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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think this is a bit of a rip off?

85 replies

MistressMaker · 05/12/2010 19:56

Took DD to see Santat today.

It was at an indoor real snow ski slope.

Tickets were £9, to include a train ride, play in the snow then see Santa and have a present. It said on the flyer and at booking that adults don't need a ticket.

We get there, queue for the train only to be told that if you want to ride on the train with your child it's another £1 per adult. DD wouldn't want to be on it on her own so we hand over another £2.

The train is just a little car with a couple of carriages on the back, goes up and down the shopping centre then into the ski slope.

The snow is a teeny, tiny area cordoned off the main ski slope, no room to play in the snow, just enough room for a toddler slide and to queue for Santa.

Go into see Santa, very friendly chap give him his dues, tried hard with DD who didn't want to talk to him (that's another thread!)

Gives her her present. Present is basically a load of free branded merchandise - a string bag with a slogan on it, a plastic bottle with the ski slope name on it, some stickers (trespass and other ski brands) and a snowcamp t shirt age 12-13. Oh, and some crayons.

Now, that is quite a lot of stuff but DD is a pre-schooler, I don't expect your average 12-13 year old is remotely interested in visiting Santa, are they? Nothing in the bag is of interest to her except the crayons, of which have many.

I would have been better off spending £11 in poundland!

Anyway, rip off or not? You the jury!

OP posts:
onepieceoflollipop · 05/12/2010 21:24

annie I was just about to recommend Tamworth Snowdome. Basil Brush is there this year. :)

(dd2 actually went twice last year, once with her cm and then once with us as dd1 was keen to go) - we saw Sooty, Sweep and Soo.

I understand that Basil is still very much alive and well although getting on a bit and a bit grey around the brush!

Original poster
MistressMaker · 05/12/2010 22:47

Tamworth snowdome looks great! Looks £££££ though Sad

OP posts:
toomuchmonthatendofthemoney · 05/12/2010 23:39

our local santa grotto place is run by local farmers in a huge barn that they make into a fab winter wonderland each year. It has a wee form to fill out when you buy your ticket at reception:
name and ticket number
boy/girl
age

then half a dozen tick boxes with "favourite things" like art, animals, construction, etc etc. and a space to add any details or other suggestions.

takes about thirty seconds to do at a table next to the till, give it to a friendly elf, queue up and when you get to Santa, voila, an age, gender and interest specific present all wrapped and ready!! we have been for the last 3 years with DS and he has always LOVED his pressie! (one year was a mini JCB, last year was a fancy torch

PS Ticket price is £6 and i guess each present has always been about £5 so they are not making much out of it, but the farmers who do the Santas are brilliant!

ArrAitch · 05/12/2010 23:51

YANBU. That definitely sounds like a rip off to me! I'd write and complain - even if you don't get a response from them it might at least make them think. Probably not, but it's worth a shot right?

Octonauts · 07/12/2010 11:13

Total rip off!

meandmine1511 · 07/12/2010 12:41

Well what a shame that you seem to have completely missed the whole point of the experience and instead are just teaching your child to follow her mothers very poor example of what Christmas is about and no doubt she will turn out like you miserable and materialistic - bah humbug - shame on you!
We took our 2 there at the weekend and they had a great time - the delight they took in the train ride and then actually meeting Santa (and an excellent one he was too) on the snow was totally worth the £9 - it wasnt about the present - which we all know is going to be a token and not a special gift - if I wanted a special gift I would pay to go to Harrods! besides which with Christmas round the corner it will just end up with all the other free gifts they get at this time of the year - you get what you paid for and we feel the train, snow and Santa were worth more than what we paid just to see our kids in awe at it all!!!
We thought it was beautifully presented, well organised and did what it said - a train ride to visit Santa on the snow - we were so impressed we have recommended it to our friends and my youngest cant stop talking about cold Santa
Ignore Scroodge - she's obviously one of lifes moaners!
Well Done Snozone - great job!

Octonauts · 07/12/2010 14:26

How did the teenager-sized t shirt fit on your kids meandmine? Grin

Myleetlepony · 07/12/2010 15:38

Oh come on Meandmine, my friend took her children there and she would agree with MistressMaker, it was rubbish. What is the point of giving a little tot that load of tat? "It's not about the present" - of course it is, Santa gives lovely presents, everybody knows that. Grin

Myleetlepony · 07/12/2010 15:39

p.s. Do you work there?

Original poster
MistressMaker · 07/12/2010 16:50

The funniest thing of all was that when we were being fleeced for extra money for the train the 'elf' on duty said "yeah, it's basically like a money making kind of thing".

No shit.

OP posts:
Original poster
MistressMaker · 07/12/2010 16:56

Myleetlepony, surely not? What with that being her first post and all?

OP posts:
meandmine1511 · 08/12/2010 10:18

No it didnt, and im not a snob but dont dress my kids in those kinds of t-shirts anyway! but as there were fabric crayons in the pack they have decorated their t-shirts which that they are really pleased with and gives me a keepsake
As for all the other mum's asking if I work there - no i dont, do have a friend that does though that told me what had been posted which is why I joined - people are always so quick to be critical and unfortunately the society that we live in being so negative (even though this is supposed to be a festive time of year!?)will always be like like that - quick to complain but forget to praise - guess doesnt make such a good story!

Original poster
MistressMaker · 08/12/2010 19:36

Oooh, someone at Snozone knows about this thread??

Excellent.

I may just have to keep it bumped.

OP posts:
unfitmother · 08/12/2010 19:47

Hilarious!
Sounds like a rip off to me, whatever the friends of employees say.

flippinggorgeous · 08/12/2010 20:30

BTW, you don't have to pay to go to Harrods. We are going Saturday and can't wait!
Xmas Smile

mummytoatribe · 08/12/2010 20:38

meandmine Harrods is free!

pastyeaterneedsaSilentNight · 08/12/2010 20:42

YANBU

juneybean · 08/12/2010 20:43

Have you not looked outside? You can play in the snow for free.

Gotabookaboutit · 08/12/2010 20:46

meandmine1511 - you make me think worse of snow dome to be honest and as for keeping the tshirt as a keepsake - what crap - make your grotto worth the money and age appropriate instead of coming here and saying a mum is materialistic for wanting her £9,s worth

CheckeredFlag · 08/12/2010 21:16

Why would a toddler want an teenager-sized drawn-on t-shirt as a 'keepsake'?

Finn15 · 08/12/2010 21:23

menandmine1511 - perhaps your "friend" could post here and justify what appears to be such a blatant rip-off?

littlesaintnicola · 08/12/2010 21:51

I have a confession (Long time member but name changed for Xmas btw)

I emailed the company as I genuinely was considering a different Christmas experience for the kids on a journey south.

I got a reply ---

[Dear littlesaintnicola,

Thank you for your email. I will look into your comments with our Operations Manager in milton Keynes, and I will write to you again soon with a full reply.

Kind regards,

Marie-Laure Seingeot
Marie-Laure Seingeot| Customer Care
SNO!zone Head Office
SNO!zone | Milton Keynes | Castleford | Scotland]

I mentioned this thread as I was so annoyed how close I came to being ripped off. Perhaps Marie-Laure (what a lovely name ) liked what she saw ?

zipzap · 08/12/2010 22:14

hmm. was thinking about taking ds1&2 (5&2) to see santa here this weekend so am glad I saw this - as somebody else on a different thread had said they were going at the weekend and made me think it might be fun.

That all came about because the thread was about the outrageous prices being charged to get into 360/Gambado soft play - for both adults and children. And I'd been at CMK shopping centre when Santa arrived - which was a very disappointing event - if you can dignify it with the word 'event' for the few seconds that he waved in the distance before disappearing off into his very grotty grotto. And OK it was free - and the grotto is free but it is half the size (other half given over to tacky christmas market) and significantly lower quality than usual efforts. Definitely a credit crunch grotto.

Anyhow, what I'm taking a long way round to saying is what is it with rip off Milton Keynes? They have some great facilities that could be fantastic with decent management but at the moment they really are wasted opportunities staffed by corporate money grabbers Sad

Original poster
MistressMaker · 08/12/2010 22:33

Hi Zipzap, that was me talking about it on the other thread! A complete waste of time as it turns out. I do expect a profit margin for this kind of thing but it's the giving away of promotionl merchandise that's totally unsuitable for pre-schoolers and the "yeah, it's basically a money making thing" that really annoyed me.

Littlesaintnicola - interesting, good that you've brought it to their attention!

I will look forward to Marie-Laure's response to this thread given that Snodome now that we are talking about their offering at the countries most popular meeting place for parents.

Marie-Laure - please do come and post when you have a response.

OP posts:
kitten2525 · 09/12/2010 09:33

I can't believe how angry this thread has made me.

I have taken my nephews to Snozone for the last few years and took my DD last year for the first time when she was only 8mo. Yes ok the pressie wasn't the best in the world, especially not for my DD but it was more about the experience than the pressie. I've also taken her to a different Santa this year as we went with her GP and they paid for it and was given a money box and toy that both had "not suitable for under 36 months" on them. My DD is only 19mo so the pressie wasn't age appropriate, and it wasn't as magical as snozone.

Anyway back on to my point. I will be taking my DD and nephews to see snozone Santa again this Christmas. It is the only chance that my DD gets to go and play on the slope as she is too young to sledge or ski. She loves the snow (as do the boys) and it means that they get a guaranteed chance to play in it. (Yes i know it's been snowy lately, but there is none in MK at the moment!) The addition of the train this year is a good one imo. Last year you just queued and then went through a tunnel. I don't think that £9 is a rip off, whilst it is expensive i believe that it is better than the city centre one which whilst it gives more age appropriate toys is rubbish in all other senses.

So i am sorry MistressMaker but i don't think you have been ripped off. But i do agree with other people instead of just bad mouthing it on an open forum why don't you complain directly. Or are you too scared to do so and are actually just a keyboard warror?

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