Blackpool dungeon feeling duped

[BillywigSting]

Bit of a long one sorry and feeling a bit stupid.

Df this morning suggested that we (him, dm, dp, ds and me) all go to Blackpool tomorrow for the day. A bit short notice I thought but nice idea something ds (who is 7) has been talking about wanting to do for a while.

So I went online this morning to buy tickets, see there is a deal to go to three attractions, the tower, the waxworks and the dungeon. Book a time slot and tomorrow's date. Pay £170 for the five of us.

Then it takes me to another sort of booking portal to set up an itinerary and I can book time slots for the tower and the waxworks but not the dungeon. However if I go to the website and look at buying a single ticket for the dungeon I can still get one for tomorrow.

All of their ways of contacting them are closed until Monday and the tickets are none refundable.

I'm feeling very cross and quite upset that we may well be missing out on a third of what has been paid for

Wtf do I do?

I've never been but bumping for you.

Must be a way to do it as had a look on website in phone and lots of options. Mothers is an email address and the places are open today.

It also says you can reschedule the tickets for free at any point. So I suppose worst case you turn up tomorrow and explain and if they can't sort it out ask to reschedule as per policy.

I’m sure they’ll help you our if you pop in tomorrow when you’re there.

They are open today so I imagine they will be available on the phone

You need to be 8 to go in the dungeon, maybe that’s why you can’t book it?

The place is open but not the phone lines so no way of calling. Have tried every number available but only open Monday to Friday.

Have finally got a response back from their Facebook, basically a discount code to get tickets for the dungeons for free but by the time they actually replied it was fully booked.

Was then fobbed off with an offer for sea World which is not something we're interested in at all or something we had even mentioned.

Requested a downgrade on the tickets and was basically told they can either cancel the lot and we rebook (by which time everything we booked was sold out so utterly pointless) or use the tickets we have and request a refund of the difference after the fact.

I asked what guarantees I had that the money would actually be returned and have had no reply.

Absolutely shocking customer service and I feel utterly swindled

I will certainly not be going back or giving them any money again and if I don't get it resolved I'll be going to trading standards

@GameSetMatch

You need to be 8 to go in the dungeon, maybe that’s why you can’t book it?

That makes a lot of sense.

I went to Blackpool Tower a couple of years ago and we queue for over an hour for the tower despite having a time slot booked. The queue was all inside the tower so you didn’t know until you were in it how long it was. For that reason I think it would be really ambitious to try and do all 3 activities in a day. Hopefully you can cancel/reschedule the dungeons. Good luck with getting it sorted!

I think that's annoying. YANBU for feeling a little done. I say go and do what you can and then complain again after and get back the money you are owed.

I don't think there is a Sea World in Blackpool but there is a Sea Life Centre. Sounds a bit different to what you have in mind though so I agree it's not a good substitute.

Honestly I would cancel the lot. It’s an absolute dump of a place. You would be missing nothing to give it a wide berth.

I'd cancel the lot too. Blackpool is so run down and tired and there's honestly far better use of your £170

However I appreciate that's not helpful of your little boy is fixated on going

I would cancel the lot and get tickets for the Pleasure Beach instead or Ripley Believe it or Not or the Zoo or even spend your pounds on the rides on the pier. The tower is nothing special.

What did you decide OP?

I hope you have a nice day, whatever you decide to do

There is a sea world but it looks very run down, more so than the other attractions.

Management got back to me yesterday morning and sorted us out with space on a dungeon tour (which is the one we couldn't get on despite having paid for).

Was the hight of cheese and kitchs but a really good fun day out and the weather was perfect, the beach was surprisingly clean and the water was warm. Ds even got a little donkey ride.

I wouldn't necessarily go to the wax museum or the dungeon again (I'd go up the tower again though) but I'm glad to have done it once, and ds has proclaimed it the best day of his life ever so I'll take that as a win