Disney's Gift Card Scam

[aeseger97]

Consumer Fraud Warning -
I bought multiple Disney gift cards to pay for my cruise. Three went through for payment and the physical card I had glitched during payment. Now the Disney gift card site won't show a balance and it won't let me pay the $900 to my cruise. I've called the gift card customer service about 3 times and they tell me the same exact thing, that it will be fixed in an hour and it never is. They also tell me they won't elevate to a supervisor because the supervisor can't do anything about it. I have also emailed their contact email and only received an automated response. I would advise against buying any Disney gift cards in the future because there is a chance you too will be stuck in this situation with no recourse. Disney Cruise Line told me to ask them to transfer the funds to a new card, but the disney gift card customer service reps stated they had no power to do that. It is not worth the 5% savings you get from using these cards. Save yourself a headache and just don't buy these.

 

[RedHead0186]

I don't think this is a scam. It does sound like a honest glitch and a really unfortunate situation for you. But if it were a scam, I think we'd be hearing a lot more people having similar issues. (I've personally bought Disney gift cards several times and never had any issues).

Does the transaction show up on the website (where you can check your Disney gift card balance)? If you can show that the money was taken off the card, but never 'arrived' at DCL, maybe that will help show the paper trail and someone can help you?

 

[aeseger97]

I checked the Disney gift card site and it does not show a balance and when I click on transactions it shows nothing. I just want to warn that this could happen to them and it is a real headache to try and get results to get your money. It's not worth it in my opinion. The site tells me that it is unavailable and it will not tell me what the balance on the card is.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Are you saying Disney is scamming people? No they are not. So many factors at play here. Did you verify a balance when you first bought them?

 

[AquaDame]

I had a refund of the balance on a gift card take a few days to post after our most recent cruise - I wouldn't give up hope that it will show back up soon quite yet~!

 

[JAM9842]

We buy a lot of discounted gift cards each year and every so often there is a glitch but overall the gift cards are well worth any trouble or hassle to save some money for my family. The gift card website has been having trouble the last few days so maybe just give it some time. I am sure you will recover the lost funds.

 

[Calantha]

We buy a lot of discounted gift cards each year and every so often there is a glitch but overall the gift cards are well worth any trouble or hassle to save some money for my family. The gift card website has been having trouble the last few days so maybe just give it some time. I am sure you will recover the lost funds.

Same here. I've probably bought $20,000 worth of gift cards over the last few years and never had an issue.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

Disney is not scamming you.
Its a technical issue.
I'd give it a few days to see if it fixes itself and if not then call back.
Its unfortunate if your balance is due before its fixed and sorry if that's the case.
I know many people buy gift cards to pay for their trips. Personally I never will.

 

[Kwami]

I had a similar issue with some gift cards earlier this year. I used them to buy onboard credits for my cruise. Three of my purchases resulted in emailed receipts, but the other two didn't. The card balances showed $0 and no transactions, but I never got the emails! I asked DCL about it and they said that the onboard credit was in their system, so the gift card system must be glitched. I never did get those email receipts, but I did indeed get the onboard credit.

 

[ksack]

We bought gift cards from Disneystore.com to pay for our cruise. Since the cruise we wanted wasn't open for booking at the time we had to hold onto them for a few months. When we used them about 2 months later we discovered someone at Disney had transferred the $500 off one of the gift cards to some unknown location. No one at Disneystore, Disney or our credit card company would help us recoup the funds. I submitted all sorts of proof from the purchase to screen shots of the transfer and nothing.

 

[lanejudy]

When we used them about 2 months later we discovered someone at Disney had transferred the $500 off one of the gift cards to some unknown location.

More than likely that gift card number was stolen before you even bought it. The funds go "poof" at the time it's activated (purchased). Why do you assume "someone at Disney" was involved?

 

[jwalk03]

So much can go wrong with gift cards- It’s just not worth the hassle in my mind- especially to buy thousands of dollars worth of them! No thanks.

That said- it’s a hassle, not a scam. Disney is not scamming you out of money from your gift cards.

 

[ksack]

More than likely that gift card number was stolen before you even bought it. The funds go "poof" at the time it's activated (purchased). Why do you assume "someone at Disney" was involved?

I understand your thought process... Here is a screenshot of why I said it was a Disney issue. I have had the thought that maybe someone mis-entered a number on a different gift card, but no on was willing to help me.

I know this posted as a pdf file... If anyone knows how I can upload it as a screenshot let me know..

 

[AquaDame]

I understand your thought process... Here is a screenshot of why I said it was a Disney issue. I have had the thought that maybe someone mis-entered a number on a different gift card, but no on was willing to help me.

I know this posted as a pdf file... If anyone knows how I can upload it as a screenshot let me know..

As long as it is a jpeg picture it should load.



@aeseger97 did the funds show back up..?

 

[ksack]

As long as it is a jpeg picture it should load.

View attachment 982747Than

@aeseger97 did the funds show back up..?

Thank you... I must be technologically challenged...

No the funds never showed back up and no one would help figure out a way to get my money back.

 

[AquaDame]

No the funds never showed back up and no one would help figure out a way to get my money back.

That’s horrible I’m so sorry… not sure how long it could take but this seems long enough

 

[aeseger97]

Update: The emails I sent to Disney Gift Card were finally answered and they reinstated my funds. They said I entered the pin incorrectly 3 times, which triggered a fraud lock on the funds. I know I did not enter it incorrectly because I triple checked the number before I submitted it. This is a computer error on Disney's part, not mine. Luckily the lovely people at Disney Cruise Lines gave me an extension to pay my remaining balance. I just want people to know that this could happen to them if they are going to use the cards. I would advise not waiting to use the card to pay for tickets or cruise balances and to pay with them right after purchase and to know that you may also encounter a glitch or misguided fraud protection. If you have a cruise, I would suggest paying with the gift card on the phone and not using the online system. Too many issues! I still have issue with their customer service who lie and tell you it will be fixed in an hour, which is just not true. The ONLY way to get help is to send an email. I still maintain that the savings the gift cards provide is not worth the the hassle. I'd rather book through my travel agent and get their $150 onboard credit than go through this process ever again!

 

[aeseger97]

Are you saying Disney is scamming people? No they are not. So many factors at play here. Did you verify a balance when you first bought them?

Yes. I had the card sitting in my account for months and even used $100 of it at Disneyland in May. It was never an issue that I bought a bad card or that it never had money on it. It was the fact that my card suddenly showed that there was nothing on on it with no transaction history.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Yes. I had the card sitting in my account for months and even used $100 of it at Disneyland in May. It was never an issue that I bought a bad card or that it never had money on it. It was the fact that my card suddenly showed that there was nothing on on it with no transaction history.

That is frustrating. Anytime I have ever seen issues with gift cards Disney comes through and it gets sorted out. I hope yours also gets sorted out.

 

[happycamper47]

Yes. I had the card sitting in my account for months and even used $100 of it at Disneyland in May. It was never an issue that I bought a bad card or that it never had money on it. It was the fact that my card suddenly showed that there was nothing on on it with no transaction history.

Have you sent in a dispute? That address is on the Gift Card web site under terms and conditions.

EDIT: Didn't read your post in #17...only #18