Blocked by a Tourist Attraction

[MrsMomoa2]

This is a relatively small attraction in part of the UK but popular in the Summer months and been there for years. I visited as a child and for past 10 years we have stayed locally and visited every year with my children and more recently my nephew.
They used to offer return visit as many times as you wanted within 7 days but this was stopped a couple of years ago due to abuse.
As we stayed opposite it was a great place to pop in for 1/2 hour at end of the day so in conversation that first year they kindly agreed to give us the 7 day free return. Last year we spoke to one of the owners who again was lovely and agreed again
(just to confirm max of 1 child and 2 adults at a time and would not have impacted on anyone else going in)
This year I asked again and after disappearing was quite rudely told no. I have no issue with the refusal but it was the way I was made to feel and my son (SEN) was upset. We still went round the attraction that day as it is a passage of rights to us now!
My sister did ask the following morning and did not realise was the same person who was just as rude!
On return I sent a private message saying how much we loved the attraction but was disappointed by the staff member’s attitude. Although we were disappointed by not being able to pop in we did understand but we still had visited and was lovely.

I was shocked to get a very curt reply a few days later. Telling me how cheeky we had been and trying to take advantage eyc etc. It had been their Deputy Manager and we had put her in a really awkward position and we could have accepted the offer a season ticket. (Not offered!!)
It was a really rude reply and left me a bit taken a back. I tried to reply politely and say this was not offered to find I had been blocked from all their social media (I was pretty active in a positive way!This has been a place that I grew up visiting and was weirdly special, I have many photos of my kids at various stages but to behave like this. I was truly never rude! Just surprised and now feel upset over this.

I did email but never received a reply. I know third world problems but just feel upset about it all really.
AIBU (or are they!)

I don't think it's crealy
It sounds like some much smaller and low key, like Bicton world of country life or a museum?
Crealy invested in the photo software to stop people abusing the system.
The whole point of the offer is people think its better value for money than just one day and its gets people in, but unless you have really shocking weather most people don't actually go back for a second day, let alone every day. But it's better for the attraction if you return once for a whole day and spend money while you're there.

It's not designed as a loyalty scheme to allow people who would go anyway to go back every day for free

🤣🤣🤣

OP was only going back for half an hour so very unlikely spending any more money.
Nice to see Crealy is still going, went there when dc were little and had a great day

Oh I see, I think the only time I've seen schemes like this you had to put your name on the ticket, maybe for the London Transport Museum and one overseas.

@MrsMomoa2 I think you’ve been given a hard time here. I’d go and see them (speak to the manager not the deputy) and explain how upset you are about this. That from your child’s point of view they couldn’t understand why they could always go every day, year after year and then suddenly couldn’t and you are sorry it’s come to this but just feel the person on the day was rude to you and you have been a loyal regular customer for many years. In future think before you complain as it could be the manager/owner who you are actually complaining about.

No wonder the Op left here.

Plenty of places do free returns in 7 days. The sort of places that holiday makers wouldn’t necessarily pay twice to go back to like Blackgang Chine on the Isle of Wight. Most families don’t have the time to go more than once, even with the offer of a free return.
If people like it enough to go twice they can still potentially make money on food, drink, ice creams, souvenir's, slot machines etc.

The abuse comes from transferring tickets to other people. The attraction loses the second admission fee.

Of course the attraction is within its rights to tell the Op no but much better to play the long game. She’s clearly a repeat loyal visitor, happy to pay every year she visits and goodwill goes a long way.

I’ve finally accepted that the OP won’t be coming back. Time to unwatch😅

No need to go and see them and bring the child's needs into it whatsoever. In this circumstances, if it affected my child so strongly to not be able go return, then I would simply pay to visit again. And believe me, this does happen in my situation often. I do not see my child's needs as an excuse to grab freebies and yet its an association everybody makes and rolls eyes at for any parent of a child with SEN now because a select few do try to use it this way.

Listen, I can see you feel bad, and it's awful if they were rude, but if we are sensitive and emotional then "quite rude" might just be a bit terse.... You were asking for special treatment and sometimes when you ask you might get back the vibes that you are being cheeky...
That is the risk you take...you need to suck it up, you can't make them responsible for all your hurt feelings.
Perspective is, you visit once a year. You are not a special customer to the venue, you don't offer them anything special... Harsh but true.... When you complained about how you were treated in asking for a discount, repeatedly, you became a special customer, and not in a good way. And so they took special steps to avoid dealing with you.
Just pay for the season ticket if you want to visit all week, and focus on the good memories and nostalgia you have, don't let this get you down.

Hard to know how to vote with this. It seems you wanted the right of access to be 'grandfathered' to you in perpetuity. While others have to pay. That's not right, it's not fair. And you were being a CFer and chancer. And should have been grateful to have 2 free years. Then your sister tried, too, after you were told no. I can understand how they thought you were being aggressive CFers and chancers. However, all they had to do was say no. They didn't have to be so rude and go to the effort of blocking you everywhere. That is overkill. So I can't vote except to say you both (you and attraction) were being unreasonable.

It's up to the op to explain to her child she was in the wrong not the company

To be fair, that isn't what OP is saying. She accepts they were perfectly entitled to refuse. She just wants their staff to be reasonably polite about it, which is hardly unreasonable.

I'll be honest, just the fact you mentioned your sons disability when it's completely unnecessary tells me that you most likely weren't polite and kind at all, whilst you tried to get something for free which you knew they didn't offer, and then your sister used the same sense of entitlement you have to her to try her luck again the next day...

Yabu. Whether you've been going once a year for years or not, you are not entitled to not pay your way

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So...........

You knew they changed their policy a number of years ago
You asked anyway in previous years - they allowed it
You asked again this year - they said "no"
Your sister also asked - they said "no"
You've tried to pull the "well, yes, BUT MY CHILD HAS SEN" card and it got you nowhere

But they are the rude ones?

You are the CF here, and you know it. That's why you haven't been back to the thread.

In my experience of dealing with the public...
The ones who complain online using phrases like "loyal customer", "used for years", "I asked politely and they were rude" and who drop in disabilities which don't have anything to do with the complaint as usually the ones who have tried to demand extras, not liked being politely told No and have been rude themselves, often yelling at the member of staff

Very out of character for the OP

It's "right of passage" not passage of rights, and "first world problems" not third world problems. Sorry I'm not trying to be a dick but thought you might want to know 😅

And in true nobhead fashion have got it wrong myself. RITE of passage 😜

But she wasn’t accepting of a polite “no”. She pushed and pushed until they were, in her opinion, rude.

Wow, there are some right uppity people on here.

Look, it's cheeky to ask of course. But if you're polite, ask in the right way and are prepared for (and accept) a no then why not ask?

If they were rude to you after you were v polite and not pushy and up yourself then I think you know your answer. None of us were there to judge, only you.

You lost me at it being your passage of rights.....entitled twattery got ya right up the back passage it seems. Swift kick up the hell no for complaining 87 times about not getting a freebie.

Alnwick Castle

Where do you get that from? She asked once and was told no, rudely. Thereafter, her communications were about the staff member's rudeness, not the issue of getting free entry.

I agree with the don’t bring your SEN son into it. That’s why we get PIP/DLA to pay for extras which these children need a - like tickets for a place they’re obsessed with!