Absolutely LIVID at the BBC

[ChilledMK]

I took the kids to the BBC Earth Experience in London yesterday. Traveled all the way from Milton Keynes. It looked the perfect day out for the kids. It was billed as an ‘interactive experience’ and a ‘transformative audio visible experience’.

I feel like I have been robbed. £100+ to walk around a big room with disjointed images showing random vignettes of animals and rainforests on cinema screens. No seating. No narrative. No touching. And most importantly no interaction. Looking at the website I can tell they have done some very clever camera trickery to make it more than it is.

I have never felt so angry leaving an ‘event’. I can’t believe they think it is acceptable to charge £32 to walk around a big room with a montage of their documentaries available on Netflix. No bad word to say about the staff or security, but the people at the BBC who planned this event are taking the absolute piss. Then to make it worse as we walk into a tat filled gift shop this almost half the space of the event, there is a projection of the earth saying it is my responsibility to make sure all the animals don’t die of climate change…

Would I be unreasonable to request a full refund? The kids were bored out of their mind and we didn’t stay the full hour.

I went to the Van Gogh one last week. Thought most of it was dreadful.
The only good bit was at the end when the painting are projected on the walls and floor and you can sit down but walking around the actual experience, it was all so shabby.

Looking at the website, it says nothing about interactivity, and literally says they are projecting footage from their TV series on big screens. Also goes on to say it's a self guided experience and basically you can just wander around, so nothing about narrative etc. Sorry OP, I think you got what you booked for, you just expected something else

Gosh, I was really disappointed with Van Gogh so don't know how bad the BBC thing must be! 😅

It’s not a BBC thing and it’s not interactive.

Sounds like absolute rubbish. Mario Brothers is meant to be good.,

Presumably, they will send you an email asking for feedback. Let them have it and ask for a refund.

It says it’s narrated:

“Experience an unforgettable journey through the natural world and explore the extraordinary diversity of our seven unique continents on the most epic scale. This immersive journey, with bespoke narration from David Attenborough, features breath-taking footage from Seven Worlds, One Planet, projected on multiple multi-angle screens using the very latest digital screen technology. Coming to The Daikin Centre, Earl's Court, London from 30 March 2023.”

I remember going to the cinema to see that Batman film with George Clooney in and it was rubbish. I wonder if I emailed George whether he’d give me a refund?

Not up to George Clooney, obviously, but if the film was not as described in a way you could prove, you'd be entitled to a refund from the cinema. E.g. if you'd been sold a 3D ticket and the film was in 2D, or if it was billed as 120 minutes but only lasted 90 minutes; even possibly if it was billed as starring George Clooney but he didn't appear in it.

It seems a few more people think the same

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186338-d25416847-Reviews-BBC_Earth_Experience-London_England.html

I loved it!

I’m not sure what other bits you’re talking about as wasn’t the immersive projection the whole thing?

I went last week, me, DH and the kids enjoyed it. Yes it was expensive, but I also paid £50 to see the Mario Bros film, I don’t think anything is cheap these days. We went to Regents park after for a play in the playground and the memorial fountain, which was free. All in all had a lovely day out in London.

See this is what I don't understand.

I just had a quick look at the Google reviews and a lot of them say what you're saying here.

Did you not think to check them first?

Immersive exhibition experiences can work really well if properly thought out and not over-hyped. Last year we visited the National Museum in Copenhagen and one part of one of the multiple exhibitions being staged was an immersive ‘journey’ of a Viking warrior, using 360-degree visuals and well-designed surround sound. It was a great way of showing how some of the exhibits would have been used, but it also wasn’t selling itself as a sole attraction, so our expectations weren’t as high. And the entry was certainly way less than 30 quid!

Hope the tv licence gets cancelled and the whole thing goes bust!

Morel of this story. Always check reviews before you visit or buy something.

Feel sorry for those that have wasted their money.

I think a big problem with things like this is that people just don't understand what they're getting. "Immersive" does not mean "interactive" for a start. The website tells you everything to expect. Multiple screens, no seating, free to walk around. Nowhere does it say there will be touching or interacting. And there is narration in parts. It is not their fault that people don't read the description properly and make up something else in their heads.

Thank you as I too was going to book

£50 !! Fur how many people? My dh took 3 of our children to see Mario Brothers total cost £13.50

Should have looked at them before you went. There’s ample availability for reviews and research into places these days - this is on you really.

Trip Adviser gives it 2.5 out of 5 based on just 18 reviews

Google gives it 3.7 based on 160 reviews, so would appear more represent tactics as a sample size

Clearly some people were disappointed, but the most popular rating on Google is 5 stars. What do you say to the people who loved it - were they doing it wrong? Should they feel livid too?

Thanks @PriamFarrl I saw that - the op said there is no 'narrative', not that it wasn't narrated. I assumed she meant there was no story thread going through the exhibit rather than that there wasn't any David Attenborough voiceover (which, if there wasn't, I agree is not in keeping with the description)

Purely a guess, this, but perhaps visitors who live in London so haven't made a long journey, and who are used to London prices, don't see it as a big expense and have lower expectations than people travelling from other parts of the country.

Also use your thinking skills when you read reviews on any site.

"1 star. The fridge was too big for the space."

Some might say you should have measured the space before ordering the fridge, but, sure, let's give the fridge 1 star.

This. So your complaint wouldn’t be to the BBC.