Adults sulking over tickets

[Applepipsx]

Our local national trust house has announced its opening back up from the 3rd. You have to book online in advance. I decided to book mine at midnight as I was still awake and really want to take the kids for a picnic and a walk. It's been a long time since they've done anything remotely normal. There were 58 tickets available for each day. I got two. Then by 9am this morning Saturday was booked up. Still spaces available on wed and Thurs and Sunday.

The page put a really positive welcome back post on Facebook. Everyone is kicking off. Threatening to cancer membership. Kicking off about non members being allowed to go.

None of them have bothered to read it states the house and play areas are remaining shut. They are asking if it's all open etc. Basically you can go for picnics and walks in the gardens.

If I didn't get a ticket I would not be on FB giving the page hell and being mardy. Theres literally 58 spaces and everyone seems to think they deserve it more than others. We won't be selfish and book again for a few weeks to give others a turn. But Jesus what is wrong with people's attitudes.

[gumball37]

I'm of the mind that people who are members or used a service previously should be given a chance first. Like with grocery slots. I used one weekly but spent a month unable to get one. And as a single parent that was very stressful.(now that our restrictions are being lifted I could get 3 slots a week if I wanted....so I'm glad it's no longer an issue) But on another note, I have a monthly chewy delivery and they send out an email saying they have reserved all standing monthly orders in their warehouse because they believe in giving priority to standing customers.

[Applepipsx]

Yeah it's definitely fair on the people who have already paid for it through membership. It's just that there's not enough space for all the members either and they are really kicking off. Ah well I guess if they cancel they cancel. Just think they are overacting.

[Rowgtfc72]

We got the same problem at Belton House.
We can only go weekends as we both work during the week, it says keyworkers get priority for first and last slots but we're 2hr away so wouldn't be useful.
I've not frozen my membership, I dont mind supporting the NT, nor do i feel the need to cancel but I do feel a bit put out.

[Toddlerteaplease]

NT members are not getting priority? That's not on!

[mimbleandlittlemy]

NT Life Member here. Whoever gets in first can have the tickets as far as I'm concerned. This "I'm so important, I've got to be first so I can brag I was first" thing is deeply unpleasant. Either these people support a charity, or they don't. Just because they don't get in on the first weekend doesn't mean they should immediately flounce off because it hasn't gone their way. I despair at the level of entitlement.

[howlatthetrees]

I’m not a member either but members should’ve got priority

[MaggieFS]

Lots of food for thought here and always interesting to read different points of view.

Fair enough if the spiel is that membership is contributing to preservation, but honestly, I bet you could count on the fingers of one hand the number of members who join for that reason ahead of the included entry reason.

It's a good secondary reason, and why I've continued to pay, but as pp said, I doubt they'd have many members if that was the only benefit!

[Toddlerteaplease]

@LockdownLopp. Same here. I totally agree.

[Herecomestreble1]

I'm currently building the ticketing site for our property which is similar to NT properties but much, much smaller. We're limiting both annual members and standard tickets separately to try to make it fair. I desperately want to get our lovely members back but equally we need the cash flow day tickets bring. Limiting them both separately seemed the fairest way to do this.

[Applepipsx]

I think people just want something to look forward to now. It's rubbish for people. I just think you look so childish and stroppy to be leaving comments all about yourself. Anyone with a brain knows there are thousands of national trust members and there's an opportunity for a small few to go in the first week.

As a pp said a picnic and walk in the country if you have to wait. I was lucky to get a ticket. Tbh I'd happily go for two hours then let another family go after, rather than have a whole day. But it's not set up like that.

[TheTurnOfTheScrew]

I'm not a member, and quite like an NT garden trip, but would definitely support soft opening to members only for few weeks . There has to be a strict limit on numbers. Whichever way you do it someone's pissed off at the back of the queue, and I think loyalty should be rewarded.

[Plumplumbadum]

I think the attitude of a lot of people on this thread stinks quite frankly.
Let's keep the places for the members, not the great unwashed. Let's face it, most NT members are middle class, educated and have a higher income than the vast majority of people. So most won't be stuck in flats with no gardens, or on estates. Shouldn't the spaces be open to everyone at this awful time? Are we still being selfish arseholes screaming 'it's not fair....I'mmmm a memberrr' just because a non member got a ticket?
These are probably the same people I see wandering around Waitrose with their noses in the air like their shit doesn't stink. They probably would like a member of staff at the entrance checking to see if people have a Waitrose card before they are allowed entry.

[okiedokieme]

As I paid over £100 for my membership, I'm rather annoyed that we didn't get 24 hours priority booking, in fact we didn't even get told that they were available. No issues with non members going if there's space but every member based organisation offers priority to members!

[okiedokieme]

Btw way every theatre trust eg rsc prioritises members, it's not illegal.

[Lockheart]

Fucking hell some people really aren't getting it.

Your membership is a donation. It means you don't have to make any other donations to get in. In some cases this will be cheaper for you than not buying membership but you are still only making a donation.

You are not a customer. You are not entitled to special treatment over other people, who may well be making more of a donation to get into a particular place on a particular day than you are, depending on how many places you go to with your membership.

The NT is a charity. Not a business.

You don't get discount or special shopping hours at charity shops just because you gave them a truckload of clothes and books. You don't get special access to NT or EH places just because you made a larger one-off donation. That's not how it work.

It doesn't matter if you've been a "loyal member" for 20 years. No more than it does if you've been shopping in Sainsbury's all that time.

You make your donation and you get the same access as everyone else. No more, no less.

[Applepipsx]

@Plumplumbadum

Loads of my friends have membership including me. We are far from middle-class. We live on an ex council estate. We are sahm and our partners work. Some of my friends both work. But in shops or garages etc. We only have membership because there is a place near us that's amazing for the kids. Most of the people are families that go where we go. Normal families. Toddlers and muddy pushchairs. Picnics and mardy five year olds. (Only half serious) it's normal families.

I'm guessing the posher people you are talking about are interested in history and there is no harm in that. Some people are "posher" but I dont think they are the ones moaning today.

It's less than £10 a month. We don't go on loads of days out. But we do take the kids here most months. We also have a day at a zoo or farm. A week by the coast and that's about it. We dont drink or smoke etc. But we do invest £120 a year so our kids can be outdoorsy and play alongside other kids. It's also nice to have a hot chocolate and chat to other families. It's certainly not snobby. Better than paying £10 a month to go to softplay and catch sick bugs (joking)

[Aridane]

I don't mind them having a grumble but not on a public forum.


My favourite post on Mumsnet today through sheer dint of its lack of self awareness

[Needamanicure]

Perhaps they should allow members priority booking. However, people always get silly and angry on social media forums - no idea why but I imagine lots wouldn't behave like that to someone's face - keyboard makes them more angry/more silly who knows - we see it on here all the time eg someone says an opinion or something and little Mr or Miss negative/argumentative etc comes along and takes a tiny bit of the post and kicks off or has a different opinion and kicks off...
Unless racism/disablist etc etc etc then why not just allow others their opinions or read the whole paragraph and not just the sentence you don't like and kick off about it....

[Applepipsx]

@aridane

It's perfectly fine to moan about people being self entitled and ignorant. It's ok to moan you matter more than the people who got a ticket if you are happy looking like a moaning manchild. They just need to go back on in six days nice and early. Set their alarm early maybe and get a ticket for next weekend.

[seven201]

I'm a life member (I used a small inheritance to buy it as my mum's ashes are scattered there). NT is a charity, I think it should be open to all to book. I love taking my 3 year old to NT places and am very grateful to the volunteers who help keep them running. People are moaning about everything at the moment; just leave them to it.

[MulticolourMophead]

I am a member and give zero fucks that non members are getting slots. They still have to pay for them, and first come, first served.

As a matter of fact, I got slots for next Thursday at Belton House. Guess I got lucky, and no, I wouldn't be grumbling if there were no slots this week, as we didn't book until about 11am this morning. I'm so looking forwards to a walk and picnic.

@Applepipsx I'm guessing with the mention of adding your DC to your membership that your DC is young, but you and others might like to know that NT have introduced a new Junior membership for 11-17 year olds at £10 per year.

I've just switched from a single parent family membership to an adult and juinior membership for DS and me, as 16 year old DS loves to stride out for the long estate walks, while my older DD and me like to amble the grounds. This way, he's got a membership card on him if he's asked to show one, and the overall cost was only £4 ish more than the single parent membership. DD got her own membership last year.

[MsTSwift]

We were members but not going to bother renewing. Stuff like this and the fact the sites are magnets for crowds. If you are elderly or have small children and need a toilet block and a tea room I get it but we out of that stage now. You’re better off getting a little book of local walks and doing those. Much more beautiful, cheaper and less crowded. We have a fab little book of 3 mile circular walks in our area so much better than NT

[MsTSwift]

We passed one other family on our last walk - lake views and empty countryside. Even our 11 and 13 year olds admitted it was good 😁. Then you see the queues into NT properties no thanks. Goodbye NT!

[LunaAzul]

I've just checked my emails and I received the email from NT about booking at 14.11 today. Only one place local and that's now Sold Out...

Can't wait for the inevitable sad face stories in the local papers next week when families turn up having only booked one ticket instead of four.

[Applepipsx]

@MulticolourMophead

Thank you for that information I will remember that. Yes they are just two and just five. Hope you have a lovely picnic and walk on Thursday. It feels such a treat after lock down.

I agree there's no need to be annoyed over who got the tickets. There was not enough either way to keep people happy.