Six Flags charges you more to print your ticket at home.

[PKI Jizzman]

You'd think that Six Flags would be a little smarter about how it treats its fans, given that it's teetering on calamity and all. But no, the company, which runs more than 20 parks around North America, has decided that the best way to soak up a little quick cash would be to charge $5 to any customer who elects to visit its website and print his own ticket at home.

 

That's right. It's your printer, your ink, your paper -- and Six Flags won't have to pay anyone in the ticket booth to sell you a ticket, either. Yet somehow, the company thinks you should pay $5 over the price of your ticket to do that. I think Six Flags is a terrific vacation resource, and I want them to stick around. I don't think this is how to go about it. (Although the company has done one thing right: bringing back the delightfully ookie spokes-elder Mr. Six)

 

As some roller coaster fans have pointed out, the online price is often lower than the price at the gate anyway. A $60 season pass at the gate cost $40 online. But Six Flags has been bragging that its tickets are inexpensive relative to other parks, yet those savings

are significantly eroded by the $5 fee, which if you didn't spring for, left you with shipping options ranging $5 to $15. Yep. It's charging $5 to send a ticket by First Class mail.

 

If you spent that $5 on Six Flags stock, the L.A. Times pointed out, you'd end up with 29 shares. Of course, then your ride would be mostly downhill.

 

Roll up, roll up for Six Flags' newest thrill experience: The Gouger!

 

 

Don't most parks heavily discount and encourage printing at home? I know you save 10-15 bucks at KI for doing that!

 

-Zach

[Aughra]

I noticed this yesterday, and I almost said forget it, but decided to print at home anyway. Honestly its a convenience thing and the ticket lines have been bad at least at SFMM, so for me its worth $5 to not have to wait in line for tickets, especially when only one in my group needed the pass.

 

If it was a different time I may be mad, but honestly SF needs the money (they have a huge debt payment due any day now), and if people are willing to pay it, good for them. I was happy to see the park flooded with people yesterday and there were good lines for food, people at the midway etc.

[AllenA07]

Yeah that is a fee I've never been able to understand. It isn't just a Six Flags thing either, I love the last time I bought tickets to see the LA Kings, I had to pay $5 for shipping, which involved them emailing me the tickets and telling me to print them.

[Hercules]

This is a really tough one. Sure, it is a convenience thing, and places tend to charge more for convenience items or services. Just go to your local 7-11 to get motor oil, then go to your local department store and notice the pricing difference. Convenience usually = higher pricing.

 

However, with ticketing, it might be a little different. I know that a lot of parks actually give a discount if you get the tickets at home. They encourage it because it actually brings their expenses down, and makes for a quick entry into the park. I think this just depends on how they do their print-at-home stuff. It could be possible that the parks that are offering the discount are doing it in-house, and aren't taking on the added cost of a host service. Perhaps Six Flags is looking to cover the cost of a service, such as this one:

 

http://www.clicknprint.com/clicknprint-tickets/

 

I would really like to know the whole picture before I judge the company for charging for the print-at-home tickets. I mean, from our end, it is completely crazy that some parks charge less money, while Six Flags is actually charging you an extra fee. But each situation is different.

[Sir Clinksalot]

Six Flags is not alone in this practice. I've seen it at TicketBastard and other places as well.

 

IMO, this is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. Ticketmaster will mail you the ticket for free, or charge you to print it yourself.

[ginzo]

I remember having to pay this silly fee-to-use-your-own-printer when I got my Six Flags pass from Wyandot Lake in 2006.

 

It's a stupid fee, but Six Flags passes are the best pass deal in the industry.

 

I haven't had to pay this fee recently because I've had SFMM just mail me my renewed passes every year.

 

They really should just raise their prices $5 if they just want the extra money. Nobody likes being nickel and dimed.

[CoasterGuy06]

Two points to consider:

1.) They have been charging this for years, and so do most parks.

2.) Most parks that offer this pay an outside company to run the thing, which is why they charge the fee. Most, if not all, of that money probably goes to that company, not Six Flags.

[ginzo]

Two points to consider:

1.) They have been charging this for years, and so do most parks.

 

I don't remember Cedar Fair, Universal, Disney, or Busch charging a fee for print-at-home. In fact, Six Flags is the only theme park operator that I know of that does this.

[Hercules]

^^ Exactly the point that I was making about the outside companies. However, ginzo does bring up a good point. Why not just add the $5 right out of the gate to not give the impression that you are being nickel and dimed? Maybe it is an internal accounting measure or something? Maybe the additional $5 charge is credited automatically to the outside company? That is what I have to figure. Keeping the charges separate to make sure everyone gets their proper share.

 

And yes, Six Flags is the only one that I know of that does this. A lot actually give a discounted price for the online option.

[BeemerBoy]

The parking fee is still worse to deal with.

[ghost007jas]

I just bought my Magic Mountain pass a couple of days ago and I bit the bullet to get my pass ahead of time. It's really not a big problem for me, as I've grown accustomed to these ticket "fees" with nearly every ticket I've ever purchased online...

[ginzo]

^^I can't get as worked up about parking fees. While they are excessive, they can actually point to a real cost with running and maintaining the parking lot.

 

E-tickets most likely save the operator a lot of labor cost. Web development and hosting are cheap, cheap, cheap these days.

[CoasterGuy06]

Cedar Point- "E Ticket" -$3 fee

Universal Orlando- taxes and "fees" are added to your purchase price (the fee comes to to the $2-$3 range)

Dollywood- $1.10 processing fee per ticket

 

There's three I found in just a few minutes. Sure they charge less than Six Flags, but they also charge you full price for the tickets where Six Flags everyone pays kids price when you but online.

[technfxrick]

Actually Cedar Fair does charge it, i just paid $2 to print my tickets at home for my trip to carowinds this weekend

[ginzo]

I checked some old Universal e-tickets and there was a $2.15 processing fee, but it was still a net discount over the gate price.

[CoasterFanatic]

IMO, this is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. Ticketmaster will mail you the ticket for free, or charge you to print it yourself.

 

Totally agree. I cannot figure this one out for the life of me.

[Hercules]

I checked some old Universal e-tickets and there was a $2.15 processing fee, but it was still a net discount over the gate price.

 

Exactly. For King's Dominion, if you get your ticket online you get $15.00 off. Even if they charge you a nominal processing fee, you still get a very good discount compared to the gate price.

[Mr.Six]

"Rabble rabble rabble....."

[Wild 1]

Well I was a little annoyed when I discovered this last month when I was getting my tickets to SFGAV. But then I realized that if you are a member of AAA they will not only give you an extra $10 off (Thats $20 total including the price off from printing online) you do not have to pay the $5 fee! But you have to bring photo ID to get into the park so they know it was you who bought the tickets. Still its nice.

[chemical_echo]

The original article, screamscape, and any other places complaining about the charge just seems to like complaining at everything Six Flags does that they deem "bad customer service."

 

As plenty of people have pointed out; it's still a discounted ticket, and tons of other companies (not just parks) do it. When I bought my tickets online for SFDK back in December, I would have gladly paid $5 to print them because they were already so cheap.

When companies charge full price, plus print at home fees, then some bitching and moaning is justified.

[Carnage]

IMO, this is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. Ticketmaster will mail you the ticket for free, or charge you to print it yourself.

 

Yeah, but they'll also tell you the event is sold out, and that you should go to their legal affiliated ticket scalping website so that you can buy it for 5x the face value.

 

Not too mention that if you do get a ticket, they give you 5 minutes to read all the fine print and agree to their outrageous prices or the tickets get released back into circulation.

 

Ticketmaster will always be the worst devil when it comes to online tickets.

[mcjaco]

Six Flags is charging you for the child price if you print at home. That's $20-ish off from buying at the front gate.

 

 

Who is honestly going to bitch about $5 for printing at home, if the tickets are already $20 off?

[Mr.Six]

^ Looks like a lot of people. Just another excuse to go, "Hey hey terrible Six Flags!"

[Electerik]

It's a stupid fee, but Six Flags passes are the best pass deal in the industry.

 

I don't think they're much of a deal; They only get you into Six Flags. Now the $200 Busch Platinum Pass, that's a deal.

 

Who is honestly going to bitch about $5 for printing at home, if the tickets are already $20 off?

 

People who thought the tickets were going to be one price, only to discover at the very last minute that they were higher...?

 

/Eh, whatever. But it's still deceptive.

[Goliath513]

Why not just raise the price of the online tickets by $5 and eliminate the printing fee? I guarantee that not many people outside the theme park community would know the difference.