My Funperks Account Complaint

[Joncars05]

This is a long story so I made a new topic. This is a funperks complaint. Let me mention that I haven’t had a problem with the program until now. In fact it is actually a great program that allows KI to make a profit while giving a pass holder some exclusive perks for spending money in the park. It’s a “win/win” for both parties (although its more of a win for the park) Anyways some people will like it some people wont read it and take it for what it is...

On KIC Day at KI I and other people bought a 6 pack of FL passes. I was stoked about buying the passes mainly because It was the first time I used FL in the park. The other reason why I was pumped was because it was going to bump up my funperks account a bunch! We purchased the FL passes in groups of 2 so three separate purchases were made at $90 a piece. The total was placed on one receipt and the lady asked if we had a gold pass. I was the only one that had one so I used my gold pass for the purchase. I got 10 instant reward tickets and I was pumped because it was a total of $270 (which basically doubled what I have spent in the park so far this year ~$180-$200). The receipts were small rewards discounted coneys, popcorn, dino alive ticket, free cotton candy. I got two of each coupon.

So I spent about $20 in the park throughout the day for food and other stuff and we left the park. I was excited to go see what level I was at. (I remember someone mentioned that they went from a level 1 to a level 3, or something of that nature, by buying 2 FL passes).

Sunday night I got home looked up my account and only moved up around 18% for the entire day. I thought nothing of it because I know sometimes it takes a few days or a week for things to enter into the system. But I filed a report on Monday anyways just to cover my base just in case it didn’t post. It said I would get a response in 72 hours from my online form I submitted. I never heard anything back from KI or its representatives for the entire week.

My next visit was the following Sunday for the Coasterquest event. I went straight to the park office in front and asked to file another report since my first one hadn’t been answered. I filed a paper report and they said they would send it to their manager and they would get back to me on Monday.

I received a call on Monday asking for more details (I gave them my statements and receipts on what I spent in the park that day) then they said the standard “we will contact you within 72 hours” spiel… I didn’t get a response for 6 days. They

called me on the 6^th day saying that they couldn’t change my account because the bonus was the instant rewards coupons and that was it.

This is where it got interesting…

I mentioned to the KI employee who called me why couldn’t they change my account he said that the instant rewards were the prize for that purchase. I countered with I have had purchases with instant rewards that have counted towards my “roller coaster progress bar” (Mainly meals and gifts). He said he couldn’t answer as to why the FL purchase didn’t count towards my progress bar. I then countered with the $20 purchases that I made that same day added to my account but the main FL purchases did not. He said he is not sure why those purchases counted and my FL passes did not.

This is where I countered with do you even know how the program works. He responded with yes purchases in the park are counted towards you funperks account and your star status. If you make a purchase in the park it should show up. I asked him then why my FL passes didn’t add up he said he wasn’t sure again and that he could do nothing about changing my status. So I asked if I could speak to someone else. He told me no one could change my status so he won’t connect me with anyone else.

This is where I got frustrated. I told him, I entered a complaint and you called me back basically 2 weeks later just to tell me nothing could be done. When I asked for an explanation of the program you explain the program as I know it to be yet when I make a purchase and it doesn’t show up you can’t explain why it hasn’t shown up. Then when I present a receipt showing the purchase date, time, and amount nothing can be done by anyone in the park to adjust my account for the amount spent?

The operator got upset with me and said that I was arguing with him and I told him that I was not arguing I was discussing the situation there is a difference. He said that we had been talking on the phone for 15 minutes (which it was 10min) and he hadn’t given me a straight answer. I was rather frustrated and concerned that I still didn’t have a straight answer from anyone (after filing 3 reports, one online, one in the park on paper, and one over the phone) and it was looking like I would never get one. So I asked him if they cannot adjust my account for the $270 what can I do about the situation? He followed up with that he could tell I was frustrated and so he said what can I do to make your next visit more positive. (Basically shutting down the conversation and avoiding the heart of the issue and my main question which was “What happened to my $270 FL purchase and why did it not show up on my funperks account? Especially when my other smaller purchases I made on that day and the next Sunday did show up on my funperks account. This was the goal of why I called. I really just want to know why it didn’t show up. ). He offered a half off a FL purchase and after deliberating for a while I took it. The call ended without him apologizing for the situation at all. I would’ve taken an I’m sorry that you are experiencing this. Instead he just offered me something in hopes that I would take it and shut up about the whole situation. I shouldn’t have taken the offer but I could see he wasn’t going to offer me anymore help nor transfer me to someone who had an idea of what they were talking about.

Some notes I have about the situation:

I still haven't seen an adjustment to my FP account (I don't plan on seeing any) I never received an apology nor an explanation as to why the FL purchase never showed up on my account.

I understand that this is a new program and that KI wants the inner workings of the program to be a secret but why not inform the people who are manning the phones and answering questions about the program know how the program actually works. The operator couldn’t give me a direct answer as to why my $270 purchase did not make a dent on my progress bar for the funperks program. I figured as a paying customer who has spent money on a program that is supposed to take into effect how much you spend in the park, I have the right to know exactly why when I doubled my spending in the park why it wasn’t reflected on my funperks account. But again, I doubt KI cares about my experience or opinion but what should I expect from a CF park.

I do appreciate the offer for the hassle but it still is sort of a backhanded offer in my opinion. Sure I got 50% off a FL which is about $35 and sure I could’ve received nothing at all but to offer me a “reward” that makes me spend more money in the park shows me that how a customer feels and customer service aimed at that person is second to the all mighty dollar. It such a shame that bigger parks still don’t care if an individual has a good experience or not, just as long as they can milk some more money out of the person that is their bottom line.

KI please take a note from HW… start listening to your customers because without us you wouldn’t be in business…

[malem]

I had a Funperks issue about a missing food purchase, and someone from the park was nice enough to call me on the phone to resolve it. Leaving a comment on the feedback link from funperks.com is the best way to get in touch with someone who works with Funperks. They apparently have an efficient system for reaching people with account problems, and using the official feedback feature starts that process.

Ticket purchases, including FL, don't count towards Funperks spending. I recall seeing this mentioned several times, on the official FAQ and by Don in posts here. They may have counted early in the season, but if so, it has been "fixed" now. So, if the only problem is that your $270 FL purchase is missing, everything seems to be "correct" now.

If you still think something is wrong with your account, definitely use that feedback link.

[Jerome Silberman]

On KIC Day at KI I and other people bought a 6 pack of FL passes. I was stoked about buying the passes mainly because It was the first time I used FL in the park. The other reason why I was pumped was because it was going to bump up my funperks account a bunch! We purchased the FL passes in groups of 2 so three separate purchases were made at $90 a piece. The total was placed on one receipt and the lady asked if we had a gold pass. I was the only one that had one so I used my gold pass for the purchase. I got 10 instant reward tickets and I was pumped because it was a total of $270 (which basically doubled what I have spent in the park so far this year ~$180-$200). The receipts were small rewards discounted coneys, popcorn, dino alive ticket, free cotton candy. I got two of each coupon.

Just trying to clarify as I did not go with a Gold Pass this season, but it appears other people made purchases and you were using your pass to claim rewards for them. Why would you get the rewards for purchases you didn't make anyways?

[markr]

Just editing my post-I thought FL stood for Florida, just realized that you meant Fast Lane.

[markr]

I reviewed the frequently asked questions on the Funperks website and it says that admission tickets are not covered-I don't think FL passes are categorized as admission tickets plus the representative who processed the purchase asked for Joncars' gold pass. I would have to agree with Joncar in that I don't understand why FL purchases would not be covered. Maybe I am missng something.

[Jayblazer]

Fast Lane

[malem]

I reviewed the frequently asked questions on the Funperks website and it says that admission tickets are not covered-I don't think FL passes are categorized as admission tickets.

Fast Lane passes are definitely considered tickets, not merchandise.

[kblanken]

FAQ: Do I earn FUN Perks credits when I purchase Fast Lane or Dinosaurs Alive! tickets?

Yes, Fast Lane and Dinosaurs Alive! tickets do earn you FUN Perks credits when you purchase them at the park.

Online purchases do not count toward FUN Perks credits.

This is part of the http://www.visitking...perks-tips-help website faq.

[markr]

Thank you KBlanken. It looks like Fast Lane tickets indeed are covered by the Fun Perks program.Joncar, I would click on the link Kblanken provided and take it back to Guest Services. This time I would ask for a Supervisor to review. Guest Services has always been great when I wanted to speak with a supervisor about an issue and always my issue has been resolved.

[Joncars05]

Trust me I tried. Ive talked to 3 park representatives. I went through 3 different ways to file my report. Online through the funperks website, one paper form through guest services, and one call through the KI phone number for filing reports and claims. They all gave me the run around when I asked for a member that can actually change my account and not give me blanket answers. The best I got out of it was one 50% off FL pass. Its just disappointing when that you have an issue you can go through different means to get an actual response and most responses i got were scripted responses that didnt answer my question. which was why did my purchase not show up on my fun perks account, especially when i presented my receipts to show what i had spent and when i spent it... frustrating...

[KingsIsland1972]

On KIC Day at KI I and other people bought a 6 pack of FL passes.

When was KIC Day??? And why didn't I get invited??? Hmmmph!

[markr]

On KIC Day at KI I and other people bought a 6 pack of FL passes.

When was KIC Day??? And why didn't I get invited??? Hmmmph!

On KIC Day at KI I and other people bought a 6 pack of FL passes.

When was KIC Day??? And why didn't I get invited??? Hmmmph!

It was on another thread-I don't think it was an official KIC day, just an informal get-together.

[Dieseltech20]

Dealing with Guest relations is a VERY difficult process. The wife and I had a problem on Opening Day and it took a few weeks of phone calls/emails to get it taken care of.

I will say that once the right people were aware of the problem, if was very well taken care of.

[jdawg1998]

I contacted Fun Perks about an issue a week ago and still haven't gotten an answer, and I figured out the problem in that time. Fun Perks customer service definitely needs some work.

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

You have to understand that Guest Services handles complaints/compliments/questions for the entire park and depending on the issue or the complexity, the actual department that the complaint relates to is involved in the decision process. For instance if a guest comes to complain about a purchase in one of the shops, a person from the shop might come to decide on a refund and or exchange.

[Dieseltech20]

You have to understand that Guest Services handles complaints/compliments/questions for the entire park and depending on the issue or the complexity, the actual department that the complaint relates to is involved in the decision process. For instance if a guest comes to complain about a purchase in one of the shops, a person from the shop might come to decide on a refund and or exchange.

That is correct, the department which you are lodging a complaint is the one that will correct it.

Our main problem was getting in contact with the proper manager. The people taking the phone calls were very evasive and hard to deal with.

[CedarPointer]

If you got instant rewards, it counted.

[Joncars05]

@cedarpointer That is what the worker said. I then asked the question as to why my coaster progress bar didnt move for the $270 purchase? His response was he had no idea but the purchase was picked up by my funperks account and should have counted. I asked him if he didnt have the answer could he direct me to someone who does. He basically said that he and no one else in his department could change the status of my account. He then basically what I wanted to get out of this (basically saying I was in it for a free status upgrade or prizes). I said I just want to know why my purchase didnt go through. That is honestly all I want to know. Why did my $270 purchase did not register and where did it go if I got the instant rewards coupons but not anything going towards my progress bar?

[dudecoasterman]

I had the exact same problem, I was in a group of 4(with jcgoble3, my mom, and ohiocolts)and I only got like 80 some percent of the way to level 2,but I was already at like 45%.

[Joncars05]

On KIC Day at KI I and other people bought a 6 pack of FL passes. I was stoked about buying the passes mainly because It was the first time I used FL in the park. The other reason why I was pumped was because it was going to bump up my funperks account a bunch! We purchased the FL passes in groups of 2 so three separate purchases were made at $90 a piece. The total was placed on one receipt and the lady asked if we had a gold pass. I was the only one that had one so I used my gold pass for the purchase. I got 10 instant reward tickets and I was pumped because it was a total of $270 (which basically doubled what I have spent in the park so far this year ~$180-$200). The receipts were small rewards discounted coneys, popcorn, dino alive ticket, free cotton candy. I got two of each coupon.

Just trying to clarify as I did not go with a Gold Pass this season, but it appears other people made purchases and you were using your pass to claim rewards for them. Why would you get the rewards for purchases you didn't make anyways?

Why would you use your individual all day drink wristband to claim drinks for others that do not have the wristbands? Why does the park encourage this behavior by telling you when you purchase/use them that you can get more than one refill at one time?

[Tanna]

I totally blew off the Perks Program. The reason I have a season pass is that I get impulsive and yell "Park! Park!" and jump in the car. Wristband? I don't need no stinkin' wristband.

It was too much of a hassle for me to calculate all the little dividends.

[malem]

Since two people have confirmed that their FunPerks level status didn't change after making a Fast Lane purchase, it seems that the system doesn't use this for leveling up. It has been my understanding that this is intentional, but the current text on the FAQ makes this seem like an error. Perhaps Fast Lane tickets qualify for instant rewards but don't contribute to advancing through a level?

It's possible that there is a misunderstanding between the people who set the FunPerks policies and those who program them into the system. I would suggest using the feedback form again to send a message seeking clarification on whether Fast Lane ticket purchases contribute to FunPerks levels. Make sure to include a phone number, and thank anyone who gets back with you. Remember, they're not trying to rip you off on your rewards. They're just supporting a new rewards system that's clearly still being developed.

If Fast Lane isn't supposed to qualify as purchases for leveling up, ask if they can update the FAQ to avoid this confusion. If they are supposed to qualify, ask if they can fix your account credits.

If they don't get back to you within a few days, you might want to send another feedback message asking them not to forget about your question. My original question didn't get a response, but my followup question got a prompt phone call from a park employee who could (and did) fix the problem as I was on the phone.

P.S. Now I'm really curious as to whether these should qualify. Let us know if you get an answer.

[kblanken]

Do we know for sure that a $270 purchase will bring a larger increase in percent than a $27, or even a $2.70 purchase would?

[Joncars05]

Do we know for sure that a $270 purchase will bring a larger increase in percent than a $27, or even a $2.70 purchase would?

Based off of my calculations (what I have previously spent in the park):

level one to level two was about 1%=$1

Level 2 to level 3 1%= $1.50-$2

Level 3 to level 4 1%=$2-$3

Now that is just a guess not that i know anything. But my experience for sure is that the more you spend the more rewards or progress you make.

That would be the logical guess as they advertise on their funperks website: The more you spend the more you earn...

I could be wrong though...

[khaoskat]

Trust me I tried. Ive talked to 3 park representatives. I went through 3 different ways to file my report. Online through the funperks website, one paper form through guest services, and one call through the KI phone number for filing reports and claims. They all gave me the run around when I asked for a member that can actually change my account and not give me blanket answers. The best I got out of it was one 50% off FL pass. Its just disappointing when that you have an issue you can go through different means to get an actual response and most responses i got were scripted responses that didnt answer my question. which was why did my purchase not show up on my fun perks account, especially when i presented my receipts to show what i had spent and when i spent it... frustrating...

Not being cynical, but did you try going directly to the Funperks booth located inside the park (where they used to have the rentals for wheelchairs and strollers a few years ago)? When we went last time, and one of the places had their scanners not working, we took our receipt there and they credited it right to our account (after checking to make sure it hadn't already been credited).

I think those employees are specially trained in the fun perks program, and would be your best bet. I asked a funperks question inside guest relations and kind of got some blank stares.

What irks me though is that it says "eat, play, buy", but yet when you play games in the park (which is what I equate to the "play more") you don't get any credit on your fun perks account. We would be higher levels, since we let the kids each play a game or two each visit, if they would count those.

[DJ B.K.]

Weird, I swear I got a big boost from buying my discounted fun perks pass. I swear I was 98% or something to level 2 and when I get my tons of rewards receipts from buying the $25 discounted FL pass they say I'm at level 3. My only guess is that maybe my rewards from rivertown junction buffet and other things that I had bought on my last visit had finally kicked in when I thought they hadn't.

[khaoskat]

@cedarpointer That is what the worker said. I then asked the question as to why my coaster progress bar didnt move for the $270 purchase? His response was he had no idea but the purchase was picked up by my funperks account and should have counted. I asked him if he didnt have the answer could he direct me to someone who does. He basically said that he and no one else in his department could change the status of my account. He then basically what I wanted to get out of this (basically saying I was in it for a free status upgrade or prizes). I said I just want to know why my purchase didnt go through. That is honestly all I want to know. Why did my $270 purchase did not register and where did it go if I got the instant rewards coupons but not anything going towards my progress bar?

Not sure what level you are trying to go from and to, but have you thought that while yes, you may have spent enough money at your current level, you may not have enough visits established to advance.

I am working on going from 2 to 3 star and what I have found is that right now I get more progress from my visit being registered than I do my nominal $2.12 purchases (like visit gives me 12% increase while a $2.12 purchase gives me a 3.5% increase).

So, while you may have spent enough for the level you are looking at, you may need more visits...it takes both a certain amount of money spent and certain amount of visits. My kids have visited about 6-7 times (depending upon which child, since hubby and I took the youngest two while the older two were at summer camp for a week), they have been at 50% since about 4-5 visits and have not moved above that 50% mark. We are working each card (and we have 5 people on funperks) up to at least level 3 for the adults before going for the kids....

Remember, we figured it takes about $50-$80 in spending and about 4 visits to get to level 2. My hypothesis previously about it taking 10 visits with no money spent is not correct. I think going to level 3 from level 2 you will need about 8 visits and about $150 total spent in the park (kind of based upon what we have spent on mine - one $40 meal purchase at the Rivertown Junction, about 10-15 popcorn/cotton candy bucket refills, about $5 in candy).

[khaoskat]

Do we know for sure that a $270 purchase will bring a larger increase in percent than a $27, or even a $2.70 purchase would?

Based off of my calculations (what I have previously spent in the park):

level one to level two was about 1%=$1

Level 2 to level 3 1%= $1.50-$2

Level 3 to level 4 1%=$2-$3

Now that is just a guess not that i know anything. But my experience for sure is that the more you spend the more rewards or progress you make.

That would be the logical guess as they advertise on their funperks website: The more you spend the more you earn...

I could be wrong though...

Interesting, as I stated above, I checked my funperks account the other day while at the park. After a $2.12 purchase my level 2-3 went up 3.5%.

Again, remember there are 2 components to advancing --- visits and money spent. I think you need about 4-5 visits per level..

Also, they state the once you reach your next level (ie from 1-2; 2-3; 3-4) that you will earn rewards faster, that you get more credit for what you spend, so your theory is reverse of what they are advertising.

[Joncars05]

I have visited the park 9 times. That throws the "You havent visited enough" arguement out the window. We can try other ideas though. I'm still trying to figure out whats going on...

[khaoskat]

I have visited the park 9 times. That throws the "You havent visited enough" arguement out the window. We can try other ideas though. I'm still trying to figure out whats going on...

Again, try going to the fun perks booth. They were very helpful when I did.