My Newest Boycott- Six Flags

Warning: This is going to be a post mainly about me bitching. So if you don't want to read about me complaining, you shouldn't read this post. You have been warned.

So, today, we were supposed to enjoy an adrenaline filled day riding roller coasters. We being my mom, sister, and a couple of her friends. We bought our tickets online, packed up some dry clothes for the ride back, and headed off for the 1.5 hour trek to Bowie, MD.

I fell asleep in the car, as is my usual M.O. when riding along, and was awoken by the other gals in the car saying "WHAT?! CLOSED?!?!" I popped my eyes open and shouted WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S CLOSED?! (probably looked like a maniac, I tend to look a little crazy when I first wake up). And there it sat, at the entrance, a sign that read "CLOSED - Open Weekends"

Well, when did this happen? When did the season end? And why on Earth did the website not state that the season was over on the website when we purchased our tickets?
There was a man trimming the hedges so we rolled down a window to see if he had any insight. He told us something along the lines of "Yeah, they just decided to close it. I didn't even know the right schedule for the week. They changed everything this morning." We were of course pretty upset, and we also wanted our money back for the tickets. I don't live in this state any more so there really isn't another opportunity for us to all go, and who wants to go on a weekend when 9 million other people are going to be there?
The gardener man suggests we talk to the man at the gate. The man at the gate checks our tickets and tells us that for refunds we'll need to talk to guest relations and they open at noon, he also said something about it not being on the website but that it was closed because the county schools were back in session. It was barely passed 11. We drove around for a minute but decided to just go back and wait - who knows how long guest relations would be open.

We ended up at guest relations with another family who were inquiring about the same issue. We were greeted at the window by one of the rudest "customer service" representatives I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. The family in front of us was from England - when in the world would they use their tickets again? We told the man that the park closure was NOT stated on their website, and if it were it weren't very visible. Mind you, while we were waiting for guest relations and while we were up there talking, we watched cars and cars come up to the gate and leave - it was very obviously NOT well known that the park was closed. The guest relations man was adamant that it had been posted on the website that it was closed during the week, and like I said was just completely rude. No "I'm sorry" and no sense of compassion at all, just straight up I don't give a crap how far you drove or flew, what you're going to do with the ticket, I am not going to do anything for you.

He told us something about the park was being rented out by Comcast for the day but they canceled. That had absolutely nothing to do with us, or the fact that the website did not say it was closed. It went back and forth, us and the other family trying to get it through to this man that it was not clearly stated there - even the gardener and the security guy had told us it had JUST recently changed (now if you look at the website it's there and noticeable, obviously it wasn't there or we wouldn't have bought tickets for our plan of going today). The argument was falling on deaf ears and this man just didn't want to help or give a hoot. We told him that he was being incredibly rude, the woman in front of us said you're supposed to be guest relations yet you have no relationships with guests! - and when we informed him of his rudeness he LAUGHED. Just thinking about it now makes me so angry.

Six Flags, these are the people you hire to work for you? These are the sheisty things you do? Decide you're going to close and at the last minute put up a tiny "We're now closed on weekdays" box and say screw you to those who saw the site before it was posted/didn't notice it because it is a tiny grey box? Well, you've certainly lost one customer, and I'm sure those English people and the two families that came up after us won't be returning, either.

Oh and get this, guest relations man told us there are 11 Six Flags locations. English family said well where is the next closest one? Man said New Jersey. English fam said yea and that's like a six hour drive. Man said well actually, it's 3 and a half. To these people from another country who just told you they were leaving to go home tomorrow, way to show that good ol' American hospitality. (By the way, from where we were, the Six Flags in NJ was more of a 4 or 5 hour drive).

Thinking about it is getting me all fired up. This is a man that kept saying "the website pacifically stated..." I can't freakin' stand rude and ignorant people!!



After that though, the day turned out pretty well. Cruised the mall in Columbia and had dinner at the delicious Melting Pot and got to see one of my gorgeous sisters who I thought I was going to have to break our date with because we were going to Six Flags... it ended up working out and I had fun. Now I am going to finish my paper. I just found out I have one extra day before heading to the AWP End of Summer Getaway. Widow brain had me thinking I was leaving tomorrow but it's not til Friday. I feel kind of dumb, but it's ok, I'm getting used to it. Ha. So off I prance to work on my paper (hey, at least I got half of it done last night thinking I was leaving tomorrow!)