Is this extortionate or am I going mad?!

[TeachBee]

I booked a day out for my two children at popular outdoor venue that we'd never been to before. Online tickets were £22 each plus £4 booking fee. I saw that they offered an annual membership for £60 each so figured I'd get that as it saves money down the line.

After purchasing the passes, I was told that each time I book (even with the passes - what?!) there would be a £4 booking fee. This wasn't just for online bookings - it was all of them, including in person, on the day bookings. I can understand a small fee for online bookings but to charge for in person, and £4, is extortionate in my view.

On top of this, which wasn't made explicit at all before booking, there is a parking fee of £10.50 per visit.

So, if we use the passes x5 times, that's an extra £72.50 we'll have to pay in addition to the cost of the passes.

FYI, this is a place on the East Mids/North Yorks area so not as expensive as other places.

AIBU or is the company?!

That’s ridiculous. Honestly ask for your money back

What a brilliant business plan
Money for nothing!

That's out of order - normal 30 days and get your money back, these booking fees just get everywhere, and to pay even in person - grrrrrr!!!!!!!!!

They should have been more obvious about other costs on the website. Hidden costs annoy me.

However you did pay for annual passes before you’d even been once if I’m reading your post correctly? Forgive me if that’s wrong. That’s always a risk for something that might be shit, or over priced.

If you’d visited 5 times without the passes that would be £320. Now you would pay £120 plus the £72, making £190, which is a significant saving over the year if you plan to go regularly (if my maths is right. Haven’t had my coffee yet).

I think you’re right to be annoyed, usually if you buy an annual pass you at least get parking free.

Any booking fees and surcharges should be in their Ts&Cs so if they aren’t, perfectly valid to ask for a refund of the passes you bought because you couldn’t have been aware of the terms. I wouldn’t expect them to specifically notify you of parking costs though, any more than to specifically notify you that e.g. anything bought in the cafe will be at cost: both of these things are optional extras which not every ticket-holder will want to purchase.

If the extras weren’t obviously that’s very poor.

They should refund you. There should be a back out period but they probably will anyway. If not, go and see CAB for legal advice.

Edit:

To clarify, the pass information is quite misleading. It says in their site 'You can guarantee your spot online with the £3.95 booking fee per booking, or can try at the cabin on the day (this may involve waiting for the next free spot). You can book one session per day and only have one active booking at a time (per location).' Which to me suggested that online charge is always £4. OR you can book for free on the day which is free. After purchasing, I could out it's always £4.

The parking is mentioned at all, until you've booked and paid for the session.

Whilist I understand you point, I paid for the pass thinking I will go very often (I'm a part time teacher so lots of opportunities on my non-working days as well as school hols) and once I'd paid that would be it. We're on a very tight budget so the additional costs aren't something I had factored in, regardless of if it is a saving compared to not having the pass. The reality is, if I had know I wouldn't have booked at all!

That’s entirely fair. I find these things to be a case of “rich people save money” sometimes, like you’ve got to spend loads to get the discount.

I’d see if you can do what other people have suggested and ask for a refund as it’s less than 30 days.

YABU for telling us that this place is East Mids/North Yorkshire as there is literally whole counties between the two.

What's the place Op? I would be mightily pissed off for a £4 booking fee if made in person, that's insane and very money-grabbing

Haha! We live right on the boarder of East mids and SOUTH yorks! Don't know why I'd put north... 😂 Well spotted. I'll blame my early morning/no sleep brain. 😆

The company is Go Ape.

You would always have paid for the parking though so it's a non point.

The £4 fee is annoying but again it is something you would have paid regardless of whether you purchased the annual pass

The parking is extortion!

I think my point is that, neither fee was made explicitly clear prior to booking. As I explained in a comment - booking fee was misleading and suggested pass holders could book in person free of charge.
'You can guarantee your spot online with the £3.95 booking fee per booking, or can try at the cabin on the day (this may involve waiting for the next free spot).'
I took this to mean that you pay the free for online bookings or take your chance by turning up and taking whatever free slot they have, for free. This isn't the case, all bookings are subject to the fee.

Plus the parking fee wasn't mentioned until after the booking either. Had I known about either of these, I wouldn't have gone!!

Parking is free at some attractions, like Whipsnade zoo, taking your car into the park is an arm and a leg though.

How can there be a booking fee if you are paying at the door on the day?

The day Merlin start charging me for parking is the day I give up my annual pass! I know it’s not Merlin but the principle applies.

The parking is extortionate but I guess the booking fee is cheeky but understandable as it’s limited how many people can do a session and if they have a lot of pass holders booking and not turning up they lose a lot of money over the year.

We got annual passes for Twycross zoo this year as part of their visit once return for free for the rest of the year. They do charge for parking every visit but it’s only £3 so I just see it as a day out for £3 really so you could look at it like that.

I get it’s annoying though!

Can you use it at different go apes? The one in Sherwood pines has nothing to do with the parking arrangement. The booking fee is more like to guarantee your time slot. I would just turn up and have a go

If it were for chatsworth or something the booking fee would be unreasonable but I do think using it to secure a specific time slot on the course is more understandable and holds you to it.

You can see the availability before you set off so you could avoid the online booking charge. It does mean you’d have to go at less busy times. Can you park further away and not pay. The go apes I’ve been to don’t charge for parking.

edited as I’ve reread and agree that the wording is misleading if you have to pay the booking fee even if you wait at the cabin.

Report them to Trading Standards if you feel you have been misled. Sounds like you were.

The reality is that at Go Ape you would always want to book your slot anyway otherwise you could easily turn up and not get on at all or at least not get on together at the same time.

1. There will be a booking fee for online bookings or future bookings made at the cabin using your pass.

It says this in the T&Cs. Are you sure you haven’t misunderstood re having to always pay the booking fee as that isn’t what the website seems to say.

The parking at Sherwood Pines is nothing to do with Go Ape. It is £10.50 for three hours but that charge is a charge for the forestry commission's car park.

Your argument would therefore be analogous to complaining about a cinema annual pass cost because you park at the NCP next door.

It says right there in the description that there will be a booking fee. When you book anything at all, it tells you all online booking are £3.95. I wouldn't personally pay any of that, or think it's value for money, but I don't think it it is particularly hidden. Most Go Apes don't have their own car parks, so that's nothing to do with them. Try a different location.