WCPO: Woman asked to upgrade son's Jr Season Pass mid season

[electricsun]

Deleted as I didn't realize my phone posted the quote. Still learning...

Edited August 8, 2014 by electricsun

[thedevariouseffect]

Ok just actually read the article: Season pass can be null and void at any time, KI can drop your pass at an instant if they wish, it's their right. KI isn't digging into their pockets..then can say noThey just had to throw in the 99th percentile deal..stupid. He's 49 inches, means he can ride just about everything, that's the big thing..he can go on almost everything now.

[purdude86]

Maybe it would be best if KI just sold passes based on age alone and not age and height. The article said that Coney Island just base their tickets on age and not height. I feel this would eliminate a lot of confusion because no parent knows for sure if their child will have a growth spurt between the time they purchase the pass, and the end of the season. This is ridiculous. Just have a cut-off age for the Jr. Pass and be done with it. No more confusion and no more unexpected upgrade charges for parents because their kid grew and inch.

But a big problem with kids who "look older" than said age. How many parents take their 3 year old thru the que, passing them off as a 2 year old (no charge)? Now imagine if there was a cut off at 5 or 6 or 7 or 8? My 6 year old has the body of an 8 or 9 year old, but often the maturity of a 4 year old. People guess his age wrong all the time, ask what level of baseball he plays and were shocked when I told them he was only 5 (at the time) and playing tee ball. A policy like that is going to have to either be very lax to the point where you take the parents word for it almost to a fault, or risk creating a lot of bad PR. There is a reason why Disney went to the full charge for everyone 3 & up.

That and you'll also get people who are older but are just very short and aren't tall enough to ride the big rides but like to go to the park with family or friends still and do some of the smaller rides that might have gotten the junior pass before and now would be forced to buy a full pass even though they won't be able to do all the stuff other with it can. You are going to have upset people on either side of the decision of height or age.

I understand their reasoning for the policy however I do agree that there needs to be a cutoff at some point in the season. Making someone pay for the upgrade when there is only a month left in the season seems pretty crappy. But if it's May and the kid has a growth spurt or something and can now ride everything then I think they should have to pay for a full pass.

[electricsun]

We have the same situation with my oldest daughter. We purchased the Gold Pass in early October 2013 for the 2014 season at the time she was under 48 inches. We knew she might be over 48 inches by the time the season came around. Her first visit she still was under 48 inches, her second visit she was right at 48 inches. We have not been asked to purchase an adult pass for her at this time, but know that might be a possibility for her next visit. I would expect to have to pay the difference between the two. Now I do understand with it being a Gold Pass and those aren't available at this time in the season, it should be pro-rated for the rest of the operating season.

Edit to correct typo of be to been

Same here with my youngest nephew. He was about an inch under when we processed his Gold pass in May. There are black tic marks on the wall where the pictures are taken to note their height.

Two visits ago, we were told that he was close to the 48" and may need a new pass soon. The last time I took him, he measured 48" for the ride but nothing was said at the gate.

I think, as many have already said, good customer service and consistency in policy should reign. With a pass that has been used multiple times, if the child hits that 48" mark just swap the Jr for the Adult pass. Or just have the policy that if you were height/age at the time of the first use of season, it is good for the entire season. That would prevent people from "cheating the system" but also allow the understanding that when a child hits a growth spurt in the middle of a season, they aren't penalized. Depending on the pass, the upgrade fee can be quite a chunk of change and families may not have budgeted for that.

[lebeau]

We noticed Kings Island has been cracking down on the height thing for some reason this season.

The first time we ran into it was with my oldest daughter. We've had Gold Passes since she was 4. I just renew them every year. This year, she is 9 which means she should have an adult pass. So one day they asked us to reprocess her pass as an adult. It was a minor inconvenience, but it didn't cost anything. Even if it had, I would have understood.

A few weeks later, we came back and my youngest is in her stroller. She's 5 and she's short for her age. She's nowhere near the height requirement. But they made her get out of her stroller so they could see her standing up. Again, it wasn't even close. Mildly annoyed by that one. But having been through it with my oldest, I knew what they were getting at.

KI might get a few extra bucks out of policing this policy as hard as they are this year. But it's costing them good will. For this story to hit the media is a major mis-step. Hopefully they will reconsider how they handle this. Whatever extra money they made off of upgrading passes wasn't worth this bad press or the negative feelings it created in who knows how many loyal customers who haven't spoken up.

It's a shame because on the whole I feel like Cedar Fair gets customer service. But this policy is positively wrong-headed. I expect better of Kings Island.

[lebeau]

WWDD? (What would Disney do....) Well, they used to have a junior ticket pass...that was eliminated and the price was adjusted to age 3 and up prices...no discounts.

Of late, Kings Island has done a better job with customer service than Disney. So this customer service fail is right about in line with what I have come to expect from the Mouse these days. Hopefully KI can set things right.

[shark6495]

Are we upset because KI is enforcing rules?

It's like people were upset that Cracker Barrel fired a guy for giving away free food...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lebeau]

I didn't know that season ticket prices varied by age. Looking back at my Gold Pass receipt from October, I was charged the same for Jr/Sr as I was for the adult pass. Looking at KI's website, I see that there is a current price difference for their regular season pass and the Platinum Pass. Gold Passes are no longer available for sale.

That said, I think WCPO did a terrible job with presenting the facts of this case.

In terms of the KI policy, I believe the most consumer friendly position would be to use whatever the height of the child is on their first visit. For renewing customers, you'd have to have the kids get a new picture/height check required on their first visit of the new season. I'm not sure how burdensome that would be on their pass processing team. For example, my youngest is about to turn 6 and his pass photo is still from shortly after he turned 3 in October 2011.

I don't believe there is a "junior" Gold Pass. I believe a Gold Pass is the same for everyone no matter the age. We typically buy ours in the fall of the season prior, at the lowest prices available.

Bottom line, KI has a bit of a confusing policy on this matter, and a little flexibility could have gone a long way in making this customer happy. On the other side, the mother is expecting something for nothing and failing to take accountability for reading the fine print when she bought the season pass. Both sides are to blame, there really are no winners.

There is a JR gold pass. But they are the same price depending on when you buy them.

[The Interpreter]

About eleven years ago, we bought our season passes for the following year in August. At the time, we had a one year old and a 35 month old. We decided to wait to buy the nearly three year old a pass until he would be actually three. So in October we went to buy one Junior pass for him and they seemed confused that that was all we wanted. We said we already bought ours and now he's three and we're buying his. He said "oh, if you bought yours before he turned three, then he doesn't need a pass." And he said yes, for the whole following year, the year he turns four in September. I was surprised and thought that was very generous. All that next season I was waiting for somebody to ask to see his ticket/pass but they never cared.

11 years ago?

Paramount Parks.

They've left the building.

[lebeau]

Are we upset because KI is enforcing rules?

It's like people were upset that Cracker Barrel fired a guy for giving away free food...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We're upset because the policy is a bad one. Not because KI is enforcing it. This is a bad policy from a business and customer service perspective. If your policy ends up with you getting bad press like this and maybe nets you a few hundred bucks a year, it's time to reconsider your policy.

[Pagoda Gift Shop]

I don't get it. If you are under 48" when you get the JR pass processed, you should be golden for the year. If a kid happens to grow past the 48" mark during the season, good for them they got a discount...for one season. It's not like that's a loophole you can exploit every year, and absolutely nothing was done wrong in purchasing the JR pass.

Kings Island just looks greedy by enforcing their "right" to re-evaluate height mid-season. It comes across the same as if they decided to raise pass prices mid-season and told you that you couldn't get in again until you paid more.

[disco2000]

Are we upset because KI is enforcing rules?

It's like people were upset that Cracker Barrel fired a guy for giving away free food...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Exactly my point earlier - these articles rarely result in the general public saying "wow that family is stupid for not reading what they signed"; instead it is "wow that company sucks".

If these folks are actually concerned about a few bucks, then why are they not renewing/purchasing in the fall when the full gold pass is cheaper than the junior gold pass offered at the beginning of the season and why doesn't the media point that out to them. If I were in media and did my research on prices for the story, I would point that out!

Had this family purchased in the fall, it would not have been an issue. The children relatives in my family have had the regular pass since age 3 and even though one is now 7 and still has not reached 48", it was cheaper to have a regular pass bought in fall than to wait for spring and get a junior pass.

[shark6495]

Are we upset because KI is enforcing rules?

It's like people were upset that Cracker Barrel fired a guy for giving away free food...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We're upset because the policy is a bad one. Not because KI is enforcing it. This is a bad policy from a business and customer service perspective. If your policy ends up with you getting bad press like this and maybe nets you a few hundred bucks a year, it's time to reconsider your policy.

1. Just because someone doesn't like it doest make it bad.

2. What if I'm not an honest person and purchase a Jr pass in the fall or early spring for my kid who is 50 inches. By the time we go to the park I say oh he grew.

3. Many things in life are not fair. The kid grew and is able to enjoy more than what was originally planned.

4. We don't know all the facts we have 1 person's account which is actually different than about 4 other people on this website who had similar issues that were dealt with better than this.

What if I buy my son a Kings Island JR ticket in December for a planned trip in June. Should he be able to use it no matter how tall he gets as long as he was below 48 when I bought it?

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[upstop]

^{Easiest solution... get rid of the junior/senior ticket and charge everyone equally over the age of three.}

[lebeau]

Are we upset because KI is enforcing rules?

It's like people were upset that Cracker Barrel fired a guy for giving away free food...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We're upset because the policy is a bad one. Not because KI is enforcing it. This is a bad policy from a business and customer service perspective. If your policy ends up with you getting bad press like this and maybe nets you a few hundred bucks a year, it's time to reconsider your policy.

1. Just because someone doesn't like it doest make it bad.

2. What if I'm not an honest person and purchase a Jr pass in the fall or early spring for my kid who is 50 inches. By the time we go to the park I say oh he grew.

3. Many things in life are not fair. The kid grew and is able to enjoy more than what was originally planned.

4. We don't know all the facts we have 1 person's account which is actually different than about 4 other people on this website who had similar issues that were dealt with better than this.

What if I buy my son a Kings Island JR ticket in December for a planned trip in June. Should he be able to use it no matter how tall he gets as long as he was below 48 when I bought it?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

1. What makes it bad is that it creates situations exactly like this one and engenders ill will towards the company. KI might make a few bucks off this policy. But it's not worth the bad press they are getting. That's a bad policy.

2. They would upgrade on the first visit. Not at the end of the season.

3. This has nothing to do with fair or unfair. As a business decision, this policy is bad for KI.

4. We know what the policy is. We know how it is being enforced. And we know it bit KI in the rear very publicly. What more do we need to know?

^{Easiest solution... get rid of the junior/senior ticket and charge everyone equally over the age of three.}

The problem with that is that until you are tall enough to ride the majority of rides in the park, it's not worth paying the adult price.

[CedarPointer]

We also had the same problem this year. WCPO has there information wrong about Cedar Point. There policy is that once the pass is processed and used it is good for the season. We have the platinum pass so we where able to take are Jr. pass that KI was trying to charge us almost $70 to upgrade to Cedar Point and because of the problems we had with KI they just changed the status of his pass to a adult for no charge. http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/29825-jrpasses-at-kings-island/?hl=%2Bseason+%2Bpass

Or it could be that CP was wrong and has been corrected...

[Dane]

I see both sides of the argument but as others have said before, it either has to be in forced every single time for every single person but will also always result in bad media and guest satisfaction. At that time is the few dollars difference worth it?

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[IndyGuy4KI]

As park fans and enthusiasts we are asking questions that the reporter did not know to ask and get all the correct information. That leaves people watching the story, mislead and upset when we did not get all the facts to form a proper opinion of the incident in the first place.

I always look at some of these stories, knowing there is a lot of info that the reporters did not get and wonder how we are being lead to be upset about something that I myself don't know enough about, and have to rely on the reporter to sway my mind one way or the other... The power of reporting!

[thegajone]

I see both sides of the argument but as others have said before, it either has to be in forced every single time for every single person but will also always result in bad media and guest satisfaction. At that time is the few dollars difference worth it?

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

That's the thing -- we're talking literally only a few hundred dollars, MAYBE into the low-thousands, over the course of a season. That's nothing to Kings Island. They probably throw that much away in food waste over the course of just a few days, or less. Why open yourself up to potential (now realized) bad publicity over something so menial?

[The Interpreter]

Allowing renewals without processing (and picture taking) is what got the park here. Kings Island saves bigtime money in cards and labor, but then begrudges parents a small to it but big to them sum and inconvenience in return?

Really?

On junior passes renewed without processing, require measurement on first park entry each year. Problem solved.

[Bennett]

Just a very ham-handed response from a park that, as of late, has done fairly well in the PR department. Seems to me that the park wants to have it both ways, saving money allowing online renewals, and charging more should a child grow an inch or three over a summer.

The PR hit they are rightfully taking pales to the $$ in this case.

Just mind numbing sometimes.

[Vortex]

How hard would it have been for the park just to give the kid a new pass. In the long run the park would have gotten more money on Next years passes going on sale soon.

[BavarianBeatle]

So, if a pass holder turns 62 years old during the season, thereby earning "senior" status, do they get a partial refund? I doubt it.

[noob_rider]

We have the same situation with my oldest daughter. We purchased the Gold Pass in early October 2013 for the 2014 season at the time she was under 48 inches. We knew she might be over 48 inches by the time the season came around. Her first visit she still was under 48 inches, her second visit she was right at 48 inches. We have not been asked to purchase an adult pass for her at this time, but know that might be a possibility for her next visit. I would expect to have to pay the difference between the two. Now I do understand with it being a Gold Pass and those aren't available at this time in the season, it should be pro-rated for the rest of the operating season.

Edit to correct typo of be to been

we also purchase our passes around that time we have purchased our four-year-old an adult pass ( also when he was three) because they are the same price at that time. I know he will not hit 48 inches but if he was to he did we would still have a pass that accomadated his hight

[zombiejane]

When you try to make things "fair", things get over complicated.

Keep it simple and go with height at time of pass processing.

Or keep it even more simple...one price for all.

We bought zombieJR's 2013 pass in the fall of 2012. At the beginning of the seaon, he was a good 1/2 inch from 48". A month after season started he hit 48". We had NO issues regarding needing to upgrade.

From a consumer perspective, it's not about the money, but the hassle and inconvenience. Does KI really think that hassle and inconvenience, for the guest, is worth the small amount of money it would bring?

Edit to add that once he hit 48" his 2013 pass stayed as a Jr. pass. When we renewed for 2014, it was done as an adult pass.

[The Interpreter]

The clear perception for the public is that Kings Island couldn't care less about the hassle or inconvenience, it wants the money.

Not unlike two years ago, when KD season passes could only be renewed at the park, IN PERSON. No online, no phone renewals.

Not unlike holding a guest near hostage at the Carowinds gate for half an hour before the park opened and 15 minutes after--claiming they had already entered with a season pass that morning and trying to reach Kings Island on the phone to "verify" the pass which had been used without incident the day before and ALLEGEDLY that very morning again.

What all this has in common is delivering the perception to the customer that the park values its processes and procedures, even when they are clunky or don't work at all, more than it values its guests.

Parks' admissions departments sometimes function more like detention monitors than guest service ambassadors.

[BoddaH1994]

They said in the article that both Kentucky Kingdom and Cedar Point have similar policies, based on height. I wonder if the mid-season procedure is the same.

[RollerNut]

Paramount Parks didnt have this problem, furthermore my 6 year old has had an ADULT season for the last 3 years. The reason being....Adult gold passes and jr. Gold are the same price when purchased ON SALE.

[The Interpreter]

Just heard the story on WTOP Newsradio, Washington, DC. And:

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/kings-island-makes-boy-5-upgrade-pass-to-adult-mid-season-because-he-grew-1-inch-over-height-limit

So, is it worth the nickels, Kings Island?

It sure isn't good for public relations.

[zombiejane]

Paramount Parks didnt have this problem, furthermore my 6 year old has had an ADULT season for the last 3 years. The reason being....Adult gold passes and jr. Gold are the same price when purchased ON SALE.

They are the same price when you buy them in the fall. After that, there is a price difference (unless things have changed).