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

[YoshiFan]

They also charge $10 to mail you your season pass if you don't want to pay $5 to print the voucher and then still have to stand in line.

 

I don't mind a small shipping fee but they should be charging $1 or $2 at most to mail the passes. I paid the $10 to ship the pass because for $5 more I didn't have to wait in line or pay for ink to print the voucher but it was still annoying.

[Hercules]

^^ From page one...

 

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

 

^^ 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.

[Sir Clinksalot]

The funny thing about the Six Flags online tickets is,

 

They will charge you $5 for "convenience" on your tickets or Season Pass, but they don't charge you the same fee when purchasing parking online.

[ghost007jas]

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.

 

 

...that pass only gets you into the Busch family of parks? How is that any different?

 

You can argue that you get more with a Platinum Pass with over all benefits, but you ARE getting more parks with a Six Flags' pass.

[BuddyChrist]

ALL ABOARD!

 

[ginzo]

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.

 

Personally, I'm more into doing new places. So, I'd rather have a Six Flags pass because I've done the BG parks enough and SeaWorld doesn't interest me.

[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.

 

...that pass only gets you into the Busch family of parks? How is that any different?

 

Um, because they're good parks. Sorry, I was being snarky. Perhaps I should have made it more obvious.

 

/Yes, I'm a Six Flags basher--I admit it. It's their fault, though.

//Actually, I have both. But I've used the Busch one way more.

[ghost007jas]

Ah, I see. I thought you were comparing on a "factual" basis, not on your opinion of the parks, my mistake!

 

Jake "Lack of tone on the Internet is an awful, awful thing" Sundstrom

[Jds03]

Not surprising. This is definitely not the first time SF has tried something like this. I can remember about three years ago when I had my season pass renewed online they dinged us ten bucks for shipping two plastic cards in an envelope.

[Mr.Six]

If all these prices really bother everyone so much then why do you guys do it?

 

To me its one of those things as "It is what it is" . If I don't like it, I won't do it.

 

If you guys really are Six Flags bashers then why go back to their parks and buy their passes? Is it because Six Flags isn't half as bad as you want to make it out to be? But you still like talking big about a $5.00 - $10.00 difference?

 

Just pointing out the obvious.

[PKI Jizzman]

But you still like talking big about a $5.00 - $10.00 difference?

 

I like to think of the money saved. If I save 5-10 dollars here, I can spend a little extra there. If I'm being charged extra for my ticket that day...I see it as now I have to maybe skip a Dippin' Dots or something to equal out the cost to the total I actually wanted to spend.

 

Or maybe I'm just OCD like that...

 

I've never really been put in the situation to buy a ticket, now that I think about it. Always had a pass, been going with a special ticket, or given tickets.

[ghost007jas]

^ But look at that same situation from the park's perspective.

 

You pay five dollars online, and their profit is (theoretically) five dollars. You buy a Dippin Dots for five dollars, and their profit is five dollars - the amount it cost to create the Dippin Dots, right?

 

So it's really in the park's best interest to have you spend your money online than it is for you to spend it in the park. I think.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Just so everybody knows, in every theme park in existence, there is no magical ticket fairy that comes and collects everybody's printed at home tickets once you hand them off to the employees at the Front Gate. Someone employed by whatever park you're at has to bring all those 8.5x11 papers to a certain area where other someones, also employed by the park, deals with them. Once that's done, other someones deal with the information gathered from that process. All of this is costs incurred by the park. All parks have to spend money in terms of manpower and overhead to deal with the tickets, not to mention what money is fed to the likely 3rd party facilitating the online sale/print out.

 

ANY ticket medium involves a cost to a park somewhere. So if attributing the $5 fee to something makes you feel better about it, attribute it there.

 

As has been pointed out, this $5 fee brings the $20 online discount all the way down to $15. Think of it as getting free parking when you buy admission online. Doesn't that feel better?

 

Of course, if you really, really hate the $5 fee, you could just buy the full price admission at the gate when you arrive. You'd be turning a $5 fee into a self-imposed $20 defiance fee, but at least you can sleep at night knowing you didn't let greedy Six Flags get their clutches on your $5!

[Electerik]

Of course, if you really, really hate the $5 fee, you could just buy the full price admission at the gate when you arrive. You'd be turning a $5 fee into a self-imposed $20 defiance fee, but at least you can sleep at night knowing you didn't let greedy Six Flags get their clutches on your $5!

 

The $5.00 isn't really the problem. It's the deception. Tax notwithstanding, they advertise it as $30.00--but then when you try to buy it, it's $35.00. They've already lied to me and I'm still in my house. What's going to happen when I get there? Perhaps they won't run the rides efficiently to save on maintenance costs or to try to sucker me into buying a Flash Pass. Oh, wait....

 

If you guys really are Six Flags bashers then why go back to their parks and buy their passes? Is it because Six Flags isn't half as bad as you want to make it out to be? But you still like talking big about a $5.00 - $10.00 difference?

 

Before my trip to SFOG in March, I hadn't been to any Six Flags in over five years. And I hadn't owned a Season Pass since 2000.

 

I went back because everyone kept telling me that things had gotten better, and I didn't want to be pigheaded.

 

I saw some things I liked, and I saw some thing I didn't like. I also bought two Annual Passes online, and got hit with an extra $10.00 I didn't expect. And I didn't like that. But I paid it anyway, because I'd already made plans based on the false information Six Flags had given me. Which is exactly why they're doing it this way.

 

Look, I'll light a $5.00 bill on fire right now if it'll convince you that my problem isn't the money, it's the deception.

 

Yes, I went anyway. But, yes, I am holding it against them. And they only get so many of those before I stop going again. I'm sure they don't really care. Obviously, they're doing just fine without my money...right?

[Hercules]

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.

 

...that pass only gets you into the Busch family of parks? How is that any different?

 

Um, because they're good parks. Sorry, I was being snarky. Perhaps I should have made it more obvious.

 

/Yes, I'm a Six Flags basher--I admit it. It's their fault, though.

//Actually, I have both. But I've used the Busch one way more.

 

Erik - Don't worry. I love your snarky posts. I understand them. So when you go to bed tonight, you can rest easy, because at least someone knows you are being sarcastic.

 

^ But look at that same situation from the park's perspective.

 

You pay five dollars online, and their profit is (theoretically) five dollars. You buy a Dippin Dots for five dollars, and their profit is five dollars - the amount it cost to create the Dippin Dots, right?

 

So it's really in the park's best interest to have you spend your money online than it is for you to spend it in the park. I think.

 

No. I think you need to take either a finance or economics class to get these simple principles. Let's use your Dippin' Dots example. The park charges $5 not to cover the cost of the Dippin' Dots, but to make a profit. Let's just say it cost the park $.95 (including the cup and spoon) for each small cup of Dippin Dots. They charge $5. The profit on the Dippin' Dots would be $4.05. A business would be foolish to charge for the cost of the product they are selling, as you worded your post.

 

Also, they are not making $5 off of the online tickets. The company they are using for the online ticketing is at least getting a portion, if not all of that $5. So the park is not making the money off of the online tickets, they are just using that additional charge to pay their bill.

 

I think even if Six Flags lowered their online ticket cost by an additional $5, and a pop up came up that there would be a $5 charge for the online ticket, people would still be complaining. I don't think Six Flags wins in this situation.

[BeemerBoy]

Look, I'll light a $5.00 bill on fire right now if it'll convince you that my problem isn't the money, it's the deception.

 

Yes, I went anyway. But, yes, I am holding it against them. And they only get so many of those before I stop going again. I'm sure they don't really care. Obviously, they're doing just fine without my money...right?

 

I love this post. I feel the exact same way. I simply don't understand the need for excessive fees for this and that. Covering the cost for the outside company which handles the ticketing is fine, but just figure it in ahead of time, jack up the price to compensate for it, and advertise a base price before tax. Case closed.

 

Don't get me wrong, I think current Six Flags pricing is a pretty good deal, but I agree that the deception is what pisses people off. If I take the time to visit either a physical location or an online marketplace to purchase something at a supposed advertised price, then dammit, it better be *that* price (before taxes or shipping, of course).

 

 

 

 

I like to think of the money saved. If I save 5-10 dollars here, I can spend a little extra there. If I'm being charged extra for my ticket that day...I see it as now I have to maybe skip a Dippin' Dots or something to equal out the cost to the total I actually wanted to spend.

 

Or maybe I'm just OCD like that...

 

Same thing here, but I'm going to apply it to parking instead. If I'm not paying fifteen frickin' dollars to park my car in a generic lot with rent-a-cop supervision (at best) for 8-10 hours, then I'm easily spending it inside the gates on food or merchandise. And considering that basic concessions are probably jacked up 500% or more, then wouldn't it make sense to see your patrons standing in lines and forking over the cash in that department?

 

Seriously, besides the cost of tram maintenance at the parks that provide it, what the heck else am I paying for in the parking lot? What does it cost to "maintain" a parking lot? Are they repainting the lines each night? Are they washing my car as it sits there? Is lot "security" not covered in the overall security budget for the property? Maybe I'm just boneheaded on this one, but I'll NEVER understand paying a ridiculous amount to park my car. If I'm the park owner, I want the image of people seeing other people buying up everything I'm selling....INSIDE THE PARK.

 

In fact, I think "security" for the parking lot is overrated. Put up a "park at your own risk" sign and be done with it.

 

Sorry, that's just one thing that grinds my gears, and I'm never gonna waiver on it either. It's complete BS no matter how you slice it. [/end rant]

[Jew]

Just so everybody knows, in every theme park in existence, there is no magical ticket fairy that comes and collects everybody's printed at home tickets once you hand them off to the employees at the Front Gate. Someone employed by whatever park you're at has to bring all those 8.5x11 papers to a certain area where other someones, also employed by the park, deals with them. Once that's done, other someones deal with the information gathered from that process. All of this is costs incurred by the park. All parks have to spend money in terms of manpower and overhead to deal with the tickets, not to mention what money is fed to the likely 3rd party facilitating the online sale/print out.

 

Aside from the fact that is the most inefficient online ticketing system ever if it really requires the ticket to be collected and processed elsewhere, apparently Six Flags must employ a magical ticket fairy, since they are the only chain in the industry to add a $5 surcharge to print at home tickets.

 

My thoughts are this: if there was any doubt left that Six Flags will be declaring bankruptcy, this should remove that doubt. They've done a lot of good with Q-bots, preferred parking, advertising, VIP tours, and extensive online purchasing options, but now I think this has signaled the end of their good revenue generating ideas. It's a sign of desperation to tack on the surcharge (just like airline baggage fees).

 

Side note: does anyone know when the 24.99 online ticket price popped up for SFMM? I just noticed that the online price may have coincidentally dropped $5 after this story made news....

[ghost007jas]

No. I think you need to take either a finance or economics class to get these simple principles. Let's use your Dippin' Dots example. The park charges $5 not to cover the cost of the Dippin' Dots, but to make a profit. Let's just say it cost the park $.95 (including the cup and spoon) for each small cup of Dippin Dots. They charge $5. The profit on the Dippin' Dots would be $4.05. A business would be foolish to charge for the cost of the product they are selling, as you worded your post.

 

Also, they are not making $5 off of the online tickets. The company they are using for the online ticketing is at least getting a portion, if not all of that $5. So the park is not making the money off of the online tickets, they are just using that additional charge to pay their bill.

 

I think even if Six Flags lowered their online ticket cost by an additional $5, and a pop up came up that there would be a $5 charge for the online ticket, people would still be complaining. I don't think Six Flags wins in this situation.

 

That's not what I was saying at all. What I was saying is that it costs them less to charge you an extra five bucks online than it does for you to purchase a Dippin Dots inside the park. Clearly the park is trying to make a profit, and they will make a more substantial profit (unless this online ticketing company is taking a larger amount of money than Six Flags loses from say the sale of a Dippin Dots) from this charge than they will from selling merchandise for the same price in the park.

 

I think a lot of people expect to pay some kind of fee, and it's worth it to get your ticket ahead of time. I am more than willing to pay five dollars to not have to wait in that horrendous ticket line.

[ParkTrips]

Seriously, besides the cost of tram maintenance at the parks that provide it, what the heck else am I paying for in the parking lot? What does it cost to "maintain" a parking lot?

I remember discussing this in school... it was for either econ or political science, I don't remember. Anyways, we were talking about parking in Atlanta (fairly cheap city anyways) and on campus and such, and it costs a lot more than people would want to think. The figure tossed out was $1000 per space per year for maintenance..! Mind you, its more like $4-6k per space to build it (double or triple that for decks) in the first place, and about $3k just to resurface it

 

Here's an interesting article I came across a while back... doesn't really apply in this situation but is a good read nonetheless.

 

<< never thinks parking it too much!

[Hercules]

^ I remember talking about parking prices back in the TPC days. Thank you for making that point.

[ginzo]

Seriously, besides the cost of tram maintenance at the parks that provide it, what the heck else am I paying for in the parking lot? What does it cost to "maintain" a parking lot?

I remember discussing this in school... it was for either econ or political science, I don't remember. Anyways, we were talking about parking in Atlanta (fairly cheap city anyways) and on campus and such, and it costs a lot more than people would want to think. The figure tossed out was $1000 per space per year for maintenance..! Mind you, its more like $4-6k per space to build it (double or triple that for decks) in the first place, and about $3k just to resurface it

 

Here's an interesting article I came across a while back... doesn't really apply in this situation but is a good read nonetheless.

 

<< never thinks parking it too much!

 

There's also property tax, which ain't cheap.

[mcjaco]

I'd gladly pay the $5 bucks at home on my own printer that is free of Swine Flu.

 

Or, I can go pay an additional $15 at the gates and perhaps contract the Swine Flu from touching their unclean, poorly maintained property.

 

End of problem.

[monsterfan99]

For those that said Cedar Fair charges it, no fee at King's Island for a Platinum Pass.

[BeemerBoy]

Here's an interesting article I came across a while back... doesn't really apply in this situation but is a good read nonetheless.

 

<< never thinks parking it too much!

 

Taken from that article:

Parking is like gasoline: Cars use it, so drivers should pay for it.

I use restrooms daily too. I don't see separate fees for that....yet.

 

 

 

I don't know, I guess it's just reason #1001 that I'd rather visit places like Knoebels and Holiday World. They still *get* it.

 

<-----Doesn't need anything more than a gravel lot.

[mcjaco]

I don't know, I guess it's just reason #1001 that I'd rather visit places like Knoebels and Holiday World. They still *get* it.

 

*Cough* Breathalyzer *Cough*