Feeling queasy yet? Six Flags charges you more to print your ticket at home
Most Outrageous Bills
From $2,500 for two pizzas to a $40,000 hospital-stay overcharge which included six surgical screws -- at $1,750 each! - we take a look at some of the most outrageous bills ordinary consumers have received.
Click through to see the craziest consumer charges!
Charge for: TV license fees
Total bill: Unknown
A man in Germany who died 450 years ago recently received a bill for his television license fees. When the society in his honor explained that he was no longer alive, they got a second bill in the mail.
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Charge for: Two Pizzas
Total Bill: $2,500
What Happened: The Heigh family of Alberta, Canada was on vacation in the Philippines when they ordered two pizzas from Pizza Hut. Instead of charging them in the 2,500 in Filipino pesos, they were charged $2,500 in US dollars. MasterCard froze their account and started to investigate. The family eventually recouped the charge for one pizza, but is still fighting the other.
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Charge for:
Four-Day Car Rental
Total Bill: $871
What Happened: Claude Hite only intended to rent a car for four days, but he went on a camping trip, parked the car in a risky place and watched as it was washed into a ravine by a flash flood. The car sat for 43 days in Olympic National Park, and the charges added up.
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Charge For:
Hospital Stay
Total Bill: $60,000
What Happened: An investigation by CBS Evening News on hospital overcharges dug into one woman's bill after her back surgery and found that she was overcharged nearly $40,000. Since most hospital bills are not itemized in any way a lay person can understand, the patient portion often goes undisputed, but forensic accountants commonly find many errors and overcharges when they look into individual bills.
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Charge for:
Water & Sewer Assessment
Total Bill: $17,992
What Happened: In a secluded neighborhood near Fort Myers, Fla., the utilities company wanted to charge property owners assessment for installing water, sewer and irrigation lines back in 2006. The resident complained to the local paper and filed lawsuits, which stalled the project.
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Charge for: Cell Phone Internet Service
Total Bill: $85,000 for two months of service
What Happened: A 22-year-old Canadian student thought he was on a $10 unlimited mobile browsing plan for his phone, which he proceeded to use as a modem for his computer, but the charges accumulated because of the unauthorized usage. The company eventually reduced his bill to $3,243.
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Charge for: iPhone International Roaming
Total Bill: $2,100
What Happened: The debut of the iPhone was a bit bumpy for some. There were complaints about 300-plus page bills that played cheekily on YouTube. And then there were tales of outrageous roaming charges. Even the tech-savvy got caught short, like Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson, who blogged about his $2,100 bill.
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More From AOL:
Cheapest Person I Know
Now that you've seen some outrageous bills that average consumers have received, see our roundup of outrageous ways people pinch pennies. AOL users spilled the beans on the cheapest people in their lives. See what crazy things they do to save some coin.
Next Gallery: He's So Cheap He ...
As some roller coaster fans have pointed out, the online price is often lower than the price at the gate anyway. A $60 season pass at the gate cost $40 online. But Six Flags has been bragging that its tickets are inexpensive relative to other parks, yet those savings are significantly eroded by the $5 fee, which if you didn't spring for, left you with shipping options ranging $5 to $15. Yep. It's charging $5 to send a ticket by First Class mail.
If you spent that $5 on Six Flags stock, the L.A. Times pointed out, you'd end up with 29 shares. Of course, then your ride would be mostly downhill.
Roll up, roll up for Six Flags' newest thrill experience: The Gouger!



Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
4-24-2009 @ 2:05PM
Nancy said...
I am not a big amusement park fan, but my kids and friends' kids like to go. Six flags had better take a lesson from some of those who are "feeling the pinch" right now. Empty seats on a roller coaster are pricey and mine and my kids and friends will be empty!!!
Reply
4-27-2009 @ 3:04PM
No 6F fan said...
Don't want park your car? A $10 fee. Bring your own food? $15 Don't want to ride anything? $45.
4-24-2009 @ 2:18PM
Lisa said...
It's bad enough that they charge you $15.00 to park and now this? Half the time you go there most of the rides are closed! This year were not even going to make the attempt to go!
Reply
4-24-2009 @ 2:25PM
Sherie said...
Everyone should try out HersheyPark in Hershey, PA. It's a nice, clean park in a great area - it always smells of chocolate! Also, take a tour/ride at Hershey ChocolateWorld and get a free chocolate sample.
My family and I went last year for vacation and it's truly a great experience.
Reply
4-24-2009 @ 3:18PM
Nancy Smith said...
Hershey Park is EXPENSIVE, it's season pass (if purchased before Christmas) is still more expensive than Six Flags (which is good at all of their parks by the way), they charge a salty price to park your car (used to be free up until about 20 years ago), the food is overpriced, the hotels/motels in the area are WAY overpriced (given that Hershey is basically a podunk "company town." As for Chocolate World, Hershey's shameless self promotion attraction (It's basically a little, non-thrill. mini-ride that promotes their products and, in general how they make chocolate, followed by the ability to purchase overpriced souveniers, and candy/food) yes it is free, and you may luck out and get a free "mini" bar (or a full one if they are trying to push some candy that doesn't sell well, but it is only a poor excuse to sell you on their products & it replaced tours of their real factory (that they discontinued several years ago). In brief, Six Flags, given that their season passes are good at all of their parks, and are cheaper than Hershey Park (cheaper daily tickets too), and the fact that Hershey Park (along with the chocolate/food company) is part of a SHAM non-profit (they are owned by the Milton Hershey Boys School Trust......as a TAX DODGE that Milton Hershey created coincidentally at the same time the Income Tax became permanent law), I'll go with Six Flags any day!
4-24-2009 @ 2:30PM
Bob A said...
I say let them go under. You go there and spend all day in line. It is not worth the fees anyway. All they do is price gouge their customers. They are bad employers too, just ask anyone who used to work there.
Reply
4-24-2009 @ 2:30PM
njsux said...
hershey park happy !!!!! PLUS and I know you forgot this I paid ONe third THE PRICE FOR A HOTEL ROOM RIGHT OUTSIDE OF hERSHEY AND GOT TO SEE THE AMISH TOO i HATE DIRTY nj THE ROOMS ARE BED BUGGY AND THE PARK IS FULL OF DIRTY PEOPLE!!!
Reply
4-25-2009 @ 9:06PM
Tonie said...
What njsux fails to realize is the dirty people in the park are there visiting from NY and PA.
4-24-2009 @ 2:33PM
Brad said...
I would be leary of Six Flags. The place seems to draw a lot of worthless black people that cause trouble. Go to a good park with actual good rides, like Cedar Point.
Reply
4-24-2009 @ 2:44PM
pthomp183@aol.com said...
You're absolutly right..... CEDAR POINT ROLLS !!!!!!
4-24-2009 @ 2:46PM
pthomp said...
You're absolutly right...... CEDAR POINT ROLLS !!!!!
4-24-2009 @ 3:54PM
Me said...
wow how racist are you?
4-24-2009 @ 3:48PM
appaulo said...
Guess it must be full of uneducated racist rednecks like you
4-24-2009 @ 3:49PM
Barb said...
Hey Brad,
Why do you have to be so racist against Black people? You do have white, mexicans and other races that go places and start trouble. And no I am not Black.
4-24-2009 @ 3:51PM
sueeliza813 said...
wow...can you say RACIST?
4-24-2009 @ 4:15PM
Albiesure2 said...
Black, white, asian, hispanic, all types can cause trouble so let's take it easy when singling out a single race for something that all races are guilty of.
As for SIX Flags, used to be that grandma would take my boys and they would be able to enjoy their day for a reasonable amount of money. Nowadays, it is not worth the cost to me, even if the closest park is 15 minutes away. I would rather spend a little extra money in gas and entry, maybe even hotel, and go to a bigger amusement park a couple of hours away and make a weekend of it.
Business owners are feeling the crunch but in order to get people through their doors, there has got to be some kind of incentive.
4-24-2009 @ 6:44PM
heather said...
wow that was rude!!!! u know thats wats wrong wit this world today people like u saying stupid stuff like that!!!!
4-25-2009 @ 11:52PM
tom said...
"worthless black people"
Just another case of human ignorance. You don't have to be black to be a trouble maker.
And, FYI, before you say I think it's racist, a, I do, and b, I'm white.
4-24-2009 @ 3:34PM
Sam said...
Big Deal! ticketmaster charges a "convenience fee" which ranges anywhere from a few dollars to 10 or 20 bucks! You should be doing a story about THAT ripoff rather than attacking a company teetering on the brink of bancruptcy, simply for trying to make a little revenue! sheeesh
Reply
4-24-2009 @ 2:38PM
pthomp said...
People,People......Relax !!! These extra fees are ONLY being applied in order to cover executive bonuses and increased saleries. That's all !!! It has nothing to do with covering administrative costs and ink. Or even gouging the American family. So relax.... dig-in to your $5. hotdog and admiring all the closed rides and ENJOY your day at the park !!!! SEE YA SOON !!
Reply