How to handle broken merchandise

[tbssenterprises]

Hi. Ok, so just got home from a long weekend getaway at WDW. Upon arrival home (please note, I drove, no flying involved)...I unwrapped the beautiful F&W ceramic dish/casserole (not really sure what to call it), and I noticed a chip. I purchased it in Epcot at the "Port of Entry" store and asked them to ship it to my hotel, Gran Destino. Unfortunately, since it was wrapped like Fort Knox, it never occured to me to check it at the hotel.

So, do I just live with the chip? My hubby, is insisting that I contact Disney. I don't know what to do. If I was still in "the world", I'd definitely handle it but not sure how Disney handles these situations?

 

[Dug720]

A few years ago I bought a Mickey Nerd hoodie (t-shirt material) on my final night. I got home the next day and noticed a hole in the material at the bottom of the heart sewn on the back. I emailed (I wish I could remember the address) about it and they responded, asking for an address to ship a new one.

 

[DisMommyTX]

Definitely email guest services. We bought a glass a couple years ago from EPCOT that was defective (design peeled off with the gentlest hand washing, like it wasn't properly cured), and they sent me a replacement. It has made me feel better about pricey purchases since then, knowing that will stand behind their merchandise and make it right.

 

[mountdew1]

The contact info for Merchandise Guest Services should be on the bottom of any merchandise receipt unless they changed the format. Can't hurt to reach out to them and see what they say.

 

[erionm]

Merchandise Guest Services
PO Box 10070
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Phone: 877-560-6477 or 407-934-6111
eMail: Merchandise.Guest.Services@DisneyParks.com

 

[tbssenterprises]

Thank you all. I just sent an email.

 

[KenHutch]

Back in 2012 I bought the figure of Goofy as Darth Vader and they delivered it to the hotel. Since we were leaving I did not open it up. Well when we got home the lightsaber is Goofy's hand was broken off. I wrote customer service and sent them a picture of the figure in the box. About 10 days later I get a brand new figure in the mail with their apologies. I asked about sending them back the broken one but was told not to bother because it was worthless in that state anyways. In the years since I have spent a small fortune buying as many different Star Wars/Disney figurines as I can find on secondary markets.

 

[Raven01]

My daughter’s Cinderella bubble wand broke three months after our trip. I wanted to try and buy replacement parts and emailed guest services. We were long after the return date, and of course I did not have the receipt. But it was bought on her birthday right before the fireworks, so I could pinpoint the purchase to with 10 minutes. I emailed and expected nothing.

I got home one day to a package and a brand new bubble wand. My little bit of Disney magic!

 

[bryanb]

Please let us know how it goes. Merchandise Guest Services has a very positive reputation for making sure that the guest is satisfied. As long as the guest doesn’t appear to be abusing the system or taking advantage, they will often err toward helping even when things aren’t Disney’s fault. It’s one of the reasons I have peace of mind buying merchandise at premium prices there.

It would be great to publicly acknowledge and encourage Disney to keep these policies... so I hope they help you out!

 

[ID_Dismom]

In October of last year, my daughter got one of the avatars in Pandora. When we got home, she played rougher than she should have with it, and the leg broke. I emailed to see if they had any tips for fixing it and they had me send it in for repair. I was beyond impressed, I wasn't expecting them to do that as it was totally our fault, NOT theirs! We had a repaired avatar back in under two weeks!!

 

[MomOTwins]

My daughter’s Cinderella bubble wand broke three months after our trip. I wanted to try and buy replacement parts and emailed guest services. We were long after the return date, and of course I did not have the receipt. But it was bought on her birthday right before the fireworks, so I could pinpoint the purchase to with 10 minutes. I emailed and expected nothing.

I got home one day to a package and a brand new bubble wand. My little bit of Disney magic!

Three months???? Those bubble wands never lasted more than three days for us.

 

[Bjkandma]

Three months???? Those bubble wands never lasted more than three days for us.

If you are fortunate enough to go again, hold on to your receipts. If an item (toy) breaks while still in Disney, return to anywhere selling the toy with your receipt, they will help you.

 

[Raven01]

Three months???? Those bubble wands never lasted more than three days for us.

She used it daily on the trip, and one of my favorite memories of her is sitting in the rented stroller, dressed and ready to go with her bubble wand in her lap. But she then set the wand aside for the rest of winter. When she got interested again, I was twisting the pumpkin with bubble solution into it and it tore the top off, making it unusable - a common problem from what I googled.

But she is generally fairly nice with her toys. Often asks them if they are okay if she drops them. I've got a very empathetic two year old!

 

[TinkLoverSam]

@Disney_Alli has a great experience with a Duffy bear with a security tag left on and Disney Merchandise

 

[Disney_Alli]

@Disney_Alli has a great experience with a Duffy bear with a security tag left on and Disney Merchandise

So true! I bought a Duffy bear for my nephew in Disneyland and brought him home... only to find he still had the security tag in his ear. I still had all my receipts (thanks customs!) so I emailed guest services with a picture of my tagged Duffy and another of the receipt and they sent me a new Duffy bear (I did try to go to our local Disney store first but they use completely different tags). I took tagged Duffy (with the receipt stapled to his tag) with me on my next Disney-ish trip (Aulani) and told them the whole story including the fact that I had a replacement bear already. They removed Duffy’s tag and told me to enjoy my bonus Duffy bear. Thanks for the pixie dust Disney!

 

[MomOTwins]

If you are fortunate enough to go again, hold on to your receipts. If an item (toy) breaks while still in Disney, return to anywhere selling the toy with your receipt, they will help you.

Lol, usually after three days of having bubbles blown in our face while pushing the stroller we are okay with it being broken, but good to know they will fix/replace it next time. I just always figured they were the kind of toys that have a short shelf life, like chuck e cheese stuff.

 

[KayMichigan]

I bought a N'avi River Journey mug at AK, and when I got home I found out it had a glazing defect on it that left some of the ceramic bare on the lip. I sent an email to Guest Services with an image of the defect and a scan of my receipt and asked if there was any way to exchange it for a different mug.

Got this in reply:

"Thank you for providing those requested details. I am sorry to see that your special mug from your visit to Animal Kingdom is defective, and I am going to send a replacement to you. I hope your replacement mug brings you wonderful memories of your time in the world of Pandora.

Please donate the original item to a charity of your choice so others may experience the Wonders of Pandora.

Have a Magical Day!"

So yes, they take very good care of their guests!

 

[tnolan]

Merchandise Guest Services
PO Box 10070
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Phone: 877-560-6477 or 407-934-6111
eMail: Merchandise.Guest.Services@DisneyParks.com

Thanks for the info, have saved it to my phone for (hopefully no) possible future use.

 

[tbssenterprises]

OK, so I am the original OP. I contacted Merchandise Guest Services last Thursday. I sent them a photo, and all of the information from the receipt. They got back to me and asked to send them a scanned copy of the receipt and shipping receipt, which I did. They assigned me a Reference #. Still waiting to hear back........

 

[Good&Plenty]

Just wanted to share this positive story in hopes that the OP has the same luck (though ours was totally our fault).

Our 5yo daughter purchased a tiny Frozen house with tiny Frozen figures at Epcot, back in late 2018. Against our better judgement, we opened the set for her and let her hold the little Elsa doll (1", if that) while we walked around Epcot. In a surprise to no one, she lost it. I ran around the world (literally, lol), looking for it, and couldn't find it.

Because this was her special treat from Epcot, I went back to the store in Norway, and went to repurchase it. The cashier was the same girl who had just helped me (and perhaps because I was sweating and out of breath), asked if everything was okay. I explained the situation, saying that I was just going to rebuy the set. She immediately opened the toy and handed the Elsa doll to me, saying that she was happy to help our daughter.

It was, hands down, the nicest gesture made to us during our trip. Totally unnecessary on their part, but it made our daughter's day and ours too. 1.5 years later, she still has the set intact and loves it.