haven't kicked us out yet, with the way we seem to act at the releases. Trying to get them a bad rating from a questionable yet powerful establishment like BBB cannot end in anything but frowns from my point of view.

Maybe they stopped the PTDs for a reason, to try and keep the traffic down and perhaps to give us a "time-out," if you will. Perhaps there is sense behind their actions? I just don't see how reporting them for paint flaws has anything to do with the hectic-ness of the line-ups either...I guess I'm just confused. :dunno: What are you hoping will come out of this? Is there a resolution you desire to reach, or do you just want to complain at and punish them? Not trying to attack you Ozzie, I know you mean well, but I would really think it over before trying anything rash like this!

you guys know that the pins are the only thing that are keeping DSF open right? workers have told us that the movie theater more than often is in the red, the food does not bring in as much cash as expected. the pins are the only weekly source of black numbers, as of now DSF has a sort of monopoly with low le pins where else can you go to get an le 300 on a regular basis? if you are are satisfied with what you get than good for you but i would like to see the same quality that i was used to from them in 2007. there is nothing wrong with asking for better quality. the PTD's ran out because they were rushed in one week what 5 where sold? how often does a average PDT last a week max three days average? factor out the Kevin rush they would had had enough to last the new shipment. if you keep working through life with what might happen you won't go far.

I don't buy the purposeful stopping of the PTDs at all. They simply became extremely popular in the late Fall of 2012 and began flying out the door in about 4 days average. Once January 2013 came around, they picked up momentum and were going out the door at double the rate.

Management simply is not atuned to their product, customers, and sales number trends. I calculated that they had reached the ability to sell between 15 and 20 PTDs in a month and by not having PTDs available, they were losing out on about $77,000.00 in PTD sales for a month. No one in their right mind purposefully stops that kind of revenue stream to punish customers. And if they did, then they are not worthy of the title of manager.