The continuing DDE/valet parking scam

[Uncleromulus]

Well-that's what I call it--a scam from the outsourced valet parking company to charge for valet parking even when you get it "free".
There were several threads on the board awhile ago where people were reporting the same thing--show your DDE card to the valet, don't get charged at the podium, then see the valet parking charge appear on your room bill!! It appeared they were scanning the Disney parking permits and then getting direct billing access to the resort where you were staying--then adding the charge even though it was supposed to be free. It seemed like they finally realized this was NOT permitted and I saw few threads about it later on.
But now I have to report that at least at the Grand Floridian, the practice continues. We had dinner there 3 times last week--on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday. One of those was even at V&A, where valet parking is free anyway. Each time we showed our DDE card at the valet desk and were not charged the $10.00. BUt on Saturday morning when we "express" checked out at OKW, there was a valet parking bill for $30.00 from Grand Floridian valet. And not only that, the bill was the very last entry on the statement (Friday, May 9), even tho the "charges" were from several days previous. If I didn't know better, I'd almost think it was done that way deliberately--hoping you really wouldn't look at the express check out voucher (it's all charged to your check-in credit card) until you actually left WDW and it was probably too late to do much about it.
Fortunately, I spotted the entry at 6:00 AM on the Saturday we were to leave. The front desk immediately credited the $30.00 and said that this continues to happen on a frequent basis--not only with free DDE parking, but also with "free" DVC parking as well.
I can possibly understand something like this occuring once or twice after the outsourced folks initially took over, but not now. They had PLENTY of time to learn the various Disney parking plans, so I can only conclude it's just a scam to make a few extra bucks. Not sure what cure there might be , but from now on when I valet park, I'm putting my Disney resort parking permit in the glove compartment, where it can't be scanned.

 

[Brian Noble]

from now on when I valet park, I'm putting my Disney resort parking permit in the glove compartment, where it can't be scanned.

I do this routinely, and haven't been hit by it yet.

 

[jdcamp]

We do this all the time and haven't been charged yet. We're at GF for dinner Thurs night and had no problem and no extra charges on our bill at check out.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I'll be doing it too.
But it occurs to me that it really shoudn't HAVE to be done. In fact, I can't think of a really valid reason why they would scan your parking permit at all (?)
When valet was Disney operated this never happened.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

We had a problem last year with the GF valet. We stayed there for a week, and at the end of our stay, the individual at the podium advised me that some of the charges were unsuccessful and she wanted me to pay for them.

I told her to just charge it to my room with the rest of the charges they did for the week. She looked at me kind of dumbfounded and said well, do you have any cash you can pay towards the outstanding parking. I told her no and that if there was an issue with the charges that it wasn't my problem. She stood there for a second with a pissy look and then just stated that she would waive it in a sort of snotty way.

Like its my fault your facility is incompetent, and you ask me to pay cash for this?

 

[Brian Noble]

I'm not sure if the Grand just suffers from a too-far parking lot, or they are actively broken, but they do seem to be the least competent valet stand in the World.

Pity given the prices they expect people to pay. And folks wonder why Disney went outside with Four Seasons to try to give the property that luxury-brand shine.

 

[GazerBeam]

This is interesting. I have only stayed in the quasi-off-site lands of DTD and the swan/dolphin when I've had the DDE card.

Hopefully it is just a mistake, and it is probably a good idea to leave your parking pass in the glove box. If there is a problem and they try to charge you, they'll ask for payment when you pick it up, and you can have the 'DDE talk' with them in person.

GB

 

[aribelle]

Is this charge only for valet parking....or any parking at the resorts? We'll be there for the holidays and wanted to check out various resorts and their decorations....will I have to pay to park at each one? Does an AP get this cost waived, or only the DDE (which I think I have if it hasn't expired, lol). What if you have an ADR, does that make a difference?

I know the GF, Poly and Contemporary are accessible by the monorail, but it doesn't look like there is any way to get to the other resorts without driving and therefore parking.

I remember from last time that the Swan charges for parking, but I thought I read that was the exception because it's not actually owned by Disney? We went for dinner and wasn't too happy to realize it cost to park, but then, how else would you get there since it's not on the monorail. Can you take the buses if you're not staying at a resort?

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Is this charge only for valet parking....or any parking at the resorts? We'll be there for the holidays and wanted to check out various resorts and their decorations....will I have to pay to park at each one? Does an AP get this cost waived, or only the DDE (which I think I have if it hasn't expired, lol). What if you have an ADR, does that make a difference?

I know the GF, Poly and Contemporary are accessible by the monorail, but it doesn't look like there is any way to get to the other resorts without driving and therefore parking.

I remember from last time that the Swan charges for parking, but I thought I read that was the exception because it's not actually owned by Disney? We went for dinner and wasn't too happy to realize it cost to park, but then, how else would you get there since it's not on the monorail. Can you take the buses if you're not staying at a resort?

If you're staying on property and you pay for valet parking, you can valet anywhere else on Disney property (you also get free parking at the parks). The only piece you have to cover each time you valet is the tip. Also, if your staying offsite, and you pay for parking, that parking is good for the whole day, so if you leave one park, you just show your parking reciept at the next and you don't have to pay twice.

Regarding the buses, yes, you can use them if you're not staying at a resort, but if you already have a car because your offsite, its probably just easier to drive place to place, the buses can take a lot of time.

The Swan and Dolphin are not part of Disney although they are usually considered as such. So if you pay for parking there, it is not reciprical anywhere on Disney property.

 

[dizneeat]

The same thing happened to us in December at the Contemporary! We were there for dinner, had the car valet parked, showed the DDE and reservation number on arrival and showed the bill and DDE on departure and when we checked out there was the valet charge on the express bill.
I talked to the CM at the front desk and after some discussion we got the money back.
So PLEASE check your bills!!!!!!!!!!

We will remove our parking pass from now on, LOL!

 

[aribelle]

If you're staying on property and you pay for valet parking, you can valet anywhere else on Disney property (you also get free parking at the parks). The only piece you have to cover each time you valet is the tip. Also, if your staying offsite, and you pay for parking, that parking is good for the whole day, so if you leave one park, you just show your parking reciept at the next and you don't have to pay twice.

Regarding the buses, yes, you can use them if you're not staying at a resort, but if you already have a car because your offsite, its probably just easier to drive place to place, the buses can take a lot of time.

The Swan and Dolphin are not part of Disney although they are usually considered as such. So if you pay for parking there, it is not reciprical anywhere on Disney property.

Yes, I knew that you could pay for parking once at a park and keep the receipt for other parks.....but does that same receipt work at the RESORTS? I have an AP so I get free parking at the parks....would I get free parking at the resorts (except Swan/Dolphin) when I go there to have a meal or view the decorations?

 

[childsplay]

In fact, I can't think of a really valid reason why they would scan your parking permit at all (?)
When valet was Disney operated this never happened.

That is exactly what i was thinking. Why would they ever need to scan your parking permit while your at dinner? That makes no sense. They are just walking around the valet parking lot, scanning permits??? For what possible reason? This hardly seems like a "mistake", someone had to take the time to go into the lot and purposely scan your permit. Unacceptable!!!

 

[BriarRosie]

Yes, I knew that you could pay for parking once at a park and keep the receipt for other parks.....but does that same receipt work at the RESORTS? I have an AP so I get free parking at the parks....would I get free parking at the resorts (except Swan/Dolphin) when I go there to have a meal or view the decorations?

You can't get free valet parking with an AP. You can self-park at the resorts for free if you're dining or exploring, and get a 3 hour parking pass to do so.

If you never valet park, you don't have to worry about it. Visit the resorts if you want to with self-parking, but you're not supposed to leave your car there if you want to go back to the parks.

The parking pass Uncleromulus was talking about was the pass that entitles you to park at the resort you're staying at. So if Uncleromulus was staying at the Yacht Club, he would have a piece of paper to place in his dashboard that identifies him as a guest at the Yacht Club (and the dates of stay).

What's been happening to him is that he's entitled to get free valet parking with the Disney Dining Experience card, and the Grand Floridian valet service scanned his resort parking pass and charged him for valet anyway.

 

[agnes!]

We had a problem last year with the GF valet. We stayed there for a week, and at the end of our stay, the individual at the podium advised me that some of the charges were unsuccessful and she wanted me to pay for them.

I told her to just charge it to my room with the rest of the charges they did for the week. She looked at me kind of dumbfounded and said well, do you have any cash you can pay towards the outstanding parking. I told her no and that if there was an issue with the charges that it wasn't my problem. She stood there for a second with a pissy look and then just stated that she would waive it in a sort of snotty way.

Like its my fault your facility is incompetent, and you ask me to pay cash for this?

I hate to say it, but this sounds like a scam. This is the way it could work...the person at the podium says that there is a problem with paying for some of the parking. They ask for cash. Guest pays cash, person at podium pockets the money.
And no one ever knows because there is no record of it. You short-circuited the probable scheme when you cheerfully said "Oh, just put it on my bill".

agnes!

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I hate to say it, but this sounds like a scam. This is the way it could work...the person at the podium says that there is a problem with paying for some of the parking. They ask for cash. Guest pays cash, person at podium pockets the money.
And no one ever knows because there is no record of it. You short-circuited the probable scheme when you cheerfully said "Oh, just put it on my bill".

agnes!

No doubt, but I'm a very conscious person of these things as I'm from NY and travel to NYC a lot for business, so I'm used to scams, never the less I'm also a financial analyst so I'm very aware of these types things.

I rarely pay for anything in cash because I like the verifiable paper trail that charging has, no questions, no problems.

 

[Lori in CNY]

I had no idea this was even a problem.

We're DVC members and just got back on 5/10. Twice we parked at the BC for dinner and twice we were charged $10. What they didn't know was that when I received my express checkout bill, that was the only 2 entries on it as everything else during the week was paid for with a gift card. Stuck out like a sore thumb so we had to have it removed. They did not give us a problem removing them but I was very surprised this happened as it never has in the past.

 

[OKW Lover]

I was a victim of this some time ago (its probably one of the threads you remember Uncleromulus) and had no problem getting the charge taken off my bill. The GF was the offending location in that case as well.