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Fastrack - more being sold?

AstroDan

AstroDan

TS Team
Favourite Ride
Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
I have a suspicion that more fastrack is being sold, and being sold at the entrances of most major attractions by hosts calling out to sell it as guests pass, with often the wrong information about how long the queue is or at rides where the queue time is not displayed.

I have grave concerns about the precedent this sets and the longer waits that will result.

In particular, this has been seen on rides such as Sub Terra lately, with a very slow moving main queue.

Has anyone noticed this?

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The only thing I've noticed is their targeting of Fastrack for offers, which is a change of direction as it has not typically been the target of many offers/discounts in the past. I simply suspect that it isn't being sold that much this year.

And can I just say that the pound symbol is actually an L, so Mer£in would be more accurate, if not as visually effective :p
 
Yeah noticed last sunday a few people had fast tracks on nemesis basically walked down the queue line as that were walking down towards the fast track entrence ended up on the same ride (5 minute wait tops) they should not be sold unless its majorly busy
 
I have to say I was a little disheartened to see a women clutching fastracks at the entrance of Terry around 4.30pm offering anyone who joined the queue an option to fastrack it when the queue was over an hour.
 
I have to agree the sale of fast track has increased and the tactics are more obvious. I'm also really upset that they push fastrack on Sub-Terra as it turns the queue into a barely moving crawl due to the throughput. If this is the way things are going they may as well bring in a charge per ride.
 
I will say I'm partially hypocritical on this matter as I spent £18 Friday to fast tracks all major coasters & Terry. Mainly because we would not have got all the rides done and I was with someone new. I wanted her to experience the full Alton day.

It's a double edged sword really, they are there to make money and they do sell but it's starting to feel like Thorpe in a way.

When we got to Nemesis at around 2pm Friday the fast track queue was around 15mins & I felt a sense of guilt fast tracking it and the rest of the coasters. But then again i paid £18 for the privilege.
 
Seems like Towers have come under pressure from above to increase fast track revenue. We've already seen new options rolled out to increase the number of rides on fast track packages, and now it seems the allocations have been bumped up too.

The one saving grace about fastrack at Towers is that if you're not using it you feel secure in the knowledge that those who do are paying through the nose for it, as prices are far higher than equivalent packages at Thorpe (at least the main packages are £10 for 2 coasters is extortionate - Thorpe give 4 major rides for that price). Does anyone have a list of one-shot prices at Towers? The only ones I know are Rita and Th13teen.
 
It seems rather than cut attractions now to increase revenue they are now pushing upsells even more.

Doing it at an attraction entrance is such a nasty, low, intimidating experience. Shame on you alton. SHAME!

In my eyes having staff stood at the gates of a ride, lying (or not, but probably), and blocking guests in an attempt to upsell makes it look like the rides arent capable of doing their job. Surely people who are now experiencing Sub Terra for the first time are now greeted by staff saying it cant cope with demand, and you have to pay not to waste your day.
I just do not understand this logic, at all.

Way to prove youre a worthwhile day out.
 
AstroDan said:
I have a suspicion that more fastrack is being sold, and being sold at the entrances of most major attractions by hosts calling out to sell it as guests pass, with often the wrong information about how long the queue is or at rides where the queue time is not displayed.

I have grave concerns about the precedent this sets and the longer waits that will result.
Click to expand...

As a thought on this - if this is indeed the case, that FastTrack is being pushed by over exaggeration of queue length times etc - that it could be considered a case for Trading Standards? False advertising, information and selling?


I loathe 'pay for FT'with a passion anyway - it's clearly not designed to aid queues by Merlin but just make extra profit. It works to the detriment of other guests by massively extending their queue time (Thorpe - N.Inferno I'm looking at you as a prime example) and I've already paid my entrance to the park. I've used free FT at DLP and DL Aneheim and it's a much better, fairer system. Shouting out and upselling just makes it all the worse and really embarassing for the park and staff in my opinion.
 
Good point Kelps. The exageration of queue times is even more offensive than fastrack itself. Is it legal?
 
Well, if they're knowingly exaggerating queue times then they're claiming their 'product' to be better value than it actually is. I'd put it in the same category as advertising something as a special offer but fabricating the 'before' price.

The trouble is, judging a queue length isn't easy as it depends heavily on the number of people using fastrack. Going back to inferno, compare queueing the first cattle pen on a medium day to how long it takes to get through it on a much busier day. The physical queue may not be all that much longer, but the speed it moves at is substantially less. As a result, if someone starts selling fastrack at a ride entrance, the queue can instantly become 25-40% longer, giving them free reign to quote a longer time.
 
A fair point John. I suppose the only way to know would be to time the queue and compare it to the time shouted out by the Barker at the entrance.

Asumming evidence could be gathered to prove they are exagerating the times (and I know that's not easy), does anyone think there's a case to be made?
 
Also been happening at Thorpe and Chessie this way for a while so it's not really a new thing...

Therein lies the issue... Overselling is a constant problem throughout the parks due to the way they have worked the Fastrack... Timed slots might help improve the overall stuff for non-paying guests but I sense that wouldn't work well in whatever business plan the parks seem to have to follow...
 
Fastrack - more being sold?

I disagree with paid Fastrack but have resigned myself to its existence from a business perspective... However, they should not be selling it at ride entrances! If they wish to promote it more than put up signs under the queue time saying how you can 'beat the queue' and direct people to a kiosk! I mean, there is one 2 minutes away from NST for goodness sake!

They're sacrificing satisfaction for profit yet again, although its clear that is all they have been doing all season. It's obvious really now... They've run out of ideas for cuts so instead are making upselling more prominent.
 
Currently nemesis sub terror is 50 minutes and there is a sales and information bloke outside the queue selling fast track ticket basically forcing people to buy them
 
Re: Fastrack - more being sold?

If people are indeed being forced into buying Fastrack, then that raises serious questions, as I have a feeling that such practices are illegal.

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Yeah bad choice of words sorry just think its a bit in your face right by the queue time board
 
I have seem it a bit in the past at towers, but there does seem to be a bigger sales and marketing presence on park this year. A few weeks back they were selling fast track out side the mine train!
Yesterday sub terra had a 60 min queue pretty much to the entrance and there was someone stood there selling fast track. Just making the main queue even worse.
 
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