Grand Prix Kartways - Over sell Group Deals

[thunderca]

I see this place Grand Prix Kartways is always selling on all the group site. I though I just had to share my experience. I bought a group deal from them before and it is just bad experience.

I have been there 3 times and here are my experiences.

Saturday Experience
It was good at first. Got 2 races back to back. When I went back to the counter for more races, they told me is is fully booked. So Only got 2 races using the groupon. So we were like fine it is a saturday, it is a busy day.

Monday Experience
Call them in the afternoon - no body picks up. Went there and was told there is no open races. So we wasted 3 hours stuck in traffic for nothing (Going there and back).

Tuesday Expernice
Call them in the afteronnon. Someone picks up this time. I ask if it will be busy and they said they don't know until they start booking. So we went there and was told we have to wait more than 2 hours for the first race and that might be the only race. It is disgusting how we have to wait a few hours just for 1 race, so we just went home. Wasted another 3 hours stuck in traffic for nothing (Going there and back).

This place has Group Deals selling all the time and they also sell discount deals themself. Their unlimited deals of 6 hours is way oversold. So if you buy them beaware that you might have to wait all afternoon or evening (6 hours) just to get 1 or 2 or even no races.

[AnimeEd]

Thanks for post. The deal looks very tempting without your experience. They make it sound like you will be on the track for 6 hours.

[l33t.h4x0r]

I can vouch for OP and Grand Prix Kartways overbooking. I've been there 5 times in the past with these group buys. The first few times when this deal was not as popular I had no problems getting a race in every 3-4 races. Now, they changed it so that you will get your first 2 races almost back to back. The following race could take up to 2 hours wait because so many people have the unlimited pass as well

[thunderca]

Well another thing. When you are there, they don't start like a race. They are electrical control and they can control your speed. So at the starting line they space you out far appart (Avoid collision so their car won't be damage). So the first guy and the last guy can be 1/2 lap appart. The last guy is pretty hard to get 1st place unless eveyone don't know what they are doing. So the race is more like racing against the clock (Get the best lab time) (Hopfully people who don't know what they are doing will let you go pass them, if they keep blocking you then your lab time will suck and your rating will be low).

[PCDawg]

When they first started the group deals a couple years back, it was great. We would pull in about 6 races in a 2-3 hour range. That was the first batch of the deals, then they got greedy and started issuing more and more and it got overcrowded.

Most of the time, becuase the karts are constantly running they can not be fully charged and will not running as fast and at optimum speeds. I avoided them as well since it got too crowed and most of the time you would be sitting there waiting for your turn and at times they karts are not running as they stop here and there to try to charge up the karts for the next race.

[pigurd]

I went a year ago with these guys and though we managed a few races, it was so annoying that they sometimes let a group of 2 people race alone on the track while many people waited for their turns... i also find the electric carts boring and a bit slow, and some douche who works there keeps making the same joke about the straps being a bra...

[PCDawg]

I went a year ago with these guys and though we managed a few races, it was so annoying that they sometimes let a group of 2 people race alone on the track while many people waited for their turns... i also find the electric carts boring and a bit slow, and some douche who works there keeps making the same joke about the straps being a bra...

The reason why there are sometimes smaller groups of people on the track is that those two are walk-ins and paid full price so they dont race with the group deal groups. They also get in races alot faster.

[catwalk]

The reason why there are sometimes smaller groups of people on the track is that those two are walk-ins and paid full price so they dont race with the group deal groups. They also get in races alot faster.

Just another example of voucher holders being treated like second class citizens.

[DaVibe]

Probably in the fall of 2011, I went with a bunch of co-workers. We had the same issues that everyone is listing here but the line-ups were not that bad. We were pretty much the only small group racing, as the day went on (we have unlimited vouchers), another group was made up so we had to wait for that race to finish before we could go again ... but overall, go on an off day if you can and you'll be fine (at least it was back then).

Now I just have a ton more (over bought) so I got to get these guys to go again or figure something out lol

[nsx]

Moved from "Group Deals" to 'Group Deals > Group Deal Discussion."

[ShimapanX]

Well another thing. When you are there, they don't start like a race. They are electrical control and they can control your speed. So at the starting line they space you out far appart (Avoid collision so their car won't be damage). So the first guy and the last guy can be 1/2 lap appart. The last guy is pretty hard to get 1st place unless eveyone don't know what they are doing. So the race is more like racing against the clock (Get the best lab time) (Hopfully people who don't know what they are doing will let you go pass them, if they keep blocking you then your lab time will suck and your rating will be low).

I thought it didn't matter if you start first or last place, it counted best lap. Meaning even if you are last place and you have best lap you came first, that's why I didn't mind starting last place. I haven't been there in a year or two maybe they changed the rules. I never had any problems racing with my friends. We usually get 5+ races with the unlimited passes.

was thinking of purchasing another unlimited pass with my friends but never got it done.

[ZeroToHero]

I would wait usually about 2 months or so before going with the voucher.
By then most people went through with the group buy and they havent started selling the new one so theres legit not many people especially if you go on a weekday like wednesday you can go pretty much every other race in the last 2 hours.
You get what you pay for, cheap go kart experience.

Honestly its not the wait time that bugs me, but the RIDICULOUSLY POOR CONDITION of their carts. You are riding one and its feels like its going to fall apart on you. One time I went, the wheel of someone's kart actually fell off LOL. And the place is dirty and grimy and boring as f*#k.
Otherwise, if you think about it you wouldnt go alone, youd go with friends, and you would get food, chill with ppl hang out, and at $29 bucks in the worst case scenario if you go 2-5 races its still works out to be the same or cheaper than say wonderland/ or Vaughn Mills Go Karts or anything comparable around GTA.

[darkprince]

GPK Deal sucks! I bought this deal twice.

1st - Deal was before this place is well known.
My group of 5 ppl went on a Monday had amazing time the people there were very nice and we managed to get 8 races (8mins each race) from (12pm-5pm) =D

2nd - We bought another deal b/c our first experience turn out so well
This time I had a group of 4 ppl we got there on a Monday again but in the afternoon, it wasn't that busy only another group of 5 ahead of us.
The racing marshals (that babysit the races) took 40minutes to setup each race, so basically there was no one on the track my group and the other group had to wait just to race once. We asked them what is the hold up? They responded that we'll get our turn just keep waiting another 10-15mins. By the end of the night we already got 2 races over the 3 hours we were there and just decide to leave and call it a night.

They are just skimming your 6 hour time slots, so they make more out of the deal.

I will never return to this place and I have informed all my friends to not get suckered into this deal!