The Merlin Annual Pass

[BULBOUS]

Oh right...

Maybe I'm just being thick here.

She's so stoopid, what the hell were you thinking?

Hopefully when I go into the AP office, they'll just start chucking lifetime passes about. :P

[dammys]

yep its an unfortunate issue as i know you cannot upgrade your pass however you have to have a new pass reprinted upon your next visit however this does still not include all atractions so if it is possible to be printing newpasses then of course it is possible to include all attractions and merlin should be honouring this anyway due to staff giving out misleading information eg if the new attractions are added they will be included on your exsisting pass automatically as i would of waited, all existing pass holders however i strongly advise you to contact merlin enterainments direct with a strongly worded letter explaining how unfair it is just as i have done there address is

Merlin Entertainments Group Ltd,
3 Market Close,
Poole,
BH15 1NQ

and hopefully the more people that complain the better the chance we have of them allowing access to all of there attractions just as they should do wether you should have to pay a small surcharge or not!!!

[AstroDan]

Even though the FAQ's state that no upgrades are allowed, both Thorpe Park and Alton Towers have been offering upgrades for £15.00 to your exisiting 12-month pass for the full Merlin attractions until your expiry date.

[Squiggles]

[quote=""AstroDan.""]Even though the FAQ's state that no upgrades are allowed, both Thorpe Park and Alton Towers have been offering upgrades for £15.00 to your exisiting 12-month pass for the full Merlin attractions until your expiry date.[/quote]

Until you die?

[Mattia]

I'm well confuddled....the nice lady on the phone said tomorrow at thorpe my tesco vouchers for me merlin annual pass will mean that i will get the one that includes ALL merlin attractions for the vouchers and won't have to upgrade....now which one sounds more likely? The lady or the website?Urgh...well see what happens tomorrow now then

[dammys]

hello matia its so far looking like you can get an upgrade for all tesco vouchers that have been unused yet at an upgrade cost of £15 however if you already have an annual pass hey have made it unfairly that you cannot upgrade it untill your current pass expires! so i must wait a full season untill the end of october oh well have to wait for head offices reply also whos 100% hopefull to see this years return of the best fireworks display at least in the uk?

[Crofty]

The Tussauds annual pass has now been replaced with the Merlin Group Annual pass.

Current Tussauds pass holders will still be able to use their passes but will need to have them re-printed on their next visit. Please see the Annual pass website for details. 8)

In a nutshell:
12 months unlimited entry to Alton Towers Resort, Legoland® Windsor, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures & Zoo, Madame Tussauds, The London Eye, the Dungeons, Warwick Castle and Sea Life.

Other passholder benefits are included, details are on the annual pass website Here.

Frequently asked questions can also be found on the annual pass website. FAQ

Please use this topic for any other questions, opinions or news you have regarding the new Merlin pass.

[dammys]

i suppose what upset me and many others the most is the fact that some attractions eg with me thorpe park and alton towers were saying that if there was a new pass to be made then they would include all attractions automatically to existing annual pass holders and they are not now honouring this! i would have waited until this season as only 1 visit to another attraction would cover the £15 upgrade fee available to not yet purchased tesco customers! i am currently considering staying away upon expiry of my existing card as i feel many people will do this! so yes merlin ents will possibly lose out in the long run as they are losing a very loyal group of customers by not sticking to there word wether it was an accident or not! the more people that complain asap the more chance we have of them changing there mind and allowing access to all attractions the new pass offers! wether with an upgrade fee or not as either way we all need new passes printing! and even if it doesnt show all attractions on this new pass all it takes is merlins word of mouth to accept all existing passes as they will not lose out as it is extra visitors to there attractions which means more revenue for food and other venues! also it would be an additional benefit if they made a small surcharge and then give you the option of having access to all attractions or not! as to the free car park they should not be charging anyway! its miles from anywhere so your not going to park up and go for a walk and the car park security if checked through the news is extremely bad anyway as people are having valubles and car parts stolen/damaged so what does this surcharge cover? certainly not security as they have there disclaimers if theres any damage cause we are not responsible!

dammys - please re-check you inbox. Thanks, Crofty

[merlinmagic]

dammys...your sad!

the Tussauds Annual Pass and the new Merlin Annual Pass are clearly marketed as two seperate products. you paid for a pass that let you into the attractions advertised on it, plus a handful of international attractions. now you are moaning because you are loosing the international attractions. but in reality, the new pass is much better value as its valid for a hell of a lot more UK attractions...and you dont need to pay for a flight to visit the international ones which i bet you didnt vist very often anyway.

merlin is a business and of course prices are going to get higer over time. so is petrol. so is the price of milk. live with it dude. at the end of the day you dont have to buy the pass if you dont like it. if you remember merlin done loads of research into the product so i doubt that sending a few letters to them will change things. they have asked the customers what they like and obviously created a product accordingly. the international attractions have probably vanished because they were not being used or they are seen as a competition.

the attractions ARE offering an upgrade for £15 so if you want the additional attractions then you can get them...but you have to pay!

and your comments about parking are just stupid. i have to pay to park my car when i want to go into town shopping...i have to pay to shop, eh!? weird isnt it...but no amount of letters is going to change that if i began starting to write to the local council. alton charge for parking and have done for a few years now. yes people get mad but its a business and its probably made millions for them. this money gets invested into the expensive rides they build. get over it. or get a train/bus...but you have to pay for that (why dont you write a letter!) warwick charge for parking too so i would imagine that eventually all attractions will charge...all of the major theme parks in the USA charge for parking. the good thing is that Merlin dont charge for parking if you have an annual pass. look at the website.

[dammys]

hello there merlin magic! please read my other topics before you judge me!!! i do not visit nor ever have visited any of the international attractions! so i do not care about the loss of these from my pass!!! i care about the fact of alton towers and thorpe park both told us if any new attractions were added they would be included on the existing pass! this is not the case now so that sorta means false advertising right as i would have waited to get the new pass!!! hopefully you have the existing pass as you will not be happy now you are being told that you cannot upgrade your pass with a surcharge of £15! no i would not mind paying this excess as it would be excellent value still however you cannot do this!!! the only people who can pay this are tesco voucher holders who have yet to redeem there voucher! now do you understand me? please follow this link to explain futher http://www.annual-pass.com/faq/faq.asp? ... ss_holders and read the link fully to understand! you cannot upgrade! even when you have to have a new pass printed upon your next visit! heres a little of the site

Can I exchange this voucher for a NEW Merlin Annual Pass?

Yes you can, when you visit one of our attractions, for a £15 upgrade fee we will issue you with a New Merlin Annual Pass.

N.B THIS UPGRADE IS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR TESCO CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE NOT YET REDEEMED THEIR VOUCHERS.

i already have an annual pass merlin magic which i did not get untill the end of october so i now have to wait the full season or buy a new pass to include the rest of the attractions! please do not slag me off before reading and fully understanding the true information that i had written!!!

[dammys]

so yes actually i do have the full annual pas atm! so do not make those comments about parking your car! the money was also supposed to be providing for a relief road which is yet to be built! it is not the fact of charging to park a car there it is the fact that they are already charging you to enter there park so if there was no cr park there then they would lose a lot of custom! basically they are killing thereselves! have you realised the drop in numbers since the car parks were charged for? i know of numerous people that will not go there anymore just because they have charged for there car park for which they say pays for the security that they do not provide! we have lost items from our car now externally so yes the vehicle was locked! numerous people over the years i have reckomended the pass to have also taken it on as it is great value! but they should not say 1 minute it will include all attractions then change there mind the next! so you live with it this is a forum and just like you i am 100% entitled to my opinion you just do not have the right to slag me off within the process!

[Kaycee]

Hi dammys... could you use paragraphs in your posts -please? I'm really squinting trying to read your posts and finding I stop reading them pretty early.

Also please try not to double post... if you have more to add, hit the edit button on the top right of your existing one. Cheers.

[merlinmagic]

dammys...or did you mean to call your self dummy?

i care about the fact of alton towers and thorpe park both told us if any new attractions were added they would be included on the existing pass!

yes...but as i mentioned before the existing pass has been removed from sale and replaced with the merlin annual pass - a new product! when it was the tussauds annual pass new attractions were added such as the london eye. I am sure if merlin purchased anouther attraction they would include that onto the new Merin Annual Pass but they wouldnt include it on the tussauds annual pass would they?!

hopefully you have the existing pass as you will not be happy now you are being told that you cannot upgrade your pass with a surcharge of £15! no i would not mind paying this excess as it would be excellent value still however you cannot do this!!!

Have you actually spoken to any of the attractions directly? I think not as I visited thorpe park last sunday and asked about upgrading...and they charged me £15 and I now have a shiny new Merlin annual pass even though it expires in June. It seems as though they have some customer service precautions in place.

the only people who can pay this are tesco voucher holders who have yet to redeem there voucher! now do you understand me?

I paid for my annual pass with a credit card, in full, when i originally got it...and i paid £15 last weekend and upgraded it into a merlin annual pass! NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME???

i already have an annual pass merlin magic which i did not get untill the end of october so i now have to wait the full season or buy a new pass to include the rest of the attractions!

you should use your gift of speach and talk to the attractions (as i did) and you might find that the people who work there are human beings and do not actually want to upset their customers and will make an exception as they did for me.

please do not slag me off before reading and fully understanding the true information that i had written!!!

You shouldnt be such a dummy then!

so yes actually i do have the full annual pas atm! so do not make those comments about parking your car! the money was also supposed to be providing for a relief road which is yet to be built!

You keep on moaning about the car park. why, if you dont care? you choose to visit the park dont you? then you pay the parking fee...or not if you have an annual pass! if you want them to make more money to build a new road then write them a cheque! they are a business and if it makes more business sense for them to spend/invest the money elsewhere then they CAN DO THAT if they want.

They are a business and if they see they can make money from charging people to park then let them. after all you dont have to go to the park if you dont want to. you have to pay to park when you go to most places these days so i bet that thorpe lego land and chessington will also start charging in the next few years. live with it. all of the parks in the states charge for parking. ITS WHAT BIG BUSINESSES DO!

basically they are killing thereselves!

where is the evidence to support this? or have you just made this up?! what an idiot.

you live with it this is a forum and just like you i am 100% entitled to my opinion you just do not have the right to slag me off within the process!

I totally agree with you. we live in a country of free speech and we are all entilted to express our views. oh, that means i am entiltied to expressing mine...so dont try to shut me up or shoot me down...dummy!

[merlinmagic]

by the way everyone...i have just seen that lego land have a page on their site showing all the benefits at the parks/attractions with the merlin pass. it looks like most of the benefits will be staying.

[dammys]

lol did u enjoy that merlin magic? as i said read all my posts properley! i had tussauds annual pass to which i ws told if new attractions were added they would automatically be included onto the tussauds pass! however the website and the parks themselves actually say this is not possible!!! wether paid or unpaid, which is were my word comes in that if alton towers and thorpe park like they did give me there words on this and then change this word then that basically is a case of false advertising which im sure you are aware is not allowed!

however i did have my pass upgraded today for the £15 and was told they are not supposed to be doing it but i had an email confirming i could so that is why they issued it!!!

as regards to the car park i told you the money was for a relief road! this is what the management of alton towers had said i dont care wether the moneys used for raising revenue or not i was just stating that alton towers management had said this and no i did not enquire as to how the money is used! it is somewhere on the net as it was to do with the locals!

i probably just like you have always loved alton and i love there firework displays so im sure this is proberly something we both agree on!

i was not saying you could not have your say i was saying why did you need to use the personal comments eg the name calling as they was uncalled for!

so yes towers times i can confirm atm it is still possible to get your pass upgraded for £15 however head office needs to confirm this and you also need to enquire about it now! as they are not telling you!

as previously mentioned though i did not care about the removal of the abroad attractions being removed all i was trying to point out is that 1 day we were being told your pass will automatically include any new attractions and the next we were being told it will not!

[merlinmagic]

yes dummy, i did enjoy that...loads actually!

so it goes to show that you putting down the merlin head office address and telling everyone to write in was not actually necessaray was it? if its free speach that you were on about you should of left it up to people to decide if they wanted to write in or not...you shouldnt tell people what to do. all you need to do is talk to the attractions and they WILL HELP YOU as they did for both of us.

yes, i agree that if they tell you new attractions will be added to your card then they should be...BUT YOU ARE FORGETTING THAT THE TUSSAUDS AND MERLIN ANNUAL PASSES ARE MARKETED DIFFERENTLY AND THEREFORE YOU NEED TO TREAT THEM AS A SEPERATE PRODUCT. they are correct doing what they done...although it was a sneeky way of doing it (by using the new branding).

And by the way, you dont need a letter from head office to upgrade. i didnt have one. i just spoke to the annual pass office and they helped me out.

and stop going on about the flippin car park...who actually cares!?

[AstroDan]

Please refrain from uncessary use of capital letters, this appears as though you are shouting - and is not tolerated on the fourm. The posting style above is far from pleasant, so please alter your posting style in future.

Thanks.

Astro/Team TTF

[dammys]

lol spose theres no point as your still not listening, if people write to them yes its up to them, and when i had my pass upgraded i was told by them you do need head office authorisation,

this is all i can tell you as its what they told me and a family who needed to have new passes printed popped in the same time as us and they was not informed of the upgrade option so just like i said they dont tell you!

so the more people who know this the better!

and wether they are 2 seperate passes or not they still said if they add any new attractions to there annual passes they will be included automatically.

oh and merlin magic i have just looked through your posts, do you remember the one you wrote that says you can upgrade upon expiry? looks like at 1 point then you thought you would have to wait until your pass expired?

the reason people would like there exsisting passes to cover entry to all attractions i expect is because you would only need to visit legoland or a couple of there other attractions once to make the pass benefit

[Craig]

Dammys, as much as I appreciate that you wish to put your point across, please do not double post within such a short timeframe. You have already been asked by Kaycee to use the edit button if you wish to add to a conversation. I have placed removed your last post and placed it's content into the one you made earlier

Thanks

Craig/Team TTF

[PETER MOWBRAY]

I think that the New Merlin Pass is a fantastic deal..
As regular visitors to the Blackpool Pleasure Beach we have decided that we will not be renewing our 5 passes for the BPB in 2009.

We have been treated very badly in the opening weeks of the Season and I have been Searched by Members of the Neo Nazi party each time I visit the park..I have had my Camera Tripod taken of me and Told that I need a permit for it..An absolute joke..

I have been told that customer care at Alton Towers is superb and they treat customers with respect..

So I will be a Season pass member next year and enjoy all what Merlin has to offer its just a shame that I have purchased 5 x passes for the Pleasure Beach for this year..
Never Again..