Disneys Not So Free Dining

mrmcmc

Hi,

Today Disney holidays released their free dining & $200 offer. However we already knew the holiday we wanted to book so priced it up last night before the offer kicked in and took a screenshot of the total Disney quoted. Within minutes of the offer starting re-priced up the identical holiday and the price had gone up by £233. Is there anything that can legally be done about this? Surely if they increase the prices when adding on a 'Free' item the item is not actually free at all so is falsely advertised.

fd1972uk

Tbh, like flights they can say it changes daily.

Have to say when we went, the Dining Plan was a godsend, we actually upgraded to table service and was the best thing we done.


FD

daveyjp

Cruise pricing is exactly the same.

I'm price tracking one cruise which currently has a £500 per person drinks package 'free' and some on board credit. The drinks package is a lot more than we have ever spent so the cruise is expensive.

Just like last year once this offer ends prices will drop by the equivalent of the "freebies" being offered.

mrmcmc

Just spoke to Citizens Advice and they have referred it to Trading Standards as they agree it is misleading.

jackieblack

mrmcmc wrote: »

Just spoke to Citizens Advice and they have referred it to Trading Standards as they agree it is misleading.

Don't hold your breath

phatbear

mrmcmc wrote: »

Just spoke to Citizens Advice and they have referred it to Trading Standards as they agree it is misleading.

Seriously? I would have assumed cba would have more important issues to deal with.

Also given that the contract would be with an american company, where the service is provided in the states i dont see how this would fall into the jurisdiction of cba or trading standards.

You ask if theres anything you can do legally, and there is you are not legally obliged to go to disney,simple really!

phatbear

Also haven't you heard theres no such thing as a free lunch?

leylandsunaddict

Prices fluctuate all the time. If you booked including a flight it's highly likely the flight prices will have changed. It's not misleading. It's just the way flight prices and package holidays work. If it's just the hotel then prices fluctuate as well.

I'm surprised at the CAB. I'd have though they'd have known better than to waste Trading Standards time. The governing laws for Disney are the laws of the State of New York and the laws of the United States. English law doesn't come into it.

mrmcmc

It is Disney Holidays UK which sells to UK residents so comes under UK law which trading standards is there to protect.

Our holiday does not include flights. If a UK company offers a holiday at a price at 11:59pm & then at 00:01am starts a promotion claiming in they are giving you free items but also bumps up the price, it is clear the items are not free and the price has been increased to cover the cost of them so therefore it is a misleading sale (this is why it has been raised to Trading Standards).

I wonder if you would say it was still a waste of time if you was charged £250 more then you was expecting to pay.

phatbear

So have you actually booked this holiday?

balletshoes

mrmcmc wrote: »

It is Disney Holidays UK which sells to UK residents so comes under UK law which trading standards is there to protect.

Our holiday does not include flights. If a UK company offers a holiday at a price at 11:59pm & then at 00:01am starts a promotion claiming in they are giving you free items but also bumps up the price, it is clear the items are not free and the price has been increased to cover the cost of them so therefore it is a misleading sale (this is why it has been raised to Trading Standards).

I wonder if you would say it was still a waste of time if you was charged £250 more then you was expecting to pay.

is it the same room type also? I mean, with the free dining deal has the basic room choice gone, are you only able to book free dining with a preferred room maybe?

WDW and Disneyland Paris work in the same way with their discounted/free stuff included deals - a set number of rooms in each hotel attract the deal, when that deal's allocation of rooms has gone, the price goes up.