An Illinois family almost saw their holiday plans go awry when they mistakenly purchased $10,000 in Disney+ gift cards, thinking they were buying theme park tickets.
What Happened: Andie Coston, a 41-year-old social worker, took to TikTok to share her parents’ blunder, reported Business Insider on Tuesday. In the video, which has garnered over 3.1 million views, Coston explains that her parents had mistakenly bought the Disney+ gift cards under the impression that they could be used for park tickets and restaurant reservations.
They realized their mistake after facing difficulties while trying to use the gift cards. The cards they had purchased were strictly for Disney’s streaming service, Disney+, equating to over 70 years of subscription.
The mix-up caused a flurry of comments on TikTok, with some users offering advice and others expressing doubts about the situation.
An email sent By Benzinga to Disney Plus seeking comment didn’t elicit any response till the time of publishing this story.
In subsequent videos, Coston explained that her parents, both 78 years old, weren’t familiar with streaming services, hence the confusion. She also noted that the gift cards couldn’t be returned since the numbers had been scratched off.
Nevertheless, Coston later shared that Disney had reached out to her parents and agreed to convert the Disney+ gift cards into Disney Parks gift cards, thereby resolving the issue. Benzinga has yet to receive an email response from Disney.
Why It Matters: This incident comes during a challenging period for The Walt Disney Company DIS. Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger, has been dealing with several setbacks, including a significant drop in their share prices and underperforming movies at the box office in 2023. Amid these challenges, Disney found itself in a heated exchange with Tesla CEO Elon Musk over their decision to suspend advertising on social media platform Twitter, now known as X.
In addition, the media conglomerate is also facing potential competition in the streaming market due to the speculated merger between Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. and Paramount Global.
Photo via Shutterstock
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