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.

You could be wrong OP
My friend can get me staff discounts for our local theatre. Why are you so suspicious of this friend, has she form for being sneaky?

I will report back with an update, once I have seat numbers. All I know is that ticket prices are static and I've paid the same price as the disabled ticket. All other seats are different prices.

Ask her now so you can book a non disabled seat before they sell out, and so someone who is actually entitled to buy a ticket for that seat/section can do so.

I'd do it today as if you need to change the booking, seats will be limited nearer the time.

'Hey friend, it looks like you got a really good deal with these ticket prices - as cheap as the disabled seats appear to be now! ' and see what she says.

Would it be in character for your friend to do this? I can’t imagine any of my friends doing this so I wouldn’t even contemplate that they had. Has she got previous form?

@Whoops75 kind of .. she inadvertently exposes previous white lies, exaggerations and general CF behaviours when she says other things in passing that contradict things she has previously said

Do this now, so she can cancel the disabled seats and free them up for the genuine people.

Why won’t you message and ask her before it comes up? Say you were looking at seat prices so you could work out where you’ll both be sat in the theatre? I’d want to sort it out asap so I could actually see the play without being turned away, my friend faking a disability, or my other friends thinking I was complicit in booking disabled seats. I’d personally be a bit annoyed that she’d charged me full price and hadn’t shared the discount of the free seat between us, even without the deception and moral issues it’s a bit crap

You know you are not wrong.

It is so hard to get disabled seats for those who need them as they are usually limited by the layout of the auditorium. If able bodied people book them.it often means that there is no availability for those who need them. Been there and lived the situation. It makes me see red when people abuse the few disabled facilities that do exist

I’d ask for seat numbers now, it’s not odd to want this information.

You could message her casually double checking you’ve given her the right amount of cash for the tickets as you looked online and saw the only tickets available at the price she told you were for disabled so is she sure she told you the right amount?

From the OP:

We are sitting in the disabled section.

hth

I think conned is a reasonable word. She's embroiled you in a lie in order to get something free for herself. I think you have to broach this now, not "bide your time". If you want to check your facts first you can always phone the box office to say you think a mistake has been made. They will be able to link the booking to an email address.

Ask now. The mortification will be too much if you realise on the day that she has booked you a disabled seat.

But the op is only presuming that because of the prices. She doesn’t know for a fact yet.

hth

Why are you calling her friend, you clearly dislike her,

Don’t use energy feeling conned until you have the facts.

At least read rhe thread, she doesn’t have the seat numbers.

HTH

If by that she means the wheelchair accessible seats she may not have a seat at all - just a space for the....wheelchair

Aside from wheelchair accessible spaces I have never come across a 'disabled section' in a theatre.

After 4 decades of working in London venues.

I wouldn't worry about confronting her on this if it does turn out that's what she's done. She would not only have taken a disabled seat without any right, she'd be essentially tricking you into paying for her to go. If she'd at least split the cost with you then there would still be the very serious and unacceptable matter of abusing a disability pass, totally unjustified, but as it is, if you're right, there isn't even honour among thieves. It's all to benefit herself entirely.

Oh dear. This is like a soap opera where no one talks to each other!! Are you seriously happy that she is potentially going for free whilst you pay full price? How does your suspicion not trigger a conversation?
You are in effect subsidising her? Do you have more income than her or something - can’t see otherwise why you are happy to be used.

It seems pretty cut and dried from your first post, OP.

I agree it seems like she’s conned you. If the disability price is a bit of a bargain for the area you’re in she may see it as doing you a favour. But there is a chance there’s something else going on so I would text to ask her if that’s what she’s done.

I’d be more bothered about her booking the disability section when neither of you are disabled, but the charging you full freight and taking the companion ticket for herself is just another aspect of her out for whatever she can get and tough shit to everyone else approach to life, so I’d be cooling the friendship.

Yes but she doesn't know that, which is why it doesn't make sense.

'HTH' you too 🙄

Having thought about this further. She could have only booked a disabled ticket type .. but not specific disabled seat
.. which entities her to a free companion ticket. Nevertheless, she will have still misused the pass and I would still feel conned/mislead, if that's the case