Another Classic Six Flags Moment

So, I went to SFFT yesterday. Trip report wil be forthcoming, but aside from the usual late Fall staffing issues at nearly every park in the country, they were doing adequately. Shows were great, as always. Decor moderate. Rides minimally staffed. Got stopped in the block brake on Supes, which was cool.

However, there was one truly bonehead moment. I don't have a Six Flags pass this year---this was my first SF visit in '06. I went online to buy an advance ticket last week, and saw that '07 season passes were only an extra $15. No problem---I don't have any plans to visit a SF park next year, but it never hurts to have a pass in my pocket if my business travel brings me near a park.

So, I get to the park, the sales booth chick happily swipes my credit card, and I'm on my way. After I clear the turnstile, the turnstile guy helpfully tells me that, each time I come back to the park in '06, I should take my season pass voucher to Guest Services for a ticket.

Huh? You can't process the pass today?

No. They can't process the pass today. I explain that, seeing as how I live in Michigan, it might be hard for me to drive down in '07.

Their response? "If you've got friends or family down here, you can just give it to them."

Thinking that, surely, this is just some uninformed ticket taker, I visit guest services later that day. Sure enough, they can't process the pass. The reason? They have no blank '07 passes yet. I ask what I can do. He stares at me blankly. I say, "I guess I'll just try to find someone else who can use it." He nods, more or less.

So, instead of getting $35 from me for my one day (which I would have happily paid) and another $50 from someone else who would have bought a season pass, they get only $50 from me.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I've got some relatives nearby, and I'll see if any of them want it, I guess.

They started selling 07 passes, and don't even have temporary card stock they can use to process?

As you said...

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

My '07 Carowinds pass can not be processed until next year either. In the mean time we are using temp cards. Of course with the management change that's understandable

Dorney also isn't processing 2007 passes. They are selling them now but all you get is a paper certificate which you then take to the photo line to get your picture taken for the pass but they don't start that until April! (I couldn't re-use my picture from this year because people with a last name from I-Q have to get a new picture this year)

the reason why carrowinds isn't proseccing passes till next season is there in the transfer stage of new ownership since ceder fair llc bought them out this summer!! Six flags now that makes me wonder due to the closetest one to me is outside of Washington d.c. *** Edited 10/15/2006 4:55:58 PM UTC by bullin22980***

I went to CP yesterday to buy my pass, didnt get it either, just a voucher. I was really hoping to avoid the 2 hour waits in April and hit PKI on their opening weekend but oh well, I cant really complain too much when I saved approx. $50 on the Maxx+/Joe Cool/Parking pass combo I bought.

Oh did I mention, CF also doesnt give you October free? You should have asked about this before buying the pass, at least it only cost you $15. Why should you expect them to have an 07 six plus months in advance? Short of providing you with the pass for the start of the season, anything the park does for you for buying it early is a bonus, not a right.

i been to CP and by far it is the Best park i can say in the country!! But it is over 400 miles from where i am from so going there is like a vacation and since only having one week of vacation a year i stick to Hershy park or Carrowinds , PKD or Busch Gardens Williamsburg va or even six flags great Advetures

And there is that little Sixs flags outside D.C SF America

^bullin I lived in Arlington, VA last year and I had Hershey and BGE passes which I consider as good a "home park" situation then what I have this year with a CF Maxx pass with CP and PKI being the two Im going to visit multiple times.

well i agree to a point, I think bge needs to expand the coasters and as i was reading the other day bge is now building a new coaster.

As for hershy haven't been there in about 3 years with work and all never have time for the trip which is about 3.5 hours

I am planning a trip to BGe this coming weekend to the hollo feast

They should have refunded you the difference. Then you would be spreading the word of how helpful their customer service was, not the opposite.

Agree's with peabody

^Why should SF do something the rest of the industry doesnt do, havent you ever read the back of a season pass mainly the line "This pass has no monetary value and cannot be returned."

You know i never looked at the bak of them !!! Going to have to look at the next one

I got mine yesterday at SFNE $64.99 plus another $45 for the parking which is on the pass and is good for every SFpark. They had three picture processing booths open and it took about 5mins

Touchdown: Because it would have been good customer service. Simple as that! It's not like the guy was a local or anything who could have come back another time. I always processed my SFA pass the prior fall....

SFA standing for sixs flags America right ??? If so last time i was there the ride attendence and overall employees where just rude.

Peabody, I know what your getting at however while I think that SF has a lot of problems, this isnt one of them.

Brian was trying to abuse the system (not that there is anything wrong with that, I try to do that as much as possible too) by picking up a SP on the cheap at a park he will never visit again this year. The idea of a SP is to bring locals back to through the gates multiple times providing a stable attendance, customer loyalty, and ideally more cash since they instead spend their money in shops and on food. Since this is what they are designed for, the system of dispersement is set up with that in mind. Now while it might be a minor inconvience to locals (having to come back for the picture/hold on to a piece of paper for six months) its not something drastic. Now, while it would have been "nice" of them to refund, they didnt have to and once again its only $15.

My objection is Brian blowing this issue out of proportion, because as I have shown other chains (CF) do the exact same thing.

I do understand your point, Touchdown, and can't say I actually disagree with you. But, if I personally was in the SF employee's position I'd rather err on the side of making the customer happy rather than erring on the side of creating a pissed off person.

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Peabody said:But, if I personally was in the SF employee's position I'd rather err on the side of making the customer happy rather than erring on the side of creating a pissed off person.

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Buwahahahaha....you'll never get a job at SF with *that* attitude....not that you WANTED one.... :)

edit: Should note that I'm kinda surprised this happened at SFFT. I found them to be among the most friendly and customer-centered of the SF parks...the *confusion* from on high is starting to reign/rain....down... :(

*** Edited 10/16/2006 12:36:02 AM UTC by rollergator***