cstephens
03-18-2009, 11:17 AM
A friend alerted me to a blog post on the L.A. Times website called "Disneyland passholders: Watch out for birthday blackout dates" (http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/disneyland-birthday--4266/). The link pops up the blog post now, but I'm not sure if sometime in the future, it will require that you register first.
The article is so stupid that I don't even know where to begin. "You better look out for those blackout dates!" Ummm, yeah, if you have any level of AP other than premium, you probably pay fairly careful attention to when your blackout dates are. The entire article is written from the implication that only one level of AP is offered. Some people may not know that there are different levels of AP that allow different kinds of access.
Obviously, for the average Disneyland annual passholder who visits the park on regular basis, the free-on-your-birthday deal isn’t much of perk.
So "average" is supposed to equate to "premium annual passholder"? Because not all AP holders can visit year-round. And for those who don't have access every day of the year, access on your birthday if you can't get in otherwise is just as good as for anyone else who doesn't have an AP.
So the Anaheim theme park offers a free $69 gift card (the standard price of admission) to their most loyal customers
That would be true - but only if you equate "most loyal customers" to "premium annual passholders".
"So, just because my birthday falls on a blackout day, I don’t get the gift card?" said Nancy, on the verge of tears. "That’s unfair."
So is this for dramatic effect? Because I have to say that I'd be very surprised if a woman could be reduced to the verge of tears because she isn't getting a gift card BECAUSE SHE ISN'T ELIGIBLE. "Unfair". Really? What does fair or unfair have to do with it? She and her writer husband didn't bother to read all the terms and conditions of the offer. They obviously must have seen more than just the "free on your birthday" commercials, but those commercials say nothing about what happens if you already have admission on that day. So someone must have either been told something by someone else, or someone did a cursory look at Disneyland's website, but they decided to only pay attention to the "I get free money on my birthday!" aspect rather than actually paying attention to the terms of the promotion itself.
The offer is getting into Disneyland free for your birthday. As a non-premium AP holder, she did not already have admission into the park on her birthday. So, that's what was being offered to her - admission on her birthday, same as anyone else. For a premium annual passholder (or other qualifying admission media holder), yeah, free admission on your birthday is literally worthless because it's not giving you anything you don't already have - which is why they have the alternate gifts, one of which is the gift card.
So if someone says "So, just because my birthday falls on a day when I don't have admission into the park, I don’t get the gift card? That’s unfair", would that fly too? Should Disney then fork over $69 in that case as well? Because that statement applies exactly to the situation of the writer's wife. If random person shows up at the resort with no admission media, should they be allowed to demand a $69 gift card just because it's their birthday? That person wouldn't be doing anything different than what was depicted in the blog post.
Or maybe you have to prove that you're a loyal Disney customer. OK, how about someone who has the full WDW AP - that should be enough credential to be deemed a loyal customer, right? If they show up at Disneyland and demand $69 for their birthday, should they get it? No. Because they don't qualify under the terms of the promotion.
with Nancy’s birthday on the verge of being ruined
I put the blame for that solely on the writer and/or the wife, whoever it was that didn't bother to actually learn the rules of the promotion.
Disneyland officials, contacted for a response, offered apologies but stuck by the company policy: “Our policy for Annual Passholders regarding Free On Your Birthday and blackout dates is clearly stated in Annual Passholder publications and on our website. It is unfortunate that the guest was not aware of the policy and we apologize that she was disappointed.”
And yes, the rules are fully on the site. The writer publishes this response, but then takes ZERO responsibility for the fact that neither he nor his wife knew the actual terms of the promotion. He could have ended with, "Well, our day didn't go as we had planned, so I thought I'd warn other people to make sure to pay attention to their blackout days. If we'd done the same, we wouldn't have encountered the problem we did."
And THEN, the writer has the *nerve* to link to the birthday thread on this very site, saying this similiar situation has happened to a lot of other people. OK, I've been reading that thread from the beginning, and maybe I'm just forgetting, but I don't recall ANYONE saying they went on their birthday, which was a blackout day, and they didn't get a gift card and had their day totally ruined. Furthermore, if the writer knew enough to link to the thread, he could have known enough to actually READ the thread, where we've been talking FOR MONTHS about blackout days and how you can get what gift for your birthday under what circumstances.
Oh, and look, at the end of the article, he does say blackout days vary depending on the kind of AP you have. Duh.
However, I will say that I'm laughing hysterically at the comments posted in response to that blog. Most people seem to be saying the same thing I'm saying here - it's your own fault for not paying attention.
The article is so stupid that I don't even know where to begin. "You better look out for those blackout dates!" Ummm, yeah, if you have any level of AP other than premium, you probably pay fairly careful attention to when your blackout dates are. The entire article is written from the implication that only one level of AP is offered. Some people may not know that there are different levels of AP that allow different kinds of access.
Obviously, for the average Disneyland annual passholder who visits the park on regular basis, the free-on-your-birthday deal isn’t much of perk.
So "average" is supposed to equate to "premium annual passholder"? Because not all AP holders can visit year-round. And for those who don't have access every day of the year, access on your birthday if you can't get in otherwise is just as good as for anyone else who doesn't have an AP.
So the Anaheim theme park offers a free $69 gift card (the standard price of admission) to their most loyal customers
That would be true - but only if you equate "most loyal customers" to "premium annual passholders".
"So, just because my birthday falls on a blackout day, I don’t get the gift card?" said Nancy, on the verge of tears. "That’s unfair."
So is this for dramatic effect? Because I have to say that I'd be very surprised if a woman could be reduced to the verge of tears because she isn't getting a gift card BECAUSE SHE ISN'T ELIGIBLE. "Unfair". Really? What does fair or unfair have to do with it? She and her writer husband didn't bother to read all the terms and conditions of the offer. They obviously must have seen more than just the "free on your birthday" commercials, but those commercials say nothing about what happens if you already have admission on that day. So someone must have either been told something by someone else, or someone did a cursory look at Disneyland's website, but they decided to only pay attention to the "I get free money on my birthday!" aspect rather than actually paying attention to the terms of the promotion itself.
The offer is getting into Disneyland free for your birthday. As a non-premium AP holder, she did not already have admission into the park on her birthday. So, that's what was being offered to her - admission on her birthday, same as anyone else. For a premium annual passholder (or other qualifying admission media holder), yeah, free admission on your birthday is literally worthless because it's not giving you anything you don't already have - which is why they have the alternate gifts, one of which is the gift card.
So if someone says "So, just because my birthday falls on a day when I don't have admission into the park, I don’t get the gift card? That’s unfair", would that fly too? Should Disney then fork over $69 in that case as well? Because that statement applies exactly to the situation of the writer's wife. If random person shows up at the resort with no admission media, should they be allowed to demand a $69 gift card just because it's their birthday? That person wouldn't be doing anything different than what was depicted in the blog post.
Or maybe you have to prove that you're a loyal Disney customer. OK, how about someone who has the full WDW AP - that should be enough credential to be deemed a loyal customer, right? If they show up at Disneyland and demand $69 for their birthday, should they get it? No. Because they don't qualify under the terms of the promotion.
with Nancy’s birthday on the verge of being ruined
I put the blame for that solely on the writer and/or the wife, whoever it was that didn't bother to actually learn the rules of the promotion.
Disneyland officials, contacted for a response, offered apologies but stuck by the company policy: “Our policy for Annual Passholders regarding Free On Your Birthday and blackout dates is clearly stated in Annual Passholder publications and on our website. It is unfortunate that the guest was not aware of the policy and we apologize that she was disappointed.”
And yes, the rules are fully on the site. The writer publishes this response, but then takes ZERO responsibility for the fact that neither he nor his wife knew the actual terms of the promotion. He could have ended with, "Well, our day didn't go as we had planned, so I thought I'd warn other people to make sure to pay attention to their blackout days. If we'd done the same, we wouldn't have encountered the problem we did."
And THEN, the writer has the *nerve* to link to the birthday thread on this very site, saying this similiar situation has happened to a lot of other people. OK, I've been reading that thread from the beginning, and maybe I'm just forgetting, but I don't recall ANYONE saying they went on their birthday, which was a blackout day, and they didn't get a gift card and had their day totally ruined. Furthermore, if the writer knew enough to link to the thread, he could have known enough to actually READ the thread, where we've been talking FOR MONTHS about blackout days and how you can get what gift for your birthday under what circumstances.
Oh, and look, at the end of the article, he does say blackout days vary depending on the kind of AP you have. Duh.
However, I will say that I'm laughing hysterically at the comments posted in response to that blog. Most people seem to be saying the same thing I'm saying here - it's your own fault for not paying attention.