Stroller Jacking! Bait Car - Disney Style

[Bell30012]

We've been at WDW all this week. I bought length of stay stroller passes. A piece of advice to parents who rent a stroller from WDW; Do not leave your receipt and stroller passes in your park stroller. Luckily mine were in my pocket.

Our rental double park stroller was Stroller Jacked twice in a seven day period. Both times at EPCOT. If you have your stroller ticket for that day, WDW will give you another, at no charge. However, this means you walk with your not happy children from The Land or from Norway back to the front of the park.

The CMs told us that they have many of these each day. MANY! While we were there another parent had come in with the same problem. He left his kids with the wife and made the trek to the front alone. However, bad news for him. He didn't have his stroller receipt. A double stroller rents for $31 per day ($27 if you buy multiple days). With the security that WDW has, why can't they slap a GPS on a couple of these, leave them around the park in stroller parking and nap these bandits?

A little Bait Car - Disney Style.

 

[WishingMom]

How bad do people have to be to take your child's stroller!

 

[Wcpedorc]

I'm sorry that you had to deal with that, twice! People are so inconsiderate. Did you loose anything that you may have had in the strollers?

 

[minnierocks]

A good reminder NOT to leave anything in your strollers.
So sorry this happened to you.

 

[Bell30012]

The first time we lost two very wet rain ponchos. One was ripped. We only had them there because they were wet and we didn't want to carry them. Since the stroller belonged to the park, I really didn't worry about anyone stealing it.

 

[deanimal]

It's interesting that you posted this today. We went to Epcot for dinner last night and entered at about 5:30 when everyone was streaming out in the rain. We saw two different strollers sitting near the exit and I mentioned to my husband that I thought people were supposed to return them to the rental place. Now I know, they were probably stolen from someone. Pretty disgusting if you ask me.

 

[Wcpedorc]

I'm glad that you didn't loose much. Do you think that people mainly take the park strollers? I had a friend loose a personal stroller, and I'm terrified of loosing ours someday.

 

[Lyndria]

I'm glad that you didn't loose much. Do you think that people mainly take the park strollers? I had a friend loose a personal stroller, and I'm terrified of loosing ours someday.

If you do a search, there are lots of stroller threads with good advice on this topic. For example, using bright tape or ribbons on your personal stroller, using stroller locks, etc. Some people do not take the nice strollers to WDW. They just buy a cheap umbrella type when they get to Orlando and leave it for another family at the hotel, when they leave.

OP, I am sorry this happened to you! You were smart to keep your receipt. We have been fortunate to never have a stroller stolen. The only thing we ever leave in ours is the food cooler. LOL! Someone could have a picnic, but that's all they are getting!

 

[binabodi]

We are here this week with a personal stroller and every time it rains somebody moves ours from covered to in the rain. We have a poncho that covers *most* of our stroller so they move ours to the rain to put their uncovered strollers there and ours gets soaked. We are having a great time but people can be so RUDE!

 

[Bell30012]

I wish I could say it was smarts that caused me to have the stroller receipt it was luck. I happened to shove them in my pocket after we started rolling. I am guilty of using that back pocket on the stroller as a catch all.

With as much as this happens at WDW, don't you think that Disney could put a stop to it? After all, it costs them money. Someone got out of paying $31 for each park stroller swiped. I have no idea how many times it happens but lets just for example purposes say a dozen times a day (across all four parks), I'm sure it's higher. That comes to $2,604 per week and $135,408 per year. This is a substantial revenue loss that could be stopped relatively cheaply.

I guess they could make money if it is a personal stroller stolen as the family would then rent one.

 

[scribega]

We had our personal stroller taken two years ago. We parked it close to IASW at MK and couldn't find it. We had parked two strollers next to each other so we knew that someone took the other. We told a couple of CMs and talked them and they were nice enough to bring us a rental at no charge. We then walked over to the carousel to ride and saw the stroller parked - so we stole it back!

 

[GiJohnsGirl]

We've been at WDW all this week. I bought length of stay stroller passes. A piece of advice to parents who rent a stroller from WDW; Do not leave your receipt and stroller passes in your park stroller. Luckily mine were in my pocket.

Our rental double park stroller was Stroller Jacked twice in a seven day period. Both times at EPCOT. If you have your stroller ticket for that day, WDW will give you another, at no charge. However, this means you walk with your not happy children from The Land or from Norway back to the front of the park.

The CMs told us that they have many of these each day. MANY! While we were there another parent had come in with the same problem. He left his kids with the wife and made the trek to the front alone. However, bad news for him. He didn't have his stroller receipt. A double stroller rents for $31 per day ($27 if you buy multiple days). With the security that WDW has, why can't they slap a GPS on a couple of these, leave them around the park in stroller parking and nap these bandits?

A little Bait Car - Disney Style.

It's all the booze in Epcot lol

 

[Tormania]

We had our personal stroller taken two years ago. We parked it close to IASW at MK and couldn't find it. We had parked two strollers next to each other so we knew that someone took the other. We told a couple of CMs and talked them and they were nice enough to bring us a rental at no charge. We then walked over to the carousel to ride and saw the stroller parked - so we stole it back!

I would have grabbed security and waited for the perp to come back out and collect it and then have them busted for theft and have them kicked out of the park at the least!!

 

[starjazz]

I would have grabbed security and waited for the perp to come back out and collect it and then have them busted for theft and have them kicked out of the park at the least!!

Me too! Creeps!

We used a small bike lock and ran it through the wheels on ours so you wouldn't be able to push it had you decided to steal it. It was a bright pink lock, so it stood out. Hopefully it acted as a deterrent. Worked great.

 

[wiigirl]

How bad do people have to be to take your child's stroller!

I agree...thats so low.

 

[danceintherain]

It's all the booze in Epcot lol

I think it's more likely the hugeness of Epcot with the only possible rental place at the front of the park. Someone brings their 7 year old who hardly ever plays outside, but expects them to walk 10 miles a day at Disney. By the time they reach Norway, their kid is sprawled out on the ground whining because their feet hurt. They see a random stroller that someone left out and think, hey that's a park stroller....maybe they know how expensive it is....maybe they don't...either way they know that if they snatch it and let their kid ride in it he/she will stop whining.

Personal stroller theft is a problem as well, but in those cases its often either a case of confusion or they're actually trying to remove them from the park, so they can sell them on eBay.

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

We use a stroller lock as well..

We took one of those cheap ones a few years ago, but it killed are backs.. ( handles are to low)

I've also heard of people taking off the front wheel, if your stroller does that..

 

[serene56]

How do you know the person knowingly stole it.

Dont the strollers all look the same so the person thought it was theirs?

 

[Kaylasmomma]

Ok seriously this is like the 5th or 6th thread about stealing strollers I have seen this totally convinces me to hit a re-sale shop or craiglist and buy the CHEAPest stroller i can find for our up coming trip...
My sister even mentioned renting would be better b/c who would steal those right?? WRONG

sorry this happened to you

 

[Kaylasmomma]

How do you know the person knowingly stole it.

Dont the strollers all look the same so the person thought it was theirs?

I thought there was a sleeve where they put your last name on them big
do they not do that??