Six Flags Photo Card Policy Ripoff

[milst1]

I had a bad picture experience Sunday (10/14/07) at SFGAdv Fright Fest.

 

First, I went to Six Flags parks 3 times this season (Great Escape once and Great Adventure twice).

 

My wife and I actually like the photo card thing. We take a lot of photos ourselves, but we have also been giving our Six Flags photo card to be scanned at the after-ride photo booths. We would then go online after the trip and, for a ridiculously steep fee, download the jpegs. I think it was $45 bucks or so for something like 15 pictures. Obviously it's overpriced, but now we can do anything we want with those photos (like put 'em on mousepads and stuff), we don't have to carry a handful of crap around the park with us after every ride, and the cheapest photo at those booths is a really overpriced $15 or so. After 10 rides, the download is a lot cheaper. Yeah, we usually let the park photographers get a snapshot.

 

Anyway, this past Sunday, the Great Adventure photo booth said they wouldn't take my card anymore, and that I could only get the scan if I first bought a photo at the booth. Why? I asked. This photo guy actually stopped serving customers (there was the usual huge crush of teenagers gawking at the screens) and motioned me over to the side of the booth and in a secretive low voice explained that people had been hacking into the Six Flags photo website and downloading photos without paying.

 

So now, if you want them to scan it, you have to buy a freaking $15 keychain first, and then you *still* have to pay the freaking $45 if you want to download it. I'm not a hacker so I can't do it the other way.

 

It it just me, or is this incredible gall, forcing you to pay for the same photograph twice?

 

-Martin

[robbalvey]

That's VERY strange. Did you talk to someone else like his lead? I do wonder if he might have just been trying to make more sales under his name to look good to his supes or something.

 

I really doubt that would be an actual change in policy because if that were the case what would really be the point of the photo card then?

 

I'd see what happens on your next visit or see if anyone else had a similar experience.

 

--Robb

[YoshiFan]

I don't think it was an isolated case:

http://www.gadv.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13135

http://www.gadv.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13119

"Next we hit Nitro. Walk on 7th row. Milder today but still fun. Photo lady was misinformed. She claimed we couldn't use the card unless we were buying the photo."

[milst1]

Honest to Betsy, that's what happened, but no, I did not talk to a manager while there. Managers never seem to be in sight when you're not getting the answer you want from a park employee. And I did get the same story at another booth: "You must buy a picture in order to get a card scan". I have emailed a complaint to SFGAdv Guest Relations.

 

Thanks for your interest, Robb, you coasterpreneur, you.

 

For your viewing pleasure, here is Batman and Robin: The Dismantling.

 

-Martin

Picture of the Dismantling of Batmand and Robin: The Chiller at SFGAdv 10/14/07

[Goliath513]

Do other Six Flags parks charge extra to have the card scanned now?

[XanderLee]

I have emailed a complaint to SFGAdv Guest Relations.

 

Good plan...even if it is a Kodak rule, maybe if someone at the park sees that they'll question them on it and get something done.

 

Since it was advertised that you could do this and buy later, it is outrageous that they wouldn't scan the card. It just costs the company money in the long run.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience. Hopefully they will change their policy (if it's even a policy) in the future!

[Rastuso]

Well, you can certainly download the pics for free. They aren't pristene quality, but they are good enough for a memento picture on your computer or video mp3 player.

 

You need to fool around with the interface a bit to get the best pics. If you zoom into each corner of the picture, get those, then photoshop them together, you can get a nice sized jpg. It works on Disney's site too, although when I did it from our May trip it seems that Disney has lowered the maximum quality you can get from zooming, so at a certain point, you are just digitally zooming.

 

Yeah, it takes a few minutes to do, but I have about $100 worth of Disney photos for free. If they keep the web interface the same, and put all on-rides on photopass, it'll be awesome. My guess is that they are making buckets of cash off these websites, and if a few folks skirt the system, they are crying all the way to the bank.

 

-R

[SFGAFan4]

Isn't it done for the season starting Fright Fest? I'm assuming they'd start then because they're not fast enough to handle the huge crowd for Fright Fest.