FAO those with Whipsnade (ZSL) memberships

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Pezza4u

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Our memberships (2 adult and a child) are due to expire at the end of August. I got them fairly cheap last year at £70 for the 3 as they were doing an offer. I would like to renew them and just wondering what they normally do, will they write first with an offer or automatically renew unless I cancel?

I paid via debit card and the letter says they took payment of £70 and it will occur annually. I've been looking on their website though and they're doing 20% off the adult prices, which makes a joint adult and child membership £170!! It's got me wondering how I managed to get them for £70 in the first place as I can't remember what the offer was but I know it included deducting the cost of the day ticket off the price.
 
They do do special offers from time to time ;)
The prices have rises quite sharply this year
It was £52 last year for a single adult
now its £72. thats approaching a 50% rise!

I suggest you phone the membership dept.
The number is on the web site, I tried to re join just recently
on line and at the last page "failed"
so I tried again a day or two later in case it was a glitch.
that "failed" too.
I phoned the membership dept. and they said no money had been debited from my card. so I gave them the details over the phone................
Guess what......... 3 days later I had a statement for 3 payments!
I did get a refund, but it took about a week of tooing and frowing.

If you signed a mandate it will be taken direct, but as above I should check if I were you.
 
I refused to renew my membership when I found out they were charging me more than first time members with offers.

I now get my membership every other year.

Your best bet is to give them a call.
 
I thought they had gone up alot, glad I wasn't imagining that! I was fairly sure they weren't that expensive last year.

I wasn't sure if they can take the payment via debit card though unless they write to you first with the new price and give you the chance to cancel. TBH £70 was pushing it last year when I got them but there's no way I can afford £170 if I renew. It's a shame they can't spread the cost over a year rather than take it as a lump sum. I'll phone them nearer the time if I don't get anything in the post. Hopefully it will be cheaper than that as we love going there.
 
I've always used Tesco vouchers when I go there, means a cheap day out :D

But been looking at popping over to Port Lympne or Howletts in kent in the near future and it's interesting to see that if you pay for a day ticket you get free return visits for a year, and that's just £19.95 per adult, wonder why other zoos don't do saomething like that ?
It's about the same distance as Whipsnade for me,
 
Pezza4u said:
So what do you do for the years in between, just pay on the gate?
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No .... I just don't go for a year. I have only just got my new membership and this will probably be my last one.

It can easily cost around £100 for a family of four to visit for the day. I think someone has made a serious error with their latest price structure.

I visited the other weekend and the numbers of people were down on what I would expect.

People have a choice and there is a "recession" on.
 
hypnotic said:
. I think someone has made a serious error with their latest price structure.

I visited the other weekend and the numbers of people were down on what I would expect.

People have a choice and there is a "recession" on.
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I agree Kev, as per my post nearly a 50% rise (can't be arsed to work it properly ;) ) Ain't "funny"
Its only 20 mins or so for me so I guess I easy get my moneys worth, but I did think twice this year I must admit
 
Gremlin said:
I've always used Tesco vouchers when I go there, means a cheap day out :D
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We used those on our first visit and it was these tickets that we exchanged for yearly memberships. Shortly after I noticed on the Tesco clubcard website they put in the t&c's that you can no longer exchange tickets bought with these for memberships. So that idea is out.

hypnotic said:
No .... I just don't go for a year. I have only just got my new membership and this will probably be my last one.

It can easily cost around £100 for a family of four to visit for the day. I think someone has made a serious error with their latest price structure.

I visited the other weekend and the numbers of people were down on what I would expect.

People have a choice and there is a "recession" on.
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The 1 day entrance prices don't seem to have increased much. I'm wondering if alot of people are getting memberships and they're losing alot of money to this.

We went a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday and it was alot quieter than I expected. I mean to get in for a day is expensive but the normal cost of getting a car in as well is £17!! :(

We're going to London Zoo on Thursday so it will be interesting to see how busy that is given it's half term week.
 
Cobra said:
I agree Kev, as per my post nearly a 50% rise (can't be arsed to work it properly ;) ) Ain't "funny"
Its only 20 mins or so for me so I guess I easy get my moneys worth, but I did think twice this year I must admit
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It's 30 minutes for me but we haven't gone as much as I would like. I'm hoping to make the most of the next 3 months and I have all my half price vouchers for friends to use as well. I get a day off in the week from work so I suppose I could always go by myself a couple of times so I feel I'm getting my money's worth!
 
Pezza4u said:
It's 30 minutes for me but we haven't gone as much as I would like. I'm hoping to make the most of the next 3 months and I have all my half price vouchers for friends to use as well. I get a day off in the week from work so I suppose I could always go by myself a couple of times so I feel I'm getting my money's worth!
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I often go up there on my own if I have nothing better to do.
The cheetah cubs were the biggest draw but at a year old, they are
getting quite large.
ladysue said:
I have just checked and a voucher codes site has a 20% off offer for membership at Whipsnade.

http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/zsl-whipsnade-zoo.htm
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Thats the web prices anyway Sue they aren't giving anything away
the £48 is for a child membership.
They claim the full adult price is £90 ;)
 
Thanks for the link Sue but as Cobra said they are already giving 20% off on the website.

Cobra said:
I often go up there on my own if I have nothing better to do.
The cheetah cubs were the biggest draw but at a year old, they are
getting quite large.

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I might do that actually as the missus is always moaning all I want to do is take photos when we're there!! :lol:

I think the Cheetah cubs have gone, they weren't there the other week?
 
Pezza4u said:
Thanks for the link Sue but as Cobra said they are already giving 20% off on the website.



I might do that actually as the missus is always moaning all I want to do is take photos when we're there!! :lol:

I think the Cheetah cubs have gone, they weren't there the other week?
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Hmmmm not been there for a couple of weeks or so,
but they weren't supposed to be "shipping them out"
until Oct / Nov.

There is quite a large (in accessible to the public ) area behind the enclosure
they may have been moved into there?
Hope not though :(
 
The mum was in with the dad in his enclosure and there were no cubs to be seen. Hopefully you're right and they were hidden from view, will have another look next time.
 
Pezza4u said:
The mum was in with the dad in his enclosure and there were no cubs to be seen. Hopefully you're right and they were hidden from view, will have another look next time.
Click to expand...

So the main enclosure is empty at the moment then?
Hopefully they will put them back in there at some point ?
I also understand from one of the keepers that there are about 5 (IIRC) adults at Whipsnade,
(out the back) thats why the cubs are being shipped out later in the year.
Maybe there is another pregnant female waiting to go in there?
I've not heard anything as yet though................
 
Cobra said:
So the main enclosure is empty at the moment then?
Hopefully they will put them back in there at some point ?
I also understand from one of the keepers that there are about 5 (IIRC) adults at Whipsnade,
(out the back) thats why the cubs are being shipped out later in the year.
Maybe there is another pregnant female waiting to go in there?
I've not heard anything as yet though................
Click to expand...

Yes the main enclosure was empty when I last went, got the camera ready to get some of the cubs and they weren't there! :(

I didn't realise they had more adults out the back.
 
Well the time is nearly here to renew our memberships so I emailed them with a couple of questions. They said as I was a new member last year and paid via direct debit I would've got a 25% discount. I looked at the receipt and it was actually £78 I paid. I can't remember if they were doing a promotion as well, maybe a child free as that price would've covered 2 adults with 25% off and not the child membership we got as well. Another thing I have to consider is we upgraded to members from our day tickets even though we got them with Tesco clubcard vouchers, so that didn't cost me any money.

Anyway she mentioned in the reply about them putting the prices up and alot of members complained so they now give 20% off when you renew if you pay via DD. I would be under the family 2 package so it's £180. Considering they're doing a special promo online with 20% off that's the same price as what new members can join for, albeit the offer does end today! If you join online I'd imagine you can pay via credit card as well so spread the cost, can't do that with DD.

I think we've been to Whipsnade 5 times, even though we're only half hour away and London Zoo once. Our memberships run out on the 24th August so I'm going to try and get there a couple of more times. If I had known you can take your car in over winter for free I would've gone then as well, I only found out about that in January.

I'll probably cancel the renewal though, can't justify spending £180 at the moment. Plus where is the incentive to renew if they do online promotions for new members that brings it down to the same price.
 
No sure if anyone is interested but ZSL have told me that if you cancel your membership renewal and then start it again, you will no longer get the half price tickets for family/friends. They have changed the terms when they did the prices this year so they're only available to those who continously renew now.

I have also found out that I can get a concession membership for my step-son as he's classed as disabled, receives DLA, and this would let a carer get free entry. So really we could get away with buying one adult membership instead of two, which saves about £46. Tempting!
 
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