Problems with code from VMK Pin Series; Update: they fixed it!

[SorcererDonald16]

Y'all know I wrote a post about this awhile back, but new things have happened and I am resorting to posting here again in the hopes that some member of VMK staff will read my post and fix this.

The short version: My mom ordered 6 boxes of the new Pirates pin series for me from WDW Mail Order in November. They were out, but we got the shipment in December. I entered my codes Sunday, January 7th and Monday, January 8th. On Sunday, I entered a code for a Ship's Stern Chair. I received a Pirate stool and stick instead. I sent in the code to Contact Us, and got an error message. I sent my entire problem in again under the "None of the above" option. I never received a reply.

Update since then: Last night, I tried to send the code in to Contact Us again. It worked this time. At 2:37:51pm EST I received an email from VMK_Shorty asking for additional information so the problem could be looked into. I was thrilled just to get a response and replied as soon as I read it, around 7:00pm EST. That was as soon as I got home and was able to be on the computer for the day. It asked for the information I had already provided, but I replied nonetheless. An hour or so later, and I got a response saying my request for help had been closed because they felt the previous email answered my question. It did not. It asked me questions, it did not fix my problem. I sent the problem in again to Contact Us and then replied to the email that said my request for help had been closed. I explained I was not helped; the email I was sent by Shorty asked for more information.

I just checked my email again, and I got another email from VMK saying they feel they addressed my problem and my request for Help is closed.

I am pleading with any staff who reads this board to please assist me with this. My mom spent well over $100 for 6 boxes and shipping, and this is not right. It is the equivalent of defective merchandise, and VMK has a responsibility to fix the problem. I am very frustrated because I feel like either no one is reading my messages and just sending a stock response or someone really does not care to fix my problem. All I am asking is to receive the Ship's Stern Chair which I was supposed to receive. Again, we are paying real life money for these pins, and my family is far from well off financially. I expect better from the Walt Disney Company than to tell me they fixed my problem when nothing has been done. I am very upset and very disappointed by how this has been handled. Any help at all from VMK Staff is deeply appreciated.

The code in question that gave me a stool and stick (which both still reside in my inventory on my character SorcererDonaldD) instead of a Ship's Stern Chair was:

GSFW-EVBV-6XFW-6BGH

I have no qualms about posting it here because I have already entered it and it gave me the wrong items, as I noted.

Please, someone at VMK, assist me with this. Thank you very much.

 

[LuNaReVe]

Oh My Gosh! Thats terrible! I wish I could help

 

[Maleficent2]

Y'all know I wrote a post about this awhile back, but new things have happened and I am resorting to posting here again in the hopes that some member of VMK staff will read my post and fix this.

The short version: My mom ordered 6 boxes of the new Pirates pin series for me from WDW Mail Order in November. They were out, but we got the shipment in December. I entered my codes Sunday, January 7th and Monday, January 8th. On Sunday, I entered a code for a Ship's Stern Chair. I received a Pirate stool and stick instead. I sent in the code to Contact Us, and got an error message. I sent my entire problem in again under the "None of the above" option. I never received a reply.

Update since then: Last night, I tried to send the code in to Contact Us again. It worked this time. At 2:37:51pm EST I received an email from VMK_Shorty asking for additional information so the problem could be looked into. I was thrilled just to get a response and replied as soon as I read it, around 7:00pm EST. That was as soon as I got home and was able to be on the computer for the day. It asked for the information I had already provided, but I replied nonetheless. An hour or so later, and I got a response saying my request for help had been closed because they felt the previous email answered my question. It did not. It asked me questions, it did not fix my problem. I sent the problem in again to Contact Us and then replied to the email that said my request for help had been closed. I explained I was not helped; the email I was sent by Shorty asked for more information.

I just checked my email again, and I got another email from VMK saying they feel they addressed my problem and my request for Help is closed.

I am pleading with any staff who reads this board to please assist me with this. My mom spent well over $100 for 6 boxes and shipping, and this is not right. It is the equivalent of defective merchandise, and VMK has a responsibility to fix the problem. I am very frustrated because I feel like either no one is reading my messages and just sending a stock response or someone really does not care to fix my problem. All I am asking is to receive the Ship's Stern Chair which I was supposed to receive. Again, we are paying real life money for these pins, and my family is far from well off financially. I expect better from the Walt Disney Company than to tell me they fixed my problem when nothing has been done. I am very upset and very disappointed by how this has been handled. Any help at all from VMK Staff is deeply appreciated.

The code in question that gave me a stool and stick (which both still reside in my inventory on my character SorcererDonaldD) instead of a Ship's Stern Chair was:

GSFW-EVBV-6XFW-6BGH

I have no qualms about posting it here because I have already entered it and it gave me the wrong items, as I noted.

Please, someone at VMK, assist me with this. Thank you very much.

My suggestion is to call WDW merchandising to get satisfaction ask for a supervisor.

the number is in the players guide.

 

[mikeyandscoobyx2]

i wish i could HELP To LOL but i just have to say one thing, LOL lucky you got that the code worked rofl, my codews from disney like five of them did not work..

 

[SorcererDonald16]

Thanks for the support, Luna and mikey, and thanks for the info, Mal. dizpinfriend had given me a number for VMK, but I had not used it yet because 1. I wanted to give them a chance to fix this, and 2. because I am rarely home or available by phone and don't have voicemail or an answering machine (thus making a "Please call me back" message I could leave for them pretty much unhelpful). I also have dial-up, which ties up my phone line.

I suppose I will let my mom call tomorrow morning, since she is the one who purchased the pins. I am just deeply upset. VMK is usually a distraction for me from real life and my real life problems. Instead, I'm having more grief added to my life because Contact Us and the email systems are clearly not well monitored.

I would like to also plead with VMK to please address the issues with that feature in the near future. I would much rather know my messages and those of other players are always being received, read, and appropriately responded to than having oodles of new things added. I like new things, but I would much prefer the so-called "Black Hole" lose that title before we get anything else new.

 

[Maleficent2]

I would not bother with VMK at this point. Call merchandising since that is probably where your mom ordered from anyway.


What you need to say is that your mom purchased these pins for the VMK tie in for the virtual items you receive in the game and that you would like to have at the very least the cards replaced that the codes were bad for. Although you did receive an item it was not the one promised on the card.

Make sure you let them know how very disappointed you are that your code gave you the wrong item.

I would not be surprised if you received the whole set in replacement.

Good Luck

Mal

 

[birdmom]

I also got a code that flat out did not work with my pins, so please keep us updated as to what happened after your mom calls!

 

[SorcererDonald16]

Thank you for the advice, Mal. I will post back tomorrow evening to let y'all know what happened. And thanks for the support as well, Leann. I'm sorry you had a defective code as well.

Earlier I was just staring at my inbox, just looking at the emails I received. I felt (and still feel) like my head was going to explode, it's just so insanely aggravating. I logged into the game a couple times to see if maybe it had been fixed and that was why they said they had addressed my problem, but nada. I don't even have the stomach to play the game today. I just feel like I could tear my hair out. Contact Us is like talking to a brick wall a lot of times, apparently. Incidentally, aside from when I applied to be a CL and was told they weren't accepting anyone at that time, this is the very first time I have ever received a response from VMK, and I have had tons upon tons of problems that I have asked for assistance with.

 

[Dizpinfriend]

Sorcerer -

My code problem was fixed the very next day. The guy I spoke with gave me a new code right on the spot while he had me on the phone - I would HIGHLY recommend you place the call, if not to have the code issue resolved, but to let VMK General Operations know of your dissatisfaction with the care your issue has received. Remind them that VMK represents the Disney Corporation to the online gaming community, and the lack of response in no way lives up to the guest service standards held by other divisions of the company.

Either way - use that number I sent you, and leave them a message. This would have been resolved already.

 

[ElectricLime]

The VMK 'Contact Us' system closes every issue when there's a reply from a staff member. I don't know why, and it shouldn't, but it does.

My suggestion is, instead of replying to the emails, just open up a new request through Contact Us each time, describing the problem fully and including any additional information the previous email asked you to provide.

 

[SorcererDonald16]

dizpinfriend, I will do that as well in the morning. Even if they can't get back in touch with me on the phone, I guess it's worth a try so they can at least hear the complaint. I should've gone ahead and called earlier, but I (naively...) figured, especially since I wasn't getting home until after 6pm EST most days, I would give Contact Us a chance to sort it out first. I patiently waited until last night to send another message, even. Not one of my better ideas, obviously.

The code error made me very upset. And disappointed. But the way this has been handled has made me both incredibly upset and increasingly angry. There's no need in it, and it gives the whole game and the company a bad name, IMO. Essentially it sends the message that Disney is happy to take your $$$, but after that, you're on your own. Not acceptable, and I am perfectly willing to be the gnat in someone's ear about this until it gets solved. My poor mother feels awful because she's seeing an early Christmas present to me in a roundabout way leaving me frustrated and/or in tears (depending on what moment you catch me).

I will be an optimist though as much as I can and say maybe there was a problem with the email system today and it automatically spit out responses like that. I will hope that is the reason. I don't actually believe that's the reason, but I can hope anyway.

I'll post with an update tomorrow evening. And now I'm off to find some Rolaids (nope, I'm not kidding; this has given me horrible indigestion, not to mention a ).

ETA: Lime, I sent it all in to Contact Us after they told me my request for Help was closed, and then I replied to the email. This is now my 4th time submitting this to Contact Us, and this time I included what I intially sent, the response I got from Sparky, the response I sent back, and then the "We've closed this issue" message. What dumbfounded me even more was the original reply they sent asked me for more info. before they could look into it, and yet at the bottom of the message was what I had typed in to Contact Us (aka all of the information they were asking me to provide, as if they never got it ). There has to be a better way to respond to players. This is certainly not it.

 

[Dizpinfriend]

New PM sent...

 

[Maleficent2]

New PM sent...

not sure why you do not want to share your phone number and contact info publicly.

 

[Dizpinfriend]

not sure why you do not want to share your phone number and contact info publicly.

Simple really. The gentleman I spoke with gave me this information when he helped me and asked me not to abuse the contact - which to me means to not bombard his inbox with stuff. Certainly something that would happen if publicly posted, possibly turning it into another big black hole. I gave my word that I would not abuse it, and I will stand by my word.

Clearly Sorcerer is in great need of assistance, so I felt it acceptable to pass along the information to her.


Edit: After reviewing your Players Guide - all information anyone can ever need, can be found there already as a starting point It is just a matter of how determined a person can be to get a resolution to their issue.

 

[Goofy_Bob]

I feel for you Sorcerer. I'd been following your this thread because I have the exact same problem with one of my cards. I even called the ph# that Dizpinfriend PM'd to me before and left a message last Monday, but have received no call back (I just left another a moment ago). After that and several e-mails and Contact Us sendings I just finished sending this e-mail to Paul Yanover (paul.yanover@disney.com):

Dear Mr. Paul Yanover,

I am an avid Disney fan. I am a DLR Premium Annual Passholder and make the drive up from the San Diego area a dozen or more times a year. I often bring friends and family. I have a Disney Visa card that I use for nearly all purchases (Disney or otherwise). I am grown adult with no children, but still spend literally thousands of dollars a year on Disney products ranging from DLR visits, park merchandise (especially pins!), DVDs, clothing, and other products.

Last year in April I joined your online game VMK. It's a very enjoyable product and I spend many hours a week (heh, more like per day) playing. I enjoy the virtual realm and the ability "collect" more Disney stuff. The mini-games are fun. The trading can be exhilarating. And the other players are fun friends. I've even got my parents (in their 50s) to play and they love it.

I'm writing you today because I'm having some problems with products relating to VMK and can not seem to get help anywhere else. On December 12, 2006 I took several members of my family to DLR to enjoy Christmas there. In fact, my Christmas present to my parents was a pair of Parkhopper tickets. Being VMK fans they were delighted to be able to go and take the In Park Holiday Quest. Unfortunately, my Mother's Gold Snowman card has a code that did not work. The code is CZRV-NAB8-97AB-TB9D. Needless to say she was very disappointed.

In November I called WDW and purchased 10 boxes of your VMK Pin Card sets. On December 16 I received those card and one of the Card 10/10 Ship's Stern Chair (which should give me a "Galleon Stern Chair" in VMK) instead gave me "Crow's Nest Barstool, Crow's Nest Barstool Pole" - It was code: TGU8-KD7J-Q6TR-BBTU. I don't need another Crow's Nest set. That's old school re-released Pirate Quest. I really want that Galleon Stern Chair as that's a new release hot ticket item and I especially want it to complete the set! And I have found other players have had the same failure with that card.

In the past I had a similar card issue and a Cast Member at DLR's VMK Central advised me to contact vmk@disneyonline.com. I did and the issue was eventually resolved. As you can see from the attached history of e-mails below I have been trying to get these two problems resolved for a month with no response. I have send notes to the VMK's Contact Us link, but have received no response from that Black Hole. I called VMK General Operations at 1-407-566-4421 and left a message 10 days ago, nothing.

I'm only looking your team to fix something virtual. A few keys punched, icons clicked, and electrons spent and you guys can have another happy customer. I understand that VMK is a game. It's a free game to boot. However, it's not so free when I'm spending $14 for a box of pins with the primary desire to get the VMK "product" inside. It's not so free when I spend money on a Parkhopper ticket and get a bogus card. It's not free when you and the Disney company are happy to take my money, but then leave me on the other side of an brick wall when things aren't as sold.

So Mr. Yanover, I ask for your assistance to resolve these matters.

I then signed it with my full name, VMK title, and e-mail address. This e-mail included the forward of all four other messages I sent to vmk@disneyonline.com.

I've also taken Mal's advice and just got off the phone with WDW from which I ordered my pins. I politely described the situation and asked for help. The lady there at first said these are no refund/exchange items and I would have to take it up with VMK. I explained I already had and she stuck with the no refund/exchange theme so I asked for a Supervisor. The same lady came back on and took my information (which product, card code, my VMK title, and first and last name - after that last bit she was able to pull up my order in her system). She said they would submit that info to VMK from their end to resolve and I should get some contact back from either VMK or their VMK liason (my phrasing) there at WDW within a couple of days. Wish me luck.

 

[Maleficent2]

Bob

did they make that clear when you purchased these pins? That they were not returnable/exchangeable.

Even as I am typing that....what difference does that make. They sold you a product and the product is DEFECTIVE I would think that does not fall under good business to not replace said product with product that is not defective!

you are not trying to get another pin you just want what you paid for not part of what you paid for.

If it were me, I would be back on the phone and demanding to speak to a supervisor. There is a big difference is getting what you paid for and not returning or exchanging but to purchase something and only a portion of what you paid for is good....well that is a totally different ball of wax!

VMK did not sell you the product Disney Merchandising did!

WOW I am so taken back by this CMs attitude and response to you.

wait if you must but I know my fingers would be dialing back right now.



Oh and Good Luck on whatever you decide.

 

[Goofy_Bob]

I don't remember when I bought the items over the phone if the girl made clear the r/e policy. I know the website from which I got the ph# and SKU did so. But you make a good point about this being defective and shouldn't fall under that. I'll be sure to make that point if necessary.

But, since this is my first call to WDW Merch I will give them the benefit of the doubt that their solution will work and within a couple of days I'll get a call back resolution. If I don't, then Tuesday I'll call back (I have that day off and have nothing better planned than to sit on the phone all day and raise unholy heck ).

On the other avenue I actually received a Return Receipt from my message sent to Mr. Yanover:

"Your message ... was read on Thu, 18 Jan 2007 08:56:50 -0800"

So that's something, I guess.

 

[Disney Dreams]

I am simply playing devil's advocate here:

The pins are certainly not returnable or exchangeable, otherwise we would all open them and then return them if it was not what we were hoping to find in the box (since the pins are completely random).

Remembering that the pins/prizes are random, I could see where Disney would argue that one did not indeed purchase a code for a seagull hat (or whatever particular item), but rather a random code.

Now - the fact that the code, card, and pin should match would be your fighting leg to stand on in this case. If it were me, I think I would approach it from that angle, as one did not purchase a code for a specific item, but rather a code, card, and pin - which was received.

Good luck with getting this resolved to all those having issue.

 

[Dizpinfriend]

To continue playing devils advocate:

Pins sold through the Disney company are considered collectible items, (and if I remember correctly from my CM days) can only be returned up to 30 days from purchase if damaged or defective. Which is why when I entered my bad code, I called the very same day.

I have no doubt your issue will be heard now that it is in the hands of Mr. Yanover - and I hope he is able to fix it for you!

 

[Maleficent2]

I am simply playing devil's advocate here:

The pins are certainly not returnable or exchangeable, otherwise we would all open them and then return them if it was not what we were hoping to find in the box (since the pins are completely random).

Remembering that the pins/prizes are random, I could see where Disney would argue that one did not indeed purchase a code for a seagull hat (or whatever particular item), but rather a random code.

Now - the fact that the code, card, and pin should match would be your fighting leg to stand on in this case. If it were me, I think I would approach it from that angle, as one did not purchase a code for a specific item, but rather a code, card, and pin - which was received.

Good luck with getting this resolved to all those having issue.

Yes you are correct they could but they would not have a leg to stand on when it comes to the codes on the card not giving the item on the card. IT is not a random code, it is a card with a code for the item shown on that card.