$6 Processing Fee

MaverickLaunch said:
Don't you have to click "Agree" or "Buy Now" or some other such button before your credit card is charged?

Actually no. That is my point. If someone could choose to not pay for the fee they would. Someone still may want to buy the pass. If the $6 was included in the price of the pass, then someone could decide if I still want to spend that much to buy the pass.

MaverickLaunch said:

"What is harder to figure out is what that price point is before you show diminishing returns."... It is not hard to figure out, really. It's basic economics, and is referred to as profit maximization.

Agreed with almost everything you said except you miss the part where things become deceptive for the consumer. DJ references people finding value in the total cost of the park visit. If you advertise a product at one price then the consumer ends up paying more than advertised, that is deceptive and unethical. You want to mix apples and oranges. Is the fee an operational cost or not? Is investing in the infrastructure of the park an operational cost or should I pay a fee for that as well. What I do have a right to complain about as a consumer is what value I am getting for the money I spend in the park. It is managements responsibility to not let things get to a point where they have exceeded profit maximization. If they don't hear or listen to customer complaints and respond, that is when companies get into trouble.

Don't forget this online convenience fee is on any online order. No matter what you buy- day tickets, passes, dinosaurs tickets, parking, meals/drinks etc.

The PointGuru said:

MaverickLaunch said:
Don't you have to click "Agree" or "Buy Now" or some other such button before your credit card is charged?

Actually no.

As someone who just today purchased season passes, I can say with absolute certainty that you are incorrect. You are provided the subtotal, fee, and total cost quite clearly before you click "agree/purchase/whatever".

If someone could choose to not pay for the fee they would.

You mean if someone could choose to either pay for a product or get it for free, they'd choose free? Get out of town! ;)

If the $6 was included in the price of the pass, then someone could decide if I still want to spend that much to buy the pass.

Hidden fees/taxes/whatever are nothing new, especially in the Internet era. Sometimes those fees are because the merchant uses a processing service, and sometimes those fees are merely convenience fees. Nevertheless, I can't imagine too many people are ignorant of the concept.

Is the practice annoying? Yeah, I'll give you that. But unethical? Not even close.

Annoying vs. unethical, I will admit that is a matter of opinion. In either case is it good business practice to be unethical or annoying to your customers that you are trying to attract? I've purchased tickets online many times, I still haven't seen the option to not pay for a fee I receive no value from. I also didn't see the option where I could bill the park for the use of my printer, ink, paper and time it took me to complete the order.

The PointGuru said:
It is managements responsibility to not let things get to a point where they have exceeded profit maximization.

That statement is a train wreck. It doesn't even make sense.

Shareholders would understand and agree.

While asking about extra pricing this year, how much does parking cost this year?

It's a special rate this year, only an arm and a leg. Just be happy they aren't asking for other body parts.

The PointGuru said:
I still haven't seen the option to not pay for a fee I receive no value from. I also didn't see the option where I could bill the park for the use of my printer, ink, paper and time it took me to complete the order.

The value you receive is being able to sit on your butt and buy tickets instead of going to the ticket window/season pass center to buy the item. It seems like you have difficulty understanding this simple concept. If you don't feel like paying the convenience fee, just walk up to the Window like you did before the internet and you won't be charged the fee. Simple isn't it?

I've purchased tickets online many times, I still haven't seen the option to not pay for a fee I receive no value from.

That option is always there. It's activated by not hitting "agree", or closing your browser.

I just don't understand all the fuss. Is this your first time purchasing something (like a ticket of some kind) online?

Have you ever gone to a sporting event?

A concert?

The "perceived value" is that you 1) live too far from the park to walk up to the season pass center and purchase one, or 2) you really really want it done early.

Gatekeeper2013 said:
While asking about extra pricing this year, how much does parking cost this year?

From the Cedar Point website:

"The daily parking fee is $15 for cars and motorcycles. For oversized vehicles such as campers, trailers, trucks, etc., the daily parking fee is $20. (Daily parking fees include a $.50 toll charge).

We also offer Preferred Parking for $25 per car. Prefered Parking gives you the closest and most convenient location in our lot!"

JuggaLotus said:

And if that's the case, is this a fee being collected by Cedar Point, or by the company they've contracted to handle the online ordering of passes?

Exactly. Cedar Point gets the entire amount of the season pass sale. Accesso gets $6 for providing the service. It's no different than Ticketmaster for events or Fandango for movies. There was even a fee on top of our $40 off-season event price. That additional fee went to Eventbrite for the ticketing service they provided to us.

I fail to see how this is even a minor issue.

The PointGuru said:
Annoying vs. unethical, I will admit that is a matter of opinion. In either case is it good business practice to be unethical or annoying to your customers that you are trying to attract?

Cedar Fair recently reported its third consecutive year of record revenues and earnings (EBITDA). Maybe they know what they are doing?

I've purchased tickets online many times, I still haven't seen the option to not pay for a fee I receive no value from.

You have had the option every time. If you don't want to pay the fee, don't buy.

I also didn't see the option where I could bill the park for the use of my printer, ink, paper and time it took me to complete the order.

You can make that offer to the park. If they accept, you can bill them (I wouldn't hold my breath though). If not, you can't. Its the same as what happens with the park's offer to sell you tickets online. If you want to accept (and pay the requisite costs/fees), you can. If not, you don't.

This argument is like someone complaining about the prices at the vending machines as they push the button and drink the beverage.

Nonsensical.

Accesso is really awful. Their software is junk, mobile intolerant, and just generally not very good for end users. I don't know why they don't look into using someone better, even if it's to build new product from scratch.

This is really rudimentary stuff. The park out sources it's online ticket sales to Accesso. It is convenient and saves money, time and resources for the park. Basically, if what Walt is saying is true, then Accesso provides the service for free to the park. That still is probably not accurate as I doubt Assesso keeps the whole amount, I would bet that the contract contains a certain amount of kickback to the park. That would explain why their software sucks because they were the lowest bidder for the contract. Who do you think benefits from this arraignment more the park or the consumer? If you would like I could probably list about 10,000 companies that do not charge for their online services. Actually, to put it more accurately, the price of their online services are factored into the price of the product. They do not lure customers to their product then raise the price without telling the customer. DJ even admitted as much, it is purely a money grab and that is unethical.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't there (or isn't there) a culture of being significantly "behind the times" when it comes to even obvious technological advances under DK's leadership?

I'm not sure if this falls into that category, but if so, perhaps it's an artifact from the old guard that will be bettered in the future.

PointGuru, it's a convenience fee, plain and simple. If you don't want to drive to the pass center then you're going to be charged the $6 fee. It's the same reason why you pay $1.69 for a cold 20 oz. Coke, while you could get a 2 liter off the shelf for a buck usually. It's nothing to do with being greedy, you pay more for convenience.

I am still holding out for the "Rhodium" pass holder program.

True, you have to get it tattooed on your forehead, and you have to take an oath to never visit a competitors park, but you do get those unlimited French fried potatoes and the ability to run the rides yourself!

The price is a bit steep, but hey, I have two of those - and I really don't need both of them.