** RESOLVED** Here Now….horrible experience at Sanaa and cannot get resolution

[kristenrice]

We ate our lunch today at Sanaa and it was delicious. The service was ok, not exceptional, but they were busy and shorthanded so we cut them some slack. Our server brought us our bill and I showed him my DVC card so he could apply the discount. He TOOK the card (which I thought was odd) and came back with our updated bill. We gave him a Disney Gift Card which had a remaining balance of just over $220 on it for our $76.xx tab. When our server returned, he said our gift card now has a remaining balance of $67.xx!! Um….WHAT??! I Immediately logged in to the Disney gift card site, loaded the card and looked at the transaction history and saw that there were 2 charges for our total amount at Sanaa! I brought it to the manager’s attention and said that I believe our card had accidentally been run twice and SHOWED her the duplicate transaction. She said, “That’s not possible. Your correct gift card balance is on your receipt.” I pointed out that it is right there on the screen in front of me…it is a duplicate transaction. She then said, “Oh, it’s just the hold that we put on card transactions. It will reverse when the ticket closes.” I told her that it is a GIFT CARD, not a CREDIT CARD and there is no need for a hold to be placed on the funds, let alone a 100% hold. She kept saying, “I understand your frustration” but never offered a solution. I asked her what the hold amount would have been if I would have paid with a $100 gift card and she said, “ well, it would have been a different amount.” I told her that we now have now LOST $75+ of OUR money that we PAID for to put on that gift card until who knows when and we need it for our food. She offered no solution. I don’t know where to go from here. I don’t know if contacting Disney Gift Card will do any good since this is more of a merchant issue.
I have dined at so many Disney restaurants and have paid with gift cards every time and I have NEVER had a “hold” put on a GIFT card.

 

[FCDub]

Hotel manager

 

[Pooh2]

On our last trip just before covid, we paid for all of our meals with gift cards and never once had this happen. Hope you get it resolved without anymore stress.

 

[NYCgrrl]

There is a simple answer to this problem-level up.

 

[TreAntDeu]

Hotel manager ASAP

 

[lovin'fl]

The correct remaining balance should show on receipt. So they must have double charged you by accident.

 

[HopperFan]

I hope you got the "manager's" name, likely she was only a shift manager and she reports to someone else. Agree go to hotel desk to find your next level up. I would resolve before I left Disney. Also ... who has an email for WDW President Jeff Vahle? The entire transaction was handled poorly and should be dealt with.

NOTE: The ONLY timeS my credit card or debit cards were fraudulently used in last few decades is when I have visited Disney. I constantly check my accounts for charges when there and for weeks after. My last trip before COVID, both my CC and debit card had to be cancelled and replaced. I'm looking at using only cash in a few weeks.

 

[DLgal]

The hotel manager is your next step. That is who is ultimately responsible for EVERYTHING that happens at the resort. NOT a front desk manager, the actual hotel manager.

 

[kristenrice]

The restaurant manager has followed up with me. She has looked into it and still insists that the transaction was not run twice, but us admitted that the amount was taken off of our gift card twice and it was not “just a hold”. She is actively trying to figure out how to get us our funds back. It’s odd because we asked to remove the tip until this is resolved because we do not want extra funds tied up and, miraculously, there is a “refund” on the card for only the tip amount. I explained to her that I fully intend to return to the restaurant to bring a gratuity to our server once this is resolved because it is not his fault and he deserves his tip. She said not to worry about it because she already covered it.
I received a “welcome” email from the general manager, asking if there were any issues or comments and I responded. I don’t know if I will get a response, but the restaurant manager did follow up and I believe that she is now making a good faith effort to resolve this. We are here until Monday so hopefully we will have this taken care of soon.

 

[kristenrice]

UPDATE: At 12:30am, the restaurant manager texted me (saying she did not want to call and risk waking me up) and said that, after multiple calls to Disney Gift Card guest services, she was able to get the duplicate charge removed. I verified that the balance is now correct and the funds are restored. She came through!! My faith in Disney is restored.

 

[Pooh2]

Sorry you had to stress about this on vacation.
Hope the rest of your stay is worry free!

 

[bsmcneil]

UPDATE: At 12:30am, the restaurant manager texted me (saying she did not want to call and risk waking me up) and said that, after multiple calls to Disney Gift Card guest services, she was able to get the duplicate charge removed. I verified that the balance is now correct and the funds are restored. She came through!! My faith in Disney is restored.

Glad it worked but oof! That was cruddy

 

[DL1WDW2]

I just started reading this and felt my anxiety level rise for you and glad you kept us updated…Still do not think anybody wants any stress on a vacation but it is unfortunate.
Currently many castmembers are receiving mandatory work schedules with less than week notice on their schedules. As if the castmembers might not have made plans . I realize this is not normally a very good excuse but it is part of the problem due to unprecedented events.
Imagine working Disney hours repeatedly for many weeks with 6 days on and just one day off…and then repeat. It is happening and it is not even the crazy holidays yet!

Please keep us posted with the wonderful memories you will keep !

 

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

Glad it worked out. We always paid with gift cards on our last trip, and this never happened. Thanks for letting us know about this. I will definitely pay attention to this in the future if I get anymore gift cards.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Wow, I'm so glad it finally worked out to your satisfaction. I think it was kind of ironic that the restaurant manager insisted that it wasn't run twice, but then agreed that it was a duplicate charge.

 

[JayhawkFans]

It is very frustrating for sure. We have had similar situations happen at the restaurant I work and it’s quite frustrating because everything we have access to shows that the charges are only processed once yet from the card holders account … it shows otherwise. We have always been told that once things batch at the end of the night, everything will be correct. Very baffling and so hard to explain to guests because it naturally looks like we are overcharging them.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Glad you got that fixed. That extra charge equals two drinks at Ogas.

No seriously.

 

[kristenrice]

It is very frustrating for sure. We have had similar situations happen at the restaurant I work and it’s quite frustrating because everything we have access to shows that the charges are only processed once yet from the card holders account … it shows otherwise. We have always been told that once things batch at the end of the night, everything will be correct. Very baffling and so hard to explain to guests because it naturally looks like we are overcharging them.

Exactly!! This is what really stuck in my craw at first…the manager was almost accusatory in her demeanor, like I had done something shady. I simply pointed out that our card had been debited twice and clearly it was nothing on our end. She initially made no effort or admission that it was something that was amiss…like it was a perfectly normal occurrence. Once she figured out the immense inconvenience I would need to deal with, like finding a PHONE NUMBER for Disney Gift card customer service, she ended up going the extra mile and intervening on my behalf. She ended up making multiple phone calls herself and talking to the gift card folks for me to get it straightened out, all while we were out enjoying our vacation. So in the end, it all worked out and she came through. I just wish she had not been so dismissive of me in the first place. Just because you have never seen it before does not mean it is not true, especially when it is right there in front of you.

 

[Boopuff]

We had a restaurant run our card twice, but they were quick to admit their mistake. I really like the restaurants that bring the ipad to your table and run the card right in front of you. That way the card never leaves your hand.

 

[EpcotPhoenician]

Everybody reports to somebody. Find out who she reports to and take it from there. If they don't assist, go another level up.

Good luck.