Unusable tickets

[Homealone01]

Just wondered what our legal position is here please?

We were planning to visit an outdoor attraction local to us. As it's outdoor, we wanted to wait til the week before to book tickets for everyone, in case the weather was awful. However, we also wanted to reserve a bbq and, as they are limited, we decided to book that to secure it.

We are now in the position that entrance tickets have sold out in advance, so despite having an area with seating reserved for us, we can't get in. They are now refusing us entrance tickets and refusing a refund.

Tough I would guess. You should have booked it all together.

Surely it would depend on the t&cs of the tickets you purchased?
are they refundable?
can you resell to someone attending?

You chose to book the bbq area without having entrance tickets. If the website was clear that reserving that without an entrance ticket didn't guarantee entry then there likely isn't a lot you can do. You chose to purchase the add-on without purchasing the actual ticket.

I'm assuming they were sold as non-refundable.

Entirely your own fault.

Yea I would say they are within their rights. Maybe you can sell the bbq space on

Seems entirely reasonable to me that they are refusing a refund, surely you knew when booking the BBQ that this didn't actually secure you entrance tickets and it was a bit daft to not book the tickets at the same time. I'm sure you will be able to sell the BBQ ticket on and recoup your money.

Not really interested in it being 'silly' etc, I'm after a qualified legal opinion. This isn't aibu, it's legal. Can they legally sell a product that is unusable?

Surely you took the risk. If weather had been bad and you decided not to go you would be in a similar position. Did the bbq booking state it did not guarantee entry or entry tickets were required?

It was usable when you purchased it and it still is usable, it’s that YOU don’t have entrance tickets, separate issues and not their fault.

They’re not ‘refusing’ you entrance tickets; they’re sold out.

Everyone worries about the weather at outdoor attractions but at some point you have to commit, or take the risk it will be sold out.

You have no legal position here.

It isn't an unusable ticket though it's just you decided to not purchase entrance tickets. These have now sold out, they can't magically make more appear and you would have known at the time of booking that the BBQ ticket didn't guarantee you entrance so unless this wasn't specified which seems unlikely then no they've legally done nothing wrong and you're not entitled to a refund.

I am not a lawyer, but I am pretty sure they can.

It wouldn't be the bbq responsibility to check you bought the event tickets.

I am going to a festival next weekend. If I book any of the extras, the individual vendors aren't going to ask if I have a ticket to enter the arena. That's my responsibility.

Likewise if I bought extras and then went to the event organisers and said I have booked XYZ, I need a ticket to get into the festival, they wouldn't have to sell me one. They are sold out.

Sounds daft to beable to buy an add on - BBQ without the main ticket.

Example we can hire a lodge then add on a BBQ or Small food delivery or Hot tub.

We can not access the extras without the main stay.

I don’t know why you were allowed to do that.

Can they legally sell a product that is unusable

Yes, if terms & conditions state refunds are not allowed. No one can say exactly unless you provide details of the contract you signed.

It’s like buying tickets for dinner with the characters at Disneyland, then complaining you don’t have a Disneyland ticket, as you didn’t buy one beforehand.

It relies on common sense, which most people seem to manage

As I imagine most people book the BBQ with the tickets they might not have a clause in the terms and conditions regarding this - in which case you might be entitled to a refund.
However, you need to check for a statement like, bbq reservations do not guarantee entry. If it does then it is legal - as far as I know.

They are "allowed" because it isn't unreasonable to assume that the person buying the add on has also bought tickets they need to get in.

This ⬆️

And they didn't sell you something un-usable, you didn't buy the part that makes it usable - not their fault. You thought you were being too clever!

Are the BBQ tickets for a specific date?

If they did not make you aware that you needed an entrance ticket as well as reserving a bbq, you would be entitled to a refund. However, from your post it seems clear that you were aware of this. My view is that you are not entitled to a refund. You can take them to small claims if you want to know for sure, but my view is that would simply leave you even more out of pocket.

What are you actually after here OP? Do you want a refund of the BBQ space or are you hoping they will make tickets available?

Can they legally sell a product that is unusable?

It wasn't usable when they sold it, was it? You took a risk and it didn't pay off.

I'd write off the cost as an expensive mistake and not take that risk again. Have you read the t&c's

Throwing good money after bad trying to make it a legal issue will get you nowhere.

It's not an individual vendor, its simply booking out an area to sit with a bbq. Seller is the same company that sells entrance tickets.

I'm after a refund. I understand the tickets are now gone, we can't magic up tickets. But, they can give a refund, they are choosing not to.

I'm sure there are lots of companies that write t&c's that legally wouldn't stand, so this is what I'm asking. Not after unqualified opinions.

Legally they can sell the add-on tickets without the main ticket. It's quite common at festivals. The right to refund will depend on their terms and conditions. Whenever I've seen tickets like this, it says that you need a ticket to the event to be able to use the add-on.

Here is your qualified legal opinion, OP.