I agree wholeheartedly with Tom, and his initial comment. It didn't even need defending, as nothing was incorrectly said. It's a fact that some of the people that were responding to the Facebook posts, will have paid for their Annual Pass with a student loan. He didn't, however, state that everyone fell into this category, nor did he state that anyone in the screenshots, nor here, fitted into that category either. Please, read the post before posting a defensive comment, and creating further conflict.
I think that if you have a rubbish day at the park, and you're a member of the 'General Public' (as we all are, I hasten to add), then you are more than entitled to post a disgruntled message on the parks Facebook page. After all, if you don't visit regularly as most people don't, then you'd have paid a considerable amount of your money, to enjoy yourself, and for whatever reason, that didn't happen. You're going to have an opinion, and you're going to be annoyed and want to vent it. Enthusiasts that visit regularly with Annual Passes shouldn't be getting involved, and further aggravating the situation by making inappropriate comments to the guest, and most certainly shouldn't be resulting to calling them such things as "idiots". To add to this, I think it's highly immature, amongst other things, when the resulting comments and 'likes' of said abusive comment are from other enthusiasts that are there just to make a mockery. It just adds to the situation, and not in a good way.
To state once more, outside of TowersStreet and indeed any other site, we are free to do as we wish, and as such, you can carry on responding in a vicious/argumentative/rude/inappropriate or helpful way. However, the initial post in this topic was for me to indicate that I, amongst others, have noticed people doing this, and wanted to see what other people thought of it. The overwhelming majority of people agree that it isn't our place to get involved, and it's Alton Towers' job to fix. That said, we are each individuals, and away fro this site, we are free to do as we please.
Just a couple of things I'd like to add, however, and this is not directed at anyone in particular. If you happen to fit into the following, then please, don't kid yourself in thinking you're the victim of comments, it's generalized.
1> If you have a partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, mistress, relative or other that works at the Resort, and you're making a comment on a guests question or query, then perhaps it would be wise to stop doing so, as you could be getting your connecting person in trouble. Likewise, if your profile picture actually features the member of staff, then perhaps you need to consider your actions before you do them. Same can be said for header photos too.
2> Everything that is put on the internet can be found again, by nearly anyone, if you look hard enough. As someone has said in this topic, employers are frequently looking at prospective new employees Social Networking profiles during the job application stages, and inappropriate comments such as the ones this topic is based on, could indeed come back to haunt you in the future. It's not just in work, either, it could be anything. It's much easier to leave it to the professionals to resolve.
3> Contrary to what a couple of people may think, this thread, and all my posts in this topic, aren't aimed at any individuals, it's at ALL those people that take it upon themselves to contribute rubbish, ridiculous, silly responses to things that are no concern of theirs, on the Alton Towers Social Networking profiles. If you wish to believe otherwise, then I ask, kindly take a moment to reassess this thread, and read thoroughly from the beginning. I don't wish to have another Personal Message thread, resulting in sarcastic non-points.
I am here to enjoy myself, and interact and share my views with other people that share a common interest. I don't look for confrontation, nor do I involve myself in it. This thread was merely to see if others have picked up on this ever-increasing subject, and if so, share their own views on the matter in hand.