Disneyland Super-Fan Banned For One Year For Selling Sweethearts’ Nite Tickets on eBay
Andrew Rich and his wife are both Disney super-fans who have been annual pass holders at Disneyland for decades. Despite the fact that the couple live in Spokane, Washington, they still manage to make it down to the Happiest Place on Earth a handful of times a year.
Now, however, Rich finds himself banished from Disneyland after he sold a pair of Sweethearts’ Nite tickets on eBay, and his annual pass was subsequently revoked.
Last September, Andrew and his wife renewed their Disneyland Magic Key passes, paying over $2,000 for the pair of Believe Key passes.
Since that time, the couple spent New Year’s Eve at Disneyland, flew to Orlando for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, cruised aboard the Disney Wish, and then flew back to Anaheim for the Disneyland Half Marathon.
Rich Sold His Sweethearts’ Nite Tickets on eBay
After the whirlwind trip, however, both Andrew and Jen came down with COVID-19, which forced them to cancel their plans to visit Disneyland again for Sweethearts’ Nite on February 6. Andrew had bought the tickets as a Valentine’s Day gift before Christmas.
Without reading the fine print on his Magic Key or the Sweethearts’ Nite tickets, Rich sold the pair of tickets on eBay.
Photo: Disney
“To ensure somebody would use the tickets, I offered them for sale at face value,” Rich said by email.
Then, the unthinkable happened. A Disneyland fan noticed that the Sweethearts’ Nite tickets were being resold on eBay. Suddenly, Rich had his annual pass privileges removed.
Photo: Disney
“Because I was logged into my Magic Key account when purchasing the tickets, my Magic Key privileges were revoked for one year,” Rich said. His suspension lasts until January 24, 2025.
Disney Has Denied Rich’s Appeals
According to Disneyland’s website, special events tickets may not be resold or transferred at any time. Additionally, Disney retains their right to suspend or revoke Magic Key passes at any time for any reason.
Guests who believe they have had their passes have been suspended unfairly can appeal. Over the past few months, however, Rich has learned that his appeals were rejected.
Running out of options, Rich wrote follow-up letters to Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock and Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro. In the letters, he admitted that he had broken the rules and took full responsibility for his mistake. The Disney executives, through their representatives, declined to overrule the decision made by the Mag Key Review Board.
Rich, who has not only had his park access suspended but also must continue making monthly payments on the annual passes, has run out of options. The consequences, he says, are a “wildly out of scale response” to a minor error.
Photo: Disney
Still, Disneyland is holding firm, and Rich seems to be out of luck. The Disney super-fan will now be banned from the Happiest Place on Earth.
