Cox & Companies

Okay, here's another idea for a running segment on The Cox Section:  "Cox and Companies" covers the near daily roller derby between the corporations and customers.  Here's just a quick example of my on-line response to a Disney poll asking me to rate my satisfaction with its website.  Oh, they'll be funnier in the future, but for now, I do think it communicates my point:

Q: What do you like the least about the Disneyland.com webstite.  Please be as specific as possible.

A:  I was trying to purchase discounted tickets to Mickey's Trick or Treat Party.  I registered and created a logon and password.  An apparent but in the website, however, put me on a perpetual loop back and forth between putting items in my cart and logging in (or registering).  That is, when I put the tickets in my cart, and tried to proceed to checkout, I instead was taken back to the "Logon - or - Register" page (except there were now no fields to accept my logon or password).  When I called the company to make the purchase "manually," team members seemed resigned to the idea that "You've arrived in Never Never Land" and that nothing could be done.  Even Christine, the supervisor, seemed under-empowered (not unwilling or uninterested, only under-empowered) to complete the transaction, until I offered possible solutions.  I want Disney (and all companies) to remember that Walt Disney and Disneyland itself, are testaments to the truth that (as I said to Christine) "just becasue no one else has ever thought of it before, that doesn't mean that it can't be done, or shouldn't be done, or won't bring happiness to those we will encounter in the future."  Furthermore, especially a company such as Disney should be a great example that we use technology to pursue our goals, and not to govern our potential."  So make the website do what we want it to do -- and provide speedy recourse to achieve our goals when technology fails us.  I want to thank Christine, however, for listening, and doing what she could to resolve the situation in a timely and friendly manner.

I mean, can you imagine the crew of Apollo 13 calling Houston and getting the response that I got: "I can give you an e-mail address for tech-support.  I can't promise that they'll get back to you today, but they're your only option."  

Commander Lovell:  Houston, what is "Tech Support?"

Command Module pilot Swigert: And what is e-mail?

Lovell: To hell with you, Houston, we'll do it ourselves.  Swigert, hand me that duct tape and box of Jujyfruits.