Rain checks, why not?

This came up enough on other threads it needed its own. I see no reason why the park couldn't change its weather policy and issue rain checks to guest who are dissatisfied with the lack of service on days when the park closes a number of attractions for weather or mechanical reasons.

First, people have to understand the difference between a refund and a rain check. With a rain check the park loses zero money. You could actually argue that the park makes money by holding onto the customers money in an interest bearing account until the customer redeems the rain check. Plus, the park makes money off of parking twice, not to mention any revenue from any food or merchandise the customer may have bought the day the received the rain check. Some of the customers will never redeem the rain check anyways. It makes the customer happy and are more likely to spend more money in the park when the return. For all of those reasons, having some sort of rain check policy would be better than the current practice of: to bad, you lose, we have your money and it's your fault you decided to come on a day the weatherman was wrong or on a day when you never should have given us your money in the first place, sucker.

As I mentioned on another thread, even if the park didn't give full rain checks and they passed out some sort of coupon to be used on a return visit or on food or merchandise in the park, most people would be grateful for that and would spend more money in the park rather than leaving the park feeling that they had been taken advantage of. All the coupon has to say is: "Thanks for being a valued customer and spending your time and money with us. We know you came to the park to try our new ride, Gatekeeper; but sorry, due to weather or mechanical problems beyond our control we had to close the attraction for your safety. Please come back and see us again (and pay full price admission and parking) and we will give you a piece of paper with your picture on it while you are on the ride when it is running, thank you for being a valued guest".

Even if the park's policy is to warn people that they may close rides for whatever reason, doesn't it make more sense to make guest happy and enjoy their stay rather than irritating them because of an inflexible policy?

What if only 1 ride is closed, either because of mechanical or weather reasons? Should I get a rain check/coupon? After all, I would most certainly claim that that one ride was the one that I came to ride.

You offer the coupon first. If that is not good enough, then give the rain check. In another thread I compared the park to a crab leg buffet at a restaurant. If the restaurant ran out of crab legs there still would be other food for the person to eat. Maybe that person really liked the mashed potatoes, was full and was happy with a discount coupon for their next visit. If not, then you give a rain check. The park still has the persons money. Maybe the person comes back and spends more money at the bar, maybe they don't come back at all and don't use the rain check or they lose it. Either way you make the customer happy, you don't lose money and a happy customer is more likely to come back and spend more than one who feels ripped of.

Who would accept a coupon if all they have to do is say "that's not good enough" to get a rain check?

As I wrote in another thread:

"Giving out rain checks would just open up a can of worms with people reselling the rain checks, giving them to friends or even worse feed a black market operation that buys and sells rain checks similar to scalpers at a sporting event.

Cedar Point doesn't close if the weather is bad, you will have a sizable amount of people staying in the park and then profiting off the rain check through either selling it or creating good will with their friends by giving it away. Net loss for the park."

It says on the tickets. no rain checks so you know when you go, that it is at your own risk

Im just glad The PointGuru isn't employed by or running Cedar Point or Cedar Fair. Company would be bankrupt with a business philosophy like that.

Eyes. Are. Bleeding.

Make. It. Stop.

You keep using the name Guru, I don't think you know what it means.

Inconceivable!

Wait... Are you Sicilian? I don't want to commit the classic blunder that is only slightly less well known the classic blunder of getting involved in a land war in Asia.

Pete said:

"Giving out rain checks would just open up a can of worms with people reselling the rain checks, giving them to friends or even worse feed a black market operation that buys and sells rain checks similar to scalpers at a sporting event.

Pete, I hope you are kidding. The CP rain check black market and scalping, seriously? We would have to call in Elliot Ness. Unless of course the park required photo ID to receive and use the rain check. Darn it, then the whole black market is foiled before it could even get started. Still, there is no downside to giving rain checks.

thepoint4life23 said:
It says on the tickets. no rain checks so you know when you go, that it is at your own risk

This quote is my fault. It does answer the question posed in the name of the thread. Let me rephrase. Why does the park have such a bad policy concerning the issuing (or not issuing) rain checks. Consider all of the reasons I put in my first post.

LOL, you really think any potential rain check would be tied to a photo id and all the time and overhead that would be associated with that?

You seriously don't think there will be abuses like buying and selling of these rain checks you are proposing? It's happened in the past, even people counterfeiting regular CP admission tickets. Here is an article: http://www.northwestohio.com/news/story.aspx?id=636341#.UZRISCtARqI

EDIT: Let me add this, rain checks are issued when a place is closed or an event is postponed. CP doesn't close because of the weather. There are other activities like shows and games, even just sitting at a bar and drinking beer. The overnight guests would be very upset if they would close the park because of wind or rain. Giving out a rain check because some coasters are closed makes no sense at a resort park like CP.

Really getting tired of hearing the negativity about the park and/or what they can do to improve. A new rollercoaster wasn't good enough? So you went on the worst day imaginable. Who's fault is that. Someone on here wants to open the park for more days without regard to cost. I usually go on the Final Day of the year and it is 32 degrees on Saturday night at midnight. You went for opening weekend and it was to windy to open rides. They tried to satisfy you by valleying multiple rides. You want a refund. I have a good idea. Don't go back. You think they will miss you.

The problem I have with rain checks is simple. Any simple minded hippie freak without any salvagable braincells(me) can go to CP in the middle of summer and wait in line for hours or maybe even for a thunderstorm that lasts an hour. Not get the rides in that we expected and still leave happy and grateful for the time we spent our money on. You chose to go in the spring when it rains for hours at a time and is windy alot. I am going this weekend so I am stupid too. You pissed your money away.

What if, hypothetically, there was a "rain check" policy. Could I go to the front desk at checkout and say,"We loved are trip here, but we accidentally brought Aunt Flow with us and I didn't get my last ride." Therefore I should get a free room some other night.

Suck it up. Everyone makes bad decisions. It's what makes us human. If the biggest mistake you've ever made was going to CP on a bad day you got it made. I'd trade that in a heartbeat!

Rain checks are good for customer relations and make money for a business. Who cares if someone takes advantage of the system, the park still makes more money. Pete just gave an example of how people already take advantage of the current system. Some people will take advantage of anything they can, whenever they can. What if someone takes advantage of the system and wants to come back to the park again? Good, that is what you want to happen. What everyone seems to keep forgetting is the park wants people to come to the park and spend their money. It is a losing argument if you keep saying "Hey, you were the idiot that decided to give the park your money on a day with bad weather, deal with it". That is the equivalent of the sore loser taking his ball and going home. If you can give me a real reason as to why the park shouldn't give rain checks, I would love to here one (black markets and boogiemen don't count as real reasons). Other than that, I will consider my opinion to be the best one.

How about: The park doesn't offer them now, and profits are up.

A real reason the park shoudn't give rain checks: They don't want to, they don't have to. There is no law saying parks, stadiums or any outdoor acticity has to give a rain check.

Attendance is down for the last 20 years according to Walt's chart on another thread. Probably because of poor customer relations. Revenue is up because they keep raising prices on all sorts of things. Think how much more profit the park would be making if they increased attendance by giving rain checks. Good question though.

Other than that, I will consider my opinion to be the best one.

You just opened a can of worms. You didn't even mention my hypothetical last ride miss. I don't think you even know who Aunt Flow is and it's way over your head. That tells everyone here you know nothing!

Pete said:
Giving out rain checks would just open up a can of worms with people reselling the rain checks, giving them to friends or even worse feed a black market operation that buys and sells rain checks similar to scalpers at a sporting event.

I disagree here... Firstly, part of the reason scalpers have so much "power" when it comes to sporting events is the fact that the event in question is often sold out. Thus, when there are no more tickets to be had, the scalper can name his price. This is not the case with the Point, though. The park rarely (if ever) stops selling tickets, so a scalper wouldn't be able to charge more than the park does at the gate. So yes, reselling would be possible, but it wouldn't be quite as dramatic the scalping we see for limited capacity professional sporting events, concerts, etc.

Secondly, there are already plenty of black market opportunities for CP tickets as it is. Think about how the park sells discounted tickets to many local companies (as per group sales arrangements). Employees who don't want those tickets can and do buy them at the discounted price and then sell them to others for slightly more. And yet, despite this, the park seems to be surviving.

Rain checks could cause some problems. I agree. But I don't think they're quite as impossible or damaging as some people make them out to be.