Orlando Theme Parks Tickets Refunds or Transfers?

[MMCMK]

Hi
I have been pre-purchasing Theme park tickets for many many years but this year 2 members of our Party are unable to travel due to ill health. I have investigated refund or Transfer with Universal to be met with a solid "We can not help you Sir", Has any one got any useful suggestions.
Yes we will be seeking Insurance Claim but wondered if any other options available to us?

On researching I find that all 3 Major Park Companies also have the same policy [as in the small print when booking]

It seems very unfair but next time I will know better than to pre-book , will wait to make sure we can get to the gates!

3 Days to going back! :-)

[electo]

i had the same problem in 2015 had to cancel due to ill health
but i had pre booked the tickets thru orlando ticket deals and was able to put the booking back 12 months all i had to pay was the extra on the 2016 tickets (price had gone up)

[MMCMK]

Thank you... I have purchased through Trip Advisor / Viator and they say NO REFUNDS in the small print.. Universal have said NO also

[Nimbus]

A number of ticket sellers have a cancellation or amendment policy. They allow you to return unused tickets and receive a partial refund. For example, Orlando Attractions allows you to cancel your tickets and receive a 90% refund or rebook them for the following year and pay the difference in price.

Note that, once Disney tickets have been linked to your MDE account, then third-party ticket sellers can't cancel them and therefore won't refund you. You would have to talk to Disney to ask for a refund or a change in this case.

So, it's worth checking out the ticket companies Terms and Conditions to see if they provide refunds

By the way, DisneyHolidays do have a ticket cancellation policy in their Ts&Cs. It states that if you cancel your tickets at least 4 days before you go then you'll get a refund. If more than 56 days before your holiday you'll be charged a £50 per person cancellation fee. Between 56 and 29 days beforehand there's a 30% fee, between 28 and 15 days beforehand it's 40%, 14 to 5 days it's a 50% fee.

I haven't looked at Universal's or Seaworld's Ts&Cs but I suspect they are the same as Attraction-Ticket-Direct's (ATD runs the Universal and Seaworld websites in the UK). I think ATD have a ticket cancellation policy that is similar to Disney's.

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by MMCMK

3 Days to going back! :-)

See more...

Just noticed the above.

If you have to cancel just a couple of days before your holiday then, yes, I'm afraid pretty much all ticket companies won't refund you. That goes for lots of things you buy. It's normal.

If you buy a package holiday there's a good chance you will lose all your money if you have to cancel a day or two before you go.

That's what insurance is there for. The whole point of insurance is to cover any financial loss in case something unforeseen happens, like ill health. BTW, when buying insurance make sure it covers tickets.

[MMCMK]

"I'm afraid pretty much all ticket companies won't refund you. That goes for lots of things you buy. It's normal.”
Thank you yes understood for goods or services received.
Seems unfair for services not provided.!

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by MMCMK

Thank you yes understood for goods or services received.
Seems unfair for services not provided.!

See more...

You are buying a product* not a service. And it's not their fault that you didn't use the ticket. They are not refusing to provide you entry to their parks.

If you buy a ticket for anywhere and don't use it then you're usually not entitled to a refund. Similarly, if you buy a 14 day ticket but only use it on 6 days then you're not entitled to a refund of the 8 days you didn't use.

You may think it's unfair. And by all means complain. However, you agreed to the terms and conditions of the sale when you bought the tickets. And those terms and conditions are fairly common when it comes to tickets.

(* technically, you buy the entitlement to enter a private area for a certain number of days under certain conditions)

[bighal]

Originally Posted by MMCMK

"I'm afraid pretty much all ticket companies won't refund you. That goes for lots of things you buy. It's normal.”
Thank you yes understood for goods or services received.
Seems unfair for services not provided.!

See more...

The ticket seller have provided a service (the tickets), just that you cannot now use them which has nothing to do with the seller...

As has been said before, travel insurance is your answer here...

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by bighal

The ticket seller have provided a service (the tickets), just that you cannot now use them which has nothing to do with the seller...

See more...

You are right - the ticket seller merely obtains and sends you the tickets. That's their 'service' to the customer. So, once the customer has received the tickets, they've fulfilled their service.

The OP could sell any unused tickets to someone else. But not here on the DIBB because it's not allowed.

[MMCMK]

Thank you one and all. I am merely pointing out the possible trap that some people may also fall foul of.
As I have said I will no longer purchase advance tickets for any of the Orlando parks.
Pre-warned is Pre-armed.

I do not believe the Parks are playing fair in a situation that is beyond our control. As they have nothing to lose..zero capital expense.

I am not suggesting the Ticket sellers should lose out but that the Parks should step up to the plate.