Company refusing the change the date of the tickets

[Tothebeach]

I booked tickets to go do a Christmas lights trail with friends and family and managed to book the tickets for the wrong day. I realised straight away and email them last night and call them today to ask to change for 2 days later ( tickets still available). They refuse to do so, I am so upset, I can’t go on that date and neither some of the other families. The tickets are non-refundable. AIBU to think this is really poor customer service especially for a Christmas event not even sold out yet? Is there anything I can do ?

No, it's not a shitty thing to do at all to write an honest review. It's helpful information.

Do people really not think that this is poor customer service, for them to agree to swap the tickets from one date to another? When they have plenty of tickets left for both dates? What difference would it make to them?

Maybe I'm unusual in thinking that companies would actually value their customers, rather than clearly despising them and being determined to be difficult. Great way to discourage people from giving you return custom.

Pretty sure they have to do more complex stuff day to day than moving someone's tickets to a different, same price date.

It's very poor if you emailed straight after making the booking, there are months to go, it's not a big deal for them. Why are they so unhelpful?

I hope you get it sorted by insisting. Of course if they keep being so petty, it's right to write a factual review.

A customer makes a mistake which I get is annoying that it had happened and because of that the company is a big meanie?

The customer is not always right, and the 'I want and if you don't do what I want I will leave a bad review and not have anything to do with you again' or variations is incredibly childish

Bad reviews are for whenever you want to leave a review! Bad customer service, bad attitude, it matters. As long as it's factual,

If there's something shitty about it, it's the attitude of the business.

Put it another way, if the company is so strict about the "rules", you will do them a favour by advertising them. They will be grateful. (I am being sarcastic, but they can't have it both ways!)

Even airlines let you amend your tickets and correct spelling mistakes, even for a small fee sometimes.

Can't any of the people make the Friday? If so split into 2 groups for this year. Friday or Sunday groups. It's a pity but your best option is to try to sell the tickets on Facebook market place or Neighbours app. Sit then and offer them £2 cheaper. You could then rebook some tickets for the Sunday.

It's a small company yet you expect them to put themselves out changing non-refundable tickets?

The 'non-refundable' is irrelevant, as OP is not seeking a refund.

Do you really think that they will be painting the tickets by hand and then sending them out by recorded delivery post? It's a few taps on a keyboard and a quick replacement email. I'm sure they can centrally invalidate the original tickets, just in case they're worried that OP might try to use them as well.

No, it's not a shitty thing to do at all to write an honest review. It's helpful information.

Agreed. Some of the views on here remind me of the other thread about the Air BnB host who lied about having a king-size bed, when it was actually a double. Some people's standards are very low indeed if they think that just about managing to make do means that you should leave a glowing review!

I disagree. We are human, we are not a bunch of robots. A customer contacting them putting his hands up and saying, I made a mistake, please help, is not unreasonable.

Good business and good customer service would be to TRY to help.

Emailing immediately straight after a booking of an event happening months from now.. yes, they should try to help. At the very least they should politely explain why they cannot help, being too full and no longer being able to accommodate large groups on a Sunday for example, that would be better than the ridiculous "computer says no".

A customer makes a mistake which I get is annoying that it had happened and because of that the company is a big meanie?

The customer is not always right, and the 'I want and if you don't do what I want I will leave a bad review and not have anything to do with you again' or variations is incredibly childish

You seem to have the idea that people should be very grateful that a company is willing to take their money off them. I agree that some customers are very unreasonable and unrealistic in their requests/demands; but most good companies that want to stay in business and foster goodwill will gladly take a minute or two to help with a very simple, reasonable request, when it makes no difference to them.

If a company couldn't care less and like to put themselves out to be unhelpful and difficult for no good reason, then that is exactly what poor reviews are for.

It isn't compulsory to run a business like Ryan Air, you know.

Sounds like Longleat! I had a similar experience with them and they point blank refused to change the dates. I ended up giving the tickets away to charity.

It is not their fault that you have made a mistake.
You knew when booking that the tickets were non-refundable and non-transferable.
Don’t throw a strop because you’ve made a mistake and they can’t fix it for you. Don’t leave rude reviews, they’ve done nothing wrong.

They don't have to stick to them if they can help someone out at no/minimal cost to them. It would be sensible for them to be kind in this instance, there are a lot of people on that booking who could do a lot of reputational damage to the company.

Sounds like Longleat! I had a similar experience with them and they point blank refused to change the dates. I ended up giving the tickets away to charity.

I'd have been inclined to give them to the local troublemakers!

Yabu. It's in terms and conditions. I have a local huge place that has similar light and you know before booking you can't change the dates

This is rubbish customer service, after an honest mistake that you swiftly tried to rectify. Plenty of companies would help customers out in this situation.

Name and shame them.

Of course they don't "have to".

Those conditions are there so the company can refuse to reimburse if it's too late to resell the tickets. In this case they could easily switch to the other date without incurring a loss - they could do that if they wanted to, like lots of other companies with good customer service do. They're just choosing not to.

It is not their fault that you have made a mistake.

Nobody has said that it is. Do you really want to live in a world where every tiny genuine mistake, of no consequence, is met with a glare and an instant refusal to help?

If you were to trip in the street and drop your shopping, would you prefer it if passers-by stopped to help you and ask if you're OK, or would it be a nicer experience for you (or maybe just your 'due punishment') if they smirk and sneer that it was your own fault, as they walk right on by?

They’ve done nothing legally wrong. But they’ve been very inflexible, and I helpfully dismissed an expensive but honest mistake with a carefree shrug. It would be perfectly reasonable to leave a review pointing this inflexibility out and warning other potential customers that they might be safer shopping elsewhere.

I would expect a company to find a way to help someone in this situation this early if the dates are still available. If they were not, then they should be polite and state this. I think if companies are polite, realistic and let people know when they can't help then that's fine, but a blanket no as they can't be arsed to change it (which is the truth) is not that impressive from a local company. What's often great about small local companies is their customer service and trying to help out, not in this case.

It is a bit shit of them. It's not like you're asking to get a refund and not rebook, you're simply asking for a different day.

Those conditions are there so the company can refuse to reimburse if it's too late to resell the tickets. In this case they could easily switch to the other date without incurring a loss - they could do that if they wanted to, like lots of other companies with good customer service do. They're just choosing not to.

Yes, it's a Christmas experience, and we're still a few days before October. It's hardly like you're turning up on Christmas Eve and demanding a refund. Even if they somehow never resold those tickets, they're still no worse off if they were to exchange them for another day.

The official T&Cs are there to protect them and their business against unreasonable/outrageous/unfair demands that customers may try to make. None of which applies in the least to OP's situation.

it’s a small company and I think it’s the first year they organise this particular trail ...

Just wondering if this wouldn't be a bullet dodged? Admittedly it could be fantastic, but every year there are sad face reports of some "Christmas Wonderland" which turns out to be santa in a stinky shed, a few stoned elves and a couple of strings of tatty lights, all in some muddy field

I'm 50/50 on the T&Cs ... yes they said upfront tickets were non-refundable, but rather than a refund you just want to change the dates
Wouldn't have thought that would have killed them ...

There is no such thing as customer service anymore. Gone are the days when you would get some common sense and compassion out of companies.

Just wondering if this wouldn't be a bullet dodged? Admittedly it could be fantastic, but every year there are sad face reports of some "Christmas Wonderland" which turns out to be santa in a stinky shed, a few stoned elves and a couple of strings of tatty lights, all in some muddy field

Yes! Tales of Crapland and Santa's Grotty!!

I would absolutely expect the customer service level to be representative of the whole experience. If I ran a company that offered events, I would want to ensure that the people running the booking office weren't the weakest link, deliberately making the whole company look lacklustre and probably one to swerve.