The Disney Visa NIGHTMARE

[Dean]

KNWVIKING, it may or may not be in the best interest of Disney to do this or the specific choices they made. They're certainly in a better situation than I to make those choices. I guess my point in this area was that it was their decision to make and that I didn't see Bank One any worse than other similar companies.

As for the MKC, DC etc transformation. I'm not sure what you mean. If you are saying Disney will lose out because of the lost discounts and therefore less total dollars spent, maybe. If you saying Disney owed it to customers to provide a product available to everyone, I would somewhat disagree. I would have preferred them continue the MKCC. I would like to see more benefits with the DVC membership. I never joined the DC as the value wasn't there for us.

 

[raidermatt]

I could be wrong, but I'm interpreting your comment to mean that you have a problem with Bank One if it was somehow related to the diminished benifits of MKC- DC- Rewards Visa. If so,I disagree. I'm fairly certain Disney selected Bank One for financial reason, which I have no problem with.

I'm fairly certain they selected Bank One for "A" financial reason, just as they cut EE and bought Fox Family for a financial reason. However, I am not certain they selected Bank One for the RIGHT financial reasons.

Beyond that, I'm not certain the introduction of this program, coupled with the cancelling of the DC, was done for the right financial reasons.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Instaed of th Bank One/Disney card being a replacement for DC, isn't it possible it was a replacement for AMEX?

 

[raidermatt]

Instaed of th Bank One/Disney card being a replacement for DC, isn't it possible it was a replacement for AMEX?

It's a replacement for both.

Though I'm not sure Disney ever stated it, it is clearly a replacement for the AMEX White Glove Treatment, as it is one credit card company for another. The merits of that trade for guests are debateable.

However, Disney themselves referred to the Visa as a replacement for the DC, doing so in their announcement regarding the cancellation of DC.

 

[KNWVIKING]

"As for the MKC, DC etc transformation. I'm not sure what you mean. If you are saying Disney will lose out because of the lost discounts and therefore less total dollars spent, maybe. If you saying Disney owed it to customers to provide a product available to everyone, I would somewhat disagree. I would have preferred them continue the MKCC. I would like to see more benefits with the DVC membership. I never joined the DC as the value wasn't there for us."

Dean, I don't know Disney's rational for ending DC. Maybe they feel people will come and spend regardless of DC and if so then they are leaving money on the table by continueing it. I guess time will tell. Do I feel they "owe" everyone a discount product -NO. In reality, by virtue of Disney's high price, they're not even offering WDW or DL to everyone. I'm sure we all know people that can afford a trip to Six Flaggs but not WDW. I don't have strong feelings for DC because of my DVC membership. Outside of AP purchases, DC had no real benifit for me. I guess I'm one of the lucky few who will get the greatest benifit from the new CC.
And I'm still not convienced that we've seen the full benifits of the new CC and perhaps if Bank One is declining too many loyal fans then maybe Disney will work with Bank One to encourage a Classic or Gold version that would be availible to a wider range of people. I'm just not ready to bash something before all the details are out there.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by KNWVIKING
And I'm still not convienced that we've seen the full benifits of the new CC and perhaps if Bank One is declining too many loyal fans then maybe Disney will work with Bank One to encourage a Classic or Gold version that would be availible to a wider range of people. I'm just not ready to bash something before all the details are out there.

Thanks for clarifying and i too hope there are more benefits to come.

 

[raidermatt]

Then I guess we can't bash Dinorama or DCA, since they could improve in the future?

In fact, no negative feedback on anything should be given, since anything could improve in the future?

Really...the wait and see was valid before the card was offered, and before the account agreements were in hand.

As of now, it is what it is. Maybe more is planned, or maybe more will happen if people complain. That's hardly anything to hang your hat on though.

 

[HorizonsFan]

I explained to her (politely) my confusion over my status (ergo, I applied back in February, got a declination letter in mid March, then found in mid April that the update system was saying my application was "still" under review). She confirmed that "under review" message wasn't some system fluke, and that my application was indeed "active and in process."

I've posted this several times now...
We recieved a letter from Bank One after we recieved our cards saying that some declination letters were mailed to the wrong people and if we got one to disregard it.
You may still recieve a card.
I think this all started because of the anger generated by a poorly worded declination letter. It has devolved (as most topics on this forum do) into a "good Disney decision" vs. "bad Disney decision" but the OP is definately about a CC declination.

 

[Lesley]

well, we were declined as well.....but the reason being that our main card is with a division of Bank One and they don't want to offer us any more credit than they already have (not that they stopped them from upping our credit limit many many times over the past few years.....)

Kind of stinks since I didn't want more credit...I wanted the card to get rewards and pay it off every month. But anyway...I'll just be paying off the other card and appyling again eventually.... I do get similar rewards from the current card, they're just not Disney rewards....

I guess with our current move I'll have to wait a bit anyway...

 

[Walt's Frozen Head]

The latest challenge was whether one group of shouters in our little game of Disney Lite: "less fulfilling!" "tastes like sour grapes!" was interested in taking the discussion of this topic beyond mikeymars initial emotional reaction to a personal disappointment.

My point is that this thread is being blown into some "greater cause" crusade when all it really is about is credit card rejection.

I only read the original post (and a few that followed mine this morning) and not the 11 pages worth of replies...[snip] This is strictly a reaction to the original post.

So the answer is "no," no one wants to do that? Fair enough.

Should anyone want to in the future, I'll still be here to discuss the issue of the Disney Visa card and how it is symbolic and symptomatic of Disney's SOP of turning its back on its most loyal customers... just like I have been since this was announced, months ago. Funny thing, a lot a people who back then sounded like you all do now... couldn't be bothered to actually read the thread they were commenting on, so obsessed with one detail that they couldn't consider a wider issue... insisted that my opinions then meant nothing because "we haven't seen the card." Now the opinions mean nothing because they were echoed by someone who got turned down for the card.

One last thing about "wasting time." For some of us, this has been a twelve page thread about Disney's change in its historical philosophy towards treatment of its customers and the Disney Visa's place in that turnabout... which is a topic worthy of that much attention, some folks think.

Mind you, I do see your point: anyone who has been around for twelve pages and is still insisting all the hubbub is about a single credit card rejection has certainly been wasting their time with this thread.

-WFH

 

[KNWVIKING]

Matt, I don't have a problem bashing DCA or Dino because for now ,what you see is what you got. But what is irratating is the bashing that has already started over Everest.

Bashing the Rewards card now though is a different story. Do people who enjoyed the MKC have the right to bash the DC- Yes. But has anyone who holds a current DC card lost anything yet ? As it stands at this moment they not only have the DC discounts, but if they somehow managed to get the ever elusive Rewards card they now have those benifits-limited as they may be. Disney has also stated there are more benifits to come. I'm willing to believe that "more" will happen when the DC benifits actually end at the end of this year. Maybe come Jan 04 I'll be the loadest basher of the CC.

 

[KNWVIKING]

"The latest challenge was whether one group of shouters in our little game of Disney Lite: "less fulfilling!" "tastes like sour grapes!" was interested in taking the discussion of this topic beyond mikeymars initial emotional reaction to a personal disappointment."


"So the answer is "no," no one wants to do that? Fair enough."

WFH: Then start a thread that is about those issues. We can start with a fresh piece of screen rather the 12 pages of "he said, she said". Unless I misinterpreted your little "PS" to mikey, I think you agree that the purpose of the OT has nothing to do with the topics you wish to discuss.

 

[Walt's Frozen Head]

I think you agree that the purpose of the OT has nothing to do with the topics you wish to discuss.

You think wrong.

I agree that the immediate impetus for mikeymars to write was a single credit card rejection. Unlike you, I simply did not immediately assume that mikeymars was so mentally fragile that such a small issue would cause this sort of reaction in and of itself. Unlike some, I simply did not forget that this is not a perfect medium where one's every communicative intent is immediately clear to all and sundry; and I read the whole thread instead of judging someone based solely on a post obviously written under emotional stress, while ignoring the dozens of followups, clarifications and agreements from others who have not had the emotional experience of being turned down for the card.

You just keep coming back, saying the same thing the rest of knew on page 1 and complaining about how you can't believe that some people are saying the same thing for 12 pages.

We all agree with you.

Yours are the hands that you down, you friend... no one's forcing to take part in this waste of time: it is your continued posting that demonstrates your fascination in something you decry as a waste of time.

You okay, man? My B.S. is in psychology, I know living with that kind of cognitive dissonance can be... you know... unhealthy... for the ol' noodle.

If you're bored with where this topic led, I'm pretty sure there are some others... perhaps someone can help you with a link. Personally, I'm interested in where this topic has led, and I feel like a bunch of bulletheads are trying to snuff out the conversation just because they don't want to hear it. So I'm here for the long haul. If you can't kick your addiction to wasting time in this thread, you're just going to have to get used to the idea of wasting it hand-in-hand with me, pard'.

-WFH

 

[DisneyKidds]

Disney Visa card............ is symbolic and symptomatic of Disney's SOP of turning its back on its most loyal customers...

Amen, brother Head (tap, tap...........hello...........is this thing on )

I'm willing to believe that "more" will happen when the DC benifits actually end at the end of this year.

Boy, I'm probably going to sound like Baron/Matt/AV/Head sound when they tell me I am fooling myself believeing some of the things I do about the parks.........................but the track record indicates that this willingness to believe will only leave you disappointed. Right now the ONLY hope is that the DC is 'Early Entried' (ie. there is enough backlash over it's demise that Disney reverses the course of a made decision and brings something back). At this point, I don't see how there can be any plan in the wings for a true DC replacement. Don't you think they'd be letting on a little if there were?

 

[crusader]

Thus, the balancing test in this guestion appears to be whether enough loyal guests would be so excited as this Disney Visa card adding to their benefits that it would dramatically overcome the number of loyal guests whose credit was so bad that they couldn't get approved for this card and its benefits.

I don't think the loyal guests got excited about anything. I think the company took full advantage of its base by forcing a credit application on them in order to obtain discounts once available to everyone and cleverly disguised them as a reward.

I believe they have gone so far as to selling the idea of the worthiness of charging a vacation package on this card. Don't kid yourselves for one minute into thinking you haven't disclosed your habits and tendencies to this corporation. Big brother is watching and taking notes.

 

[KNWVIKING]

". Unlike you, I simply did not immediately assume that mikeymars was so mentally fragile that such a small issue would cause this sort of reaction in and of itself. "

I made no such assumption. Read my first post. I simply stated that I was amazed at his passion over this,but did not understand it.

"You okay, man? My B.S. is in psychology, I know living with that kind of cognitive dissonance can be... you know... unhealthy... for the ol' noodle."

Oh yeah,I'm fine, man. Of course without a B.S. I have know idea where this comment fits into any discussion we're having, But I'm pretty certain you'll enlighten me.


"If you're bored with where this topic led, I'm pretty sure there are some others..."


Frustrated more then bored. Somehow, mikeys OT is being glamorized as a greater fight for all Diz fanatics against the giant Bank One/Disney alliance. I'm not willing to give him that much credit.

 

[Walt's Frozen Head]

then let's address whether this is a market Disney should have even entered (because inevitably some loyal customers would have such bad credit that they couldn't qualify for the Visa card).

Okay: No.

What's next, that one was too easy.

-WFH

 

[KNWVIKING]

I don't see why Disney shouldn't have gotten into this market. I don't agree that it should be the only discount product they offer, but a lot of money is being made off branded CC. Why shouldn't Disney try to also. For my vacation habits,the Rewards card is my best option,( I can't compare it to MKC because I never had MKC).

 

[Walt's Frozen Head]

a lot of money is being made off branded CC. Why shouldn't Disney try to also

Well, a lot of money is being made off cocaine, internet gambling, black market babies, and hard-core porn, too... is "why shouldn't Disney try to also" a reasonable question in those cases?

Sometimes taking all the money you can get isn't the best thing for you or your long-term business. A lot of it depends on what your customers have come to expect from you... and how much they perceive their expectations are being met over time. Disney is living the truth of that now.

What is there about "branded credit cards" that makes you think it's not just the latest fashion among CEOs? This deciscion... trying to cash in quick on what "everybody else is making a lot of money on," sounds precisely like the reasoning behind the internet portal and the airplane leases and the cable stations: unimaginative copy-cat initiatives that have nothing to do with creating entertainment.

-WFH

 

[raidermatt]

Interesting "side note".... The number of people that can qualify for an unsecured credit card is smaller than most think. Some estimates are that less than 50% of Americans qualify. Those that qualify for a "prime" segment product, such as a Platinum Visa, are a subset of that group. How large is dependent on the lender's credit standards, which have been tightened in many cases due to the increasing number of defaults.

"Bad" credit is a relative thing...

I think we would find that the percentage of DC members who cannot qualify for the Disney Visa is not insignificant. Further, there are those who believe they shouldn't let an entertainment company lead them in making credit decisions. Had the DC not been cancelled, much of this discussion could be moot.

Also, while its true the DC doesn't end until 12/31/03, they have stopped accepting new applications, so the number of potential DC members who instead have to make a credit choice grows everyday.

There's no doubt that there are some loyal customers getting dinged by this decision. The only question is whether there are enough of them to make this a bad long-term choice for Disney.

Maybe there are, maybe there aren't, but its Disney's willingness to make this kind of decision over and over again that is really the problem. Every ding adds up, and only when taken in sum does the impact start to show itself.