Wee rant about Wetherspoons and proof of age!

Idiophreak

Searcher wrote: »

I didn't say it was mandatory to go to the pub, my issue was with the comment!

I think the comment was fair enough, actually...

A provisional or a passport doesn't cost too much and, whether or not they *should* accept other sorts of card, they *will* accept a passport pretty much anywhere.

That being the case, the easiest (nb...I'm not saying it's the best) way to sort the problem would be for the bf to get a passport...So, I don't think CR asking why it wasn't a financial option was particularly offensive...

(and, as he said, you need one to go overseas, which the OPs bf will know, and which, as you so rightly spotted, isn't mandatory...it just means that *if*, shockingly, OPs bf decides to go overseas (his choice! he won't be forced!) in the life of the passport, he won't have to pay for it - so it can be looked at as "money he'd spend anyway". Which is fair enough.)

furrypolka

It's not a financial option in the present circumstances, as it happens, but that wasn't the point of this post.

Bamber19

i've got a PASS card that i've had since school, when everyone got one as the school was birnging in some new system for paying for things(i never witnessed this as i was in my final year when the cards were issued) looking at it the PASS logo doesn't look exceptionally detailed and no more thna any other holographic logo around so i reckon thye probably can be forged quite easily(of course someoen who is at the top of the company or agency behind the cards is going to claim they are great and hard to forge)

Another strange thing about them is that the PASS logo is menat to signify that the details have been checked against some national database or other(not sure on the exact details) to verify the data but when we got them there was a girl in my year aged 17 who's card d.o.b had her as 20. I had two of the cards actually, my school sent out a second one to everyone in the summer after i left, but i gave my spare to some 17 yr old friend of a friend that looked a bit like i used to.

furrypolka

Thing is, to forge either the PASS logo or a Citizencard would be a breach of the Trade Marks Act, enforced by Trading Standards. If pubs are claiming to have seen forgeries of these cards, don't you think that it would have been reported somewhere along the line to the enforcing body?!

Mistakes should not be made though, in your case this was the fault of the school whose responsibility it is to check and verify the details on each school pupil's application form.

Bamber19

the girl didn't lie on her application form it was clearly a data input error...and no i don't think it would have been reported, for example in your case the staff member is making no assertion as to whether the card is a forgery or not, merely that they wont accept it, so if it was a foregery(which obviously you know it isn't) then that would be a situation where it's not been reported. I've had friends that for a while only had their student cards or Pass marked cards and they'd be refused entry based on the fact the establifhment has it's set 2 that they accept (drivers licence and passport) so these places could have been shown a million forged citizen cards and they wouldn't have reported it as the fact is they dont care whether it's real or fake just that they don't accept it. I also very much doubt that the Trade Marks Act is the highest concern of bar staff or door staff, they have no obligation or duty to report it.

This sounds a bit argumentative, it's really not meant to be like that.

furrypolka

Ah, but the reason they say they won't accept them is that "they have seen forgeries", but they won't say how they knew they were forgeries or why they weren't reported!

No, they don't have a duty to report it, but it's strongly my belief that there's a lot of false stories going around about PASS cards. There's really no need to not accept PASS cards as valid ID. Even if the girl at your school had walked in with the PASS card with incorrect info on it, there's no way the licensee could be prosecuted in this case as they will have used due diligence (such errors admittedly should not be happening though).

I know I can't change their policy, I just wanted to have a "grr" about it all really!

Edimew

I found the "why doesn't he had a passport?" comment very odd too.

I didn't own a passport until I was 29, when I actually needed one. The idea of paying £66 just to get served at a wetherspoons is ridiculous.

Good luck to the OP with your complaint, fancy not accepting something they actually promote.

I was once refused entry into a US nightclub because I didn't look over 30. As I was 36 at the time I was delighted and went merrily on my way

furrypolka

That's a good point, actually I'd probably love it if it was me who was refused! Sadly my fiance doesn't tend to feel the same way!

Maisie_Miss

furrypolka wrote: »

Thing is, to forge either the PASS logo or a Citizencard would be a breach of the Trade Marks Act, enforced by Trading Standards. If pubs are claiming to have seen forgeries of these cards, don't you think that it would have been reported somewhere along the line to the enforcing body?!

Mistakes should not be made though, in your case this was the fault of the school whose responsibility it is to check and verify the details on each school pupil's application form.

Somehow, I don't think people who forge things care about breaching the Trade Marks Act. One thing I do know is that a lot of (young) people will try anything to get served in a pub, it is a bit of a rite of passage after all (I am talking as one who went into pubs at age 15, when was the "trendy" thing to do and Licensees didn't seem to give a monkeys who they served!).

I was made aware recently of someone who used grey Tippex on the card of someone who looked similar to them, and changed the date of birth and age. What they rely on is the staff being too busy to check closely enough.

Not forgetting the wonderful world of t'Internet as well, where you can buy anything at the right price, including fake ID cards!

regularsaver1

I'm 25 and still get asked - I'm used to it though