Carol Pflager decided to splurge on a season pass to Great America in Santa Clara. Her sister's family had just bought passes, and besides, she is a big fan of scary rides.
"I like the roller coasters. You can be a kid for a day," she said.
So Carol went on Google, typed in Great America and up popped a website. In minutes, she was able to buy and print out a voucher, good for immediate entry to the park. But not everything was that simple.
"I was kind of shocked when they told me the ticket was no good," she said.
When she arrived at the gate, the attendant said her pass was no good, and if she wanted to use it she would have to go all the way to Chicago.
"I was taken aback, wondering how I ended up with a Chicago ticket," Carol said.
Here's how: When she Googled Great America,' a website that led her to the wrong great America popped up. This park is located in Chicago, and owned by Six Flags.
"Great America had changed ownership several times and I didn't' know who the owner was, so I assumed it was Six Flags," Carol said.
The website does make reference to Chicago, but Carol said it looked like an ad, and her receipt and voucher said nothing about the park's location.
"I had no idea there was even a Great America in Chicago," she said.
Chicago is a fine town but, Carol said, it's a little far. So she contacted Six Flags saying she'd made this mistake and the company responded "all sales are final."
"I understand the policy, but it was an error, a complete error. So I thought they should make an exception," she said.
So she contacted 7 On Your Side and we took the case to Six Flags. The company said its website is clear -- to purchase a pass, customers must click this box confirming the park's location.
However, Six Flags said, "Management made an exception in this case because it appeared to be an honest mistake by the consumer." Six Flags provided Carol with a full refund of $77.09.
"I was happy and pleased with the outcome. Thank you very much, I appreciate what 7 On Your Side did for me," she said.
This story is a good reminder that many companies have similar names, and Internet search engines may lump them all together in the same search. So, check out the websites carefully when you click.
