Coston shared the US$10,000 worth of Disney gift cards that were accidentally purchased by her parents. — Screengrab from TikTok/@aofthecoast
Do you have plans to get someone a gift card for Christmas? Here’s a sign you should check carefully before you make the purchase.
A woman has gone viral on TikTok after sharing the story of how her parents spent US$10,000 (RM46,565) on gift cards that they hoped to use to pay for a family holiday in Walt Disney World.
According to a report by Entertainment Weekly, the woman identified as Andie Coston said that her family eventually discovered that the gift cards were actually for Disney+, the streaming service by Disney.
“That’s over 70 years of Disney+,” said Coston in her video that has racked up more than 2.6 million views after it was uploaded on Dec 18.
Coston described the whole ordeal as an “honest mistake” and explained that her parents who purchased the cards were not familiar with Disney+.
They had also first purchased the cards back in 2020. She shared her experience hoping that viewers could help to connect her with any party that could transfer the money into Disney theme park gift cards instead.
In a follow-up video, Coston said the whole incident was “not a scam” adding that both her parents are 78 years old and don’t use streaming services.
Coston also shared how other users claimed to have experienced a similar ordeal and that the funds in the cards were not transferable. However, after receiving some disparaging remarks, Coston turned off the comments section in her follow-up videos.
The story has a happy ending as Coston eventually said that Disney had gotten in touch with her parents, claiming that the company will turn the US$10,000 Disney+ gift cards into theme park gift cards.
Coston thanked viewers who boosted her original video: “I hate that this is what it took for us” to find a solution “and I hope that I never go viral again.”
