Warning**be careful when buying AP's with DC discount at the Disney Store!!!

[beattyfamily]

Yesterday, I went to the mall to buy the rest of my AP's for our December trip. I had already bought one adult AP the week before at the same store from the same CM (manager). Our tax money finally came so I had the money in my bank account for the last 3 AP's.

At first another CM rang them up. She didn't seem to familiar with the procedure and the register was upset with her for not doing my DC card first or something and then low and behold, when she was all done she got a message "invalid DC card, void transaction". Mind you, my DC card is valid till 12/03, and I used my ATM card because that is where my $1018 was. She made a phone call; no help. She finally decided to call the manager (who sold the AP to me a week ago) and she made a phone call to her technical team. She then told me there's a chip in the register that has all the DC info and I'm not on it. I reminded her that I just bought an AP a week ago from her and she said that last week my info was there in the register and this week it isn't, and there's nothing she can do; She said I needed to call DC and they need to do something about it. She said all she could do was ring it up without the discount and I could contact DC for a credit!! I said forget that and I left VERY angry! This was the only reason I went 30 miles to the mall.

I walked outside the store and called DC. She was very nice and apologetic and put me on hold and then came back saying everything looks fine on her end. She said she's never heard of this problem before and it's something with the store's register and she asked me to go back in and have the manager at the store call her at DC.

I went back in and the manager wasn't too happy to see me. I told her about my conversation with DC. She said she is following procedures and she is NOT supposed to call DC at all. All she can do is try to ring it up again with the DC and hope it works this time, and if it does work then the lady on the phone did something on her end because it's nothing the CM did on the store end.

She said all she could do is try again and hope it works this time. I gave her a credit card this time because now my ATM card has that first $1018 being held for a few days till I receive my credit from them Low and behold it worked!!! Of course, it was something the DC lady did while I was on the phone and not that the first CM rang it up wrong or anything, even though I had NO problems a week ago...yeah right!!

Just an fyi...when they make a mistake like this using your ATM card and then tell you not to worry because they voided it out, WORRY. The bank puts a hold on the money for a few days BUT it takes a few days for the credit to appear. Sure enough, when I got home and checked online yesterday afternoon, the $1018 was being held "pending" but no credit yet for $1018. Still today it's pending being held and no credit yet. I knew this would happen as it's happened to me before. Imagine if I didn't know this?? My account would be all screwed up. She was reassuring me I could use my ATM card again because she voided out the sale! Thank goodness I knew better and didn't listen to her!

Now I have to wait till the credit kicks in and then I can pay my credit card back that $1018 I owe it for these stupid AP's!!!

 

[Lswilmot@aol.com]

Thank goodness it worked out for you I went to our local Disney store 2 weeks ago and they insisted that they don't give DC discount on park tickets anymore because "they're already discounted for early purchase". I know this to be false, but got nowhere with them, so we drove 90 miles to another DS and they were so helpful, told us the cost with DC discount for all park hoppers and AP tickets. I think it has something to do with "one hand has no idea what the other is doing".

 

[Pa@okw95]

A lot of hotels and resorts do the same thing to your credit card when you check in, for example at WDW they usually put a hold on for either $1500 or $3000 to cover your charges. It is their way of protecting there charges that you have made while at the resort. it happens all the time to me when I stay at casinos even though I never pay for the room the casino does but they still put a hold on my account to protect themselves. These holds can last up to 5 business days or even longer depending on the situation. Thye will go through eventually, have faith.

 

[Chuck S]

The DC guidebook doesn't say that the AP discount is available at the Disney Stores. It directs members to call a WDW ticketing phone number or buy the pass in person at WDW.

 

[GoldenOldie]

Lswilmot:

Why did you drive 90 miles to another DS? You surely spent more on gas for that trip than the $3 shipping fee ordering on the phone would have been. Not to mention the time savings.


Pa@okw95:

While you are correct about the credit hold in many places, Disney is not one of them. When you check into your resort and give them your credit card to set up charging to your resort ID, they run a $1 hold through to verify that the card is legit.

 

[beattyfamily]

Originally posted by Pa@okw95
A lot of hotels and resorts do the same thing to your credit card when you check in, for example at WDW they usually put a hold on for either $1500 or $3000 to cover your charges. It is their way of protecting there charges that you have made while at the resort. it happens all the time to me when I stay at casinos even though I never pay for the room the casino does but they still put a hold on my account to protect themselves. These holds can last up to 5 business days or even longer depending on the situation. Thye will go through eventually, have faith.

I realize that rental cars, resorts, etc...put holds on our credit card to protect themselves or to cover room charges etc... I also realize gas stations do that too.

My point was that with an ATM card when you make a purchase at a store and they make a mistake and void it and then go to start over, you will have 2 charges on your ATM card and it will take about 5 days for that first one to go away, waiting for the credit to show up...with a credit card, this doesn't happen. This is important to know because many times the store clerk doesn't know this.

 

[beattyfamily]

Originally posted by Chuck S
The DC guidebook doesn't say that the AP discount is available at the Disney Stores. It directs members to call a WDW ticketing phone number or buy the pass in person at WDW.

Well, the discount is most certainly available and that was not the problem I was having. The CM rang it up wrong.

 

[Kaitysmom]

Fortunately, you knew what you were doing. I'll be sure to have my facts straight before I go to buy my APs.

 

[Pa@okw95]

Golden Oldie--They have been putting $1500 holds on credit cards for years and a few times I have experienced $3000 holds. One time I had to go to the front office to restart my second $3000 hold when I ran up over $3000. WDW is no different than anyone else, everyone does it. The thing is you may never know this because by the time you get home the hold is off. At any rate believe Disney resorts do this or else you would never be able to charge $5000 to $10,000 like a lot of people do at a WDW world visit. Now having said this it maybe that they have some instant arrangement with the credit card companys so this no longer would have to be done.

 

[Pa@okw95]

One more thing--When I was there in January they put a$1500 hold on my account because I was told that by the CM when I checked in.When they say you have $1500 in credit it means just that regardless what your credit card limit may be. End of Story.

 

[ktglads]

I had almost the exact opposite experience when I went to my local DS to buy my AP. In fact, I had forgotten my DC card at home so I just had the Manager (he was the only person working at the time) call and get the numbers and apply the discount. It couldn't have been easier. I used my ATM card as well, but I just wanted to let you know that the debits are not processed at that exact moment in time, that is why the hold is put on the money. That way you couldn't go to the store, buy things with the debit and then go someplace else and buy more, going over the amount of money that you have in the account. I believe that you could have called your bank and have the hold removed, but that would have caused more of a hassle than you already had. Just my .02 added in here....

 

[beattyfamily]

Originally posted by ktglads
I had almost the exact opposite experience when I went to my local DS to buy my AP. In fact, I had forgotten my DC card at home so I just had the Manager (he was the only person working at the time) call and get the numbers and apply the discount. It couldn't have been easier. I used my ATM card as well, but I just wanted to let you know that the debits are not processed at that exact moment in time, that is why the hold is put on the money. That way you couldn't go to the store, buy things with the debit and then go someplace else and buy more, going over the amount of money that you have in the account. I believe that you could have called your bank and have the hold removed, but that would have caused more of a hassle than you already had. Just my .02 added in here....

When I was down in Disney World in October and I forgot my DC card at home the nice lady in the World of Disney called the DC for me to get my number and varify I was a member and then gave me my discount. I thought that was very nice of her.

Then I had this fiasco yesterday!!

This happened to my debit card before and they told me all I could do was wait the 5 days for the credit to be applied. There was no other way to get that 'hold' off my account.

 

[puffkin]

I have another thread started about a similar experience I had!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=3394418#post3394418

 

[doombuggy]

beattyfamily:

You apparently had a bad experience with someone who is unfamiliar with the NEW ticketing system that is available at the store. Personally, I have only rung up a couple of tickets, and NONE of them were APs. I do believe that you can use disney Club on these purchases, but the ones that I have rung up were not to DC members. If you can use them, there would be a seperate page in the bin book for the CM to scan.

the transaction should not be voided on any cerdit card transaction, for the reasons you mentioned. A credit would be issued, then a repurchase. We do not accept debit cards as "debit" they are treated as a visa.

I can simpathize with your frustration, as I had a similar problem at AAA buying travler's checks. They insisted that they were treating my debit card as a Visa, but they were not, and I keep getting a charge for the debit card usage (non-First Union Bank ATM). That manager is going to get a visit from me today.

We have no way of contacting DC to get your info. That is not provided to us. We can call the Disney Credit Card for your credit card #, as long as you provide your driver's license & Social security number.

Sorry you had a bad experience!

 

[seashoreCM]

I don't use debit cards so I don't know exactly what happens, but I was told that checks could bounce if you have too much holds on your account.

Therefore I use credit cards instead. So many people use debit cards because they don't have the discipline to manually pay the entire balance off each month for a credit card. (With a debit card paying for purchases is by definition automatic.)

The new saying for store clerks these days is "credit or debit?". (Remember "paper or plastic?" for the kind of bag you get?) In most cases, if you say "credit" anyway for a debit card you don't get charged the per-transaction fee and also get your airline miles or whatever benefits your card provides. Also a telltale sign it is a "debit" rather than a "credit" transaction is when the system asks for your PIN. If you want a "credit" transaction, don't put in your PIN but instead tell the clerk to rerun the transaction as "credit". But stores like "debit" better because their transaction fees are lower.

You can say either "creidt" or "debit" for a debit card but in both cases the money comes out of your bank account immediately.

There are a few times when your bank will run a promotoin giving you a benefit only when you say "debit". Except for this, it is usually better to say "credit" for debit cards.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[beattyfamily]

Well, yesterday I checked my checking account online and the AP charges went from "pending" to an actual charge! I also checked my credit card (for the second transaction) and the AP charges are posted there as well (not pending either).

I only have a recipt for the CC charges as she kept insisting she did a void and the debit Visa card charges were not going to happen!

I printed off both my statements and highlighted the charges and I brought my one and only receipt and the AP's too. I was SO angry!

Well, as I guessed, she (the same manager) was no help. She told me I should give it a few more days and she also called someone who varified this. She went on and on that she did everything right and how she was supposed to and we just have to wait now.

I left there SO angry. I walked into the mall area and called my debit card bank and all they could do was a dispute claim and I still won't get my money back until Tuesday!! That's a whole week they will have had my money for no good reason except that they rang up my AP's wrong!

I was still fuming so I went back into the store AGAIN and she was not too happy. I asked for a copy of this transaction that I have no record of, except on my statement, so I can dispute it and I also asked for her name. She left me for over a half an hour saying she was going to see if she could get me a copy or a copy mailed to me. She finally came back and gave me a print out copy of the charge and the 'void' and told me to call or come in Monday or Tueday if I still don't have the credit and that was all she could do.

I decided that when I got home I would write to Disney (the Disney Store) and complain. This should not happen when they make a mistake, and if it does happen, they should have a better way of handling the credit. It should be just as instant as the debit!!! They should know that this happens and warn poor unsuspecting customers when they use a debit card. She didn't have a clue this would happen the day I bought the AP's; she reassured me I could use my debt card again as it was voided out and my CC would not be charged.

I wrote a letter/email to Disney but don't know if it was the right email address?? Anyone have a good one for a situation like this? I couldn't find any at the Disney website; hopefully, the address I did send it to can forward it on to the right people.

I express my dismay that this could happen to someone when it is not their fault, that there should be a better way to handle it, that normally I receive great customer service from Disney CMs but that this was the worst customer service I've ever received, that I will probably never go to that store again and I won't ever use my debit card again at the Disney Stores.

I don't expect anything in return but an apology and maybe that they will try to change the procedure for customers in the future.

 

[Pa@okw95]

In general you have to hold your breath these days with any transaction. I find my time more and more being taken up because of others mistakes. It is sign of the times-people are just not trained enough for the positions they hold. I have tried not do do any thing unuusal anyplace. Now I would never buy tickets at a WDW store, you would think that they would know what they are doing but I just would not take a chance. I buy my tickets at the DD customer service place at WDW where all the employees do are sell tickets all day. I feel your pain, believe me and so do many others I am sure. I feel I have had a good week when some screw up does not occur.

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by Chuck S
The DC guidebook doesn't say that the AP discount is available at the Disney Stores. It directs members to call a WDW ticketing phone number or buy the pass in person at WDW.

I have bought many AP passes at our local Disney Store with our DC discount without any issues. It seems to depend on the quality of the CMs working in each Disney Store.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I learned the hard way a few times with Disney and using my debit card over the phone. When three out of three times are screwed up you get a little leery. You would think their system would be down to a science.
I make it a point not to use my debit card with Disney, unless it is some small amount (under $50).
It shouldn't be difficult.
As example about a month ago I purchased some frames at Michael's using my debit card.
When I got home. they weren't what I thought and I returned them the next day.
The credit went through in just a few days, just as the debit had.
It was even easier to return since I had used a debit (or even if I had used a credit) card. I didn't have to fill out any paperwork since to cash exchanged hands.
Just over a year ago CRO had me so screwed up I had two outstanding debits for a room only ressie and wasn't even sure I had a room ressie! And they made both charges without my authorization.
Even last year for a pin event I think all registerants were double charged for the event and the pins. And we aren't talking small change here either. Hundreds of dollars. And I think it took a month for them to get their credits. And know some people who were still overcharged in the end.
Don't trust Disney with your debit card is all I can say. If it can be screwed up, they will do it. And when they do, it's done royally. And arguing with Disney is like arguing with the government. Just hang it up.
They take money quickly. Getting it back is like pulling teeth.

 

[ilovefh]

She left me for over a half an hour saying she was going to see if she could get me a copy or a copy mailed to me. She finally came back and gave me a print out copy of the charge and the 'void' and told me to call or come in Monday or Tueday if I still don't have the credit and that was all she could do.

To be honest. The reason why it probably took so long was she had to go through a few days of transactions to find yours. That's how we did it when I worked at Skechers and someone would come in a few days later demanding something like this.

Do you know how many transactions she probably had to go through to find yours? Chill out a bit! TDS CM's are only human! They make mistakes too. I'm sorry it happened to you, but geesh, give them a break for a second....even you make mistakes!