by Jeff Putz
posted 1/28/2001

The reaction of Northeast Ohio residents to the purchase of Sea World by Six Flags was generally less than positive. As a lifetime resident of the area myself, I would agree that it is a shame Shamu will be leaving, and that I will not be able to take my kids to see the killer whale. Of all the public reaction in the local media, there was one item that really stood out. A letter to the editor in Cleveland’s Plain Dealer from a mother was one of the most scathing public critiques of an amusement park I’ve ever seen, especially from a non-enthusiast. She more or less reduced Six Flags Ohio to carnival status with complaints of closed rides, rude staff and various operating deficiencies. Several other letters mirrored the woman’s complaints.

As coaster enthusiasts, we tend to overlook many of the problems at amusement parks because we just want to ride, and ride as much as we can. However, when members of the general public start to see things like stacked trains, closed rides, slow food service and general indifference to guests, an ugly future starts to appear for these parks. While certain markets begin to get crowded with more heavy-hitting parks, there will be clear winners in the amusement park battle, and the number of rides won’t matter.

The foundation of a successful leisure business is customer service, plain and simple. It doesn’t matter if it’s a restaurant, hotel or amusement park. We’re spending good money to have a good experience, and if we don’t get it, we’ll go elsewhere and recommend to our friends and family to do the same.

There are a hundred little things that make a good experience. Good ride throughput is at the top of the list, because no one wants to spend time in line if they don’t have to. Fast and accurate food service is also important, especially when you consider the high cost of in-park eating. Security should be visible and enforced, so line jumping and rowdy or drunken guests do not interfere with your day. Employees should treat you as if it was the only visit you’ll ever make to a park, any park, in your entire life. A clean park is a must to complete the experience.

Above all, when something isn’t right, and you complain, the park’s management should make it right.

It doesn’t matter how many rides a park builds in a year, or what new records the rides may hold. If a park can’t match world-class rides with world-class service, it will fail. There’s a reason that smaller, more traditional parks like Holiday World, Kennywood and Knoebel’s are held in such high regard; their people take care of you and show you a good time.

If our local parks can’t show enthusiasts a good time, we’ll drive a little further away. If the parks can’t show the rest of the public a good time, they’ll spend their money at the movie theater and the mall. It’s pretty hard to get a return on your ride investment when your lost customers are spending money funding the next Pokemon movie.