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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think DD shouldn't have been refused entry at the zoo???

132 replies

Spooksatthezoo · 21/09/2017 19:44

DD went to the zoo today (project for her degree) and was asked for ID! They said anyone under 16 needs an adult with them Confused she's 19 in November. She doesn't drive (hence doesn't just carry ID around) and got the coach there and couldn't even get in. Ridiculous.

AIBU?

OP posts:
CoyoteCafe · 22/09/2017 02:16

What about the cinema? In the states, one has to be 17 to see an R rated movie, and sometimes they check.

My dd's uni ID is like a credit card with a photo, and she needs it all the time, so she always has it even though she seldom carries a purse.

Also, in the US every state will issue a "state ID" that is similar to a drivers license. Handy for the visual impaired and others who don't drive.

I'm really surprised that so many adults don't carry ID, even if they don't drive. I sometimes need mine for bank transactions and such. They can ask to see it anytime I use a bank card, credit card, or write a check.

elfinpre · 22/09/2017 06:44

Very odd behaviour by the zoo I agree, OP. You wouldn't expect to take ID to a zoo in this country.

elfinpre · 22/09/2017 06:46

In M&S the man on the self-serve tills said "I nearly thought about asking you for ID there."
As I've just turned 42, I think he was giving it a bit of blarney there.

megletthesecond · 22/09/2017 06:59

ID for the zoo Confused.
No, I wouldn't expect anyone to carry ID in this country.

ladyyyglittersparkles · 22/09/2017 07:58

ID to get in the zoo?! 😂😂
There are some right fucking jobsworths out there

ScrabbleFiend · 22/09/2017 08:07

Oh that's nothing. My 38 year old friend took her kids to a hotel recently whereby the restaurant staff asked her when 'their' parents would be arriving. When she informed them she was the parent they didn't believe her and refused to serve her wine so she had to sit with a juice at dinner 😂. She was mortified.

ShatnersWig · 22/09/2017 08:14

I can remember once being asked to take my passport to the bank when opening an account as they needed two forms of ID. I said "I don't have a passport". I was 36. They looked at me as if I had assaulted children. I did have a driving licence but I'd never been abroad so had no passport.

I know lots of friends in London who don't drive, have never learned, because they've always relied on public transport because of the tubes and buses and wouldn't have anything on them other than a bank card.

MrsHathaway · 22/09/2017 08:18

I sometimes need mine for bank transactions and such. They can ask to see it anytime I use a bank card, credit card, or write a check.

In the UK nearly all cards are chip and pin, so there's no further ID required. Nearly no shops accept cheques nowadays so one typically doesn't write cheques to strangers.

NC4now · 22/09/2017 08:21

That's crackers!!

Purplemeddler · 22/09/2017 08:22

I didn't carry ID around with me as an older teen except if I wanted to go to a pub/buy alcohol.

And when I was a student, I would have my NUS card with me so I could get discounts.

But for no other reason. And definitely not to prove that I was over 16 so I could go into a zoo or something similar on my own!

And yes, I'm not sure what you are meant to do if you don't have a driving licence or passport. I know in NI you need ID to vote and they have a card you can apply for. Maybe we need something similar in the rest of the UK. I'd happily have an ID card if it meant I could open a bank account without needing half a million bank statements/energy bills (which are all online now anyway and they don't accept print-offs).

Birdsgottafly · 22/09/2017 08:30

I've worked with newly graduated people and the amount who don't see the need to future plan and cover all possible problems is astounding.

She has learnt a valuable skill. Planning ahead, researching your venue/environment and foreseeing any issues.

ArcheryAnnie · 22/09/2017 08:35

I especially hate the thing of a driving licence being seen as the mark of a real person, a real adult - I don't drive, I don't need to drive, and I think the world would be a great deal better if the other people who didn't need to drive didn't either.

There is an alternative - a "CitizenCard", which is semi-official photo ID which costs about £30-ish, and is mostly used for students to prove how old they are when drinking without carrying higher-value ID like a passport, but it can be used for any age.

bigbluebus · 22/09/2017 08:44

I remember my niece applying for a provisional driving licence just to use as ID. She had no intention of learning to drive.

I always carry ID but as I have a driving licence it's easily done. I make sure i have it with me if even if I'm not in the car - just in case something unfortunate happens to me. It would be easy to find out who i am. I am well over the age where i need to prove my age for anything but can think of a number of occasions where i have been asked for photo id eg buying Euros in the PO.

planetclom · 22/09/2017 08:48

No she should not have to carry ID and these people saying she should are ridiculous it's not law to carry it and she was not trying to buy and age restricted item.

RhiWrites · 22/09/2017 09:06

Scrabble fiend, that is amazing! What happened next? Surely an unaccompanied 38 year old would be allowed to stay in the hotel?

Did she complain? She must be very youthful looking!

Seeline · 22/09/2017 09:09

When I was a student, I carried my NUS card everywhere - you could get discounts for the most bizarre things all the time. It was worth it!

SerfTerf · 22/09/2017 09:13

That's what I imagine most students do TBH See. The ones I know all seem to.

AlexanderHamilton · 22/09/2017 10:17

I must have been the only studeht that didn't ever have an NUS card.

Iwantacampervan · 22/09/2017 10:19

My two have photos of their passports on their phones which they've used for entry to 15 films as our local cinema does check.

Dancingfairy · 22/09/2017 10:22

I'm 28 and never carry id around!! I still get asked for id sometimes when buying alcohol which is ridiculous (I definitely don't look young) yanbu at all

littlemissneela · 22/09/2017 10:34

@elfinpre I WAS ID'd in M&S when I was just 40! I carry no ID on me as I thought I was clearly beyond the age it was needed, but maybe not. I was buying a meal deal with wine and soft drinks. The guy who id'd me then called over another assistant and she looked at me and said, very slowly 'yes, I think she is over 25!'

The only other time I've been ID'd was when I was 18 and buying fags (despite having bought alcohol in the same shop for the past 2 years Grin )

I think it is crazy your dd was ID'd at a zoo OP! Of all the places you expect it to happen, that is not one.

Whinesalot · 22/09/2017 10:45

I'd be annoyed too and moan about it. It'll be something tho laugh about in the future though.

MildredMonday · 22/09/2017 10:49

If the zoo has a policy of not allowing under 16's entry unless accompanied by an adult. Then it's not unreasonable for the zoo to refuse your teenage daughter entry unless she can prove she is over 16. Guessing someone's age is very difficult so the cashier would be wise to err on the side of caution and ask for ID from anyone that looks under 21.
But the zoo should of course ensure that the under 16 policy and need for ID is well publicised.

crazycatgal · 22/09/2017 10:51

It's a stupid rule anyway. Most schools take children under the age of 16 and the children are left to run around on their own as long as they meet up with the teachers for lunch and home time. Since this is allowed to happen I don't see why a couple of teenagers shouldn't be able to go into the zoo alone.

Some places go a bit ott with checking ages too. I'm 23 and got ID'd for a scratch card which you need to be 16 to buy Hmm

EduCated · 22/09/2017 11:49

I never had an NUS card as a student.

Now, however... Grin

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