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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be furious at this childrens sports centre?!

42 replies

Unsername1233 · 02/01/2022 22:49

I'm not too sure if I'm just hormonal and tired but I'm furious and need a place to rant.

I have been trying to encourage my DS to try a new hobby (he doesn't have much confidence and I've been trying to find a hobby for him to try that he will enjoy). After much reassurance and encouragement he was looking forward to trying a trial class of Parkour for kids.

I booked the trial class last week for today (Sunday) at mid day, along with receiving a reminder email yesterday. DS woke up and got dressed in some sports gear he had and was very excited (he's 5). It was so sweet because I've never seen him so excited for a hobby which is out of his comfort zone. After asking numerous times about when we can leave we finally headed off around lunch time.

WELL, get to the sports centre and it's shut!! They do the majority of their correspondence over FB and no answer on their phone. I get an automated response saying classes are restarting from the 3rd of Jan. I sent them a message to ask if I was in the right place as received the confirmation and paid. They read the message 9 hours ago and have still had no response.

We left the sports centre with my DS in tears. I'm
Furious, and I understand mistakes are made but to not even receive a message back and to receive the email reminder I think is a p**s take. It's a family run small business.

I'm just so sad and mad for my DS!

I realise this isn't something which even warrants a reply, I just need a space to rant. Nothing worse than seeing your children sad 😔

OP posts:
Kite22 · 02/01/2022 23:34

Well, it is a bit annoying / frustrating, but hardly the end of the world.

To still be "furious" 9 hours later seems a little extreme.

I mean, when booking in, I would have double checked, as the Bank Holiday weekend seems an unlikely weekend to start, but mistakes do happen sometimes - it isn't worth "fury".
Nor do I think it unreasonable that you haven't had a personal reply when a business has an 'out of office' on saying they are returning to work the next day. I don't read work e-mails on a non-working day and I don't expect anyone else to - you've had the reply stating they are not at work.

As for your ds being in tears - it is for you, his parent, to manage that and put it in perspective rather than making it into a big drama.

I've been in a situation where I've turned up for something that had been cancelled, with 3 dc in tow and I get it is annoying, and frustrating, but told my dc it seemed there had been a mix up, and that was it.

Original poster
Unsername1233 · 02/01/2022 23:42

@Kite22 I didn't think I needed to check as only booked it last week and received a reminder email yesterday about the class for today and details. I would have at least thought it would be courteous for them to respond as I had taken time out of my day to, not to forget it's also been paid for in advance as they don't offer free trial lessons.

I guess the majority of the frustration comes from seeing DS upset. I feel partly guilty as encouraged him to look forward to something new and give it a try when it ended to nothing.

Ergh I probably just need to head to bed and try and chill out, it's been a bloody tough week and this is the icing on the top.

OP posts:
LawnFever · 02/01/2022 23:47

I’d be annoyed too, really weird for them to have the class advertised and taking bookings when the whole place is shut.

But I wouldn’t stew on it, hopefully you can go to the next available class instead?

underneaththeash · 02/01/2022 23:48

Same thing happened to us today, turned up at the badminton centre (along with 10 other families) to find it shut!
What really annoyed me was that I'd queried the date when I booked.
Oh well....

WheelieBinPrincess · 02/01/2022 23:50

Right, that’s annoying, but at five DS will look to you to make almighty of the situation, shrug it off and get him excited about trying again next time.

The class isn’t gone forever. It was a bit of a rubbish start but these things happen.

WheelieBinPrincess · 02/01/2022 23:50

*make light of

Middleagedfemaleangst · 02/01/2022 23:51

It was probably just an automated thing that wasn’t set right when you booked? Massive overreaction from you?

Original poster
Unsername1233 · 02/01/2022 23:52

@LawnFever Yes, very frustrating, more so with that dam reminder email. Life goes on... but my gosh I needed that rant. Thanks for your reply Smile.

Hopefully they will respond on Tuesday and we can rebook for this coming Sunday.

OP posts:
JuniorMint · 02/01/2022 23:54

It’s really annoying but remember your 5yo looks to you for your reactions and emotions about things. If you were angry/fuming at the centre door and still are hours later, he will feed off of this and feel sad/angry/disappointed too. Try to be breezy and positive with a simple “ooh dear, the centre is closed today! But guess what, good news- that means we can pop to a cafe now for a hot chocolate and a biscuit, lucky us! And we can play i-spy on the way… ready? I spy with my little eye… etc” Then later be positive talking about how we are looking forward to trying our new activity next week instead Smile
Hope he enjoys it x

Blueeilidh · 02/01/2022 23:55

It's annoying but probably down to a technical glitch that they weren't aware of. They most likely will respond to you during working hours.

Original poster
Unsername1233 · 02/01/2022 23:55

@Middleagedfemaleangst My reaction was mostly seeing my DS sad. Like I said above, it's been REALLY difficult encouraging him to be brave and try new things without pushing him into it. Obviously I didn't make a big deal with DS there, hence my rant on here.

OP posts:
tectonicplates · 02/01/2022 23:55

Any chance that they were unexpectedly shut due to Covid? A lot of businesses are short-staffed at the moment due so many people being off sick.

Original poster
Unsername1233 · 02/01/2022 23:58

@JuniorMint We made the most of the last day before I returned to work and got some lunch followed by a lovely film and snacks to see us through the afternoon.

I think it's just been a really hard week and this has just been the icing on the cake. Tomorrow is a new day, and hopefully Sunday will be a first try at parkour Grin

Thanks for your response x

OP posts:
Original poster
Unsername1233 · 02/01/2022 23:59

@tectonicplates I haven't seen anything on their social media, but it could be a possibility. Mind you, we were the only ones at the centre so I would have thought others would be there x

OP posts:
StarCat2020 · 03/01/2022 00:00

Any chance that they were unexpectedly shut due to Covid? A lot of businesses are short-staffed at the moment due so many people being off sick
Thanks you saved me typing the same thing

HunkyPunk · 03/01/2022 00:02

Try to be breezy and positive with a simple “ooh dear, the centre is closed today! But guess what, good news- that means we can pop to a cafe now for a hot chocolate and a biscuit, lucky us! And we can play i-spy on the way… ready? I spy with my little eye… etc” Then later be positive talking about how we are looking forward to trying our new activity next week instead Smile

God, that sounds exhausting! Grin

JuniorMint · 03/01/2022 00:02

[quote Unsername1233]@JuniorMint We made the most of the last day before I returned to work and got some lunch followed by a lovely film and snacks to see us through the afternoon.

I think it's just been a really hard week and this has just been the icing on the cake. Tomorrow is a new day, and hopefully Sunday will be a first try at parkour Grin

Thanks for your response x[/quote]
Sounds like you had a nice day Smile It is so horrible to see our little ones upset, but times like these are important to help teach them to develop resilience, they can’t avoid situations where things don’t always go their way and something like this is a relatively mild upset where you can model how to feel and act proportionately- acknowledge it’s a disappointment but distract with something else to do (as you did!) and look forward to trying again soon. Good luck

Flickflak · 03/01/2022 00:04

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

JuniorMint · 03/01/2022 00:05

@HunkyPunk

Try to be breezy and positive with a simple “ooh dear, the centre is closed today! But guess what, good news- that means we can pop to a cafe now for a hot chocolate and a biscuit, lucky us! And we can play i-spy on the way… ready? I spy with my little eye… etc” Then later be positive talking about how we are looking forward to trying our new activity next week instead Smile

God, that sounds exhausting! Grin

Exhausting to play I-spy with a 5yo? Ok? Confused
Original poster
Unsername1233 · 03/01/2022 00:05

@Flickflak I cope at life very badly, hence why I'm here ranting my struggles on Mumsmet Grin

OP posts:
WheelieBinPrincess · 03/01/2022 00:07

Oh come on, I get @HunkyPunk totally!

It would be a bit emotionally draining to keep all that up constantly 😆

JuniorMint · 03/01/2022 00:14

@WheelieBinPrincess

Oh come on, I get *@HunkyPunk* totally!

It would be a bit emotionally draining to keep all that up constantly 😆

But it’s much less emotionally draining to go around “fuming” about things, still angry hours later and have a crying child in tow? My advice and your advice were pretty much identical- make light of it, shrug it off and get excited about next time. I was just a bit more specific with the wording. Well it sounds like the OP did as we both suggested anyway and had a nice day with her DS and is helping him look forward to having a go at his activity next time Smile
WheelieBinPrincess · 03/01/2022 00:17

I totally agree with you @JuniorMint, I think it was just a level of jollyness that I’m not sure I could keep up. I’m being lighthearted. I’m a nanny so I use those kind of tactics all the time. But I’m on maternity leave now and you just reminded me how tiring it can be to be ‘jolly’ every minute of every day to mitigate every mood and tantrum, that’s all!

Thatsplentyjack · 03/01/2022 00:17

@WheelieBinPrincess

Oh come on, I get *@HunkyPunk* totally!

It would be a bit emotionally draining to keep all that up constantly 😆

Unfortunately that's the level of fake happier that everyone thinks they have to keep up for their children now. They're not allowed to see a normal human emotion other that happy clappy everything is wonderful.
NatriumChloride · 03/01/2022 00:20

Omg. Are you always this much of a drama llama OP?