How will your Loyalty to Disney Change?

[disvaclub92]

Thank you very much for the link. I will pass it on to my real-world friends who joined me in VMK.

They're very mistaken if they think I will "migrate". Why in heaven's name would I want to play among pixies? I think I'll go back to quilting.

I actually was a pixie for about an hour. Yes, please do share this. I don't feel many got to see this article, based on it only having 10 comments.

 

[DenverVal]

Sounds like it really was a blast!

The article is already on its way.

 

[aengus]

Sounds like it really was a blast!

The article is already on its way.

sorry dude you dont scale

 

[RedScorch]

I am so livid and disappointed with Disney I wrote the following letter to them. I am going to keep sending it to them until I get a response.
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Dear Disney:

The Walt Disney Company and Walt Disney Internet Group are becoming liars and thieves instead of magic makers. “Why?” you ask. . You steal our money and our Disney Movie Rewards, for one big scam. You sold us, got us hooked on a genius online community based on your theme parks, and now you dismiss everyone that invested LOYAL dollars, time, and energy to making a great community. A prime example: Disney Movie Rewards. It cost 550 reward points to obtain a red Stitch Helmet for VMK. At an average of $20.00 a movie, 5 movies, roughly equals $100.00. Add the remaining needed points by attending a movie, tickets worth 50 points. Here movies are $12.00. So it costs $112.42 (postage included) to get a virtual prize for VMK.

True Disney fans who took the tours and read all the literature, know Virtual Magic Kingdom was meant for longer than the 50th Celebration. At least it was sold that way in the theme parks. You put ads in all of the literature, music CD’s, Disney Adventure Magazine, Disney Vacation Club newsletter, Stock holder’s report, Disney Movie Rewards, and tons of other places. Why do this to people, if it was a “temporary” promotion, did we not see any such disclaimers or reminders when redeeming points, if you weren’t trying to defraud the public. Also, it is cheaper in points (200points) to get a 1 month subscription to Toontown Online via DMR than get the Stitch Helmet. Interesting isn’t it?

When working for Radio Disney, our Promotions Director always said, “It took 50 years to build the Disney Brand. If there is a problem, take care of it. You will not be the person that ruins the wholesome family Disney image.” Well, obviously the Walt Disney Internet Group needs to take those words to heart, because the Walt Disney Internet Group is successful at destroying people’s belief in magic, dreams, and a safe online environment, by closing their online theme park, Virtual Magic Kingdom.
While destroying dreams, why not just close down Disneyland and Walt Disney World too? Purchase Universal Studios, and then give everyone that had a season pass to those two parks, a free one month pass to Universal Studios, to try to appease them, and hook them into an inferior idea.

Disney people may be fanatical because we love the brand more than some of the people working at Disney, but we are not stupid. We know what we want. Some of us won’t play pirates because it is violent. Toontown is boring after a while and who the heck wants to be a penguin at Club Penguin. As for your other online communities, like Pixie Hallow, that too is monotonous. You close the best franchise Disney has ever owned. I don’t want to be a pirate, a toon, a pixie, or a penguin. I want to be a person. I want to be me.

Disney is so out of touch with their audience. As a stockholder, stakeholder in Disney Vacation Club real estate, Disney loyalist, former cast member, and someone who cares about children, it infuriates me that you are harming the Disney brand for thousands of young minds and their parents. This very well could be my final straw with this company, as I have only been 25 years loyal. I have plenty of years loyalty left, but loyalty is a two way street, Walt Disney Company, and the Walt Disney Internet Group.

We invested thousands of dollars to play this game by booking vacations, purchasing extra items at the parks, magazines, and movies. Although it was a “free” product, we spent more money per year on this game, than your paid subscribers with your pay to play franchises. Most companies are adding “free” online communities to their brands, not taking them away. For example, Build A Bear Workshop, Coca Cola, Webkins, and TY, to name a few.

The Walt Disney Company and the Walt Disney Internet Group really need to read some of the blogs, watch some of the youtube.com videos and media sites that have covered the closing of VMK. It is not good press.

Thank you for infuriating me. As a young adult, I figure I am going to be saving myself over a $500,000.00 dollars over my lifetime, by not continuing to purchase your products. My future children will not learn Disney brand loyalty from me, as I did from my parents, so that will be more loss of revenue dollars gone. And I am just ONE of the many.

As a customer service oriented professional, I expect a response to this letter, that is not the typical “promotion” explanation story, or the template form response. Be honest with your guests. I do expect my free 30 day membership to Toontown and Pirates, even though I don’t expect to use it.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
VMK Redscorch

 

[anya.sparrow]

Well, I think I heard the fireworks from Disneyland last night.

Can't always hear them, and I can't swear that it was Disneyland last night.

But I think they were D-land. And they just made me mad that VMK had closed. For me, Disney magic has included VMK for the past couple of years.

So, yeah, my feelings about Disney have changed. Hopefully I will get beyond the stage where I want to type four letter words *in this space*.

 

[RedScorch]

A business decision means that, after weighing costs and benefits, the company felt it was good for both their bottom line and future ability to serve customers. (A company wants to perform well so it can continue to grow and grow and make new things, so the fact that Disney wants to grow doesn’t mean it wants to take money and run!) There are a limited amount of resources available with which to operate and develop projects, so I think of it as WDIG reinvesting resources into something else that (they believe) will better serve their wide audience.

Reading through this thread I realized how much trust and value people place in the Disney brand, which I think it really good because there are lots of reasons to have this kind of trust. If you want to let this change that for you, that’s certainly your choice. It’s your right to hold a corporation to whatever expectations you want to, but a company like Disney has a lot of people to please, and it can’t please all of them with every single decision. This was a single decision in a place where hundreds of decisions are made every day. The world of Disney doesn’t revolve around VMK or its players; we’re just a small segment of Disney’s audience and I think it’s over-reacting to take this decision so personally or as an indication that Disney doesn’t care. The end of VMK could very well make way for new games that will please Disney’s audiences to an even greater extent and actually make the Disney brand stronger.

When I visit the parks and resorts and see smiles on the faces of kids and their families, I have no doubt that this is a company full of people that care very much about the emotional experience of their guests and provides opportunities for a connection on an emotional level… Disney does it better than anybody else, anywhere. I think the best of Disney is yet to come, and I’m looking forward to it.

I wish VMK wasn't closing too, because I enjoy playing it. But, I am looking forward to seeing what's on the horizon and continuing to enjoy everything Disney has to offer, be it in theaters, on teleivison, at Parks and Resorts, and beyond.

Disney's sign of not caring is actually not responding to their guests. That is the major sign of detachment from their guests. As former cast member, their entire behavior is appalling. I think the VMK move is the straw that broke the camel's back on a lot of Disney loyalist who have seen the down turn of the Disney Brand for years. Disney needs to get back to common sense, common courtesy and their common guest service standards. Oh wait! If it was common, everyone would have it .

 

[swarlock]

At least some people are making an effort to let go of WMK in one way or another and not be imprisoned by the memories.

Even though it's gone I'm not so bitter to think that The Disney Brand or any franchise will cater and bend their backs for only me.

When some of the attractions closed down at Disney World I didn't stop going to the parks or going to the movies.

Whether we like it or not, change is going to happen and the best thing anyone can do is prepare for it to reduce the shock.