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!)

Spot on
They stopped it because of people like @MrsMomoa2
They are a business, not a form of therapy

Repeatedly asking the same cheeky question is not being polite. It is incredibly rude.

They kindly agreed.
They rudely said no.
These posts are always the same when the poster doesn't get their own way.
It's often at the airport.... Passport ran out.... They rudely wouldn't let me on.
Bag too big.... They rudely wouldn't let me take it on.
In a shop when taking something back.... They rudely wouldn't give me a refund.

OP they have implemented a rule for their attraction. And guess what? It means you just as much as anyone else!

It didn't impact on others going in? Yes it did. They had to pay. You expected a free pass.

I doubt there'll be a response, but OP, would you have even agreed to a season ticket? I can't imagine you would if you were only staying for a week and just wanting to "pop in" at the end of the day for an hour.

Agree it’s fine to politely ask and even to expect a firm but polite no. Going on about it wasn’t fair enough - I think that is where OP tipped into unreasonable.

Send a letter by recorded delivery to there customer care department or manager. They will definitely want to know that this staff member is alienating customers, especially as you can come on platforms like this and name and shame them.

Let me get this right, people were abusing the 7 day access rule so they stopped it and you kept pushing to access using the now non-existent seven day rule… but you’re not abusing the rule and they’re just rude? Riiiiiight.

YABU you sound entitled and want special treatment

You asked, they said no. That should have been the end of the story.

How are they alienating customers?

OP wants to go in for free and they said no.
Her sister even tried tricking them by ringing the next morning.

They are a family of piss takers.

Naming and shaming them for not letting her go in for free, would look the OP look pathetic.

100% you are the rude one and taking advantage

OK sure, I didn't really take that OP had asked multiple times from the post. I thought she bought a ticket, went in, asked about the 7 day return and was rudely told no, then sent a message about the rudeness and they were again rude to her.

Your emails and communications are costing them time/money to respond to and there is no prospect of resolution from their perspective so I think it makes sense for them to block you if they think you will continue to try to communicate and cost them further.

You were cheeky and unreasonable.
They kindly let you have 7 day access two years after they stopped it. Then the third year they had decided to stop it completely. People had more than enough notice that the rules had changed!
There were probably lots of people whining stating that they had gone there as a child and then taken their children there and their SEN child got upset about it.

You weren't listening, they'd explained about the abuse.
You've obviously never worked for a small company or in tourism
And this is why I hate so much, working with the 'great' British public I'm about to quit my job. It's always, ALWAYS entitled parents... it's never not.

👏 👏

You took advantage of these kind people and overstepped the mark by your excessive demands for visits. They are fed up of you. YABU.

Righto. Threaten someone's livelihood because they stuck by their stated policy, refusing to capitulate to a customer's repeated demands for precisely what she wanted at their expense.

Nice. Where exactly does MN find some of these posters?

YABU for using the phrase third world country. It's 'developing nation', and has been since 1990.

Wow they generously honoured a policy that no longer existed for two years and on the third time of asking they said no, not content with that your sister asked again the next day. You really were determined to get the free entry you think you are entitled to just because you have been visiting for years. I'm a loyal customer of many businesses but I don't expect goods or services for free.

Did you really need a member of staff to tell you about a season ticket or is that just something you are using to pad out your complaint? I'm not surprised you received a terse response to your email, you were told no twice and then decided to complain about a member of staff upholding company policy. I'm glad the manager has backed the member of staff.

No idea if the member of staff was rude but I think you were. How did you expect them to respond when, for the third year running, you were asking for concessions? They probably couldn't believe your cheek.

@Feraldogmum Send a letter by recorded delivery to there customer care department or manager. They will definitely want to know that this staff member is alienating customers, especially as you can come on platforms like this and name and shame them.

Alienating customers by not letting use the facilities for free ... righto!

YABU and entitled.

Whatever the new rules there was no need to be rude and undermine you. No customer service there.

I am still involved with hospitality and tourism and can tell you that attractions are having an absolute brutal year financially. Many in our area are 40% down in terms of numbers with their profitability down even more because of the loss of secondary spend or people just not buying food, drinks or gifts. Remember also that businesses are on business energy tariffs and these arent capped like domestic ones so they are being absolutely hammered. Many of the smaller independent ones are either clinging on or going to disappear. they cant afford to do the kind of discounts that they have done in the past for this reason and whilst the member of staff should not have been rude to you, to be honest, if you were the 50th person that day who had asked this then they are probably at the very end of their rope by now.