Feeling queasy yet? Six Flags charges you more to print your ticket at home

By Jason Cochran Posted 1:30PM 04/24/09 Retail, Travel

You'd think that Six Flags would be a little smarter about how it treats its fans, given that it's teetering on calamity and all. But no, the company, which runs more than 20 parks around North America, has decided that the best way to soak up a little quick cash would be to charge $5 to any customer who elects to visit its website and print his own 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 ...

That's right. It's your printer, your ink, your paper -- and Six Flags won't have to pay anyone in the ticket booth to sell you a ticket, either. Yet somehow, the company thinks you should pay $5 over the price of your ticket to do that. I think Six Flags is a terrific vacation resource, and I want them to stick around. I don't think this is how to go about it. (Although the company has done one thing right: bringing back the delightfully ookie spokes-elder Mr. Six)

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!