In light of all the controversy surrounding FuelRod swapping fees coming to FuelRod kiosks across Walt Disney World, Disney has released an official statement regarding the now-reversed fee policy. Across property, kiosks were meant to be reskinned with new signage mentioning the newly implemented swapping fees, but it appears that none of those changes actually took place.
In their statement, Disney said:
“A decision has been made to not implement the $3 portable charger swap fee until further notice. Guests can continue to swap their FuelRod portable chargers using FuelRod’s owned and operated kiosks at Walt Disney World Resort for no additional cost at this time.”
So while it appears that we may have evaded FuelRod swapping fees for the time being, the chance of fees being put into effect sometime in the future has not been discarded.
While the reversal of fees seems to be in effect for Walt Disney World, over at Disneyland, none of the signage on the kiosks has changed.
I think this is an eye-opening problem, people should probably not buy these and get their own battery pack because who knows what will happen in the future.
Well I guess Disney can always recoup their loses on these fuel rods with the revenue stream that the new parkwide pay toilets make when they debut on Christmas Day 2019
“Winnie the Pooh” and” Tinkle Bell” , indeed.
Yep, “at this time” is very open ended.
I’m sure they may raise the initial fee, from $30 to $33, or $35 etc….
Why do i picture Bob Chapek screaming in his office like Dick Dastardly, “CURSES, FOILED AGAIN MUTTLEY”
Why do I picture Bob from Toledo not reading the article that states the kiosks are owned and operated by FuelRod just so he can make a (bad) Bob Chapek joke.
They need to grandfather the rods that were purchased during the FREE unlimited swaps and only charge $3 for rods purchased after the changes. For now? No. I’d rather have my $30 (x2) back. I only bought 2 of them because they were doing unlimited free swaps. That was the only reason. Period!
Where can the statement by Disney be found online?
Do Not Purchase or use Fuel Rods. They are a horrible value compared to other battery packs. Without the fee they are inferior, with the fees they are a ripoff joke and a sunk cost if you already bought one. It is an illusion of convenience, it is far more convenient to carry a pack that has 5-10x the power capacity, dual ports, and fast charging than to be tied to stations.
JunkRods is all they will ever be. Buying your own pack is always better.
If Disney has to eat the fuel rod fee because guest outcry is not worth the headache then they’ll just hike a fee somewhere else. Disney won’t be generous and pay for the free swapping themselves.
Guess the mouse did not want to lose money or PR points with a class action at this time..
Bracing for the next entertainment cut due to this lost revenue stream…..
Good move on Disney’s part! Cause a lot of people with receipt would be asking for a refund including myself for misleading customers into buying something under false pretenses. I purchased mine under the guise that it would be swappable for free forever!
Disneyland was not charging for swaps on Nov 1
The problem is Disney has made the WDW vacation unmanageable without a smart phone. I like the functionality but what if I run out of battery? There are other options but they aren’t convenient.
Or… New Disney-branded ones are introduced. Free swapping for Disney Resort guests, 29.95 for annual pass holders (not available to FL pass holders), or a $5.95/day add-on fee to park passes.
That’s scary close to accurate.
Either that or ticket prices go up 3 bucks so that even the ones not using it end up paying for it to offset the cost.