Not Intentionally Wanting to Burst Anyone's Bubble, but in the words of Patinmn...

[TeresaNJ]

I really messed up! How, you say? By not making sure I could afford to lose the money I put out for DisCon 1. As some of you know, I had to have unexpected surgery in November, and as soon as I found out I e-mailed Linda to let her know, and asked whether I could expect any sort of refund. I realized that I was probably cutting it very close, but I thought, Disney let's you cancel at least one week out, and this was almost four weeks, so I was hoping for the best. Anyway, I got an e-mail back stating that my e-mail would be forwarded on to Pete's office. After a week of not hearing anything, I sent Linda another e-mail, and one to Pete explaining my situation. Two more weeks go by, nothing! So I think, I guess they're working on it. Not so. I e-mail again, and again, and again. Not a word, not a "sorry, no refund", not "gee, sorry it took so long to get back to you", nothing at all. Now I'm getting really upset. Thankfully, I had cancelled the room and convention package during the summer, and just booked Events Only, but that was still almost $500, as it was for me and DH. I finally got an e-mail back from Linda in December telling me that she talked to Pete at the convention, and he said I wasn't eligible for a refund because I submitted it too late. A whole month later that's the answer I get. I was so upset and disallusioned. Not at the fact that I didn't get a refund, but the fact that no-one bothered to get back to me in a professional, timely fashion. In January I e-mailed Pete again to tell him how I felt, and he did get back to me to apologize over the way I was treated. I had asked him in my e-mail and in previous ones to Linda as to why I never received the lanyard that was given out at the convention as I did pay for it. No one seemed to care about that either, as I was never given an answer. I know the lanyard is trivial, but hey, I paid for it!!

This letter really isn't a b--ch letter, it's just to warn folks to make sure they know what they are doing before they commit to such a big expense. Make sure you can afford to lose the money should an emergency arise and you have to cancel last minute.

Teresa

 

[Towncrier]

Teresa - The fact that you couldn't make it to DIScon 2001 due to your sudden health issue was so sad. The issue with the refund just makes it an even tougher pill to swallow. You were truly missed by many of us. If we had known that you were not going to be able to get some or all of your money back, perhaps we could have found a couple of people to use your reservation. I know that the people who were the recipients of your MVMCP tickets were most grateful. At the time I'm sure that your health was more important than the money, but it is unfortunate that you couldn't get an answer sooner. To Linda and Pete's defense, I think that they were overwhelmed with the logistics of the event. I am wondering if someone can dig up a couple of lanyards (at the very least) so that you have something to show for your money.

I hope that you are feeling better since your emergency. I won't be able to make it to Cape Cod this summer due to prior committments (17th wedding anniversary). I hope that you and Harry will be able to make it to the Yankee Peddler festival this year (or sometime in the future).

Take care Teresa!!!

 

[TeresaNJ]

Thanks John,

That's another reason why I was so upset. $500 gone to waste for nothing. My cousin works at WDW, and I'm sure she would have loved to have gone to some of the events that I paid for. If someone had told me right away that there would be no refund, I would have asked if I could transfer my Events Only ressies to someone else. I wouldn't have wanted any money for it, just knowing someone else could have some fun would have made it a little easier than to think it was just wasted money. I really wanted to go to DisCon 11, but after this I'm a little gun shy. If I had kept the room and events package, oh my God, I would have died if I lost that much money. My DH doesn't know I didn't get the money back from EO. I guess I'll have to tell him sooner or later.

I'm sure Pete and Linda were overwhelmed with this being the first convention. I'm hoping that perhaps some stipulations can be made for people with emergencies, like maybe getting a partial refund if you cancel close to the convention date. I can't imagine Disney can't come up with something for convention goers to make the risk a little less. Unless of course, they think people have money to burn.

Thanks for asking about my health. Unfortunately, after the surgery in November I found out I will have to have a total abdominal hysterectomy, as due to my severe endometriosis my uterus is adhesed to my colon. The surgery is scheduled for May 10, as I have to be on medication for several months to try to shrink the endometrial tissue to hopefully decrease my chances of bleeding during the surgery. I'm hoping to still go to the Cape Cod meet again. Sorry you won't be there. I'll let you know about Yankee Peddler.

Teresa

 

[CarolA]

I feel sorry for you Teresa. However, in Pete's defense I am fairly sure I knew that if I cancelled after a certain date (which I don't remember) I would lose my money. Having done events like this I know that Disney probably required Pete's company to pay them the full amount fairly far in advance. I do think they were overwhelmed, but part of the overwhelming fact was due to a lot of changes that people kept making (like me!) I think perhaps that is why they are seperating the room and the convention this year.

 

[NancyIL]

I understand both Teresa's unhappiness and Carol's point. Teresa's point, however, was that if she had heard from Pete or Linda in a timely fashion - she could've transferred her registration to someone else - rather than have it go to waste.

Lack of communication was the biggest problem with DIS-CON I. The convention went off beautifully, but I know a number of people felt it was like pulling teeth to get answers to questions. Hopefully that is an area that will be improved with the 2nd convention.

**It is my understanding that there are some people who cancelled their registrations before the October 1st deadline who are still waiting for their refunds!

 

[TeresaNJ]

Thanks for the opinions guys! I stayed away from posting on the boards for quite some time as I felt I was still too emotional over the whole thing, and I didn't want to come off sounding like sour grapes. Actually, I felt guity posting anything negative about the DIS, as I truly love it here and all the friends I have made. I think Pete has done a wonderful thing by providing this site, and I am grateful that we all get to visit for free. But, it is still a business, and our visiting enables advertisers to want to keep advertising here, so I still feel we are consumers in some sort of way, and as such, should be treated accordingly.

Again, let me point out that I am not angry that I didn't get a refund, I really didn't expect one, but I was and am angry that I wasn't treated with respect, at least, IMHO. When Pete decided to undertake such a big responsibility as Dis Con, I think what goes along with it is the realization that we are putting out ALOT of money to attend. That doesn't mean that we should be so grateful for the chance to attend Dis Con that we forgoe our rights as consumers. It's my money that was wasted, and I should have been given the option to transfer the reservations to someone else, like I did with my MVMCP tickets that I had already bought. The fact that no one thought my $500 was enough to be concerned about is what had me so upset. Like I said, I e-mailed several people multiple times with no response. Being overwhelmed or busy shouldn't be an excuse when you're operating a business.

All in all, it could have been an even more expensive lesson, and that it wasn't, I am grateful for. I just wanted to let everone know to be aware that convention reservations aren't like regular Disney reservations. Alot can happen within a month of a convention, and if you don't have the money to lose, then don't do it. I have to think long and hard about attending Dis Con 11.

Bye for now,
Teresa

 

[NancyIL]

For those considering attending DIS-CON II - I would strongly suggest purchasing an inexpensive trip cancellation insurance policy if you can't afford to lose the money you've paid. There are a number of companies that provide that insurance, but one I've used is CSA: http://www.csatravelprotection.com/insure/default.ssc

Teresa - I'm sorry you've had a very bad experience.

 

[TeresaNJ]

Nancy, thanks so much for that link. I feel alot better now about attending Dis Con 11. It's great that everyone here is so willing to help each other. Hope I get to meet you.