We Need to still WORK if you loved VMK!
Dear VMK Community:
We need to be loud and bold with Disney. If we really want to save the virtual kingdom, we must continue to send emails (daily), write hard copy letters (weekly), and make phone calls. Disney often times tries to wait out the wave. When it is calm, they move on. If the wave continues, they start looking at the issues and tries to resolve them.
Disney WANTS us to be quiet. DON'T BE QUIET AND LET DISNEY WIN. We NEED to WIN.
To promote the cause, I am copying a letter I just emailed to Disney yesterday, here. I emailed it, and I will mail out shortly a hard copy to executives (just in case they delete their emails).
This isn't just about a online game, this is about how Disney treats their guests. The Walt Disney Company has a long standing tradition of putting the guest first. With this decision, they are tossing that philosophy aside.
Good luck VMKers!
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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
