isn't this discriminate or AIBU

[Thankfulforeveryday]

So I want to take my daughter and her friend to a event at the NEC. I am terminally ill so need to take a carer with me. You normaly get a free ticket for a carer to help you, of which I need and I am taking. So I get a 3 or 2 offer and think, great i'll book that. I've rang up to book the tickets but they have refused to honour the the 3 for 2 offer as I am already getting a "free" carers ticket!!!
AIBU to think that this is shite, just because I am ill that I can't get the offer available to everyone else??
Its really pissed me off!!!

It's absurd to consider a career pass as an offer - its probably one of those 'computer says no' things, escalate it and I'm sure someone with more power will sort it out for you. X

If you're buying three tickets, you should get the three for two offer. The ticket for the career has absolutely nothing to do with it. I am angry on your behalf - good on you for asking to speak to management, I very much hope this is resolved swiftly!

That does sound very unfair, if they offer a free carers pass that should be separate to any special offers they have on,

what and maisy have it spot on - a carer's pass is not an "offer", for goodness sake! To compare it to buy one get one free is ridiculous.

Yanbu
Your carers ticket is not an offer or a concession. It's a reasonable adjustment they make under the DDA (I think)
They should honour the offer.

What reason did they give?

I kind of had a similar situation. I've booked tickets for a local musical. 3 children who each receive DLA, entitles them to a free carer ticket each. So I need 6 tickets. I rang up as they can't be booked online due to the carers tickets - they couldn't be put through the computer system as 1 plus 1 free, so they were put though at 50% discount on each ticket, so £15 x 6 rather than £30 x 3 plus 3 free. So far, all ok. But I've now been charged 6 ticket handling fees so I've lost out by £11.70! I haven't argued it though as I appreciate the free carer tickets to begin with.

There was apparently no other way the computer system could do it

Of course YANBU. Hopefully it's just a computer thing, rather than 'them being arses' thing. You are buying 3 tickets; the carer ticket is no different to me bringing a wheelchair to help me access the event.

YANBU, that's absolutely awful.

OP would be getting '4 for 3' regardless of whether or not there was an offer on as the carer ticket is a legally binding reasonable adjustment.

So, as there's a 3 for 2 offer of course she should get it or she's not getting any special offer at all.

DDA has now been replaced by the Equality Act, by the way.

I don't know if it's unlawful exactly, but if they openly offer a free carers ticket, you need to explain that your daughter and her friend are not acting as your carers, therefore their tickets should come under the 3 for 2 offer. Your need for a free carers ticket - which you'll be giving to someone to act as your carer - is a completely different issue. So you are right to be upset.

I used to work for that venue - albeit many years ago-and I think I know what the issue is. You can't book a special offer ticket type with a wheelchair area ticket type. It's just computer says no stuff OP- strong email of complaint and I'm sure they'll see you right :)

I know they do this with student discounts (as in, you can't combine it with other discounts), so it might be legal, but I think it is pretty shitty behaviour to do this with people who need a carer.

I think I'd involve the press. The Observer's questions of cash column often takes up this sort of case.

This infuriates me. The carers ticket is not a special offer its a reasonable adjustment. (Or it should be)

But then I also get really cross when places do not offer free carer tickets.
Like poultons park they don't.the role of a carer is to enable the disabled person to access the service not for them to have a jolly. Im just about to take some of my kids to peppa pig world for the winter wonderland so I'm having to pay full price for those (adult price for some) so over £150 in tickets just for me and the kids (that bit I have no gripe with) and because of the ratios I need in public another £150 in tickets for the carers plus their wages.
I think it's taking advantage of disabled people who cannot access something without a carer

Student discount and free carers passes are very different things.

YANBU. If you didn't have to take a carer you would only have to pay for two tickets, so effectively you are paying for your carer. Not fair.

Those of you that think it's 'fair' to have this policy:

If someone able bodied took the 2 children, they would pay for 2 tickets (3 tickets for the price of 2).
If OP took the 2 children, she would pay for 3 tickets- either one for herself, free carer, 2 children OR 3 for 2 offer plus one extra ticket.

So OP is having to pay extra compared with someone able bodied. As needs says, it's taking advantage of someone who can't access it without a carer.

Point out to them that they are denying you access to their 3 for 2 offer because of your disability. The fact that you have a carer accompanying you should not impact on you getting this offer.

Could you get a carers ticket issued after the sale? I have done that with gadget show before now, email them the details and they send the carers ticket out, its totally separate to the transaction

If it was illegal by being discrimation (sic) to disabled people it would of been stopped along time ago.

No, not at all - many places have discriminatory policies in place. Far too many people place far too much faith in those in charge of policy making in private companies.

This is a clear case of indirect discrimination - that is to say there exists a policy that unfairly disadvantages a certain group who all share a protected characteristic.