Something Stinks Inside Sammy Duval’s Curl at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island

May 2, 2010

Sammy Duvall Curl at Downtown Disney Last month I met up with friends at Downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island to take in lunch at Paradiso37. (restaurant review in a future blog post) After lunch we headed across the way to ‘curl’ a surf shop endorsed by pro-water skier Sammy Duvall.

I thought it might be nice to pop in and take some photos to share with the loyal Walt Disney World fans who frequent this blog. Maybe next time you came down for a visit you too might want to pop in to purchase something at curl.

There was a sign prominently displayed outside that read…”A Surf Lifestyle Experience”! Right ON! I was definitely in the mood for a laid back experience!

Definitely a "bait and switch" Tactic at Curl

My attempt to “hang loose” and spread the love of all things surf was abruptly derailed by an obnoxious Curl employee named Joe. Joe quickly put the kibosh on my “picture taking” informing me that I could NOT take pictures inside the store. I thought to myself…”Are you kidding me? Do you know where you’re at? You’re in the vacation capital of the world and you want me to put my camera away? Do you know how many tourists are in the vicinity waiting to capture every moment of their prized Walt Disney World Vacation on film? What…have you discovered the lost city of Atlantis and the portal to that world lies somewhere in this store?”

A tad bit shocked by his customer contempt, I informed Joe that I was a Disney blogger who was merely taking pictures to do a piece showcasing the store. After I made that remark, Joe changed his tune and fumbled to make up for his animosity as I licked my wounds and made my way towards the exit. Wow! How could I now endorse a brand that showed such malice towards its customers whether they be casual tourists or Disney bloggers. Well…I couldn’t and I won’t. My advice is to avoid Curl all together.

From what I could tell in the small amount of time that I was inside of Curl, the store was extremely cramped and over priced. If you are in need of surf supplies stick to the Disney Resort shops and Disney Water Park Gift Shops. They will have a broader selection and much friendlier cast members to show you the Disney love that you’ve come to expect while vacationing in The Happiest Place on Earth

(As an aside, let me tell you that Curl is NOT owned by the Disney brand. Curl is referred to as a “vendor” company. It’s employees have not been trained in the Disney way as evidenced by my miserable experience there.)

Until Next Time,
Amanda_Tinney_Signature

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Tags: alltogether, animosity, blogger, casual tourists, contempt, Curl, disney world vacation, Downtown Disney, kibosh, laid back, malice, pleasure island, sammy, Sammy Duvall, surf shop, vacation capital, vicinity, walt disney, Walt Disney World, water skier, world fans

http://twitter.com/RoraBorieAlice Aurora Moore

That guy was Un-Cool! 'Im glad I told his manager when we were there last week
Lisa

I wonder if they have any idea how bad they screwed up? I buy at least one new Hawaiian surf shirt every time I go to Disney…guess where I won't be shopping for them? I think I may send them an email letting them know. Their email address, by the way, is info@curlsurf.com.

The moral of the story….don't mess with the hardcore Disney Fanfolk.
Gaston4

You wrote an entire negative article because someone wouldn't let you take a pic. It seems to me like you're the one with the problem. Get off your high horse.
Saron

Wow! What a DIVA attitude this guy has. They have to change somethings. They should have known that they are at Disney and they deal with tourist. Tourist like to take pictures. If they have a problem with people taking pictures they should have made a sign saying so. If they keep this up they won't be there long.
gaston4

The lady who wrote the article has the DIVA attitude. She thinks that she should be able to do whatever she wants and that people should let her. Then to get other people to complain when they weren't even there is immature.
Saron

Well maybe you should stop reading this blog. Amanda is giving service to people that want to know the going on at WDW.
The Kellys

I believe in customer service! Someone else would love to have Joe's job. Amanda does describe Joe as “obnoxious” . Based on that I have to guess that he did not come up and greet her with a “Welcome to Curl is there something I can help you find?” and then slip in a very polite, “Oh, I am so sorry but our company policy prohibits photos in the store…”. They might have a very legitimate reason for not allowing photos and if he had been nice about it the conversation may have revealed that reason. However he was not, the customer comes first and I think we allow way too many customer service people to get away with being nasty to the customer/client. Maybe if Joe had been polite about the “no photo policy,” Amanda's blog would have said…”Curl was a cute, cramped store, but I was extremely bummed by not being allowed to get a photo for my blog”. He was not ….
http://twitter.com/RoraBorieAlice Aurora Moore

Gaston seems a little angry….. perhaps it is because he is the one the complaint was made on?? It wasn't about not taking the pictures (which we were allowed to do so says the Store Manager) It was his attitude. It was about his behavior. There are ways of approaching people to ask them to not do things and if this guy had done that there would not have been an issue. Instead HE got on his high horse and went the other way. And By The Way.. she didn't get me to complain… I did it on my own… I'm pretty sure most people who know me will tell you that I can speak and act on my own. I spoke to the manager because he needed to know how rude his employees attitude was. Funny how he said it was ok if we wanted to come back in and take pictures though…..
http://www.disneyeveryday.com Amanda Tinney

Lisa…The selection in the Disney Water parks is excellent. They have many of the same name brands that are represented in curl. Perhaps your experience will be different than mine if you choose to shop there. Just be sure and keep your camera out of view. =)
http://www.disneyeveryday.com Amanda Tinney

Gaston4…Yep an entire article detailing my experience. I don't sugar coat anything here. I believe my readers respect that fact. I respect your difference of opinion. We are all entitled to have one. Thanks for the comment
http://www.disneyeveryday.com Amanda Tinney

@Saron…That's a good point about the “no pictures” sign. Thanks for supporting me and my blog. =)

@Gaston…Let's get the facts straight. I did not get someone else to go into the store and complain. That “someone” was there at curl the day that all of this transpired and her actions and opinions are her own. I control no one.

The fact that you refer to me as “the lady” makes it clear that you don't frequent this blog often. There are close to 250 articles on this site dedicated to the greatness that is Walt Disney World. I am a true “fan-girl” of the Disney brand. This is the first “less-than-stellar” review that has been posted here.

I am not an employee of the Disney Company nor do I get any special privileges. I am a Disney enthusiast just like the next Disney-Fan touring the parks on my own and talking about my experiences in my own voice on my own personal blog, which is where you have landed.
http://www.disneyeveryday.com Amanda Tinney

Hi D

Thanks for your comment. I figured that I might get a few comments on this…my very 1st…non-stellar blog post. I waited a few days to simmer down so that I could write from a place of cool and collected.

I love the fact that social media holds businesses accountable for their actions on a consistent basis. If you do good by your customer they will have good things to say in the digital universe. If you deliver less-than-stellar service that is going to be put out there as well. Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and social media are now inciting discussions of brands and allowing the cream to rise to the top.

Once again…thank you for your thoughtfully crafted response to this post.
http://www.disneyeveryday.com Amanda Tinney

Perhaps this was an isolated incident. After all, one bad apple can certainly spoil the bunch.
http://twitter.com/timweston Tim Weston

Easy there @gaston4. Like many of the readers of Disney Every Day, Amanda is a huge Disney fan and is anything but a diva. Fellow Disney fans expect Amanda (and other Disney bloggers) to tell things like they are, both positive and negative.

Regardless of whether she's allowed to take photographs in the store (it appears based on the store manager's response that she was), the employee's approach was simply inappropriate. There are appropriate ways to interact and communicate with customers and then there is the way Amanda was treated at curl. I'm sure that if the employee had politely explained to Amanda why she wasn't allowed to take photographs in the store, she would have been completely fine with it. That said, I expect that she still would have posted about this so other Disney guests would become aware of the store's policy.
Lynnegall

Anyone who has met Tinney laughs hysterically at the characterization as a Diva – she is perhaps the mellowest blogger I have ever met, and certainly doesn't cop an attitude, though she could with the number of fans who regularly follow her. The bottom line is this: my spending dollars are too important to me to waste them on venues who aren't customer friendly.The fact that Joe changed his tune upon explanation makes it a bit better, but Amanda is right in that the store should treat every guest with respect and courtesy – there is too much competition to do otherwise.

I think Curl's manager should make every effort to contact Amanda and apologize, and should put into place a customer-friendly policy and make it known, but that's just my opinion. Remember, their direct competition is DISNEY – which maintains a very high standard of customer service.
Lisa

Amanda- Did you know that the HOB gift shop has signs stating, – Please No Pictures- and that only makes me want to take pictures.
Gaston4

Aurora,
I do not think the employees of Curl are reading this blog so no need to start throwing accusations. I don't think it was fair or appropriate of you to speak to a manager if you had nothing to do with this incident.
On occasion salespeople (and cast members) are rude. Disney is in no way immune. A cast member was extremely rude to me one visit to the Magic Kingdom. As a result of going to guest services, I was offered two park hopper passes for the following day. The outcome was proportionate to the misdeed of the cast member. In the Curl incident, the guy apologized and tried to make up. It's not fair to slam the store for a salesperson informing a customer that they can not take pictures inside the store.
http://www.disneyeveryday.com Amanda Tinney

LOL. You're a bit of a rebel too eh? I have been to HOB many many times over the past 12 years or so. The camera rule has been in effect there since I can remember and they have it posted…as they should right? They sell original artwork there, hence the camera rule, but at least it's disclosed…
http://twitter.com/MagicalMousecap Magical Mousecapades

Wow, Amanda a Diva. That is absolutely the LAST word that I would ever use to describe her. Gaston, you obviously do not follow her blog on a regular basis. Amanda is one of the most down-to-earth people I have ever met. She loves Disney, and she reports on her experiences. As you have stated, Disney is not immune to poor service, and she is absolutely entitled to report on her experience at curl with Joe. And as far as stating she had someone else go in to complain, you obviously have never met Aurora. She says what she feels and no one tells her what to do or say. Just as Amanda and Aurora are entitled to their opinions, you are entitled to yours, but I will tell you that you are in fact wrong in your assumptions about Amanda and Aurora.
http://www.disneyeveryday.com Amanda Tinney

An employee was rude to you at MK and for that I am sorry. You went to Guest Services to vent and get an apology. You got $279 in free tickets which you think was proportionate?

An employee was rude to me at curl. I come to my own personal blog to vent. I expect no apology or monetary compensation.

Food for thought…
http://twitter.com/RoraBorieAlice Aurora Moore

You don't seem to have all your facts straight. I wasn't accusing anyone of anything… I just asked a question and pretty much a rhetorical one. I DID have something to do with the situation because I was with Amanda in the store that day and had an interaction with the same young man as she did. Why is it ok for you to go to guest services to speak about an incident but it isn't ok for me to go to the Curl Manager and speak to him about an incident? And you say and I quote In the Curl incident, the guy apologized and tried to make up”. When did this happen? I was with Amanda that day and on the next trip out there and this never happened……If you are talking about him “Changing his tune and fumbling for words” That isn't making up for it…. that is covering your Butt…. Totally not the same thing. There were 3 other adults in the store with us that day.. would you like them to comment as well?
http://twitter.com/MumsieInFlorida Jo

Gaston, you have consistently missed the point here and you are sadly misinformed.

1. “the guy” in “the curl incident” didn't apologize or try to make up. How could you make this claim if you weren't there?

2. Aurora was involved, she was one of the people with Amanda who was spoken to rudely by the employee.

3. Any employer is responsible for their employees when they are on the clock and performing their duties. To think otherwise is disingenuous at the least. The issue at hand isn't the (mis)information that said employee was giving, it was the manner in which he gave it. According to the manager, photos are indeed allowed in the store so it only compounds the situation that the information was wrong.

4. You had an issue with rudeness yourself and felt free to go to management. Amanda had an issue with rudeness and felt free to go to her personal blog, Aurora was involved in the same rudeness Amanda was and she felt free to go to management. So I'm not really sure why you think you're action was correct and Amanda and Aurora's wasn't.

and 5. What Amanda said, in spades. The “fairness” of your compensation is subjective and IMO, you were (happily) paid off not to file a formal complaint. Amanda blogged and asked for nothing, Aurora made management aware of the egregious rudeness of their employee and again, asked for nothing. How is it again that you were right but they were wrong?

I have 2 questions for you….and let's be frank, shall we? Where DO you work…and WHY does this blog post bother you so much? See, *I* think you are somehow connected with the store and I also think you'll deny it. We'll just call it one of life's lil mysteries…….
gaston4

Ladies, wow so much anger! Please calm down and don't be so irrational. I quoted what was in Amanda's blog post. Go back and see. Quote “Joe changed his tune and fumbled to make up for his animosity”.
As for my situation, none of you asked and I provided no details so you can make no judgements. Amanda, you are implying that receiving $279 in tickets was disproportionate when you know nothing of what happened? Do you think Disney hands out tickets like that without a legitimate complaint against some pretty serious bad behavior on the part of a cast member? We all know they don't.
If someone told me I couldnt take a picture, I would expect nothing and wouldn't create a drama about it.
To call the store “stinky”, “cramped” and “overpriced” is like a toddler throwing a tantrum. This is about wounded ego.
http://www.disneyeveryday.com Amanda Tinney

“to-ma-to, to-mah-to”. We will just have to agree to disagree.

@Gaston4…While everyone is encouraged to share their opinion, both good and bad, please do so with civility. Anger, hate and attacks including name calling towards my readers and myself will not be tolerated.

Any further behavior like this will not be entertained.
http://twitter.com/MumsieInFlorida Jo

Gaston…no one is angry except you' regarding Amanda's blog post. You haven't answered the questions you have been asked so why would we ask for particulars in your pay-off situation? They matter not in the least to the issue at hand. No one was irrational except the rude employee and yet again, you've missed the point. This isn't about “wounded ego” or taking pictures…it's about rudeness. Speaking of which, I find your condescending manner offensive.

The store is cramped and overpriced. >shrug<

I still want to know why this is bothering you so much. No, wait…strike that…I want you to TELL us why this is bothering you so much. I already know.
Kimmy

As far as I know, all of the employees go through a Disney training program. And the store definitely has a huge selection! I'm a fan. It's a sweet shop, sorry to hear you had a bad experience…
http://www.disneyeveryday.com Amanda Tinney

Hi Kimmy

Yes…I do stand corrected. Another one of my friends on Twitter told me that the Curl employees do go through some sort of Disney training. I wonder if it is a full-on Traditions Cycle?

Thank you for your kind words and I appreciate your comment. =)
joelll

im a disney cast member at i heard the curl is actually a third party there soooo thats why it is horrible there not real cast members

Something Stinks Inside Sammy Duval’s Curl at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island

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