AIBU to expect the cinema to refund the booking fee?

[Bake]

Me, DD8 and DS3 went to watch Toy Story 3 at Cineworld last week. It was 9am viewing and we had the cinema to ourselves. We arrived early and were sat at the back, a minute or two after the screen turned on, something ran down the wall a couple of feet from where we were sitting. It moved incredibly fast but we saw it, heard the scuttling noise as it ran down the wall and a squeak. We were all startled by it and the kids immediately jumped out of their seats and asked to leave. I switched the torch on my phone on and shined it under the seat where it seemed to go but couldn't see anything.

We went back to the entrance and reported when had happened and the guy who was checking tickets said he'd get the manager. The manager dealt with it well, he immediately offered a refund and went to have a look. I'd left our water bottles at our seats so we went with him and I showed him where we'd seen it. Looked like it might have been in a speaker and then probably ran out once the screen turned on and the speaker started making noise.

The manager could clearly see my 3yo and 8yo in great distress, so refunded the nearly £30 ticket cost but said he couldn't do anything about the £3 booking fee. He also gave us 3 complimentary tickets, however, neither me nor my children are are likely to return to the cinema for a long time, if ever! I contacted Cineworld to ask for £3 booking fee to be refunded due to the circumstances, plus as goodwill, my £3.50 parking fee as it was 9am on a Sunday and nowhere else was open in the shoppong centre

Cineworld have replied with two more complimentary tickets (despite 3 of us attending), that need to be used within 30 days despite me telling them we definitely won't be back in a hurry.

AIBU to expect them to refund my £3 booking fee!? I really don't think I could ever return to any cinema after that.

You are being ridiculous and a total drama queen.

If your children are that distressed over a tiny mouse then you really need to have a good hard look at how you are bringing them up. How on earth are they going to cope with life?

Seriously OP. That poor manager! What would you have done in his position? Steal £3.50 from the snack shop just to shut you up. They were clearly trying their best to have given you so many free tickets and yet you're STILL going on about it. Surely you could see their hands were tied on this one. Even if you didn't understand why (now a PP has explained why booking fees can't be refunded). You made an ordinary person's life difficult despite being very adequately compensated. My mottos: live, and let live. Treat others how you would like to be treated.

I thought from your reaction it was going to be a rat.

Honestly, the manager has been more than generous. It is extremely petty to go and ask for your £3.50 booking fee back when he has already compensated you with £50 worth of tickets.
It's on you if you don't want to use them.

You should have been a bit more blasé about the mouse, rather than showing your dc that they are so terrifying you need to leave.

I bet your kids have got nits.

Good grief, what a charmed life you lead if you can devote this amount of angst to a non event like this.

See if there is a local parent support group to donate the tickets to and get a grip

So sell them.

FFS if was probably just a tiny mouse or something. Not the end of the world.

You have had almost a full refund and free tickets on top of that. Perfectly fair.

So you’re just gonna raise your children to be absolute wimps? Okay…

@bakeI didn’t understand booking fees either. Thanks @PrettyPickle for the explanation.

Unfortunately, there are lots of mice in the cinemas near me. I once had a mouse scuttle over my foot. It was gross. I did avoid that cinema for a while but I did return once for a special screening and I’ve never worn open toed sandals ever again at the cinema.

I also avoid going to cinemas with reviews of several mice sightings & dirty seats. I do think YABU though. You have been more than adequately compensated. To expect a parking refund is too much.

I’ll have your tickets if you really don’t want them.

What a fuss over a non event! Go back use the tickets and show children that it’s nothing to worry about because it isn’t.

Why would a 3 and 8 year old be in “great distress” because they saw a mouse? Are you teaching them to be scared of mice? Bit dramatic and you received lots of free tickets and probably made a great deal of fuss. Be nice and give the tickets to a friend if you can never go anywhere near the cinema again. Also there are mice everywhere.

Sell the 5 tickets for £3.50 then you’ll have all your money back

I'm afraid you dealt with this rather poorly, had you brushed the matter aside your children could have watched and enjoyed the film. Or, you could have left calmly. The only reason your children would have been 'distressed' (ridiculous use of language) was because you chose to make a big drama out of it. You've been refunded and given free tickets, they've tried really hard to help you, but you just want more fuss.

Seriously couldn’t get myself this worked up over £3 or have the brass neck to ask them to refund me £3.50 for parking.

you could always stand outside the cinema with your 5 free tickets and sell them for £1.30 each if you’re so desperate to get the £6.50 back

Those poor kids are going to grow up scared of their own shadow.

So sell the free tickets for £6.50 the lot on Facebook or to a friend or something and you'll be quids in 🤷

Seems like an unnecessarily large amount of stress and bother over £3. I think the manager compensated you well for what had happened.

For an easy life, I would let this go OP. It is not worth this amount of angst.

Sell the tickets!

You'll make make and another family of 5 will save some.

This. We would have found it funny or curious. What do you think a mouse is going to do to you? Mice and rats are everywhere!

I seem to be the only person who agrees with you - I would not have been able to relax to stay watching, would not have ever wanted to go back, and the booking fee issue is their problem to find a solution to. If you don’t take the free tickets then they should give you cash from the till and work it out later with the manager. So it seems I’m a drama llama too, rather than someone who expects a pest-free film and basic hygiene. You’d have been sitting in seats potentially covered in wee and droppings… 🤮

Your kids will follow your hysterical lead.assume you screamed and ran about like an idiot. They were probably reacting to you not the mouse.

Take them back to another cinema asap. Squash the worry before it starts

Staff dealt with very well. And besides needing to investigate little Mickey they probably had a good laugh about your ott reaction too!

When I saw the thread title, I thought it was going to be a 20% refund or something.

YABU fussing over £3

So you wanted the manager to give you the car parking and booking fee from his own pocket?

He did all he could.

I also think you should be teaching resilience.

There are likely to be mice in any cinema you go to, there are mice everywhere! You just happened to see this (probably because you went early in the morning). I’ve seen mice in Morrisons, in a bowling alley, at soft play. Honestly, I would just enjoy the free tickets.
I don’t know why your children were so upset, are they scared of animals?