Top Thrill STILL closed

ShaneM,

Not to add fuel to your fire but you missed #5

Wicked Twister - closed until about 2:30

I was there all day yesterday as well. I understand your frustration. There were many people complaining all day long about the top coasters being down.At around 2pm TTD,MF, and WT were all down. However, just because the weather was great doesn't mean your entire experience for the day is going to be just as good. Some coaster riding days are just going to be better than others and there is no way around it. Hope you have better luck next time!

Top Thrill Dragster is OPEN.
Ok...I am new to posting on this site so I hope I don't mess this up. I have been reading everyone's comments for about 2 years and enjoy getting updates on what CP is doing. I drove 8 hours to Sandusky on Sunday 5/25 and went to the park on Monday and Tuesday. On Sunday, I heard that TTD had been up and down all day and they actually had it going until about 1am to accomodate anyone in line before the park closed at 10pm. Any park I have ever been to cuts off their queue lines at least an hour before the park closes, or longer on a new ride. I was pretty impressed that they kept it open to get everyone on the ride and I think they may have even had one or more breakdowns after the park closed and they still got everyone on. Now...on Monday there was a sign saying it was closed and MAY reopen, which it did and then my friend and I got in line when it said 2-1/2 hour wait. We waited about 20 minutes and then the cable snapped when it was ready to launch. We stayed in line about another 30 minutes to see if it would reopen and they announced it was closed for the rest of the day and gave us the "pass" to get right on another ride. We chose MF and got on within about 5 minutes. (would have been at least an hour) We were back at the park on Tuesday and TTD was still down but we saw them working on it from the time we entered the park at 9am until it started raining. They were also working on it the night before when we left the park at 9:30pm so they may have even worked on it all night - what dedication! We did not get to ride it this trip but still had an awesome time riding all the other coasters with repeated rides on MF and WT - my 2 favorite rides! I have been to CP every year since 1999 (except last year...no need to go pregnant when you can't ride anything but the train!) and I love the park! They do not gouge you for ticket prices or food and they have a lot of awesome rides for the money. I didn't expect anything for waiting in line and not getting to ride TTD as I realize that CP cannot afford to give refunds and continue to build $28mm coasters, although I appreciated the "pass" to go ride another coaster without a wait. Now I have something to look forward to next year...riding TTD for the first time when all the bugs are worked out!

***Notice my initials are MF...like my favorite coaster!

Shane, many people share your anger.

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Look! TTD's broke a new record!
Most break-downs within a 15 minute period!
*** This post was edited by Anonymous 5/29/2003 12:44:20 PM ***

TTD is down again, Dont know how long this will last. But the line is getting long. Trains havent been dispatched in the last 30 minutes.

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- Dennis
When I die, They'll read this And say a genius wrote it.
http://drinkduff.com/


ShaneM said:
Since you guys were my only source of information Tuesday night before heading to CP on Wednesday, and no one else has done so, might as well share with you that as of last night the TTD is STILL down.


Since GTTP was the only site you could find for good info, THAT WAS TRUE, why did you go? I am surprised that you praise GTTP with having the info correct, but are upset with the fact that TTD was down.

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The best thing about Six Flags "Worlds of Adventure" is that Cedar Point is nearby!

Imagine if ALL the people that didnt get their way yesterday with TTD came here on this site to complain, We would have like hundreds of threads complaining that they wanted something more then just a front of the line pass. That would be funny. But i guess it was only ShaneM who couldnt find the rest of the rides are CP.

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- Dennis
When I die, They'll read this And say a genius wrote it.
http://drinkduff.com/
*** This post was edited by Big D 5/29/2003 12:38:27 PM ***

Pete's avatar

Gemini said:
"Absolutely no skin off their back"

"But a front-of-the-line pass means absolutely nothing to them. NOTHING."

Sounds like you're upset because the compensation you were given did not affect the park financially.

OK, so you're not happy with the line pass. But through all the complaining, you haven't said what you wanted. What would have made you happy?

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Virtual Midway
http://www.virtualmidway.com


And, you said you didn't ask for a refund. I'm curious also, what would have made you happy?


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Florida may have Disney World and Key West,
but Ohio has Cedar Point and Put-In-Bay.
It's great to live in Ohio!

It's opened, it's closed, ....... you guy's got me watching the damn web cam all through the work day. Yesterday some big fat guy was sitting on the bench out front for about an hour, why do I know this?
Having been in the customer service business all of my life I can assure you that some people will NEVER be satisfied.

I once worked in a hotel where a guest complained that her bed wasn't Queen sized and that is what we advertised. She wanted a free upgrade. I assured her the bed was Queen sized but she would have nothing of it. I asked her if that was her only problem with the room. She said, Yes.

So, I took out a purchasing book I had and showed her the beds we had ordered and the dimensions. She agreed that what was in the book was a Queen bed. I then took out a tape measure and went to her room with her and measured the bed, I kid you not. The bed, of course, measured the same dimensions as the one she looked at in the book.

At that point, she said she didn't like that there was no view. (Suddenly, the bed wasn't the only problem.) I told her that she didn't pay for a room with a view and we didn't advertise the room as having a view. She demanded that I upgrade her. I didn't have any other room left in the place, and even if I had, I wouldn't have upgraded her. I offered to give her a refund and help her find an alternate hotel but, of course, that was no good either.

A few weeks letter my boss gets a letter about what a horrible manager I am and that I was a disgrace to the company. I provided horrible customer service, in her opinion, but any sane person will see that there was nothing more I should have, or could have done.

Shane sorry I don't feel sorry for you at all. So you blew one trip to CP to ride TTD. Do you want to know how many trips it took me to ride it. Try 4 times. And each with a wait. (Stuff happens) When you came I will be willing to bet there was a sign that said TTD MAY open today. So the ride broke, an so did some others you decided to stand in line no one twisted your arm.
*** This post was edited by Cedar Point Lady 5/29/2003 1:45:56 PM ***

D. A. Rossi said:
It's opened, it's closed, ....... you guy's got me watching the damn web cam all through the work day. Yesterday some big fat guy was sitting on the bench out front for about an hour, why do I know this?

Unplug your network cable, you won't have to worry about it.


Chief Wahoo said:
Having been in the customer service business all of my life I can assure you that some people will NEVER be satisfied.

Off the subject but...

There was woman at my bar dancing without shoes on, after a HUGE discussion as to the reasons why she had to put them back on, she made the comment, "Is it because I'm white?"

...and I'm white too...

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The best thing about Six Flags "Worlds of Adventure" is that Cedar Point is nearby!

bholcomb's avatar
Well, I know I'll probably catch flak, but I understand where Shane is coming from. The least the park could have done is handed out $15 off coupons for admission... Would have made his admission 28.95 to come back. Still 'no skin off cedar points' back, but im sure it would have made him a heck of a lot happier.

For as much as people rag on Six Flags here, I was at Six Flags over Texas at hte end of July last year... It was like 105 out in the beating down sun (HOW DOES ANYONE LIVE DOWN THERE?!?!) and they lost power. I ended up getting a ride on the Texas Giant and the Titan before giving up and standing in line for 2-3 hours in the customer service booth line to get a full refund. Did they have to do this? No. They did, though. A simple coupon to cedar point and a front of the line pass would have probably made shane quite happy... as well as other guests.

I've personally never had a problem at Cedar Point with rides being down.... Once in awhile one will fail on a day I'm there, but they usually get it back up and running during the day. Its frusterating, but I also realize that Cedar Point has great uptime on their rides.. in fact, I'm quite impressed by the uptime on their rides.

But all in all, I think a coupon to come back would be a good business idea. It ENCOURAGES him to come back, at a reduced price. Thats money CP might not otherwise have gotten. The front of the line passes are nice too... I wish I had one ;)

Anyway, its just my 2 cents. *puts on his fire resistent flak jacket*

ShaneM said:

ALL DUE TO MECHANICAL FAILURE. Come on people...this is ridiculous. I for one am writing a letter to complain about this situation. I know its really not THEIR fault but still...The only fix you get is "here's a ticket to skip the line the next time you and your buddies drop another $200 on us...come again!". Absolutely no skin off their back. Grrrrrr.......

Me: Six Flags would have told you to bend over! (you will see alot of the same answer you aren't reading double!)

ShaneM said:
On top of this, there was and still is NO mention of this on their website or phone system. I would like to think that such a company, knowing that a ride will be down for part or all of the day, would place something to that effect on the website at least.

Me: Uh what magical world do you live in where someones website is better the cedar Points? i mean for an amusement park, Six Flags sux, no one else has a LIVE WEB CAM!!!!!!!! please you don't see anywhere else saying PKI the rides running today are this this this and that rides donw are.... It would be nice but get a life!


ShaneM said:
Generous? Well you are obviously entitled to your opinion. But mine is that generosity is defined by giving something of yourself. As it stands the only effort/cost involved in giving out these line passes is the paper they're printed on and the time to pass them out. Which is about 3 cents per card.

Me: Anywhere else would tell you to bend over, Although it may seem like nothing, but they can't really refund everones money, that is not smart bussiness, did i whine and cry when on opening TTD's line at 9:45 am was already 6 hours long? no i didn't ride it.


ShaneM said:
The cable issue was a two-day affair. Hardly a minor issue. Web sites, as I am sure you're aware, can be updated in a matter of minutes. Not that I'm surprised, as the CP website is pretty poor anyway. But thats inconsequential. All you need is a pop-up or a message on the main page. Not too hard.

Me: Again what other website does this? When X opened up SFI never gave anyone anything, and that ride was SBNO for 6+ months before anyone got a ride.

ShaneM said:
all I'm saying is a little better customer relations is what I'm looking for all-around.

Me:
Have you ever tried to talk to someone at another park? CP has way better guest relations byfar then anywhere else.


This was a poorly planned way of ranting and acting like a little kid. Believe me if Cedar Point could refund money to every unsatified customer they would, but thats not smart bussiness. I went to CP 3 times this year before i go to ride TTD! too bad it happens to the best, but atleast you had a ton of other things to do.

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If beating old people is wrong, i don't want to be right! hehe

trips to CP:3 Dragster:1 MFer:4 Magnum: 8 doesn't get any better then a nice day in may!


bholcomb said:
Well, I know I'll probably catch flak, but I understand where Shane is coming from. The least the park could have done is handed out $15 off coupons for admission... Would have made his admission 28.95 to come back. Still 'no skin off cedar points' back, but im sure it would have made him a heck of a lot happier.

Yeah I would be happy for free $15 coupons. Who wouldn't. Where does it say that CP guarantees the rides to be operating? When a ride has a breakdown, CP does not laugh and say, "we got those suckers today, HAHAHA!" They want the ride operating more than we do. Also if you are planning to come back anyway to use the "$15 coupon", why not just buy a season pass? If you are coming back a second time and spending $86 for two days, cough up the additional $13 and go all year whenever you want.

I understand the disappointment when TTD is down, as I waited 5 hours a couple Sundays ago, and the park was only open till 8pm, and I was only able to ride 5 rides all day. But what did you do BEFORE TTD was around? Get $15 coupons then too?

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The best thing about Six Flags "Worlds of Adventure" is that Cedar Point is nearby!

By the way, Shane, have you ever made a trip to SFMM to ride X? I have, 3 times. It has been open for half the day once, and closed the other two (by the way, their site doesn't mention it, either....). And this is within the last year, when they've been having better luck with the ride.

At least Cedar Point attempts to get their marquee ride up and going. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy SFMM, and X is my favorite coaster. But, Cedar Point has gone above and beyond any attempt by any other park.
*** This post was edited by fruity 5/29/2003 3:16:19 PM ***

If Cedar Point had a total power failure, I guarantee you they would do more for you then give you a front-of-the-line pass.

Let's just assume for a moment that they gave you a $15 off coupon. Now let's assume that there are 20,000 people in the park. If each of them gets one that is $300,000. Not too mention, they have now set a precedent that they could be faced with innumerable times during the season.

What do you do with all the Season Pass holders that day? Should they get something for their aggravation since the daily ticket holders got something?

Where do you draw the line? If Snake River Falls goes down should they owe you a discount? Millennium Force? Is it just the "new" ride of the season or any ride?

Should the hotel guests get an even bigger discount because they are paying a lot of money to stay on property? How much do they get? Should you get a discount on your room at the Greentree b/c the only ride you wanted to hit was TTD?

It sounds easy until you look at the whole picture.

What you went through is a mere annoyance. I would be angry about that too, but I have gone through much worse and have gotten basically no compensation. One time I was skiing at my local ski hill and the chairlift got stuck for 3 hours and 43 minutes(I had a watch to time it) while I was on it. I had no way to jump the 30ft down to the ground, so me and my friend had to sit through 20degree weather not to mention the windchill, while the bumbling ski patrol tried to think up some way to save us. They eventually found some sort of rope shooting device and we had to slide down this icy rope while sitting on some shovel they tied to it. It sucked. All I got was a pat on the back from the ski patrol guy who said "You guys are tough! Go get some hot chocolate in the ski patrol shack!".
I'm sorry but I have to agree with ShaneM. It is not just that TTD was down... 4 more of their "prime rides" were also down at some point during the day. People here are trying to rationalize the issue by comparing CP to other parks (Six Flags, PKI, etc.), but that is beyond the point. I don't care if it is CP, Disney, Six Flag or whatever, I'll be upset anyway. One is entitled to enjoy most of the rides for the money you pay... not just "some of them". It is like going to a cineplex, only to find out that X number of them are not being shown and you are not interested on the rest of them... At least in this situation you will have the chance to make a decision, BEFORE paying up.

I work hard for my money and I support a wife and a child, which is something most of the people in this forum don't do yet. It is not the same when you are in high school or college, when you get to spend your part-time job money on yourself. Imagine for a second a family of 4 under the same circumstances... we are not talking about 50 bucks anymore, we are talking at least 200 (not to mention the possibility of lodging, air fare and other expenses).

Of course you should not plan a trip to an amusement park just for one ride... but in this case we are talking about 5 that were down at some point in time during the day. If the same happened to me, a front-of-the-line pass will not cut it... Definitely some sort of refund (not full, though) should have been in order.

I see some people saying that CP should not do refunds, because it will cost them money (and because other parks don't do either)... so what!!! That is call risk management and every business out there has to live with it. And if other parks don't do it, it is wrong as well. Many larger corporations than Cedar Fair have to go thru the same every day. Why is CP different??? This is just plain reality...

And besides, everyone is entitled to its own opinion, pro or con, so lashing out at one person for expressing its own is definitely wrong...

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