Alton Towers said BOGOF to the DISABLED

Sue_Moss

!!!!ALTON TOWERS SAY BOGOF TO DISABLED!!!!



‘Buy One Get One Free’ offers cannot be used if you are a disabled visitor needing ‘Special Access’ to rides and attractions at Alton Towers



On Sunday 29th April I took my son, who is 14 and registered disabled, to Alton Towers. He suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, which is a mild form of Autism, and a slight physical disability. His physical disability is far more prevalent however when we go out for a long period of time and a visit to a Theme Park can be stressful. In addition to this one of the traits of Aspergers Syndrome and Autism, as well as poor behaviour, is to have obsessions with things. My son is obsessed with roller coasters and Harry Potter.



As a single parent, and the primary carer for my son, our budget is tight and coming across an offer where one person gets in free to an attraction is attractive in itself. Theme Parks are so expensive and Alton Towers is no exception – it’s £32 for an adult visitor and £16 for a visitor with a disability. When I was given a BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) voucher for Alton Towers it made it more affordable for a visit and I decided to take my son along for a treat.



Alton Towers offers a ‘Special Access’ wristband which enables visitors with disabilities to access the rides through the disabled entrance. This means a visitor with a disability doesn’t have to queue as they can be very lengthy. It also offers a safe entry to wheelchair users, as on many rides it is impossible for a wheelchair to overcome some of the obstacles that the ‘normal’ trail of the queue brings about.



Although my son does not use a wheelchair he does wear medical aides as he cannot stand for too long and his feet can cause him tremendous pain. I have had to more-or-less carry him before now. Visiting Alton Towers is still difficult for him but because they offer the ‘Special Access’ wristbands it makes the visit tolerable for him as he doesn’t have to stand around for a long time. Without this service we just could not go.



After looking at my finances, and with a BOGOF voucher in hand, we set out on April 29th for the two hour journey to the Theme Park. My son understood that the only thing making this trip affordable was because I had the voucher. Upon arrival I offered the voucher to the cashier at the disabled cash desk. I expected to have to pay for myself, £32, and for my son’s entrance fee of £16 to be waived. HOW WRONG WAS I???



I was told that I could not use the voucher with a disabled visitor who needed the ‘Special Access’ wristband. In fact the cashier said ‘If he wants to go in as ‘NORMAL’ then you can use the voucher’. Well you can imagine my son was mortified at this statement and it made me VERY, VERY ANGRY indeed.



We had travelled two hours for this day out and I had calculated how much it was going to cost. I could not even contemplate my son having to queue for hours for the rides as it would have been agonising for him. However to ensure he didn’t have to queue it was going to cost me an extra £16! This just didn’t seem fair but turning round and going home would only upset him even more.



After a heated discussion with the cashier I was left with no choice but to pay the entrance fee of £48 instead of the expected £32. I was left with £10 in my purse for drinks and snacks ALL DAY.



So, how has this happened? Well, if you look at the terms and conditions on the vouchers, which may I add have also been offered to Sun readers and are presently being offered by Tesco, Alton Towers state ‘This voucher cannot be used in conjunction with…concessionary rates’. In reality it should say ‘Cannot be used by people with disabilities!’ But they wouldn’t put that because they would be in very serious trouble then, wouldn’t they?



These big companies are very clever because I have contacted the Disability Rights Commission and they have told me that because they use the term ‘concessionary rates’ they are not actually in breach of the Disability Discrimination Act. I think this is appalling.



At the end of the day, as far as I’m concerned they are discriminating. If my son wishes to use the ‘Special Access’ service that they provide all year round, he cannot use the BOGOF offer. He should be entitled to use this offer just the same as the next person.



Alton Towers should be ashamed of themselves. My son may have a disability but he will not be humiliated like that ever again so…..



!!!!BOGOF TO ALTON TOWERS!!!!



We’ll go else where in future.



A reporter from Disability Now Magazine has since spoken to Alton Towers and they apparently have said that they felt that 'disabled people get enough 'perks' already!' and therefore decided not to include them in the offer!!!!! I have spoken to my son and he agrees whole-heartedly, he would prefer not have the disability at all rather than the so-called 'perks' that go with it!!!! I'm sure that every person with a disability on this earth would agree with him. Oh my goodness!!! I'm fuming!!!!



Many people with disabilities will be wanting to visit Alton Towers during the up-coming half term holiday. They need to be warned - if they think they are going to save themselves money by having one of these vouchers in their hand then they better think again! Most disabled people need to use the disabled access to the rides and they can't if they want to BOGOF! At present Tesco is giving away these vouchers with every £10 you spend in their stores. The Sun Newspaper have done these vouchers too, as well as Woolworths. I've tried to contact all of them but had no reply - Typical!!!!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

juno

I know when I went with my sister last year, we paid normal entry rates to get the BOGOF. You don't get the wristbands until you're inside the park anyway, and they want to see proof of the disability, so it doesn't matter what entry ticket you got.

**Patty**

Taken from the Alton Towers website:

Discounted Admission
A blue/orange badge, or similar documentary proof of disability, will qualify you for discounted admission for yourself and up to two helpers.

So you wouldn't have needed the BOGOF tickets anyway.



My son has a disability & we go regularly............as theme parks go, i've always found Alton Towers treat their disabled guests very well.

Miniwinnie

Alton Towers were very accommodating to my brother who was in a wheelchair when we visited. We used a discount voucher with no issues.

maiden_scotland

I went with my son and his friend last year all 3 of us were given wristbands with no problem at all - you get these in the guest hut after you're in the park reguardless of what you've paid to get in, I took along his DLA letter as proof - they even allowed him to go on the oblivion without either of us who were refusing to go on, I am a self confessed woose

savagevixen

When I phoned them they informed me that my son would get a discounted rate, as would up to 2 carers.
My son is 8 and also has Aspergers, and I most certainly would not describe it as mild autism...it is autism. He has an autistic spectrum disorder and he is disabled, but very lovely.
Seems like you were just really unlucky.
Legoland is fantastic!!! The carer got free entrance and the disabled child paid a lower rate. It was a truly fab day, and the stamp that enabled disabled access was absolutely brilliant!!!!

avfc4life

You should write a letter to Alton towers explaining what happened and how upset it made you and that you feel it is unfair not to include disabled people in the offer. It will hopefully help stop other people having the same problems and help the park improve. I have written a complaint letter to a theme park myself (Drayton Manor) and they usually give free tickets for a return visit or discount offers (if you choose to go back);)

Sue_Moss

First of all I was told that if I didn't pay the disabled rate then my son could not have the wristband. I also had his DLA letter with me. I had to show both this and the disabled receipt when I went to the hut once we were in. to Patty - there were actually four of in the group. Two of them used the BOGOF voucher but I had to pay full price. I see you quote Alton Towers, and true I have never had any problems before, but there's a first time for everything isn't there. The fact is I had to pay £48 instead of the £32 I expected to pay. You say I shouldn't need the BOGOF voucher. It was a case that we COULDN'T use it if my son was going to have the pleasurable experience he expected to have. This is a money saving site. Why should my son, who happens to have a disability be excluded. It's not his fault is it? Finally thank you for informing me about legoland. Maybe I could take him there. When you have a child on the autistic spectrum things can be difficult but with his physical difficulty as well it's even harder. I really don't need the added stress. Yes I may have just been unlucky but thanks to avfc4life for noting my intentions. All I was trying to do was warn people that they may have the same problem as me. Afterall we all need, or may want, to save money. Sometimes these vouchers are the only thing that makes visiting places like Alton Towers possible because they are so expensive. If I upset anyone then I'm sorry but my son felt terrible and in turn this made me angry. If I can stop just one person from going through what we went through then I'm pleased with myself.

zippybungle

Have made a written complaint to Alton Towers Sue? If not, then I definately think you should. It doesn't seem very fair to me.

I hope you and your son still managed to have a good day after the trouble over tickets.

Zippy x

benbenandme

I think it is shocking that the assistant implied that you son is not "normal" :eek: :eek: As a mother I would be absolutely fuming and mortified at that, actually no, as a mother and as a fellow human being I am angry at that :mad: :mad: A vey strongly worded letter is called for!! Please keep us updated x

MrsTinks

I have moved your thread to the consumer vent board as it's not requesting or offering a voucher or discount sode. Personally though I would write to the most senior person you can get the name for and tell him how you were made to feel and so on... they might give you a free pass for the year? :dunno: worth a try