To lie about DD's age to get her in free?

[Kasterborous]

I'm prepared to be told I was being unreasonable. We took DD who turned three 24 days ago to our local Wildlife park today. Under three they get in free, over three it's £10.00 which seems a lot so we said she was two. I know it was dishonest and next time we will pay for her.

I haven't done it - afaicr personally but....
It does mean that they lose customers in the long run
My parents and I used to take DD1 to a zoo that was an expensive day out (2 seniors and an adult). When she turned 3 and she was costing almost £15 more we stopped going - so the zoo lost our business...
I do think that sometimes they set an age but expect people to lie -
I went to a local place with DD1 and DD2 - and I said DD2 was 3 (she was just) and they asked me if I was sure - she looked younger
And I rarely get the bus but did with DDs once -said one adult and two children and the driver asked me how old DD2 was (6 iirc) and he said she looks 5 to me and charged me one adult and one child....
I think maybe I am honest because I know my DM (now in her 70s) still remembers her DB when they were children getting her to lie on the bus so they could afford to go somewhere like the cinema (he's 4 yrs older)...they went in a group and it happened a few times. Then once the driver asked her and she said 'I'm X age but I've to tell you I'm Y and they got thrown off! She remembers the embarrassment but worse how cross everyone was with her...

I don't remember having done that for admission. However, we once persuaded DD, when she was 15, to say she was 14 if anyone asked because we wanted to book a family room at a hotel we liked and had visited before because we knew there policy was that family rooms were only for children up to 14.

Thing was we couldn't have booked here a separate room anyway as there were no single rooms available and to get her a double on her own would have meant we could not have afforded to stay there at all. We were paying full price for her dinners so I don't think the hotel were really losing out.

Yet when I look at my three year old toddler and deem that he will not be able to use the facilities anymore than he was able to a week ago when he was two, then I am a big old dishonest thief?

You need to look at it the other way round. At 2 years 364 days the reality is that your child is able to use the facilities well and get a lot of enjoyment out of them, which is no doubt why you take him there in the first place; and it's a total bonus that you don't have to pay. Yes, a couple of days later his enjoyment is much the same and you have to pay - but there has to be a cut-off point somewhere, doesn't there? The reality is that if they don't make money out of the facility, it won't exist, and children won't be able to enjoy it free or otherwise.

I suppose the question is whether you want to live with the stress of knowing that, if someone finds out, you will get chucked out publicly and will have lost the benefit of the adult tickets you paid for; or, if they decide that they want to make an example of someone, they might decide to get you arrested.

Nickifury, it isn't comparable to what you describe as "sanctioned thievery" of the organisations in question, for the very simple reason that no-one is making you use their facilities. If you don't want to pay, don't go. There's plenty of entertainment out there for children that doesn't cost anything like as much.

I think it is comparable but as I said you don't have to agree .

I dont think it is stealing technically.

You present your family at the turnstile and offer an amount of money that is accepted or declined.

For those that argue that this is robbing an attraction that needs x number of visitors a year and by declaring your child as free is robbing the system so therefore if they can't afford it the whole family shouldn't go, I ask the following:

If the three other paying tickets don't attend doesn't that mean that rather than missing out on one fee paying ticket they miss out on three?

And yes, I do it where I can and I ask my children to do it. Just like my parents did and my grandparents. It doesn't make it right or acceptable, it's just a simple fact.

well, I hope none of you will report to the cops if you get burgled. Same thing.

it is theft. Someone is running a business here. The age lines have to be set somewhere.

don't like the prices? Don't go. Your kids will not be damaged by not going to the zoo.

I wouldn't, but that's because I believe that if my kids see me lying about things for financial gain I run the risk of it affecting their moral compass. I don't judge people that do though, just put it down to different values

Remember my DF saying to me years ago "Don't make a liar of yourself for the sake of £?".

This thread was started in March fgs!

Last year at legoland I pretended dd2 was 2 when she was (a tall) 4. They looked a bit puzzled but went for it.

I don't feel in the slightest bit guilty, the amount of money those bastards milked out of us while we were in there more than made up for it. It was hideous, they let far more people in than there was capacity for, so the rides all had a queue of at least an hour, even for the shit ones. I don't think they missed those few quid too much.

tobysmum, of course it's stealing. It's obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception.

I wonder how people who do this deal with the attractions you have to queue up for? Do you think it is fair for you to take a plane in the queue and make other full paying customers wait?

I get my dd to buy child tickets on the bus still as she is in yr 11 and in fte and yet counted as an adult as she is 16
Most of her friends are still 15or just turning 16 and it pees me off that I would actually have paid adult fare for most of yr 11
Fte is fte

cant say i think about it in that much detail

A bit of Shodan's post

But do I mind if other people do it? So they can have a day out too? No, I don't. I'm quite happy to subsidise that, actually.

See I think that is a lovely attitude to take. Some of us have to watch the pennies and why should we miss out on trip somewhere. We're still paying something towards it after all.

Someone mentioned designer labels upthread.

Not sure what to make of people who wear them.

Am I supposed to be impressed you're able to afford them? Whoopie fucking do!

You've stolen designer label clobber because you can only afford chain store stuff? - get a grip! Who gives a toss what you wear

Ask your MP what is the right thing to do; an MP's moral compass is impeccable.

Oh no wait...

Why do huge profit making organisations have the right to charge excessively for children to use their facilities?

It's called the free market.

don't like paying a fortune for a theme park? Don't go. If enough don't go, no theme park.

market forces.

you could go for a walk in a wood. You could go geocaching, that has been set up for free. It's great, isn't it?

I told the truth in just the OP's situation at the Butterfly Farm, recently, but only because I think if I'd lied about dd's age she would have loudly challenged me, and I would have been exposed in my theft!
Does no one else fear this?

It isn't stealing, you don't get to take anything material, just bizarre

I think it's a personal conscience thing for most people. I imagine a lot of people have done it (or had it done to them!) but I think there is a limit. People who try to pass off a kid of 4 as under 3?

When we were on holiday in Canada, we went to a big attraction and I asked for 2 adults and two children. The ticket lady asked how old my dd2 was and I said 4, which she was. They lady then said you know children aged three and under get in for free. So how many tickets are you looking to buy?

It happens all the time all over the world.

Tobysmum77 It is stealing. Stealing by concealment.

Gosh, even my father, normally the most honest and upright person you could meet, used to sometimes smuggle my younger brother into things for free by 'adjusting' his age, while paying for the rest of us.