To think parents lying about their child's age to get cheaper tickets is wrong?

[Liketochat1]

The swimming thread got me thinking about a chat I was having the other day. Parents were saying they lie about their child's age to get cheaper or free tickets to parks, zoos, shows etc... They claim their children are under 5, 3 or whatever when they aren't.
AIBU to think this lying is wrong and unfair or is it just to be expected?

*certain

You don't go then, surely? (in answer to KellyElly)

i have done it and my parents did it with me for years, i know plenty of people that do.

when we went to legoland we were already paying for four adults and two children, dd was free as she was a baby but ds4 was just 3 and so we 'should' have paid, i simply carried dd in a sling and put ds4 in the pushchair, took his shoes off so he looked younger and gave him his fave blanket knowing he would then suck his thumb.

we still paid a fortune to get in, these places often charge extortionate prices!

re the talking thing i remember a friend and i were both pretending our boys were under 3? and again had them in pushchairs and gave them snacks/drinks so they didnt talk as we went through the barrier.

is it the moral thing to do, probably not but there isnt much moral about the prices they charge for some of these places.

and lots of places do family tickets that are for a parent and 2 or 3 children, we have 5 and we cant get a family ticket for us, so end up paying individually for all of us, we have tried to get a family ticket and then pay for the extra children singly and been told we are not allowed to do that!

and yes i have tried to buy tickets ie on a train journey and been TOLD by the conductor to say they are under 5, so it works both ways i am sure hte parks etc are WELL aware this goes on but they woudl rather have your custom than kick up a big fuss.

With my 2 oldest DCs I had a hard enough job convincing people that they were their actual ages, never mind trying to pass them off as younger. They are both very tall.

I don't lie, but I have done the ''oh, they've just turned 3 or 5'' but only when they have just turned that age and sometimes the staff member has let them in free/reduced price. DS2 got a free ride on a steam engine when he was 2 years old and 1 week because the guy selling tickets said he looked like he was younger than 2 .

I have to admit to doing this more than once.

I can live with being morally wrong though.

Trouble is, theme parks etc... have to make a profit. So if people aren't paying the correct fare then prices generally, for everyone, may well be hiked up.

ken0eddie0kennedy maybe you wouldn't, others would. It's not the crime of the century. If your child is a month over three and you say they're three I wouldn't personally be morally outraged by that.

That's right Liketochat, we all pay for it somewhere along the line.

No need for snippiness, KellyElly. I was agreeing with you.

given the prices they charge for food, photos and tat from the shops i am sure they make a profit, you can look them up on a certain website, companyhouse? and find out how much of a profit them make.

amybe when wages go up in line with price increases people will be happy to pay more, but as thats not happening for a lot of people and as i said they wouldnt let us buy a family ticket and then buy 2 single childrens tickets, which would have saved us some money, so penalising us for not being a 'standard' family.

Point but just because you say one child is 6 months younger than they are doesn't mean they aren't spending the national debt in the gift shop and cafe.

I've done it loads of times , especially on buses where under 5s go free.

Always did it. Before we got anywhere the dds used to ask how old they were supposed to be! If places weren't so expensive then there would be no need. If you take two or three friends why should one pay double the price of the others? Ridiculous. But it's not a new thing - at Cheddar Gorge in 1969 my mum asked me to pretend I was 12 (I was 13) as I would have to pay twice the price that my friend (who was 12) was being charged. In Florida we saved £400 on disney tickets by shaving 3 months off dd1's age, she was 10 and you had to be 9 to qualify for a child ticket. Again, ridiculous. A 10-year old is no different from a 9 year old in a theme park!

In fact the twice I can recall doing it I done it last minute so ditched the soggy sandwiches I'd packed to save money and ate in the cafe etc. So they got the same out of me, just in a different way. Right?

Meh.

ken0eddie0kennedy I wasn't being snippy at all! Just saying it's not a big deal to me. And you weren't agreeing with me you were saying 'you don't go' whereas I was saying I haven't done it personally but am far from bothered by people who do.

I've done it at theme parks with ds. He is incredibly small for his age and so wasn't age 5 was under the height limit even for some of the Thomas land rides

He is now age 8 and people generally think he is around 5-6. Last year I was worried about him getting into a theatre show with a lower age limit.

When i was 17 I used to pretend I was 15 on the bus to get into town then pretend I was 18 when I got there so I could get served in the pub!

I don't think its fair when it's by height. My son is quite tall and we had to pay for him to get into a farm park place when our friends with an older dc didn't. It wasn't anything to do with rides or restrictions either.

And if sneaking one in is the difference between a family going and not bothering then I'm sure the attraction would rather you done it. Pay for 2 adults, sneak one child or loose out on both adults pluswhat they'd spend in there... no Brainer!

Ah paradise that is so true, I have often taken my dc places that I wouldn't have if I had to pay for them, we used to do loads when they were younger, it's too expensive now.

I grassed my Mum & Dad up on a train once.

Bastards tried to tell the conductor that I was 4.

"I am NOT 4, I am 6. I am small for my age." was my exact choice of words I believe.

We took ds to the sea life centre for his 3rd birthday, he was 2 days over 3, under 3 is free, 3 and over £14! So, he was nearly 3 for the day.

My DCs are too tall to get away with it - they have always looked older than they are unfortunately