FuelRod won’t move forward with $3 portable charger swapping fee at Disneyland and Disney World, Disney officials say - OCR/SCNG

[Darkbeer1]

FuelRod won’t move forward with $3 portable charger swapping fee at Disneyland and Disney World, Disney officials say

Disneyland and Walt Disney World visitors can continue to swap their portable chargers at no additional costs at FuelRod owned and operated kiosks at the Disney parks.

www.ocregister.com

>>A class-action lawsuit and backlash from customers has forced a Del Mar company that operates portable charger swapping machines at Disneyland and Disney World to relent on a plan to start charging a recharging fee after promising “unlimited free swaps.”

FuelRod will not move forward with a plan to implement a $3 portable charger swap fee at the Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts until further notice, Disney officials said. Guests can continue to swap their portable chargers at no additional cost at FuelRod owned and operated kiosks at the Disney parks, Disney officials said.<<

>>FuelRod bills itself as a reusable and swappable portable charging system for powering up mobile devices on the go.

FuelRod kiosks can be found at airports, zoos, hotels and theme parks around the world. FuelRods are available at Busch Gardens Tampa, Indiana’s Holiday World and Disney, Universal Studios and SeaWorld locations in California and Florida. FuelRods are also available locally at places like the Santa Ana Zoo, Long Beach Airport and Pala Casino, according to the company’s website.

The lawsuit alleged that FuelRod fundamentally changed the primary benefit of the product that promised consumers would pay once for the charger and get unlimited free replacements. “Free unlimited swaps” were an integral part of FuelRod’s marketing message, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit claimed consumers could purchase other portable chargers for less than $10 that were less expensive, lasted longer and charged faster than the $30 FuelRod chargers.

“With the chargers themselves undersized and underpowered as compared to their price tag, why would someone pay $30 for this device?” the lawsuit said. “The answer is that they are not simply paying for the device, they are paying for the service that accompanies it.”<<

Class-action lawsuit seeks $5 million over portable chargers sold at Disney, Universal and SeaWorld parks

The lawsuit alleging a breach of contract and false advertising by FuelRod alleges there are thousands of potential class-action plaintiffs.

www.ocregister.com

 

[socalifornian]

I’ve been using my $30 20,200 mAh battery for years now. FuelRods low capacity necessitates the service

 

[TP2000]

FuelRod won’t move forward with $3 portable charger swapping fee at Disneyland and Disney World, Disney officials say

Disneyland and Walt Disney World visitors can continue to swap their portable chargers at no additional costs at FuelRod owned and operated kiosks at the Disney parks.

www.ocregister.com

>>A class-action lawsuit and backlash from customers has forced a Del Mar company that operates portable charger swapping machines at Disneyland and Disney World to relent on a plan to start charging a recharging fee after promising “unlimited free swaps.”

FuelRod will not move forward with a plan to implement a $3 portable charger swap fee at the Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts until further notice, Disney officials said. Guests can continue to swap their portable chargers at no additional cost at FuelRod owned and operated kiosks at the Disney parks, Disney officials said.<<

>>FuelRod bills itself as a reusable and swappable portable charging system for powering up mobile devices on the go.

FuelRod kiosks can be found at airports, zoos, hotels and theme parks around the world. FuelRods are available at Busch Gardens Tampa, Indiana’s Holiday World and Disney, Universal Studios and SeaWorld locations in California and Florida. FuelRods are also available locally at places like the Santa Ana Zoo, Long Beach Airport and Pala Casino, according to the company’s website.

The lawsuit alleged that FuelRod fundamentally changed the primary benefit of the product that promised consumers would pay once for the charger and get unlimited free replacements. “Free unlimited swaps” were an integral part of FuelRod’s marketing message, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit claimed consumers could purchase other portable chargers for less than $10 that were less expensive, lasted longer and charged faster than the $30 FuelRod chargers.

“With the chargers themselves undersized and underpowered as compared to their price tag, why would someone pay $30 for this device?” the lawsuit said. “The answer is that they are not simply paying for the device, they are paying for the service that accompanies it.”<<

Class-action lawsuit seeks $5 million over portable chargers sold at Disney, Universal and SeaWorld parks

The lawsuit alleging a breach of contract and false advertising by FuelRod alleges there are thousands of potential class-action plaintiffs.

www.ocregister.com

Well, that's fascinating. It seems FuelRod needed to change their business model, but their original business model put them into a legal bind here.

I don't blame the customers for being upset about the sudden creation of swapping fees.

But I wonder if FuelRod can keep itself going for much longer, if they felt the need to so radically change their business model and pricing structure? Seems like this should be a warning flag that they might be gone entirely in a year or two.

 

[Demarke]

I saw one at ESPN when I was picking up my Wine & Dine run stuff, looks like they’ve already re-re-labeled them to the new (old) policy. Notably absent is that pesky “unlimited” word that has been causing them so many headaches.

Seems to me that this type of vending machine has a limited remaining lifespan. I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney just gets rid of them entirely once this episode dies down.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Disney can do a lot better. Sell a fully charged portable battery with an USB multi-port cord for $30.

Buy them for less than $10, decent amount of power (a full day's worth), place some cute logos on them, and sell them for $29.

Cuts out the middle man, and Disney makes a good profit.