DLHK Breach of Contract

[Sarangel]

From "The Standard":

Legislators have accused Hong Kong Disneyland of a breach of contract in not allowing holders of presold tickets to enter the park when it was full.

They also said the chaotic scenes at the theme park Wednesday and Thursday will harm Hong Kong's reputation as a tourist paradise.

The legislative slap in the face for the troubled park management came after more than 100 ticket holders who were turned away became rowdy and tried to storm the park's gates Thursday.

"Since there were no entry limitations printed on the presold tickets, Disney's decision to refuse holders entry was a breach of contract," said legislator Ronny Tong, who is also a barrister.

He cited a case in England where a judge ordered a travel agent to not only refund the price of a ticket, but also travel and transportation costs as well as hotel charges as the holder had suffered a "loss of enjoyment."

Tong added: "Those guests who were turned away should go to the Consumer Council or Small Claims Tribunal to seek compensation."

Pro-democrat unionist Lee Cheuk- yan said Disney was being disrespectful to consumers and was bringing "shame to a brand name."

Disney corporate communication director Alannah Goss said the company fully understood the disappointment of ticket holders, but it was necessary to limit entry at certain times in order to ensure guest safety.

Most of those who were turned away were mainlanders and Taiwanese who were spending part of their Lunar New Year holidays in Hong Kong. One group denied entry comprised 20 members of a family who had arrived from Shandong in northeast China.

"We came from thousands of miles away and we are so disappointed," said one member who gave her name as Mrs Wu. "We should have been notified earlier about the doors being closed. It was a waste of our time and money."

Disneyland's new managing director, Bill Ernest, said announcements that tickets had been sold out were made through the usual channels including the radio and transportation networks.

Democratic legislator Fred Li said the chaotic scene at the park will only harm Hong Kong's tourism reputation.

He said Disney may not have fully understood Chinese culture and may not have realized that the fourth and fifth days of the new lunar year are holidays in the mainland.

He urged the park management to pay more attention to Chinese culture.

 

[mrsR123]

I'm puzzled by this story. Were the tickets oversold for the specific dates of the Lunar New Year? If so, then folks have something to complain about.

But it the tickets weren't dated, then there was no more lack of understanding of Chinese culture than there is a lack of understanding of American culture when MK is closed due to capacity issues on July 4th or Christmas.

 

[urglewurgle]

I'm puzzled by this story. Were the tickets oversold for the specific dates of the Lunar New Year? If so, then folks have something to complain about.

But it the tickets weren't dated, then there was no more lack of understanding of Chinese culture than there is a lack of understanding of American culture when MK is closed due to capacity issues on July 4th or Christmas.

from what i understand.. the tickets were valid for 6 months and not for a specific date... therefore.. i agree with yourself...

 

[Sarangel]

The difference as I understand it is that (in the US at least) there is usually language that says you are not guaranteed entry to a specific park on a specific day.

 

[urglewurgle]

i think that was the same here... and there were signs saying if the park is full.. you won't be able to get in... or words to that effect...

i think it's more of a culture misunderstanding really... on disney's behalf and on the guests' behalf.. i mean... we'd all know what to expect when going to WDW on July 4th or whenever, with an "open" ticket right? you'd get there about 4am to queue!

 

[pedro2112]

Wow, eight sellout days in a row! If this keeps up, the rumours of another Disney Park in China will probably come to fruition.

 

[groovy~disney]

The story makes it sound like there was nothing printed on the tickets indicating that the holder may not be allowed in the park if it is already at capacity. If that is the case I can MAYBE see why someone would be upset, but they still had to realize that if the ticket was good for a 6 month period and it was a busy holiday that there was a chance the park might be at full.

 

[DancingBear]

I know others will disagree with me, but I find it extremely unlikely that the park management was so incompetent that it wouldn't know about the major holidays in its market.

 

[robvia]

This is a slap in the face to Disney. First they complain about low attendance, and put reporters inside the gates to count the people.

Now the government points the finger at Disney when the park sells out during a busy holiday.

Why is Disney over there? The stock isn't exactly zooming off the charts.
You know what is next. Lawsuits.

 

[DWatWDW]

I saw this story about parents throwing their kids over the fence at HKDL when it was sold out:

http://www.local6.com/news/6681871/detail.html

 

[GOOFYFREEK]

Wow, eight sellout days in a row! If this keeps up, the rumours of another Disney Park in China will probably come to fruition.

HKDL only has phase 1 of 3 phases open. Basically its Mainstreet and Tomorrowland.