Disney barring use of bogus FastPasses
Disney is taking measures to stop the sale of expired FastPasses on internet auction sites. The tickets are used at Disney’s parks as a method for guests to bypass lengthy attraction standby lines.
EBay is the main selling venue for FastPasses and has declined Disney’s request to put an end to the FastPass listings.
Catherine England, spokesperson for eBay, stated “Since there are no laws prohibiting the sale of expired tickets, listings for expired tickets are allowed. EBay does not enforce third-party contracts, so it’s up to whoever issues the tickets, in this case Disney, to enforce the terms and conditions they’ve defined for their tickets”.
In addition to the expired FastPasses, sellers list VIP versions of the tickets which Disney provides to celebrities and politicians.
Disney has taken measures to stem the use of the tickets sold on the secondary market. In addition to the time and date on a FastPass, there is now a caution that they are “Not For Sale”, valid only on the day issued and are nontransferable.
There is also a problem with counterfeit FastPasses being used in the parks. Disney employees are told to check that the edges are perforated, unlike those the fakes which are manually cut.
Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez has stated that Disney Cast Members are instructed to check that the FastPass is valid and to turn away those that are expired/fraudulent. Suarez commented “What we typically do, we have the cast member politely explain the FastPass is only valid for the date and time issued, then we invite the guest to get a valid FastPass or go to the stand-by queue.”
Disney has recently begun looking into alternative methods of issuing FastPasses including the use of barcodes on the tickets and barcode readers at the attractions.