Feeling conned by friend ? Is that the right word to use ?

[picklemedoo]

My friend asked if I wanted to go to the london theatre with her at christmas. She knows i love the theatre. She booked the tickets and i gave her the cash. We will meet our friends there, but they have booked separately and are not sitting with us.

I have since found out - from checking online for the price i paid - that my friend has used a family disability pass to book herself a free "companion" ticket. We are sitting in the disabled section. Nether of us are disabled.

Aside from the moral issues around this, i feel quite conned by her ? Not because I have paid and she hasn't, it's not about the cost I've paid, I don't know what to call it ??

I'm specifically looking for feedback on the conned aspect. We all know the moral issues are just wrong.

Open your mouth and ask her? 🙄🤔

I completely understood your first post OP. What an uncomfortable situation. Does your friend has form for being a CF? That’s below the belt using a family member’s disabled pass to bag a free ticket though 🙈 I think you need to question why she booked seats in the disabled section? I think you can easily say you went to check where you’re seated and think there’s a mistake.

Yes, do this OP.

She doesn’t even know if she has, she’s just seen the ticket price and made an almighty leap,

She needs to speak to her friend rather than hide her head in the sand until the day.

I would ask your friend, Oh aren’t those the disabled seats? and see what she says.

Yes but this is the sort of accusation that will end a friendship and see her excluded by everyone if it’s not true,

I think you need to ask the question with your friend. Pretty appalling if she has done this.

Agree with pp’s. You need to ask what your seat nos are to be sure and then you’re in a better position to question it

@PappyPatty I will biding my time. Then nearer the time i will mention seat numbers.. the convo will naturally come up because we (i) will want to coordinate with our friends for where they will be seated. What I meant is that I really want to see this play and hope I'm wrong about all this so i don't miss seeing the play. Of course I will not be going if I find out we're in disabled seats. No way. Never.

Of course it's not.

"Barbara, what's our seat numbers please, I want to check the view online?"

"Oh dear Barbara, it looks as though you've booked us into the wrong section".

@picklemedoo can't you just ask for the row and seat details, with the reason of wanting to look at the seating plan online to check what the view will be like, proximity to toilets etc? If she is funny about telling you then you'll know why.

It's out of order she booked a disabled if she's not. I'd tell her so too!

Why are you 'biding your time'?

Just text her now and ask for the seat numbers so you can check the view online.

What are you going to do when you get there and they ask for evidence of your disability ? I’m disabled and when attending events with a free or discounted companion ticket I’m always asked to provide photo ID and one piece of evidence to prove l’m the disabled person.

Just ask her to forward the booking email/tickets so you both have all the relevant information. Her reaction will tell you everything.

I often book a companion ticket for my son (he has a learning disabilty) and we are rarely in a specific section so knowing your seat number might not help you. I have to think carefully about what seats would suit him but it is just an ordinary seat.

Exactly, just ask her what seat numbers you’re in, to check the view. It’s a perfectly normal thing to ask.

What's a 'disabled section'? The only specific 'disabled seats' are spaces for wheelchairs, surely?

Obviously she shouldn't be claiming a free carers ticket unless she's actually caring for a disabled person at the time.

@ThreadGuardDog if it came to that - the only way it would go to that, is if i went to theatre completely unaware - i would just stand there looking at my friend waiting for her to reply to the attendant .. there would be nothing she could say .. and id ask her for my money back

That’s also what I thought, I’ve never been to a theatre with a disabled section that isn’t for wheelchairs,

What is this ;disabled pass'?

What is the 'disabled section'?

Theatres have specific wheelchair accessible spots, but if mobility is not an issue deaf, visually impaired, a.n.other disability patrons can generally book to sit where they like.

That's a scuzzy thing for her to do. I imagine disabled spaces are quite limited in venues.

I’m genuinly not sure she has, and neither is the op.

Whenever I've been out with my friend and her husband ( who is her carer ) if they've used the carer ticket they have always been asked to show evidence via a disability benefits letter .

So she thinks she’s got you a cheaper seat and herself a free seat (as companion). You either talk about it now, and it will highlight you’ve looked at ticket prices on the website, which is odd. Or when you arrive, it’s obvious and then explain it’s unacceptable, you’ll do it this once, but never again.