Dumb weather report was wrong!
Park management has more info than we do. Whether they actually do anything with it in regards to rain checks is another matter though.
Seems to me that business decisions should be based on whatever data you have. Making a decision that you just thought would be good without actually analyzing it may produce bad results.
And it may be the case that the park is doing something you think doesn't make sense because management has never thought about it. They may also have thought about it but come to a different conclusion (with or without data to support it). Maybe they are right; maybe you are right. If I am betting, I will go with the folks with access to more data whose job it is to make those decisions (still won't make me right every time).
Joys of weather in northern Ohio...or the joys of weather prediction. For those outside the Great Lakes region planning on visiting change is the only thing to be sure of for our weather.
A number of times I've driven to The Point in pouring rain to arrive there with clearing skes, wet pavement, running rides, and shorter lines. I pretty much always take my chances when I've planned a trip and gone regardless of the predicted weather. Rarely been disappointed, and as has been said a bad day at Cedar Point is better than a good day at work.
Excellent points and I agree with all of them. The park has also been successful with the bad policy in place for a long time. The old saying that if it isn't broke don't fix it doesn't always apply. If that is the case, improvements may never be made. I'm inclined to believe it is more of a mix of park culture, apathy, and a view of management that isn't as big of a problem as they would like to believe because the park is successful. From a different perspective and with available data this explanation is equally plausible.
Even the best and most profitable horse drawn buggy making companies are no longer in existence because they did not respond to customers expectations.
The PointGuru said:
I think GoBucks gives park management too much credit for how much information they have and how much they analyze it...
And you give yourself far too much credit, considering you have none of the necessary data to reach such opinions. And it wouldn't be so annoying if you didn't repeat those unfounded opinions ad nauseum throughout several different threads.
We get it: you think the park has a poor customer service culture. Opinion noted, and no further need to repeat your stale arguments. Can we move on?
Brandon
There are not many businesses that can be successful in the long term with bad policies. At least not major policies. And not if they have a large number of non-major bad policies.
Do successful businesses have some bad policies? Sure. No one is perfect.
But simply because someone views a given policy as bad does not make it so. Again, I will go with the folks who get paid the big $$ to make the decisions over the armchair QBs on a site like this one. And be right most of the times.
The PointGuru said:
The park has also been successful with the bad policy in place for a long time.
Don't say "bad policy" like it is actually accepted to be bad policy. Just because you may want the park to offer rain checks does not mean you can proclaim a policy set by the park as "bad" just because you think it is. Just because you say something doesn't mean that it is true.
I'd rather be in my boat with a drink on the rocks,
than in the drink with a boat on the rocks.
Not because I say so. Because, not giving guest services they paid for or reasonable expected makes it bad policy. Everyone knows that. Most businesses issue rain checks or at least store credit if a customer is dissatisfied. Not the park. That also indicates it is a bad policy. SF management likely has access to the same or at least similar information that Cedar Fair management has. The jury is still out on their system but it sounds as if they expect it to succeed if they plan on rolling it out to other parks after kinks are worked out, they likely see value in changing the policy. Why doesn't the park. I have to repeat myself because people don't pay attention or try to change what I said. It remains a concern because the problem still exist. Being quite doesn't make it go away. I believe I have toned it down quite a bit; but, that also I suppose is a matter of opinion. I just hope differing opinions continue to be permitted on this site. I enjoy the friendly exchange of ideas and I don't recall any post where I have been insulting or rude towards another poster. I agree that management isn't always right; but, they also make there share of good decisions. Saying management knows best is not the answer either. They are human, make mistakes, and loose sight of the bigger picture in the name of profit. They even occasionally have egos that blot out the sun so they can't even see what is in front of their face.
... and that is the value of Guru's posting differing opinions on the internet.
Why doesn't Cedar Fair have the same pricing and offer the same perks for its season/platinum pass as Six Flags? They are different parks serving different markets. What works best for one may not work best for the other.
The fact that both parks even offer season / platinum passes shows they are basically the same. Both parks analyzed data and determined they could raise per capta revenue by enticing more guest to spend more time (and money) in the parks. That is what SF is also trying to do with the rain checks. Minor differences in pricing structure or in perks can be explained by market demands of even management style. Why do the two different parks use different terminology for ride operations?
The horse is dead, stop beating it.
I'd rather be in my boat with a drink on the rocks,
than in the drink with a boat on the rocks.
I haven't posted in about 6 years or so, but I'm doing so today with the hope of helping. Here my unsolicited $0.02...
Guru, you are being heard. Your opinions and supporting arguments regarding rain checks and revenue models have been well-documented and thoroughly discussed on this site. My recent skimming of the forums suggests that many posters here disagree with you and you disagree with them. There's nothing wrong with that.
Let's say I believed very strongly that Raptor should be painted brown, orange and purple and that a thorough remarketing of the ride as a mystical earthworm could offer huge revenues for the park. That could be an interesting conversation for a while and it would probably be best if contained to a single, aptly-titled thread. If after outlining my thoughts, you and/or other people disagreed with me (I expect many would), I would either move on or contact park management to voice my ideas and try to bring the changes about with the actual decision-makers. It might be a great idea or a terrible one, but repeating my opinion over and over wouldn't change its merit and will probably only cause people with differing views to become even more entrenched in their opinions.
I appreciate some of the points you've made and that you're willing to rock the boat a little and go against the status quo, but I don't think anyone benefits from seeing the same information over and over.
On-topic: Most of my favorite CP memories are from days that had wet forecasts. Light crowds!
Mark
Can't believe I'm saying this to someone with that for an avatar, but it can't be put any better than you just said it. Well done. :)
The PointGuru said:
The fact that both parks even offer season / platinum passes shows they are basically the same.
One went through bankrutpcy and wiped out the shareholders, one didn't.
Major difference
This Isn't A Hospital--It's An Insane Asylum!
The PointGuru said:
Not because I say so. Because, not giving guest services they paid for or reasonable expected makes it bad policy.
You pay for "admission" and you get just that, you get to walk into the park. Everything else is extra.
/endthread
Good to see you back Mr. Inkspot. Sadly, the people that made this site so great like Mr. Inkspot, Ensign Smith, and drunkenmonkey hardly post here anymore, and instead we get guru.
Let's Get Weird.
Weather was interesting today. 80% chance of thunderstorms and windy was the forecast this morning. Ended up being too windy for Power Tower, Gatekeeper and Raptor but almost everything else was running. Rained for a grand total of 10 minutes and by 6, the wind started to calm down, enough that GK and Raptor opened around 7.
Goes to show you, forecasts aren't always right. Risked it with the weather this week and had a wonderful time.
You must be logged in to post