Disneyland Paris has been fined 400,000 euros for deceptive commercial practices due to “quotas” restricting access to holders of “annual passes” that were supposed to allow entry to Disneyland Paris all year round, the French fraud control authority (DGCCRF) announced on Monday. “Disney will have to pay a fine of €400,000” the DGCCRF stated on its website. 

An investigation by the DDPP (Direction de la Protection des Populations) in Seine-et-Marne, where the famous theme park is located, revealed inadequate communication contrary to the provisions of the Consumer Code relating to misleading commercial practices, according to the DGCCRF. The investigation uncovered that “quotas” restricted access to the park for annual pass holders, who were supposed to have access to the attractions every day of the year. 

At the end of 2022, several dozen subscribers demonstrated their discontent in front of the park, organized by an internet page named “Yellow Ears” in reference to the Yellow Vests movement, as reported by Le Parisien. The now defunct Infinity, Magic Plus, and Magic Flex passes, which theoretically allowed access to the park for 365, 350, and 300 days a year respectively, at prices ranging from 499 to 319 euros annually, in reality contained restrictive conditions. Specifically, they required compulsory pre-booking for each chosen visit date, and some users reported being unable to visit the park on their desired dates.

In response to the backlash, Disneyland Paris has redesigned its range of passes. All pass-holders, regardless of tier, continue to have a reservation allowance of 3 consecutive days to visit the parks. However, reservation availability is now be included in the overall park capacity. This means that all Disneyland Pass holders have access to the entire capacity of the parks, removing any distinction between pass-holders and day ticket holders. Additionally, on Friday, the Répression des Fraudes indicated that it had fined Disneyland Paris 1.3 million euros for non-compliance with supplier payment rules.

What do you think of the fine? Let us know in the comments below. 

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