Mother left bad review of my business because of how we treated her 3 year old

[user1480264682]

I run a soft play centre in a small town. It closes at 6pm weekends but sometimes it closes at 3:30 for private hire parties.

Last Saturday it closed at 3:30pm. We did put that it would be closing
On facebook and on an A4 piece of paper outside the door of the centre. I We put the notice up three days before the early closing.

At 3:14pm one of our workers saw a young mum and her 3 year old arrisve excitedly for soft play. She took his coat and shoes off and handed over her £4.00.
The worker told her that the centre would be closing in 15 mins.

She was upset and said that her son would not understand why he couldn't go In and she had travelled half an hour to get here.
She told him that soft play was closed and he didn't understand so she asked if he could play for 15 mins. My worker said that if she wanted to play for the remaining 15mins she would have to pay full price. She said she couldn't afford £4.00
For 15 mins as she would have to occupy her son for the remaining hours afterwards so would need to take him somewhere else.

She said okay and was nice not annoyed. She never said she was upset at the time. She then left with her son who started screaming crying saying he wanted o go in soft play and she had to pick him up screaming crying. The worker didn't see or hear him crying but another who was outside did.

The mother has since gone on to write a bad review on out facebook page. She used to visit our centre up to three times a week and she has said it was very mean not to let her clearly disappointed son play for 15 mins as he was so excited to play and at his age did not understand it was closed. She also said she was willing to pay just not full price.

She has said she will never be returning and her son cried for an hour on the way home trying to run back.
I would have done the same as this worker and she is not going to be in trouble for this as you have to pay full price no matter what time you arrive.

AIBU? It may have been nice to
let him play for 15 mins but shouldn't be expected. In hindsight we may have considering the circumstances but we feel it shouldn't be expected.

I've only read the first page but I don't think you did anything wrong. If she's really a 3 times a wk regular she'll a) have seen your sign earlier in the week and b) will know that you occasionally close early on a Sat for parties.

No way would I drive half an hour to a play centre without calling to check they were open.
Plus, toddlers/preschoolers cry. That's life. It's important for them to sometimes deal with disappointment or a change of plan. I think it would be a dangerous precedent to set business wise if you had charged them less. The rules are £4 whether you arrive 4hours before closing or 10 minutes. She is being over emotional and irrational. But that sort of review wouldn't put me off. Though I'd consider a website were you could post extra short term info such as early closing.

I've not met any who would react that way.

How odd.

not only her op but every one she tells about it too.

whats stopping you from simply bending over backwards to apologise?

I have literally just seen a business owner do exactly this on fb to un happy customer.

it doesnt matter if she is regular.

in fact if she wasnt - even worse for you, at least if this poor lady never comes back its you who have her pounds in your pocket.

if you had upset new customer they will slate you and turn others off and you wont have had a penny from them.

it seems really odd for business owner in such a business to be getting hung over 4 pounds.
I would actually be feeling embarrassed if I was you op and I would feel genuinely upset she was turned away with screaming child.

Just amend your website to say you usually close at 6pm on a Sat unless you are booked for a private party and advise the customer to check your FB pg for details of that week.

dora

She said she used to be a three times a week regular.

It wouldn't necessarily occur to me to check soft play was open during opening hours and I don't think you can ask every customer to remember to do this or be disappointed.

I completely disagree that it is helpful to a three year old's emotional development to have the highlight of their week whisked away when they already have their shoes off ready to play. That's not a small manageable disappointment like there are no purple fruitshoots or the ipad isn't charged. Miss Trunchbull would have nothing on you, it seems!

Winter you seem a little over invested

This woman may well just be in a temper and has released some anger. Maybe she had a bad day and this was the final straw. Maybe she's a bit pathetic and can't cope with her day not going exactly the way she wants. Who knows? But overall it's no big deal.

I wondered whether it would affect your insurance if you had let her in for free and then her son was injured. I'm thinking the insurance might cover paying customers only? Just musing.

you also seem hung up over whether she expected to pay or not and yet you admit she comes regularly during the week and spends a tenner

it all seems arse about face to me.

I don't spend that at our soft play, I spend as little as possible, a cup of tea at most on top of entrance fee. Dont you have loyalty cards either?

ours do, after three visits, free tea, after 6 free child s lunch etc.

No the insurance would be fine

Goodwill is an extremely precious asset to a business. You earn it (as a business) by going the extra mile for your customers. In this instance it would have done no harm to allow the child fifteen minutes play, plus give the mother a voucher for their next visit free. Then she would have written a lovely, glowing review.

I agree too that private parties should probably be held outwith the usual Saturday times, Saturday being, I presume, a very busy time.

I haven't once mentioned whether or not she expected to pay so how could I be hung up on it? You must be mixing me up with someone else

The nearest other soft play place is 12 miles away.

Miss Trunchbull would have nothing on you, it seems!

Indeed

Your invested too arnt you match. Still here commenting...

I feel for this woman, I really do, I know how much I rely on soft play at the moment, and I also hate such bad customer service. Its so easy to be kind and nice especially dealing with a business involving small children, who are hard work.

I agree with pp to be honest, a free entry for the 15 mins would of been an appropriate goodwill gesture on this occasion!

Matching - its not all about you - that was to the op actually.

I'm not invested no. You're not really making any sense.

OP if there is no other soft play the you probably don't need to worry

I think it's the customer who is BU. Various of the soft play centres around here close at odd times for private parties. Once you've been caught out once, you check before you go! Soft play trips have also been thwarted by a burst pipe, a power cut, a child projectile vomiting over the entrance (it was impressive!) and a child seeing in the ball pit as well as things which affected me rather than the soft play centre such as a crash closing the road, a furniture delivery running late or me deciding I just couldn't face it. Yes, it is tough explaining this to a toddler but it's just one of those not-so-great bits of parenting.
As for asking her to pay, what's the cut off? Bizarrely, one soft place close to us offers sessions of an hour and closes at 4.30 which, in their mind. means that sessions after school are free (local schools close at 3.15 & are about 10-15 mins away). Children flood in at 3.31!

Your not invested but I am, your still here commenting on the thread though? I am invested but your just....what?

I will decide what to reply but I do think I've lost a loyal customer for good.

Good for you for taking the thread on board OP.

What to reply? Apologise firstly. ''I would like to apologise for the upset caused to you and your child on xyz date. May i offer you and your son a free session with a free drink included?''

'The customer is always right' is a business model which will NEVER see a business fail. Look at John Lewis. Promise of a refund if you're not happy gains it many many more customers than those who turn up just to take the piss. There'll be no queues of mothers trying to get a free 15 minutes of play.

Commenting doesn't make you invested, no. That's what you do on forums.

You're

Thanks for enlightening me, so I am commenting but I am invested but your just doing what we do on forums.

This one is def going to make the Daily Mail.

**

OP, YABU. Shouldn't be admitting small children with only 15 minutes before closing time. And def shouldn't charge full whack.

Hi OP. I know you've conceded that in this situation you could've let her in free and recognised that you've probably lost a loyal customer. Just wanted to mention that this happened to use recently except it wasn't local to us. Soft play place wanted to charge £4/per child for 25 minutes. Ridiculous notion. You either don't let any new entrants in within the last hour or give a discount. We won't be going again on principle.

No, but as a parent taking mine anywhere like that I always said in the car that we were going to go and see if soft play was open. That it may not be and we may need to go another day etc.

Just like parties when they were small. I always said there may be food or maybe not. And that they may get a party bag but not everyone has party bags and so not to expect one. I was always preemptive with that sort of thing.

No you seem to be somewhat passionate about a total strangers situation, half of which you're imagining based on your own reliance of soft play to function through the day.
That's what's over invested. But knock yourself out