If life is a roller coaster, let it not be this one

[xetawindsong]

So I've been hanging out reading some of the horror stories, and have finally decided to share one of my worst customers. This was several years ago when I was working at this ratty little amusement park, a couple steps up from a carnival, but still way below a real amusement park like Kings Island or Six Flags.

I worked as a ride operator. Being judged as one of the more responsible, rule abiding ROs, I got the privilege (eye roll) of working the older roller coasters. Now, you have to be semi responsible to run these two roller coasters because nothing on them is automatic. You send one car and have to wait for it to get to a certain point in the ride and then send the next one. The braking station (like I said nothing is automatic, you have to be paying attention to brake the cars right) is a whole other story. For this particular SC, I'm the one loading people into the cars.

For the coaster I was running, you have to be 54 inches to ride this ride. Period. And it states this twice before you get up to it. If there's a line you have to actually stand beside one of the signs for a minute or two while waiting. Once they get to the height stick, there's a red line at the top. Now where I stand is lower than the platform that customers are standing, putting my eyes a bit below the 54 inch level, which probably gives them an extra 1/8th of an inch, maybe, if their hair is a bit poofy. So if I can see the red line, you can't ride. Most of the people that run this ride are the same way, we're all friends so we don't want to screw someone else with the "well the last person let us ride" argument. They always ***** longer if it's true.

So I'm going along watching the people, sending them on their merry way. I notice a woman with her son who is obviously not tall enough. By the time they are this close to me, it's easier to just let them wait and tell them to leave when they get to the front of the line (there's a gate right by my station for this purpose). Right in front of them are 3 teenage boys, all right about at the 54 inch mark. So I tell two of them to stand up in front of the height stick, they cheerfully do, cause they're tall enough (the third one was taller than the other two, so I just waved him into the car), and I send them on their way. Next up is the woman. Now I have to note that the 3 boys were white, the woman and her son are black.

SC is now at the front of the line. Her son is about half a foot too short. As I'm shaking my head no, she gives me that stupid pleading look that all parents that have made false promises to their too-short kids get. She even wraps her leg around like, I'm not sure, maybe she's intending to hold him in the ride that way (there are no seat belts on this stupid thing. And you don't need them, unless you're trying to stand up, which is very hard once the car is moving, you can not fall out).

Me: I'm sorry ma'm, he isn't tall enough.
SC: But I can hold him in, it'll be fine.
Me: I'm sorry, he can't ride. There's a gate right there you can go through to get out. *me pointing*
SC: But I'm his mother, it'll be alright.

*I've heard this before, no surprise there*

Me: I'm sorry, he has to be 54" tall to ride this ride, no matter what.

*I'm still very calm, blank expression. I've done this alot. Polite sorrys are one thing, but give them any real sympathy to their situation, they feel they might be able to wheedle their way into a yes. NO MEANS NO!!!!*

SC: But you let those other boys ride!
Me: I measured the two shorter ones. They were tall enough.
SC: I don't see why he can't just go with me, he could on that roller coaster. *Points at one of the modern coasters, that are automated, that do have seat belts and real safety measures*
Me: Ma'm, that's a completely different ride. Each ride has it's own standards that have to be followed. It's state law that you have to be this tall to ride.

*This is true. We once were notified of a change to the law and we had to change the height requirement of the other coaster in the middle of the day when we got the new height stick. I'm so glad I wasn't running it that day!!*

She keeps arguing for a bit. By then I've said everything I can say, and I'm mostly just shaking my head and pointing to the exit gate. Plus I'm starting to get pissed because the ride hasn't been going for several minutes and there are alot of people in line. Fortunately most people are pretty understanding when this happens, because the line wraps around past my station, so we have a pretty large audience.

She finally decides to have her last word:
SC: Well, I guess you have to be a certain TYPE to ride this ride.
Me: *I came so close to stepping up on to the platform slapping my hand on the height stick and slowly saying "Yes-you-have-to-be-54-inches-tall" Instead: If you have a complaint, the Main Office is around Kiddlyland to the left.

Now, what I didn't say to her (because in this lawsuit crazy country she could claim that he was allowed to ride and yada yada, this happened) was that he couldn't ride because when he breaks his collarbone because he just couldn't leave without riding this ride, we'd be sued and I'd be in huge trouble. Yes, that's right. That ride has been at that park for about 30 years. It used to have a much more lenient height requirement, probably started out at about 36" or so. But every once in a while, a kid would come off the ride with a broken collarbone. THERE ARE REASONS FOR THESE RESTRICTIONS!!!!

[rerant]

I always feel so bad for kids I see in line who I KNOW are not going to be able to ride, and once I made the mistake of telling a parent that his son may not be tall enough.
This was in an effort to keep them from waiting in a very long line (lines at Canada's Wonderland can get to be an hour+ long at times) and he lost it on me, saying it wasn't up to me, I had no say in the decision, he'll do whatever he wants with his son, etc.
So I said, "Fine. Waste your time in line. See if I care. But don't say I didn't warn you."
Well about 25 minutes later we all get to the front of the line and guess whose son is turned away?

I smiled and gave him one of these while he was sent away and I boarded the ride.
Some people should take the advice of others. I may just be a 20something amusement park patron but I know my way around the rules of the rides.

[GolfCart34]

I am a former amusement park worker myself. I worked for two years at a small, family owned park as a cashier. At each booth we had a stick with a line on it to measure the height of kids as they came in. We charged based on height because, obviously, there's no sense paying for rides you can't go on. Our height system was also very simple: Over 48" tall is a regular admission and under 48" tall is a junior admission. If the ride had a height requirement restriction, chances are it was 48". We had one ride that was 52" but kids were measured at that ride separately. And by the way, if an adult came in and was under 48" tall we would charge them junior admission. So this works both ways as well.

Anyway... This brings me to the story. Whenever we sold tickets we had to have everybody in the party in front of the booth so we knew how much to charge admissions at. We also had to measure kids to see if they were a regular admission or a junior admission. The rule was the kids had to come in with shoes on to be measured. Well, without fail people would come up to the booth and say, "I want 2 adult tickets and 4 kid tickets." At this point I would politely ask to see the kids so that I could measure them. If they gave me a hard time I would explain the pricing policy, point to the stick behind them in the line, and explain how admission prices are based on height not age.

Anyway, most of the time when people came up and said they wanted "x" adult tickets and "y" kids tickets were assuming that we charge by age. They would then try to rip us a new one when their 16 year old isn't a kid here but is at some other amusement park. The great thing was, our management backed us up 100% and would come out at the drop of a hat to explain the policy once again and tell these people to take it or leave it.

Then there were the parents who let their 6 year old wear 3 inch platform sandals. Now, here's a hint, if your kid is almost up to the 48" bar and you're trying to get them in for the junior price, bring another pair of shoes and let them wear their sandals after you've paid. Besides, you're more than welcome to go back to your car after you've paid anyway. Sorry, park policy was that kids had to be measured with their shoes on and it's your own darn fault for letting them wear platforms to the park anyway. And please don't complain when your 6 year old is taller than 48" even with regular shoes on. I've been over 48" tall since I was 5, which means that my parents would end up paying for a regular ticket for me. Now if your kid is 1/2 inch over the line, and the parents were really really nice, then I would only charge a junior admission. See what being nice can get you?

And when it comes to rides, each ride operator has a measuring stick at the ride station. We charge admission based on height, but you might still be able to get on an over 48" tall ride even with a junior ticket. Allowing kids on a ride is up to the discretion of the ride operator. If there is a problem, guest services is right in the park and they were more than happy to sort out height errors (mostly by putting bracelets on kids who were right on the line so they wouldn't have to be measured by ride operators).

Now, to wrap things up, and again back to the age vs. height thing... This park has had the same pricing policy for as far back as I can remember. I would absolutely love it when people would come up and say, "Well, last year you charged by age!" I could always call people on this by saying, "I've been coming here since 1982 and the pricing policy has always been by height so no, we did not change this in the last year." That usually shut them up really quick.

Phew! That was a mouthful wasn't it?

[Cyphr]

Don't you love it when customers make bullshit up to try to get their way

[xetawindsong]

Our park was the same way, by height, not age, though we also had a waterpark that made the measureing even more fun, because the kids with the combination waterpark and ride bands were originally measured with their shoes off for the waterpark. So between kids with the under 48" bands being over 48" tall with their shoes on and the ticket booth people being busy and sometimes not noticing if a kid is on his toes a bit, it was always up to the ride operators to measure the brats, no matter what. I've actually had the arguement that they paid the over 48" price so even though the kid wasn't tall enough, they should be able to ride. I told them to go to the main office and get their money back. Yep, I'm a b*tch. But like I've said, if their kid gets hurt, the park is liable and I'm in trouble. After all, I was the one that let them ride.