Six Flags: Anything BUT a Thrilling Day

I received an E-mail from a customer relations person, that was
extremely scripted. It basically said I am a valued customer and the
issue will be addressed, however, it did not even apologize. The
representative also offered 3 exit passes, which means My partner and
I could go to the exit lane of ONE ride and get right on, the second
time, one of us would have to wait in line. I was not looking for
anything other than an apology, and I did not even get that. So I
called the park directly and spoke to a supervisor. He explained that
the particular day we were there, there were three groups that had
booked events at the park each over 500 people, and the largest, which
was over 700 people reserved 700 of the flash passes (which was why
they ran out). I explained to him, we were not upset they ran out of
flash passes, we were upset there was no communication from the park
that they had run out... instead they chose to let us waste our time
standing in line for well over 90 minutes in the 80 degree sun when
they KNEW they had no more. I then listed off the other lines we
waited in only to be told the ride was shut down, or they did not have
the food or drink item we wanted to order. He was very nice,
apologized profusely, and offered a free flash pass on our next visit
(which we have yet to use).

We ventured back to the park last Sunday.... WOW, what a difference!!
We got there about 10:15, and first thing we noticed was there was
practically no lines at the turnstyles to get in, AND there were 2
park employees out there helping to guide people. Once in the park,
there seemed to be MORE employees working, lines at concessions were
shorter than we had seen them during ANY of our previous visits. The
one experience we had where we saw they were out of a food item, there
was a big sign posted saying they were out of it at the concession.
Thank you Six Flags for listening and implementing some changes to
help alleviate frustration.

The reason that employees look so miserable is because of the huge
crowds. On really busy days like that the lines are just constant,
and you can't even stop for a minute to take a drink or go to the
bathroom. Working at an amusement park can be great, but when you
have the kind of days where the lines just NEVER stop, it is rough.

I don't know why anyone would go to an amusement park on a Saturday in
the middle of summer. Avoid that at all costs!

i agonize with you over a rough day that caused this PFB post, yet i
have to wonder about a couple of things.

#1... 6 times this season and this was the worst yet?
if it was bad the first 5 times? why go back for a 6th try? i
understand you have those season tickets , but personally i would have
been complaining to 6 flags after the 3rd time and getting a refund(or
partial refund) for those season tickets and making sure they knew
EXACTLY why i wanted the refund.

#2 ..... ok so you hung in there and made 6 tries. congrats on being
that much of a glutton for punishment. but if you had to stand in a
"madhouse crowd" for an hour even to get in the gates.. shouldn't that
have told you to turn around and go home right there? if it was that
bad just to get in... i could guess right there it would be a zoo
inside also.

Come by and take a look!

http://planetfeedback.typepad.com/mommage/

Thank you for posting this. It had been in my mind for a while to
take the family on a jaunt to that park. After reading this, I
changed my mind and will head for Canobie Lake instead.
Maybe if enough people read reviews like this, they can get their act
together.

Yeah, since they bought out the 2 amusement parks closest to my Moms
house in CA, ( Marriott's and Marine World) we rarely go when we visit
my Mom. It costs a ton, the employees aren't overly friendly and they
have altered or obliterated some of the shows so we just didn't have a
great time last time. I wonder if you'll actually get that phone
call??? You can't be the first to complain.

I had so many visits that mirror your exact claims.

Have you considered being a season pass holder at Canobie Lake Park in
Salem, NH?

Smaller park yes, but MUCH MUCH MUCH better experience. You can
actually get on a ride in less than 10 minutes (even the longest lines
are under 20 minutes) and the park is full places to eat that never
have a line more than 2-3 minutes tops, even on a Saturday.

"I am horrified that this park would be in such disarray... especially
on a Saturday in JULY!! "

As a frequent visitor, you should know this is the WORST time to
visit! We usually take a day off during the week and go, and it's
still pretty crowded, but not unbearable. 9 years ago we went on a
Saturday in the middle of the summer, and we vowed never again. I
waited in line 45 minutes just to get a soda, and we were there all
day and only got to ride 3 rides.

I would recommend you make your visits weekday visits, and you'll have
a much more enjoyable time.

I'm glad that you are not only speaking up, but also requesting a
phone call from management. This situation sounds outrageous. Long
lines at a theme park in July are unavoidable, however there are
things that can be done in order to move things along more smoothly.
It certainly doesn't sound like this park has things figured out.
Even in Disney World, concessions are placed strategically, so there
are never long lines at any one stand. I hope you truly consider
spending your money elsewhere next year if things don't get better.
Who wants to frequent a place where the employees are miserable? If
the employees are miserable, that opens the gate for short fuses.

I feel sorry for the employees. Imagine how much in one day they get
screamed at for something that is totally beyond their control.
(staffing levels).

I hope the management takes this as a sign to re-arrangle their plans.

If you get the sense that the employees hate their jobs, and that
there is no communication happening between management/employees and
waiting customers, that's probably just a sign that there is very poor
management of this park.

While one certainly can expect crowds at the gates, what you describe
sure sounds rather extreme and I agree that there should have been
employees directing the human traffic and making things more orderly.

It sounds like Six Flags could use an overhaul in management. I hope
your letter sends a message to the powers-that-be that things need to
be looked into. Good luck!