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Merlin Annual Pass 'Sale'

They are obsessed with marketing buzz speak, so much so their passes are just a total mishmash of ideas/prices/inclusions/exclusions etc.

I don't buy into the "Budget" class card. That will put people off buying it, who wants to rock up to their day of escapism with a "budget" pass.

The answer is a tiered system and always has been.

Silver/Gold cards. Silver gives you certain restrictions, marketed as "if you don't need all xyz, simply purchase our Silver card for exceptional value. If you prefer to make use of xyz etc aswell, then go for our Gold cards - and if you really feel like treating yourself to something special, our strictly limited platinum card gives you absolutely everything - but these numbers are strictly limited.

I used to believe in splitting out the cards, but actually now they're so intrinsically linked with sea life centres in the parks etc I think it would be hard to do.

I also think financially, splitting the midway/parks would be difficult to find a viable price point for both. Ultimately most people can only visit so many places, very few would utterly rinse it, plus of course there's the endless up-sell everywhere - why would they want to restrict potential visitors to say a sea life, where they can buy an over priced cuddly fish or some food. It doesn't make good business sense.

I am not against Merlin being a solid, profit making business. The opposite, I'd like them to thrive, but I'd like them to do it whilst not making utter arses of their customers as they're starting to do now.

Nick has lost the plot. He needs to get his teams in order. This latest round of passes is a farce. Again as before I keep saying this, it's only going to get worse.

Food, service, cost, passes. Steady decline. Pattern continues.

I did some predictions a couple of years ago for Merlin, pretty much all on the nail, I don't think they've reached their "tipping point" yet where it will improve either. There's far more to squeeze yet folks!
 
It reminds me of a local burger bar. I went to order a drink and asked for a medium. ‘We don’t sell medium’ ‘OK, I’ll have a small’. ‘We don’t sell small’ ‘I’ll have a drink then’ ‘Do you want large, extra-large or extra extra-large’? I had a large, and one large gulp and it was gone. I agree with what’s been said, the standard pass is more like a budget pass, but they don’t want to call it a budget pass. Universal have a similar set of tiers and they call theirs ‘Power Pass’, ‘Preferred Pass’ and Premier Pass’. Not sure what Power Pass is meant to mean, but that’s the ‘cheapo one’

I think the Merlin Passes still represent reasonable value for money, and I can see why they don’t offer entry to Carriba Creek on the Premium Pass, because then you’d find people staying at the hotel couldn’t get in. I suppose you could argue that if it’s that popular they should expand it. I’d very much like them to expand it. Unfortunately Merlin seems to feel they’ll get a better return pumping their money into more midway attractions.

At Disney World you can pay $600 on an annual pass and you get a 10% discount on merchandise (they lowered it from 20% a couple of years ago) and you get no discount on food. If you want a discount on food you buy a Tables in Wonderland card for $75 which includes a discount on select table service locations with block out dates. I used to work in a Disney restaurant and had a group of guests with passes they’d bought for over $600 a pop (I believe there were cheaper passes that don’t include the water parks. This was a couple of years ago so the structure may have changed). They’d bought their Tables in Wonderland card for $75. But it was a peak day, so no discount for them. Imagine if Merlin pulled that one.

At Six Flags and Cedar Fair they sell season tickets. Regardless of when in the season you buy your pass, it expires at the end of that year, so you might only get a few months benefit. Imagine if Merlin started doing that.

The Merlin Passes do seem to represent a decent deal. The 20% off food and merchandise is pretty competitive. I’m not sure how other UK parks compare. I was at Drayton Manor and they were advertising a 10% discount. But there still seem to be a lot of people who feel like they’re being ripped off. I think the frequent changes in terms of conditions and promotions can make people feel that way. Not that many Merlin pass holders will have had passes to other parks so they won't necessariy have much to compare it to. And I agree that calling it a 'Premium' pass may be misleading. I suppose while we're at it you could also argue the VIP pass is also a bit misleading, because most of them aren't really that important. Not unless you're an accountant.
 
I don't think they can split into a theme park and a seperate midway pass. At AT they sell the annual pass on the basis that the Blackpool and Manchester attractions are included as people North of Birmingham are less likely to go to London.
 
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Maybe the answer is to have a "parks only" pass, and an "everything" pass. No one in their right mind would want a "Midway only" pass.
 
I like the Silver/Gold idea.

Maybe something like:
  • Silver Pass: Entrance into all UK Merlin parks and midways, some entrance restrictions where applicable. No free car parking or discounts or other perks.
  • Silver Plus Pass: Entrance into all UK Merlin parks and Midways (Sealife, Shrek, Dungeons etc.). No restrictions. No free car parking or discounts or other perks.
  • Gold Pass: Entrance into all UK Merlin parks and Midways (Sealife, Shrek, Dungeons etc.). Free car parking and 10% discount in food/retail outlets and hotels.
  • Platinum Pass: Entrance to all Merlin attractions worldwide. Other exclusive extras currently on the VIP pass.
Pricing:
  • Silver Pass: New - £150 | Renewal - £105
  • Silver Plus Pass: £170 | Renewal - £119
  • Gold Pass: £210 | Renewal - £147
  • Platinum Pass: £490

It's clear from these past few pages that the annual pass needs a rebrand. I think changing the titles of each pass is a good way to go. Pricing isn't an issue, the passes as they stand now offer amazing value if you're a regular theme park goer.

They need to scrap this 'VIP' malarkey and change it to something else. Having it titled as 'Platinum' sounds far more pleasant. For those who buy the pass they feel like they are paying for a premium product and those who pay for the Silver/Silver+/Gold pass they don't feel belittled or like they are not important or valued. It's a fair playing ground.

This is one thing that annoys me about Merlin of the past year, the way 'VIP' is slowly being rolled across the parks. We all know in life if you pay more for services you get more. Although these VIP titled products seem so blatant it's pretty offending to those guests who paid 'normal' prices which are still very very expensive. I don't mind what you get out of the VIP offerings, but really they can easily change the name of it and the same guests will still pay for it regardless.

Scrapping the lanyards and other add-ons would be nice too. I'm actually interested if there are any statistics out there that show how many premium MAP users actually used their lanyards and everything in their 'privilege' packs. I would stretch to assume less people used everything in the pack. I also found with this 'privilege' pack some enthusiasts started to use it as if they were above standard pass holder and superior. The idea of a privilege pack sounds nice on paper, although it reality it doesn't seem like it came into much use for many people, apart from having a lanyard to place their pass in. Either have a lanyard for every pass, or have a lanyard ONLY for Platinum/VIP passes, since they are a very tiny group of people.

The January sale is a tricky one. I think they should have a sale similar to the pricing they have had this year. Although for a 12 to 24 hour period have a 'lightening' sale price (with limited availability) with sale prices similar to what we have seen in previous years. If the limited number of sales are sold quickly, then they can review it and either drop back to the normal sale price or roll out another 12 - 24 hour period with more passes at the lightening sale price. I think this would be a good strategy that would gain a lot of positive interest and push a lot of sales up. Only downfall would be people moaning they didn't get it in time, or the site crashes, order takes forever to process etc.. although I've seen these things happen with other companies/businesses that have offered short period offers, Merlin would cope I think.

A 'new' line of passes is certainly something they should consider, to enter the passes into a new era and create something that while not different to what we have now, makes customers feel like they are getting value for money, know exactly what they are paying for and feel like they are a valued customer. Pricing if fine. It's the marketing that really needs to be sorted. At the moment the Merlin pass is slowly being run into the ground. People do 'forget' about these things a few months down the line although ultimately it damages the Merlin AP brand. It's time they create something entirely new that can please everyone once again.
 
Since I moved down South I haven’t spent as much time at Alton Towers, so I’m not sure how many people you’d see wearing the lanyards. I suspect you’ll see a lot more of them if and when they introduce the POP badges. I don’t think they’re at Alton Towers yet, but they started at Legoland, and then were rolled out at Chessington and more recently Sea Life Centres. Thorpe Park may be about to roll them out as well. They were doing Shark Hotel ones towards the end of last season. For those who haven’t come across it, they’re Merlin’s take on Pin Trading. When you buy a meal at park ‘restaurant’ you get a free POP badge. You don't have to stick them on a lanyard, but that's the thrust of it, and what a lot of people do:
http://www.legoland.co.uk/en/Explore/restaurants/Offers/Collector-Badges/

There may be other ways to get them, for example attending a special event and you can get a birthday one from Guest Services if you tell them it’s your birthday (which you can trade like any other badge, so if you’re a bit sneaky you might be able to use this trick to boost your collection on the cheap). You then ‘pop’ them on your lanyard.

It does actually seem to be really popular with kids, and out of the different things Merlin have done, it does seem to be one of their better ideas. Aside from being an incentive to eat at the park’s ‘restaurants’, they obviously want to get people wearing the lanyards as a cost efficient way of promoting the annual pass. They can be useful to staff, for example if a kid starts crying on a ride, you might give them a ‘POP’ badge as a prize for giving it a go. It does seem to be a good way of turning around a ‘negative situation’. For some reason some managers don’t like staff doing this. Not entirely sure why. It probably has something to do with whose budget the badges come out of, and internal politics.

When the lanyards were introduced I wasn’t sure about it, but the POP badges do seem to be well received with the kids, so I think it’s something they should carry on with in at least some form. Having said that I do have a lot of reservations about the VIP pass. It does seem like a rather public way of selling out. For all the money it brings in, it creates a lot of ill feeling.
 
Little delta has just bought a pass. After I explained the cards to her she decided on a Premium Pass. Although for a child with a mental age of a 6 yr old she is sharp. I feel sorry for the operator on the merlin pass line. As she asked me whist the op on the speaker phone what annual means, then said about the standard pass "that not a year, that's bits of year" then when the op explained the premium pass she replies with "that's a pass, other not" At this point I have some of my fleece in my mouth so the op did not hear me chuckling.
all i can say is 'Out of the mouths of babes' :D
And she is able to get a carers pass too. so that's good
 
delta79 said:
Little delta has just bought a pass. After I explained the cards to her she decided on a Premium Pass. Although for a child with a mental age of a 6 yr old she is sharp. I feel sorry for the operator on the merlin pass line. As she asked me whist the op on the speaker phone what annual means, then said about the standard pass "that not a year, that's bits of year" then when the op explained the premium pass she replies with "that's a pass, other not" At this point I have some of my fleece in my mouth so the op did not hear me chuckling.
all i can say is 'Out of the mouths of babes' :D
And she is able to get a carers pass too. so that's good
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Will we be seeing you both on meets next year then?

;)
 
If you don't plan to go to London in August and you are willing to pay £5/£10 for fright nights and half term at Thorpe Park plus won't spend more than £30 on parking charges then the standard pass is fine. Personally I don't think the exclusion dates are that bad, I mainly got premium for the parking benefit, but then a friend got one premium pass and his partner got standard as then you get the parking sorted as only need one per car.

I agree renaming would be good, standard, gold & platinum would be my thinking. Silver plus as someone else suggested sounds confusing, I think the current 2 levels plus VIP/Platinum would be best.
Keep 20% discount for all levels though. Or reduce all prices by 10% to day guests too and then drop AP discount to 10%, but I don't see that happening.
 
If you don't want to make your customers feel cheapened, just make sure it's done like membership levels as I say - avoid words like "standard" "VIP" etc.

Their VIP stuff is **** anyway. Real "VIPs" would wet themselves at the "perks" on offer.

The "VIP" thing with Merlin has gotten stupid. It's just stupid. There's no other word to describe it.

Someone behind a desk with no seeming understanding of how to make ALL of your guests feel valued, decides it will be a great idea to cream off some extra revenue by adding these "VIP" experiences and then market everywhere about how much a STANDARD nigh, even PREMIUM pass holder or guest is LOSING OUT ON!

So you **** a huge majority of guests off, to cream a few extra quid out of some others.

Same Merlin as ever.

Penny wise, POUND FOOLISH.

IT WILL bite them eventually. Be it in ratings, reviews, or actual hard cash if Paramount does their homework and develops something that could wipe a huge chunk of Merlin's balance sheet.
 
It's fairly obvious that the annual pass has been identified as not returning sufficient money. They will squeeze out of it as much as possible but I think ultimately they are expecting to scrap it in the coming years as obviously some accountant has determined that people would still spend £150 on admission fees throughout the year anyway.
 
Alastair said:
And, obviously full price when they randomly decide to stop accepting the £10 MAP charge on busy days. Without any prior notice.
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Oh yeah forgot about that. It is one thing stopping sales as you are at capacity, but stop sales to all, not just APs.
 
Sorry but I disagree with TheMan on the VIP stuff. At present it is OK. If people are willing to pay £500 (or was it 1000?) fo unlimited Fasttrack then I don't have a problem with that. I would never get one, but for the limited number who want that pass, they can have it.

Again (I seem to see this a lot) read any Disney forum and you will see people moaning about premium add-on events. But generally they sell out and don't generally prevent the day guests from doing anything.
 
jon81uk said:
Sorry but I disagree with TheMan on the VIP stuff. At present it is OK. If people are willing to pay £500 (or was it 1000?) fo unlimited Fasttrack then I don't have a problem with that. I would never get one, but for the limited number who want that pass, they can have it.

Again (I seem to see this a lot) read any Disney forum and you will see people moaning about premium add-on events. But generally they sell out and don't generally prevent the day guests from doing anything.
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I don't disagree with "VIP" stuff. What I am against is the wholesale, in your face, up-sell that just reminds you continually of everything you don't have with a Standard or Premium pass. It's the wording I object to, and the brash marketing practice, not the idea of what are actually premium, not VIP, services.

Do they valet park your car?

Offer you drinks upon your entry, and special area for you to sit with complimentary this or that?

They nearly get it right with fireworks as a special treat thing, so long as it doesn't encroach on the normal guest experience who pays plenty to visit already. Nothing wrong with those kinds of services at all. If you want to treat yourself or someone else, why not?

The "VIP" pass is not a VIP pass. That's not the worst though, it's the whole "VIP" rubbish that's everywhere - all over park, VIP this, VIP that - get this front row seat or that experience etc - all the while other people are looking at their pass thinking, well wtf am I paying for then?

That's more my point. There's nothing wrong with choosing different service packages depending on what you want, it's when it cheapens the experience of everyone else and actively advertises how it encroaches upon your experience as a normal paying guest, or different level card holder.

But then, that's EXACTLY why they do it. It's no mistake, it's a heinous attitude towards their other customers to cream off more coin.

Really **** attitude. Kind of things I'd stand face to face with Varney and challenge him on.

One day.... one day. (Not in a creepy way lol!)
 
It's bout the price increase which is annoying me, it's the way they have done it and the way, again, they have kicked their loyal customers down with absolutely no recognition of their continued support and custom over the years.

I was prepared to renew my pass for 2015, but with what's happened and the insult of calling it a sale, I'm sticking my two fingers up to Merlin at the moment.
 
New Merlin style name for the "Standard Pass"

The super-fanta-bobulously-tabu-magilicious pass!!!! (restrictions apply - Fanta mention purely co-incidental)

You're welcome Nick.
 
I think the problem with the passes is that more and more people are buying them (probably because entry to the theme park goes up, but the passes are still really good value).

I believe the original reason for the standard and premium pass was because of London, and too many people turning up with passes in London. So they introduced the two passes, standard had no parking and no London in August (pretty much). However this has clearly meant over time more and more people have bought premium passes and less have bought standard, which leaves us with what we have now. A standard pass full of so many terms and cut off dates most people wouldn't know them, and a premium pass which also seems to be getting more and more terms.

They have kind of gone wrong with their whole system, prices have been too cheap and heavily promoted throughout the year, which has meant they have sold so many, meaning too many annual pass holders are turning up unexpected. Thorpe you now have to pre-book for any events no matter what pass you have, and the same seems to be happening to the London attractions.

It wouldn't surprise me if next year they introduce a new "premium" pass which once again has no real restrictions but at a higher cost than what we have now.
 
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