Updated w/ Disney response. Confirmation email and reciept are jokes! Beware

[mejo]

Because of a computer gilitch you expect 2 free days, that is expecting something for nothing. That causes prices for the rest of us to go up.

 

[rock_doctor]

Maybe I'm just old fashioned but I believe Disney should honor what they put out. Period.

Unfortunately, companies that feel the customer is always right are the ones that want your business. Disney doesn't. If you don't take that chair somebody else will. I am with you. If that is the price they gave you then they should honor it but that is not the way they (or anybody) does business anymore.

I am sure Sarah and her manager would have been happy to give you the $681 (no way she would make that offer without an ok from her boss) but obviously somebody higher in management said no after the fact... I guess i would take the $200 for your time and move on.

I suspect continuing to fight them will not get them to meet the price nor effect change in their policy/attitude.

I am sorry that it didn't end as you were hoping but i do wish you good luck and I do hope you have a nice time.

 

[bumbershoot]

If I understand it right, the OP stated that the price she has is the price that she expected for 7 nights. That for 9 nights she did expect a higher price. Or something like that. At least that's how I understood it when she said



To me, the above indicates that the price for 9 nights should have been the new total, not the total for 7 nights.

The quote:

While on the phone trying to figure out the problem the condescending rep decided to give me a math lesson too. Ugh. Honestly yes, the total should be the newer total that I have now been told. That's why I have delayed calling them back.

Was after a further conversation.

She had a confirmation email for x dates for x price.

Period.

Because of a computer gilitch you expect 2 free days, that is expecting something for nothing. That causes prices for the rest of us to go up.

That glitch IS going to cause them a legal (relative to their deep wallets) nightmare. If this is happening to other people, and I bet it is, someone is going to take it further and Disney will be in trouble. A company simply cannot do this sort of thing.


This needs to get fixed, not just for the OP.

 

[asmit4]

REALLY!!! She 'expects' 2 free days?! NO NO NO!!!

She EXPECTS to get 9 nights for the price QUOTED IN WRITING that she has in her HANDS! WTH is wrong with you people criticizing her for trying to get something for nothing.

When someone gives you a quote in writing, you PAY that amount....you don't expect to be told 'oops sorry, we can no longer honor that price'.

This is complete BS. I still stand by my feeling that disney has changed...the customer service is not what it used to be.

 

[fairyprincess88]

Because of a computer gilitch you expect 2 free days, that is expecting something for nothing. That causes prices for the rest of us to go up.

Actually she doesn't expect something for nothing. What she expects is for Disney to honor the sales contract that she entered with them basically. That's it. It's no different than if you go into a store and a product is advertised as one price and then at the register rings up at a higher price. When this happens the store has to honor the advertised price on the shelf, even if that sale ended and a human mistake caused the sign to not be removed or a computer glitch caused the price alteration. It makes no difference what the reason is, the first price listed, must be honored otherwise the store is breaking law.

My father owned many businesses growing up and what the OP is describing could easily be taken to court for bait and switch and she would win. It's pretty cut and dry. She has a print out of the quoted price, which is basically the payment contract she entered with Disney, they are not honoring it which means she pretty much has them legally cornered if she did pursue it. Whether or not it's worth pursuing to the measure is debatable but the OP is not at fault here, nor is she trying to rip off Disney. Disney messed up period and this should be something they quickly and without hassle honor.

I just read a dining review where Flying Fish comped a $500 meal due to a rude server and you are telling me that Disney is fighting a customer that they are at fault with over $600? For a company of Disney's financial status, this should not even be an issue. The OP is not at fault, Disney is.

 

[sharonped]

Flame Suit On:

Stop going. I understand if families have planned trips, put deposits down, kids will be way disappointed if this trip doesn't happen. But after your currently planned trips....stop going. Tell your friends to stop going. If you have friends that want to try it out - tell them to go somewhere else.

This will absolutely only get worse and worse and worse until they actually see a revenue drop. Nothing else will change.

I love Disney. We will not go back until things are much, much better.

Flame away.

 

[Seeker615]

Ok, let me set some things straight.

We only ever wanted nine nights at the one and only price for our package that I ever saw and that was for $3899.
When I went to book dining I noticed our reservation was short two days.
Called Disney they said it was a computer glitch and sure they would add those two nights no problem, but it will be $681 more bringing our new total around $4590 ish. (Don't have my paperwork in front of me).
IF that total had come up in the beginning it would have been fine. BUT, it did NOT. So yes, I expect Disney to honor ALL of their communication/confirmation/invoices. ALL.
Then I expect to be talked to in a professional AND caring manner. NOT, you're out of luck and act like I'm wasting their time.
NO, I don't expect something for nothing nor am I an opportunist. However, I DO expect Disney to honor their communication. NOT my fault there is an error. Sorry. That is just not good business practice.
In saying that though, with how nice and understanding Sarah was, I would have been happy with the $200 GC, ice cream, and Fast Passes. BUT, I was originally told that I would be sent a $681 gift card. How nice of them. Insert warm fuzzy feelings. Didn't expect that.

THEN guess what? You won't be getting that Disney promise either. Can I really not depend on anything that Disney is offering?
And no, we can't just cancel and redo the reservation because they are all sold out for our time frame at that resort.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned but I believe Disney should honor what they put out. Period.

Wow - I am so sorry this is happening to you. You made a reservation and were given a price and a confirmation. They should honor that. There should be no questions.

If it were me I think I would continue to fight for what was stated on that printed contract. It was not like you made it up or had gotten a quote. It was a done deal.

What if you didn't go to the website to make dining reservations? You would have checked in and found out your trip was short 2 days! That could have been a real mess!

You are entitled to getting what was promised. You did nothing wrong and if you didn't catch it things would have been a lot worse when you arrived!

 

[Disneyhappy]

Unfortunately, companies that feel the customer is always right are the ones that want your business. Disney doesn't. If you don't take that chair somebody else will. I am with you. If that is the price they gave you then they should honor it but that is not the way they (or anybody) does business anymore.

I am sure Sarah and her manager would have been happy to give you the $681 (no way she would make that offer without an ok from her boss) but obviously somebody higher in management said no after the fact... I guess i would take the $200 for your time and move on.

I suspect continuing to fight them will not get them to meet the price nor effect change in their policy/attitude.

I am sorry that it didn't end as you were hoping but i do wish you good luck and I do hope you have a nice time.

I am a VP for a company that prioritizes customer service and we fall on the sword for both big and small things. As a result, we are conistently rated #1 in our industry for customer service. Disney draws a line in the sand when it comes to certain aspects of customer service. My company would have honored the original offer of $600+ gift card plus a handwritten note to the customer showing we care and value their patronage. We don't have to do it but beause we do ,we are never the subject of poor customer service as diiscussed in this thread. The bean counters at Disney have made a calculation to play hard ball for the money rather than be concerned with customer service in these situations. I am very aware of consumer law based on my experience and the OP has strong legal standing if she choses to go that route. Disney will fight hard because they have a giant legal team against the individual consumer and will spend $50,000 fighting the issue to the end rather than conceed. Ask anyone who works in risk management at Disney. I love Disney but this type of issue frustrates me. It is just one in a list I have been compiling over the last several years.

 

[angeluna]

REALLY!!! She 'expects' 2 free days?! NO NO NO!!!

She EXPECTS to get 9 nights for the price QUOTED IN WRITING that she has in her HANDS! WTH is wrong with you people criticizing her for trying to get something for nothing.

When someone gives you a quote in writing, you PAY that amount....you don't expect to be told 'oops sorry, we can no longer honor that price'.

This is complete BS. I still stand by my feeling that disney has changed...the customer service is not what it used to be.

Thank you for understanding.

 

[Love Tink]

Because of a computer gilitch you expect 2 free days, that is expecting something for nothing. That causes prices for the rest of us to go up.

How exactly are prices going to go up for the rest of us if Disney isn't even honoring their error?

When companies make mistakes, they have to deal with the consequences—period. It's an expected part of the cost of doing business. I don't know why anyone thinks this particular multi-billion-dollar corporation should be exempt from that rule.

 

[PlutoMars]

Back in Fall of 2013, Walmart had a glitch in their online pricing on their website of several items.

Computer Monitors were being sold for $8.85 each
Large flat screen TVs which would normally sell in the 1000s of dollars were now going for anywhere from $300-$500.

Now people that jumped in early and where able to pick up items in the store where able to capitalize on this error and received some extraordinary deals. However, when Walmart learned of their error they notified all their stores and people who had paid online for a product listed on the website at that price where turned away when they arrived at the store and online orders with the erroneous pricing were canceled. Later, Walmart sent $10 gift cards to anyone that had ordered online that day.

This is applicable to this situation because people had confirmation emails/transaction receipts for products that they had bought online listed at a price but then denied the product when they arrived.

Did these people really think that they should get a PC monitor regularly priced at $200 for $8.85 just because they had a confirmation email?

I would love to see these people if they owned a small business and made some pricing error or had a computer glitch. I doubt very seriously they would honor something that was a mistake that would do irrepetible harm to their business even if customers had confirmation emails.

 

[flatlandcycle]

Back in Fall of 2013, Walmart had a glitch in their online pricing on their website of several items.

Computer Monitors were being sold for $8.85 each
Large flat screen TVs which would normally sell in the 1000s of dollars were now going for anywhere from $300-$500.

Now people that jumped in early and where able to pick up items in the store where able to capitalize on this error and received some extraordinary deals. However, when Walmart learned of their error they notified all their stores and people who had paid online for a product listed on the website at that price where turned away when they arrived at the store and online orders with the erroneous pricing were canceled. Later, Walmart sent $10 gift cards to anyone that had ordered online that day.

This is applicable to this situation because people had confirmation emails/transaction receipts for products that they had bought online listed at a price but then denied the product when they arrived.

Did these people really think that they should get a PC monitor regularly priced at $200 for $8.85 just because they had a confirmation email?

I would love to see these people if they owned a small business and made some pricing error or had a computer glitch. I doubt very seriously they would honor something that was a mistake that would do irrepetible harm to their business even if customers had confirmation emails.

Yep, Disney's customer service has become very much like Walmart's.

 

[Disney Dynamite]

OP, have you considered filing a consumer complaint with the Florida Office of the Attorney General? It's a simple form, and it doesn't cost you anything to submit a complaint. It might get you absolutely nowhere, but you never know.

Ultimately, I think you have to decide if you're okay with their offer and how much time/energy you're willing to put into this. (But in all seriousness, ice cream?!? Those better be Mickey head ice creams!) I don't think you're being unreasonable, and I'm not under the impression that you're trying to capitalize on a mistake and get something for nothing. This glitch is a big issue, and I can't help wondering it's affecting other guests who haven't noticed yet. (What would have happened if you were the sort of guest who doesn't make ADRs or FP+ reservations?)

 

[PlutoMars]

Yep, Disney's customer service has become very much like Walmart's.

Walmart went above and beyond in this case, giving people $10 GCs when people were obviously trying to take advantage of pricing they knew were too good to be true. Walmart could have done nothing.

Let me ask you this question then, if you owned an online business and your website was hacked and prices for your widgets were changed from $100/piece to $1/piece and 1000s of people took advantage of the wrong pricing, would you feel obligated to honor the price of $1 just because they could produce an automated transaction receipt?

 

[TheRealDrDisney]

It is exactly the right analogy. <snip blah blah blah>

Never get into a mudslinging contest with a pig. You just get dirty and the pig enjoys it.

 

[TheRealDrDisney]

Let me ask you this question then, if you owned an online business and your website was hacked and prices for your widgets were changed from $100/piece to $1/piece and 1000s of people took advantage of the wrong pricing, would you feel obligated to honor the price of $1 just because they could produce an automated transaction receipt?

You may want to step to the side while I knock down your straw man.

In contract law (and I'm no lawyer but know how to use Google) there is the Reasonable Person standard. "The intent of a party can be determined by examining the understanding of a reasonable person."

Would a reasonable person expect to receive a 100$ item for a dollar? Is there precedent for it? Likely not and therefore not legally binding.

Would a reasonable person expect a commodity that is affected by seasonal pricing, multiple discounts available, various additional add-ons, etc to be 4900 dollars instead of 5600? (using round numbers). Yes, they very well may expect that.

 

[fbb]

How exactly are prices going to go up for the rest of us if Disney isn't even honoring their error?

Ice cream isn't free, you know

 

[AngiTN]

I just had a correspondence with the IPO about changes I made to our flight times. I had updated the info in the ME system and have a confirmation from them with the new info. However, the IPO couldn't locate the change, when they looked it showed the same old info. Here's his response to me

Dumela (Greetings) Angi!

Thank you. I think the departure took but the arrival did not. Sometimes the system has challenges. I call it job security. You are all set now.

At your service,
Don

 

[PlutoMars]

You may want to step to the side while I knock down your straw man.

In contract law (and I'm no lawyer but know how to use Google) there is the Reasonable Person standard. "The intent of a party can be determined by examining the understanding of a reasonable person."

Would a reasonable person expect to receive a 100$ item for a dollar? Is there precedent for it? Likely not and therefore not legally binding.

Would a reasonable person expect a commodity that is affected by seasonal pricing, multiple discounts available, various additional add-ons, etc to be 4900 dollars instead of 5600? (using round numbers). Yes, they very well may expect that.

No strawman at all. The crux of some people's argument is that since the OP was sent a transaction receipt then Disney should honor it regardless of any glitches as witnessed by the two quotes below by various posters.

The problem with this and EVERY other anecdotal account is that it is human nature that people by human nature will cast themselves in the best possible light and some small details get left out as to why they experience whatever perceived wrong that they are trying to get affirmation by posting the story.

When someone gives you a quote in writing, you PAY that amount....you don't expect to be told 'oops sorry, we can no longer honor that price'.

Wow - I am so sorry this is happening to you. You made a reservation and were given a price and a confirmation. They should honor that. There should be no questions.

If it were me I think I would continue to fight for what was stated on that printed contract. It was not like you made it up or had gotten a quote. It was a done deal.

 

[sharadoc]

It's all a bit confusing, but let me see if I have this right by using round numbers.

1. Guest tries to book 9 nights at $200 per night for an anticipated total of $1,800.
2. Email confirmation comes in showing a booking for all 9 nights, but the total charge shown is only $1400.
3. Guest tries to make some dinner reservations and notices that her reservation is showing only 7 nights (which corresponds to the $1400 charge).
4. Guest calls up and finds out that there has been a "glitch" and that the reservation is booked for only for 7 nights, but the customer service person corrects that and adds the other two nights on to the back end of the reservation and adds the additonal $400 to the charged total.
5. Guest gets mad because she thinks that a 9 day vacation should cost $1400 instead of $1800 because that is what the confirmation email showed as a result of the "glitch"
6. Guest knows that the room is $200 per night and that 9 x $200 = $1800, but want to hold Disney to its mistake.

If I have this right, then I have no sympathy for your plight whatsoever. And there is no "contract law" that any law firm partner can work to your favor. The contract was to buy 9 units at $200 per unit. That is what they offered to sell the guest and that is what the guest agreed to pay. If a sales clerk makes an error and writes up a receipt for $1400 instead of $1800, that doesn't change the fact that the guest agreed to pay $1800. Once the error is caught, adjustments have to be made. Trying to shave the $681 off the bill is nothing more than playing "gotcha" over a computer error that billed for 7 nights instead of 9.

Now, if the error had occured because the website showed that the room was $200 per night and that was a mistake, and the room rate was actually $250 per night and Disney tried to make that adjustment after it confirmed 9 nights at $200, then the guest would have a case. The guest would have accepted what Disney offered and that is that. But here, the guest accepted 9 nights at $200 per night and is trying to reap a windfall due to having been charged for only 7. Think of it this way. You buy a car on a monthly installment plan agreeing to pay $250 per month for 60 months. The finance company sends you a coupon book with monthly tickets to send in with your payment. But instead of sending 60 tickets, it makes a mistake and sends you 48 instead. After two months go by, it realizes its error and sends 12 more tickets to you in the mail. Under those circumstances, you wouldn't get to keep the car free and clear after making just 48 payments. You agreed to 60. A clerical error does not get you a cheaper car. And it doesn't get you a cheaper hotel room either.

Payment coupons not the same. If you signed a paper for 60 months, and only got 48 payment coupons, then you know you SHOULD have gotten 60 and expect to pay that amount for 60. Instead, the OPs situation would mean they signed a paper with an amount for 48 months and then they got a coupon book for 60 months and the company is saying, Oh, your paper doesn't matter, it really should have been 60 months. But the buyer signed/got a paper that said 48 months .

When you are checking package pricing on the website, you see a "total". They show an average cost per night, but not actual, and every night is usually a different price during holiday times - she may have 3 nights at regular, 2 nights at weekend and 4 nights at holiday prices. So you depend on the Disney reservation system to tell you how much for the total package.

I equate this, on a smaller basis of course, to going to a store and having the shelf advertise "Ketchup $1 a bottle" and the register rings it up as $2. But they honor the price on the sign, they don't say "Oh you know it should be $2 so that's what you should pay." No, customer service says to honor the clearly advertised and visible price.

I think the majority of Disney phone employees are contractors now. They don't give a darn about you or their customer service past. They don't know how to fix it, so they make you accept what they make up so they can hang up on you. Complaint and problem calls don't make money for them or add to their sales quota. All you are is a problem.

Really does stink, doesn't it.