To lie about his age for free admission?

[WaitForCake]

It's DS's 3rd birthday in a couple of weeks. I'm taking him to an attraction.

It's free for under 3s, but adult price at 3 upwards. Money is tight, but after a tough few months between lockdown and his DF moving out after our split, I want to do something nice for him.
As there is no inherent difference in what he'll get from the experience the day before his birthday and on the day of his birthday, WIBU to just buy him a 2 year old ticket?

I can't take him the day earlier due to work (I did consider this already).

YANBU - get the 2 year old ticket
YABU - pay the adult price for him

I think comparing this to shoplifting or some sort of targeted stealing is outrageous.

why?
because you don't like being called a thief so you want to chose what qualifies as stealing and what doesn't?

If you need to spend x amount to get a free gift and you don't reach that limit, you are still entitled to steal the free gift? I mean you can use the same moral for everything.

It's a very amusing thread.

I have mentioned it on another thread about lying on citizenship application, because it's entertaining how flexible "morals" can be...

Please OP, just tell us - what time of day was he born?

@WaitForCake I've read some ridiculous comments on MN but today has reached a whole new level.

Some of the comments are so unbelievably patronising and sanctimonious it's laughable. Ignore them.

Have a lovely day out with your little boy. You sound like you have had a tough time with your abusive ex. You are no criminal and don't deserve to be belittled like you have on here.

@MessAllOver

Please OP, just tell us - what time of day was he born?

16:26 to be exact

I'm not saying it's right but when I was a child and I went to party or a day out at least one person in the group did this

@MessAllOver

Please OP, just tell us - what time of day was he born?

She answered that on the first page or so

I assume not paying for a ticket when you know it is chargeable falls within this:

Obtaining services dishonestly
It is an offence for a defendant to obtain, by any dishonest act, services for which payment is required, with intent to avoid payment for those services under the Fraud Act 2006 (FrA 2006). This offence replaces obtaining services by deception in the Theft Act 1968.

The elements of the offence are that the defendant:

•
obtains for themselves or another

•
services

•
dishonestly

•
knowing the services are made available on the basis that payment has been, or is being, or will be made for or in respect of them or that they might be, and

•
avoids or intends to avoid payment in full or in part

Morals aside, the fact is that people like the OP are the ones who push the prices up for everybody else. (and ultimately themselves... as everything is factored).

So you might snuggly think you are cheating the system, but you are doing no one a favour. From the minute people think they have some kind of entitlement to things they can't afford, you know it's a slippery slope.

But if it makes you feel better, the money saved on market research with that thread fully makes up for the lost payment of 1 child ticket

*snuggly?!

smugly would be better

@WaitForCake

16:26 to be exact

Sorry if I missed this from earlier...! So he's not actually three whole years old until just before 4.30pm? I may be a terrible person, but unless there's anything in the small print, I'd feel very (morally) comfortable about going earlier in the day and leaving before then.

@JaniceWebster

*snuggly?!

smugly would be better

Aww, but snuggly was making me feel all warm and good about potentially cheating them out of a ticket.

@Iamthewombat

No, you can’t. Can you understand that any business, particularly one like Chessington with huge investment in plant and machinery, salaries to pay etc. needs to bring in £Xm per year just to break even?

So patronising and yet you haven't grasped that if Merlin gave a shit about this they would introduce proof of age checks.

*I assume not paying for a ticket when you know it is chargeable falls within this:

Obtaining services dishonestly
It is an offence for a defendant to obtain, by any dishonest act, services for which payment is required, with intent to avoid payment for those services under the Fraud Act 2006 (FrA 2006). This offence replaces obtaining services by deception in the Theft Act 1968.

The elements of the offence are that the defendant:

•
obtains for themselves or another

•
services

•
dishonestly

•
knowing the services are made available on the basis that payment has been, or is being, or will be made for or in respect of them or that they might be, and

•
avoids or intends to avoid payment in full or in part*

It is impossible for OP to commit this offence as it doesn’t exist anymore!

It would just be fraud by false representation, just saying

I never visited a them park with my family until i was about 15. My Mum simply couldn't afford it and was too worried to lie about lying in case she got caught and was turned away in front of everyone who's be judging her and wasting wasting money on trains and food for the day just to have to turn back. I think the costs are very high and its unaffordable for many many families who don't have hundreds to spare for a day out.

I know lots of people who've done it though, for cinemas, meals, transport and theme parks though but they've all been people with the means to pay should they be caught. People I know who can't pay it, and I've been in that group myself as an adult, worry about the humiliation of being turned away and having everyone judge you as a scrounger and an upset child. Wouldn't be surprised if people recorded such people and shamed all over social media for taking the piss and thinking low income means entitlement to free days out.

@JaniceWebster it took me about one minute to read and another to reply. God knows how long it’s taken the sanctimonious perfect Peter To research merlins entire financial history

You can tell who the unpopular kids at school who snitched on everyone and wondered why their only friend was the teacher are on this thread !

Cheeseislife2020

if it takes you about one minute to read 400 posts AND post your reply, I am not sure why you fail to understand that it will be just as quick for others to do a quick google search

this thread is genuinely hilarious.

Your poor child burdened with an immoral mother and destined to a life of crime and the little mite isn't even 3 yet

Yanbu I did this with my twins a few times when we went to attractions that really only their older sibling would get anything out of.

@DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult

this thread is genuinely hilarious.

Your poor child burdened with an immoral mother and destined to a life of crime and the little mite isn't even 3 yet

I really want to meet one of these Mumsnet parents in real life. It's hilarious

I would too, just to see if they were really this sanctimonious in real life

I do think there's something of a common disconnect when it comes to appreciating the value of a service where it doesn't clearly cost the business £X per person.

Just because you can figure that you won't cost the company any more by being there, their whole business model depends on everybody making the required contribution. You could be the 50th passenger on a bus and it wouldn't cost the bus company any more to transport you than it would had your seat remained empty, but if none of the other 49 had paid, the bus company would cease being viable very quickly.

CFs do it all the time with lifts and even taxis where they protest "But you were going there anyway!" You can ask why you should have to contribute, but I think the question should be why shouldn't you contribute, along with why should anybody else if you don't want to - and what would the company do if everybody thought like you?

Put his birthday back a day. Convince him that day his birthday is the following day. Then he won't blab.

Then do his presents and cake when you get home and reveal the fact he is 3 and it's his birthday after all .

So patronising and yet you haven't grasped that if Merlin gave a shit about this they would introduce proof of age checks.

What’s comical about some posters on this thread is that anybody who actually understands revenue and pricing and has a view other than ‘Theme parks are greedy and should just charge less and let my kids in for free’ is ‘patronising’ or a ‘a sanctimonious perfect Peter’ (??? Is that the best you can do?), but anybody planning to dishonestly obtain services is fully justified and should be encouraged.

If it helps:

• I’m a chartered accountant and it took me five minutes, if that, to find Merlin’s 2019 income statement on line and read the important bits. So you can calm down now.

• there is quite a difference between looking at a single income statement and ‘researching Merlin’s entire financial history’, but perhaps you don’t understand that?

• Do you genuinely think that theme park operators ‘couldn’t give a shit’ about revenue fraud? How about rail companies? Do you think that fare dodging is fair game because the conductors don’t demand to see birth certificates for children under five travelling for free and hence ‘don’t give a shit’?

As for this:

You can tell who the unpopular kids at school who snitched on everyone and wondered why their only friend was the teacher are on this thread!

Seriously? I’m going to suggest that you stop embarrassing yourself. Attacking people who are cleverer and more knowledgeable than you makes you look silly and bitter.

There's also the point if you have to pre book and they ask child age you aren't lying by saying 2

Unless they ask for age on day of travel rather than just age!

I really want to meet one of these Mumsnet parents in real life. It's hilarious

who? People who don't lie, fraud or cheat as a matter of principle because they can get away with it?

As opposed to the the ones who believe they are entitled to everything for free, but will be the first one to scream if a client/landlord/employer/ shop owner does the same to them...

That thread IS hilarious, and explain why prices are higher because companies DO give a shit and DO know their customers behaviour..