Family buys $10,000 worth of Disney+ gift cards thinking they were for Disneyland
A family planning to go on a Disney vacation ended up having $10,000 (P557,000) worth of Disney+ vouchers after a major mistake.
TikTok user Andie Coston, in her now-viral video, shared that she and her family of 16 were planning for their Disney trip—which was postponed in 2020 because of the pandemic—this Christmas. To save money, her parents bought $10,000 worth of gift cards to purchase their park tickets and restaurant reservations.
But it wasn't until they tried to enter the gift card codes on the website that they realized the vouchers they bought were all for Disney's streaming service, Disney+.
Andie called for help in "getting the money in the right form."
"We leave in 6 days and the parks are selling out of tickets because it's Christmas. My mom is distraught, Dad frustrated, and the kids worried we won't get into Disney," she shared.
In a series of videos, Andie answered questions from TikTok users and clarified that it was an "honest mistake" by her 78-year-old parents, whom she said were unaware of any streaming services.
@aofthecoast Do I have a story for you! PLEASE HELP! Note that the purchaser is not familiar with Disney Plus and did not know the difference! Honest mistake. It is not about the funding of the trip. It is about finding someone who can help us transfer the money into the correct gift card so we can make it to Disney! @Disney Parks @Disney+ @Disney #ohno #fail #disney #disneyworld #disneyplus #disneyfail #help ♬ Oh No - Kreepa
"I'm a little dumbfounded as well," the 41-year-old social worker said.
Additionally, Andie explained that her parents couldn't return the gift cards because the numbers had already been scratched off the back.
She also reiterated that she is not after getting their money back or getting free stuff. She only shared the story because she found it funny and was "hoping to find somebody who could maybe help us out."
Andie said whether or not the situation gets fixed, they will still go on with their vacation in Florida and still "have fun."
She also learned that her family wasn't the only one this had happened to.
"That's a little bit of a comfort to my parents," she shared, adding that former Disney park employees said they have "dealt with this situation before."
In another update, Andie said Disney has reached out to her parents and was able to "turn the $10,000 of Disney streaming gift cards into $10,000 of Disney Parks gift cards."
"I'm glad that this is resolved. I hate that this is what it took. I really hope that it doesn't happen to other people," Andie said.
"I'm really hoping that Disney takes note of this and create a little better system because they are not transferrable—we've tried," she added.