Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WIBU to let her pay for the tickets?

31 replies

WeAreEternal · 09/09/2017 18:46

(It's long so there is a TL:DR recap at bottom)

I bought discounted tickets (on offer) several months ago for an attraction, the tickets were for specific day (a Friday).

Three weeks before something happened at work and I was no longer able to take the day off, I said I would just sell the tickets and go on the Saturday (the next day) instead, my friend, S, asked if she could buy the tickets.
I said she could have the tickets for free if she would buy me 'return tomorrow' tickets from inside the attraction (RT tickets are slightly cheaper than my discounted tickets so it was a really good deal for her)
She agreed and I gave her my tickets.

The week before I checked that she was still going and our agreement was still on and she said she wasn't sure, she had to check her mum could pick her kids up from school, I asked why she hadn't arranged that already and she said she forgot.
I had a feeling it was just an excuse she wasn't really sure about going, it's a three hour drive away so I told her if she didn't want to go it's fine, I could easily sell the tickets or offer them to another friend who had shown interest in our arrangement if S changed her mind.
She thought about it overnight and then said that she did definitely want to go and her mum was fine having the kids.

The day before, on the Thursday morning I saw her at school drop off and I checked she was still definitely going, she said she was but then late that night she texted me and said that she wasn't able to go but her sister was going to go, use the tickets and get me RT tickets, I was a bit Hmm but said as long as I definitely get RT tickets I don't mind.

She texted me in the morning said her sister had gone and she arranged for her sister to drop the RT tickets at my house when she got home around 8pm.

8pm came and went and at 10pm I called S to see where her sister was, she said she'd call her and see.
There were several calls back and forth, me asking questions, S calling her sister and then calling me back.
The cliffsnotes version is the sister said that the discounted tickets didn't scan at the turnstiles and they had to go to the counter and buy full price tickets to get in.
I asked what the attendant/staff member said about the tickets, why they wouldn't scan and she said "they didn't say anything, she didn't ask about them she just thought they wouldn't work so bought new tickets"
When asked again she confirmed she didn't ask for help when they wouldn't scan she just went to the counter and paid full price for new tickets, she did show the tickets to the person on the counter either.

I was apologetic and asked about my RT tickets, I said I'd pay her for the RT tickets but she said her sister didn't get me any RT tickets as she was so annoyed about having to spend a fortune on full price tickets.

S said she was really annoyed with her sister for letting me down (about the RT tickets) and said she'd pay for my tickets to go the next day, she'd looked online and you can get a % off if you book online and she'd give me back the money when she gets paid on Monday.
She told me to get tickets and let her know how much it was.

At first I didn't want to take her money but after thinking about it I don't think I should be out of pocket either, I already bought the discounted tickets which have now gone to waste and I've had to spend twice the cost of those buying tickets to go on the day we planned.

I also don't believe the tickets I had wouldn't have worked, they were bought on the attractions official website so were definitely 100% genuine tickets.
I think it's more likely they printed them out in poor quality and the barcode just wasn't scannable, but why would they not bother asking for help, I don't understand why her sister would just pay over £100 for new tickets instead of trying to find out why the ones she had weren't working, doesn't make sense.

I'm really torn,
WIBU to let her pay for the tickets I had to buy?

TL:DR recap

I bought discounted tickets to an attraction but couldn't go.
Friend (S) said she would go and get me return tomorrow (RT) tickets.
We arranged it all the S seemed to no longer want to go, I offered to give the tickets to someone else or sell them but she insisted she did want to go.
The night before she called and said she couldn't go but her sister would go instead.
Her sister went but said the tickets didn't scan, but she didn't ask for help or show them to a member of staff at the attraction, she just paid full price to get in and she was annoyed about that so didn't get me the RT tickets.
Since i had arranged to go the following day S offered to pay for the tickets I'd had to buy to go.
WIBU to let her?

OP posts:
LIZS · 09/09/2017 18:51

Were the tickets transferrable? If not surely you couldn't have legitimately used RT tickets.

GreenTulips · 09/09/2017 18:55

Where are the Friday tickets?

If she couldn't use them then you may get the money back?

Someone's been a bit cheeky I think

Original poster
WeAreEternal · 09/09/2017 18:56

I don't know what you mean LIZS

'Return tomorrow' tickets are just discounted tickets that you can buy inside the attraction (once you've already paid to get in) to come back the next day, the only restriction on them is that they can only be used on that date.

OP posts:
RiversrunWoodville · 09/09/2017 19:00

Nope the sister was daft to not query why the tickets weren't scanning and just go buy full price ones without speaking to anyone (seems a really odd thing to do Confused) so i don't see why you should be out of pocket

Original poster
WeAreEternal · 09/09/2017 19:01

Where are the Friday tickets?

They were e-tickets, I just forwarded her the PDF of the tickets and she printed them out herself.
I don't know what she did with the print outs she had though.

Because they were bought on a discounted offer they were non refundable and because they for a specific date they are now useless.

The date on them couldn't be changed, I phoned and checked as soon as I found out I couldn't take the day off and they said they couldn't change the date or refund me.

OP posts:
MonkeyJumping · 09/09/2017 19:02

Yanbu. The sister was stupid not to ask for help with the tickets.

Ultimately your friend's sister has done something stupid meaning you've lost your tickets. The sister should really cover your cost but that sounds unlikely so I'd let the friend pay and she can sort it out with her sister.

Anecdoche · 09/09/2017 19:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FoxtrotUniformCharlieKilo · 09/09/2017 19:03

Is there any way of checking if they were actually used? I reckon the sister is trying to pull a fast one!

Anecdoche · 09/09/2017 19:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sayyouwill · 09/09/2017 19:10

Don't believe it. She used the tickets but didn't want to spend money on RT for you.

Mummyoflittledragon · 09/09/2017 19:19

As a pp said, I'd try to see if they had been used. Sounds bizarre to me. You wouldn't just arrive and pay. Besides odds on she will have taken her phone with the email on them.

PovertyPain · 09/09/2017 19:19

She's full of shit, OP. She just wants to get out of buying the tickets. Make sure your friend pays for the tickets. If she did give the bot her sister, then she can take it up with her. Have either of them a Facebook? You might be able to check if your friend is telling the truth about not going.

Merida83 · 09/09/2017 19:26

I'd very much just be letting her pay for the tickets!

TheBigPickle · 09/09/2017 19:30

Can you contact the organizers and see if the tickets were used. I'd suggest to the friend that you are going to try and get your money back and ask if you can have the stubs of tickets they bought.

ALittleMop · 09/09/2017 19:33

Let her pay for them
But I would contact the attraction and find out what happened - as if they wouldn't scan then they are at fault and someone (you or the sister) should get refunded.

MrsSpenno · 09/09/2017 19:36

Your tickets were used and they did not purchase the RT tickets. S feels bad and knows this, which is why she is happy to replace the tickets. Let her - she's the one that passed them on. YANBU

LIZS · 09/09/2017 19:38

I meant as Anecdoche said. That the original visitor is the one entitled to buy and use a Return ticket, not a separate person. If the original tickets were discounted were there conditions attached (ie. To show the card used to purchase). Were they actual tickets or a voucher to exchange at the entrance booth for entry tickets. You gave them on the understanding of a certain value in kind, how much are return tickets?

DerelictWreck · 09/09/2017 20:03

I would absolutely contact the attraction and complain that they weren't scanable (though I have a hunch they will tell you that they were scanned and she is trying to pull a fast one!)

teaandtoast · 09/09/2017 20:18

I reckon she didn't go.

Does S definitely have a sister? Wink😂

MyPatronusIsAUnicorn · 09/09/2017 20:26

Sister just wanted a freebie. Try and prove it. Contact the attraction. No way would she have gone there with tickets, discovered they didn't work and then just though "oh I'll fork out for more without asking anyone for help."

facedontfit · 09/09/2017 20:40

When my tickets (printed at home) wouldn't scan at a large theme park a member of staff just opened the turnstile for us and we walked through. He noticed we were having problems, I said they won't scan and he just let us through, no problem.

If friends sister was having problems getting them to scan surely a member of staff would have noticed?

MilkshakeAddict · 09/09/2017 20:45

I reckon she didn't go as well.

Original poster
WeAreEternal · 09/09/2017 20:45

I forgot to add in the OP that I gave already emailed the attraction customer services to enquiry/ask why the tickets wouldn't scan, I did it straight away after I spoke to S.

so if i went i could buy a cheaper ticket for my neighbour to go the following day?

yes,
The return tomorrow ticket is just a standard ticket, it looks exactly the same as a standard ticked but is only valid on a specific date.

That the original visitor is the one entitled to buy and use a Return ticket, not a separate person.

That is probably how it was intended but there is nothing is the T&Cs that say it has to be used by the same person, I've checked before and I have actually asked at the ticket kiosk when purchasing them previously, the only requirement is that you have a valid ticket for that day, it doesn't matter if it was full price, a discounted ticket or a previous return tomorrow ticket as long as it is a valid ticket you can exchange it for a return tomorrow ticket for a fixed price.

OP posts:
HeebieJeebies456 · 09/09/2017 20:52

look -they had no intention of getting you the tickets, they just wanted the FREEBIE!

Your friend had no intention of going or she wouldn't have been so flakey over childcare etc.
I think the plan was for her sister to use your 'free' tickets.....then make up lies about her being out of pocket as a means of avoiding spending her own money.

Anytime my vouchers don't 'scan' they always input the reference number manually.

You're being taken for a fool.

Original poster
WeAreEternal · 10/09/2017 21:05

We have been talking about it and DH is pretty convinced you are all right and either S is making it all up and nobody went or her sister is lying and did use the tickets either way someone is lying.

I agree that it just doesn't make sense but I don't want to believe that my friend would lie to me.

OP posts: