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!)

And the phrase is “a rite of passage” - though it does sound as if you like to make up rights 😉

this was stopped a couple of years ago due to abuse sounds as though quite a few people tried to squeeze extra admissions out of the venue! I am not surprised they decided to maximise their profits rather than give them away.

No ask no get.

You weren't being CF. You were polite and clearly a long standing customer who has no doubt spent a fortune over the years.

Their response was not polite.

Manners cost nothing.

How was their response not polite then?

Sorry OP. A lot of places have lost any sense of customer service or manners. Sounds like their deputy manager is a bit of a nasty piece of work. I wouldn't take it personally, some people are just rubbish at their jobs and what can you do x

OP isn't upset they wouldn't give her 7 day access, she's upset by the way the venue declined and then blocked her.

The staff member could have politely just said, I'm sorry, we don't offer that deal any more. And smiled and repeated if OP had persisted.

I'm shocked by some of the responses on here.

If you are experienced in setting up and establishing your own small business you must appreciate how incredibly difficult it is - not to mention the recent fall out of Covid and the cost of living crisis!

People were found to be taking advantage of this particular business. It was communicated clearly that they changed their policies as a result. The OP was aware of this yet asked for an exception - was refused. Her sister then asked for an exception - and was also refused. The OP then complained via email!

If that is not rude entitlement I don't know what is!

And the venue are upset that they've had to waste hours and hours of paid staff time answering emails from the same people over and over again asking for freebies for 3 years. They can afford to lose people with no intention of becoming regular paying customers and every minute they spend on these CFs is a minute of staff hours that the business is paying for that doesn't bring business into the attraction, which sounds like it's on the bones of its arse anyway.
Honestly if you've never worked with the unbelievably entitled arseholes that are the British public when out for a day at a tourist attraction you have no idea how many of these people they will be dealing with every day since they changed that deal... three years ago, and they're still getting enquiries from CFs like OP.

So you got a freebie two years on the trot, were told no when you asked a for third time, told no when your sister asked for a fourth time then complained they weren’t polite enough in telling you that you can’t have for free what everyone else has to pay for? Get a grip!

Yabu.

They stopped the deal a couple of years ago due to abuse.

The end.

I would have thought they were extending themselves to offer it as a one off but you're exceedingly cheeky to try to claim it again as a right. Don't they have cheap annual passes on a full paying ticket? Most do.

I genuinely don’t get why you think your family is special and doesn’t need to pay properly? Not a mean question but a genuine one??

The OP asking for the deal is fine, if you don't ask you don't get. The deputy manager who refused the request but did not offer an alternative (season pass) showed poor customer service.

@MrsMomoa2 does the attraction advertise the season pass option?

@BiscuitsandPuffin How do you know the venue has spent "hours and hours" rejecting such requests?

And the OP is a regular visitor, or at least a repeat visitor. Repeat customers are what businesses want. They could have handled it politely.

I get you Op.

I’m afraid it’s just easier to be a bit jobsworth and assume everyone is out to take advantage. Such a shame when something is part of your family history. It’s making things personal that separates great places people love from just meh.

I’m afraid it’s just easier to be a bit jobsworth and assume everyone is out to take advantage

How was the OP not trying to take advantage by paying once and going SEVEN times?

When someone puts you in an awkward position, it is often difficult to be polite - out of awkwardness. You put them in a position where they were forced to say no to something that they clearly feel was being abused.. and you knew it... continuing to abuse their generosity.

These venues are finding times hard enough without visitors, however entitled or special they feel they are, trying to abuse the rules to get freebies from a struggling business.

If the place is so dear to your family and you wish to keep going then you should be supporting it.

😂 @ “3rd world problem “.

yeah, the impoverished kids in Africa are having exactly the same issue now DisneyTanzania has stopped the free returns in 7 days!

There will be many people who love this tourist attraction. You’ve been lucky they’ve been so kind so far.

So they said no to you, then the following morning they have to repeat the rebuttal to your sister. You have taken advantage and then tried one final attempt.

Why would you put your child through that, SEN or not it's embarrassing for a child to be part of that conversation unless they are too young to understand which clearly isn't the case.

They will have stopped it probably not because families were visiting multiple times but were passing their ticket on to other families.
Yanbu to expect some courtesy though.

I know third world problems

😁

It was fine to ask but completely out of order to complain about attitude when you were declined for a freebie. You have been given more than your fair share. I would have shrugged it off, not contacted them to complain.