In what was a hot-button topic late last year, FuelRod has created a new status for early adopters to ensure that guests are able to continue their free, unlimited swapping per the terms of the original purchase. Before we get into the new “Founders” status, let’s take a look at the road we’ve traveled to get here.
Back in the summer of 2016, FuelRod entered the Disney World theme parks as a convenient way to keep your phone charged throughout the day. Prior to FuelRod coming onto the scene, Disney had lockers for you to charge your phone in, but it would require the guest to be without their device while it charged, a requirement that would prove to be difficult for guests.
The FuelRod was a one-time $30 purchase that gave guests a lipstick-sized charger that may have charged your device enough to get through a few hours, but oftentimes not enough charge to fill the battery. Of course, you weren’t really paying for the charger, but the promise of free, unlimited swapping and convenient locations in which to swap. A less than 30 second swap was obtained by finding a kiosks and simply dumping the empty charger inside and a full charger would pop out.
Fast forward to late-October 2019 and the news that FuelRod swapping would no longer be free. Stickers started popping up on the FuelRod kiosks at Walt Disney World that stated swapping a FuelRod would cost $3 beginning on November 1st.
Many guests were outraged at the cost, which effectively removed all value from the offering. Instead of making their money back on the initial $30 purchase with free swapping, the service would cost them more money over time with the $3 swaps. The chargers themselves weren’t nearly impressive enough to justify a $30 initial purchase, and enough swapping over the course of a Disney World vacation would likely turn that $30 purchase into $60 or more. Enter a class action lawsuit.
Just a few days before the $3 swapping fee was set to take effect, a class action lawsuit was filed.
The lawsuit said that the “free unlimited swapping” promised by FuelRod was a primary benefit of purchasing a FuelRod. The machines even stated that benefit next to the point of sale part of the device. Here are a couple of photos of two of the many machines that featured the “free unlimited swapping” verbiage before a sign was put over that portion of the machine to inform guests of the changes coming November 1st.
Just a couple of days after the lawsuit was filed, Disney backtracked on the $3 charge and decided to keep the free, unlimited swapping.
The decision had been made to not implement the swap fee at the time and that guests would be able to continue swapping their FuelRods for free. It’s worth noting that FuelRod has made multiple public statements on Twitter that the “host location sets the pricing”, so it seems like this is a decision by Disney.
Fast forward to today, and the news that FuelRod is creating a “Founders” status for people who has previously purchased FuelRods as early adopters. The “Founders” status is available for people who have purchased prior to October 26, 2019.
The creation of the “Founders” status also resolves pending litigation against it pertaining to changes in its policies regarding charges for swapping its devices. As a Founder, the customer can continue to enjoy free, unlimited swaps at any FuelRod kiosks. There is no cost to eligible customers to become a Founder.
Once verified, Founders will use the FuelRod app in conjunction with the kiosks to obtain free swaps under the program. The app will generate a scannable QR code that will be input at the kiosk at the time of the swap. The kiosk will then allow Founders to swap their existing FuelRods for free, even at kiosks that charge to swap.
All existing FuelRod customers are encouraged to verify their eligibility by completing a simple questionnaire at https://kiosks.fuel-rod.com/questionnaire.php.
NOTE: Upon verification, the customer must create an account on the FuelRod Mobile app using the same email address as indicated in the questionnaire before their “Founders” status can be automatically activated.
If the customer doesn’t already have the FuelRod app on their smartphone, they must download it and create their account using the same email address as indicated in the questionnaire.
If the customer has already created an account on the FuelRod mobile app using the verified email address, they need to make sure that it’s been updated to v2.1.0 or later.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com for the latest Disney Parks news and photos. We’ll continue to bring you news and photos, where possible, through the Disney Parks closure due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) and will resume our normal coverage once the parks reopen to guests on July 11th!