Disneystore.com: "You got screwed"

Daniel, I honestly don’t think this is about Disney’s customer service. I think you have buyer’s remorse. Believe me, every one of us has felt the same way at one time or another. Take heart. It means you know the value of a buck. When you’re an old man and giving your retirement speech, I hope you wear your Donald Duck watch and tell the story about how you walked to school for a month in order to afford this. And how 8 dollars was so dear to you that you were sick about it for weeks.

My advice: Keep the watch. It’s a great month to be walking anyway. Enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. One day you’ll be wearing a $300 watch or perhaps a $3000 watch and I guarantee you it won’t mean nearly as much to you as that $60 Donald Duck watch.

L-
Some practical advice: If you like the convenience of buying stuff off the internet, before you buy anything, go to yahoo and type in vendor’s name and the word “coupon.” For instance, in this particular case, type “Disneystore.com coupon.” Voila! You have access to entire websites devoted to giving you discount codes so that you don’t have to pay retail. :slight_smile:

PunditLisa - Great advice! I’ll try it out next time. And it’s not really buyer’s remorse, I don’t think - I really wanted that watch, and I already budgeted the money for it - so much as the customer service thing (or at least, the whole “you got screwed” feeling I got out of it as a customer). Although I’m sure there were a lot of factors that went into what I was feeling when I first posted that.

I’d have let this thread sink to the next page, but I wanted to share with you all a customer service experience that happened just tonight, that I’m actually extremely happy with.

I subscribe to the New York Times under its student rate. It’s a paper I’m expected to read for classes in BU’s Journalism program, and the student rate gives me the five weekday papers for the price of two - a great deal.

But when a paper goes missing (either a missed delivery, or what-have-you), I can just call up and either have a new paper delivered (before a certain time), or have my account credited. Part of what’s great about this is they don’t question why it went missing - if someone just stole it, they really have no obligation to replace it, but they do anyway.

The only complaint I could possibly have about this system is: I still have to read that paper for my classes (and bring a hard copy in many cases), so I have to buy it anyway. They only credit my account at the discounted rate, but I have to buy it at the full price - a difference of 60 cents.

This is nothing; it’s a mild annoyance but it’s not enough money to really bother over (even for a “cheap bastard” like me, as Gozu put it). But when I found myself talking to a customer service rep tonight about my missed paper, I mentioned it anyway, and she said, “We can credit you the full dollar. That’s certainly reasonable!” :eek:

Now that is above and beyond even my expectations of customer service! Even crediting me for a stolen paper is more than I expect, but refunding me more than the amount I agreed to pay is something I’m honestly impressed by.

This is the kind of service Disneystore.com didn’t even come near. I might keep my subscription to the Times long after it’s required of me, and it has nothing to do with their reporting.

also, this is a Pit thread so I expect some harsh words, and I thank those of you who defended me, but as the OP can I say “no hard feelings”? Even to the “cheap bastard” comment - if living on a budget has turned me into a cheap bastard, then fine, think of it that way. I had my rant, I posted my feelings, and I’ll get a bit more excercise for a month in exchange for being able to know what time it is :slight_smile:

(oh, and the “no hard feelings” comment only goes to Dopers. I’m still kind of upset with the mouse)

One thing that is not clear to me is the contents of the discount they emailed you. If it was for the Donald Duck watch as a reduced price I think you have a real beef. On the other hand, if was 10% off your next purchase you have nothing to complain about. They are trying to say thank you for ordering and there is no reason they should give you that money back. Also, when I was a poor student I bought the cheapest stuff I could find that served my purposes. For someone who can’t even afford the second wheel of a bicycle to complain they have to spend too much for a purely vanity purchase seems oxymoronic.

daeurbach: the same item, and several others, at a reduced price, yep. No prior purchase required.

cute. While yes, unicycles generally run cheaper, I ride one because it’s more fun and better exercise. It’s not always about the money, you know :wink:

SELLING your sperm?!? Christ, I’ve been trying to GIVE it away since I was 12 yo.

BTW, Daniel, do you go to the grocery store and cut out the coupon printed on the back of the Pasta-Roni box and try to use it right there on that purchase? This situation is like that.

Just enjoy the watch and forget about it.

Daniel, I would do everything in your power to cancel the order. That is definitely poor customer service. I work in e-commerce, and if someone orders something and it hasn’t shipped out, and they decide they want to cancel, yes, it should be done.

And yes, $8 is still $8. And yes, you can PayPal me $8 if you want :smiley:

Really though…I blame Disney.

I’m surprised - usually Disney’s better than this (Hell, they let me into the park this weekend even though my annual pass had expired a few days earlier). I say keep asking for a manager until you get someone that will help you, or at least allow you to cancel your order, seeing as it hasn’t shipped yet.

Better yet, enjoy the watch! :slight_smile:

Esprix

Well at this point, it still hasn’t shipped, but the sale is over so I couldn’t apply the discount anyway. I called back over the weekend, and the person couldn’t give a specific reason as to why it couldn’t be cancelled . . . and I wasn’t able to get through to someone who could change the situation. Ah well.

and Macro Man, no I’m not the sort of person who tears a coupon off a box before buying it, but I am the sort of person who goes to pay for something and appreciates it when the cashier says, “oh, we have a coupon for that in our circular this week. Here, let me just grab one for you.” Although yes, the money matters to me, I got over that, it’s not the end of the world. It’s more the overall experience, which is why this thread is called “You got screwed” rather than “I wasted some money”

I have to admit that getting an email offering exactly what you purchased at a reduced price before your item was even shipped and not letting you take the discount really sucks. It surprises me that Disney would do this. I guess the retail section is not as customer friendly as the theme parks. At the theme parks you can get just about anything if you whine and bitch at them. I think maybe you just haven’t complained high enough on the food chain.

I have a Tarzan watch from Disney. It’s really quite nice and the face is done in a blue watercolor motif. Cost more than a hundred dollars. Why? Because it was hand-painted by a Disney animator.

Could this be why you can’t cancel your order? Maybe the watch is being made specifically for you.

{update} Nevermind, I checked the site and they don’t sell those watches on there. I feel for you.