WillCAD
09-04-2004, 08:40 AM
It's getting harder and harder to get Disney Dollars to save for vacation. So I sent the email below to Guest Relations in the hopes that a substitute could be created.
If you agree with me, maybe you can send a copy of the same email to WDW and maybe they will listen to us.
Send to: guest.mail@wdw.disneyonline.com
With Disney Stores all over the United States closing every month, it is getting more and more difficult for people like me to obtain Disney Dollars.
Disney Dollars are used by a huge number of people who are planning vacations to the various Disney resorts as a method of savings. The typical pattern is to make a pilgrimage to the local Disney Store each payday to purchase Disney Dollars, then put the $DD aside until the trip. When the trip begins, Guests use the $DD for everything from food and souvenirs to paying their Disney resort room bill. The Walt Disney Company benefits greatly from this practice because it receives the Guests' monies well in advance of the actual trip.
But since it is getting so difficult to obtain $DD, this practice may die out. Many, many people with whom I have spoken are becoming disappointed and even a little angry that there is no provision for purchasing $DD on-line or through mail-order.
Further, for those who still do have access to Disney Stores, it has always been a bone of contention that gift cards issued by Disney Stores cannot be used at Disney parks and resorts, and that Disney parks and resorts have no rechargeable gift cards of their own. When saving for a trip, the fact that $DD come in a maximum denomination of $10 makes carrying large amounts over a few hundred dollars difficult and inconvenient, not to mention the fact that if a stack of $DD goes missing they cannot be cancelled from the Disney computer system and re-issued as Disney park passes can be.
The consensus among frequent, loyal Guests to the Disney resorts is that the Walt Disney Company should begin selling rechargeable gift cards on-line and by phone order. The cards should each have unique serial numbers, just as Disney park passes have, so that they can be cancelled out and re-issued if lost. The minimum initial purchase should be a reasonably small amount such as $5 or $10; adding money to the card should done in an equally reasonable small amount, and there should be no fees of any kind associated with the purchase or recharging of these cards, just like the gift cards currently available in Disney Stores. But unlike those Disney Store gift cards, the new cards should be universally accepted at any Disney Store, park, or resort, just as Disney Dollars currently are.
Certainly, creating a new type of rechargeable, universally-accepted Disney gift card will necessitate some initial investment by the Walt Disney Company, but the financial benefits of having hundreds of thousands of future Guests all over the world sending money into Disney's coffers every week in preparation for trips that may be months away will more than offset this investment, especially considering the revenues that are currently being lost as Disney Stores close and people lose any access to Disney Dollars.
If you agree with me, maybe you can send a copy of the same email to WDW and maybe they will listen to us.
Send to: guest.mail@wdw.disneyonline.com
With Disney Stores all over the United States closing every month, it is getting more and more difficult for people like me to obtain Disney Dollars.
Disney Dollars are used by a huge number of people who are planning vacations to the various Disney resorts as a method of savings. The typical pattern is to make a pilgrimage to the local Disney Store each payday to purchase Disney Dollars, then put the $DD aside until the trip. When the trip begins, Guests use the $DD for everything from food and souvenirs to paying their Disney resort room bill. The Walt Disney Company benefits greatly from this practice because it receives the Guests' monies well in advance of the actual trip.
But since it is getting so difficult to obtain $DD, this practice may die out. Many, many people with whom I have spoken are becoming disappointed and even a little angry that there is no provision for purchasing $DD on-line or through mail-order.
Further, for those who still do have access to Disney Stores, it has always been a bone of contention that gift cards issued by Disney Stores cannot be used at Disney parks and resorts, and that Disney parks and resorts have no rechargeable gift cards of their own. When saving for a trip, the fact that $DD come in a maximum denomination of $10 makes carrying large amounts over a few hundred dollars difficult and inconvenient, not to mention the fact that if a stack of $DD goes missing they cannot be cancelled from the Disney computer system and re-issued as Disney park passes can be.
The consensus among frequent, loyal Guests to the Disney resorts is that the Walt Disney Company should begin selling rechargeable gift cards on-line and by phone order. The cards should each have unique serial numbers, just as Disney park passes have, so that they can be cancelled out and re-issued if lost. The minimum initial purchase should be a reasonably small amount such as $5 or $10; adding money to the card should done in an equally reasonable small amount, and there should be no fees of any kind associated with the purchase or recharging of these cards, just like the gift cards currently available in Disney Stores. But unlike those Disney Store gift cards, the new cards should be universally accepted at any Disney Store, park, or resort, just as Disney Dollars currently are.
Certainly, creating a new type of rechargeable, universally-accepted Disney gift card will necessitate some initial investment by the Walt Disney Company, but the financial benefits of having hundreds of thousands of future Guests all over the world sending money into Disney's coffers every week in preparation for trips that may be months away will more than offset this investment, especially considering the revenues that are currently being lost as Disney Stores close and people lose any access to Disney Dollars.