There’s a lot that goes into budgeting for a Disney vacation, putting aside money for airline flights, hotels, park tickets, dining, and of course, all the souvenirs you will want to bring home with you. Disney knows how to make some truly mouthwatering meals and some incredibly cute merchandise, and the costs can quickly add up.
Every day, thousands of people visit Disney parks around the world. They peruse the merchandise, deciding what to leave behind and what to add to their collection. Unfortunately, not everyone is careful with the merchandise they handle, and a lot of merchandise becomes broken or damaged.
Related: Guests Are Already Trying to Get Rid of Their New Disney Merch
And one guest learned the hard way that you always want to keep your merchandise receipts.
Reddit user incognitofrito3 recently visited Disneyland Resort and purchased their son an 8-pack of Toy Story action figures. The OP (Original Poster) said that they threw her receipt away, since they had no intention of returning her son’s toy.
Unfortunately, while the toy was being unboxed, the OP realized that one of the action figures was broken. OP immediately took a photo and reached out to customer service the next day with evidence that they had visited the theme park. OP also provided a screenshot of her bank statement showing the charge and a picture of her broken toy.
Sadly, that did not solve her problem like she thought it would.
Here is OP’s word of warning to other guests.
This is just a PSA for anyone else who may be visiting the parks soon, save your receipts for everything, even if you don’t expect to return the item. I’m hoping by posting this, 1) this won’t happen to other people, and 2) maybe someone from Disney will read this and provide help and further support than what I have been given.
Last week, we took our son to Disneyland for a day while we were in California. In the evening, we allowed him to pick out a souvenir toy before heading back to my parent’s house (where we stayed on our trip). He picked out a pack of 8 Toy Story action figures from the Little Green Men store next to the Buzz Lightyear Ride. I didn’t keep the receipt because I had no intention of returning this toy. The next morning, right when he gets up, we start to open the toy. I notice Bullseyes leg is broken. I take a picture of the broken leg while he is still in the zip-tie type packaging and immediately send an email to customer support requesting a replacement or a refund. I have provided proof that we were in fact in the park that day, I have photos of the broken toy, and I have a screenshot from my bank account showing the charge has been posted (not pending) for the toy from “DLR Little Green Men”. (We used our Disney debit card to save 10 percent, this was my other mistake in hindsight. If I used a credit card I could have disputed the charge). After emailing merchandising support and not getting anywhere, I called them yesterday. After 30 minutes on the phone, Disney merchandising is saying that they are unable to pull up a receipt, and since I don’t have one, they will not issue a replacement or a refund. All they will offer me is $30 IN PARK merchandise credit. This toy was $65, and, I can’t just visit Disneyland anytime I want to use merchandise credit. I called back again today to ask to speak to a supervisor. Even though I explained what already happened, she proceeded to try to (unsuccessfully) look up the receipt as well. After being on the phone for 20 minutes, I finally convinced her that I wanted my case elevated and to speak to a supervisor. She said, a supervisor is busy but he would call me back as soon as possible, likely in 20-30 minutes. This was this morning, so it’s now been 4.5 hours later, and still no call from the supervisor. I have tried asking for a direct line to Disneyland guest services, or to talk to the Little Green Men store directly, all of which I have been told is not possible. I am just honestly so surprised that this is the way Disney is choosing to handle the situation.
PSA: Save your receipts at Disneyland
byu/incognitofrito3 inDisneyland
Related: Disney Cracks Down on Scalping With New Merchandise Spending Limits
OP was very frustrated at the hoops they had to jump through, and it still doesn’t appear as though they will get their money back or a replacement toy. So, we can’t stress enough how important it is to keep your receipts until you are one hundred percent certain that your merchandise is in perfect condition. It’s also recommended that you double and triple-check your merchandise before you make your purchase.
Commenters quickly chimed in with some very helpful suggestions. One person suggested that she contact her bank and ask for a copy of their receipt. Another said that, if the OP didn’t want to keep their receipts, then they should at least take a photo of the receipt so they will at least have proof of their purchase.
Related: Guests Say Disney’s Hot New Merchandise Isn’t Worth It
Regrettably, many also commented that it really was OP’s fault and that they understand why Disney isn’t offering them a refund or replacement. They said that most businesses will only issue a merchandise credit when there is no receipt, which is exactly what Disney offered.
According to the Disneyland Resort website, a full refund will only be issued if the merchandise is returned with the original receipt within thirty days of the purchase.
For Merchandise Returned WITHOUT an Original Receipt within 30 days of purchase: A Disney Parks Merchandise Credit may be issued in the amount of the current selling price of the merchandise returned. Guests may be required to present a valid government issued photo ID as proof of identity. We reserve the right to limit the number of returns permitted without valid receipts.
It’s understandable that the OP wouldn’t want to keep their receipts because that can add up to a lot of paper. However, that also means that there could be some unforeseen consequences.
Do you understand why Disney did not offer the OP a full refund or replacement? Do you think she provided them with enough evidence of her purchase, or is it reasonable for Disney to rely solely on a receipt in these situations? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
The post Disney Guest Issues Warning After Receipt Causes Major Headache appeared first on Inside the Magic.
