A downstate Illinois family who accidentally purchased $10,000 worth of Disney+ streaming gift cards instead of gifts cards to Disney parks learned this past week that they're not alone.
Andie Coston, of Normal, Ill., said her parents had planned to take their 16 family members on a Disney vacation, and they bought a series of gift cards to help offset the costs.
But when they went to book the trip, they encountered a problem: the cards weren't working.
"That's when my dad came out of his office, and he was just half laughing, half dejected, and he was like you're never going to believe this," Coston recounted.
The family realized the gift cards were not for Disney parks, but for Disney+ streaming services. Enough for what Coston said is 70 years of streaming.
"We just kind of sat dumbfounded for a minute or two or 10," Coston said.
The error was an "honest mistake" made by her 78-year-old parents, who don't use streaming platforms.
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The Illinois mother said the family didn't know what to do. They were on the phone with Sam's Club and Disney customer service, trying to figure out how to exchange them, when Coston had the idea to make a TikTok.
The video went viral, and through personal and online connections, the family's dilemma got fixed.
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"Everybody, you know, that we've been contacting has been really kind and patient and helpful," the mother said.
Through TikTok, Coston said she received hundreds of comments and messages from people who admitted to making the same mistake.
"It was a total honest mistake, and it's been so validating to have so many other people be like nope we did it too," Coston said.
It's something the family said they will never forget.
"Our great grandchildren will hear about this story," she added.
