Is this legal? Undisclosed admin/booking fees

[CloudyNight]

My OH is a member of a Facebook group with approximately 1000 users. The group focuses on sharing activities for children, often including special offers to help families save money. An admin within the group frequently posts 'offers' for various lessons. However, it has come to light that instead of negotiating deals with lesson providers, the admin has instead been adding her own fee on top of the actual lesson cost. Her posts are crafted to make it seem like the quoted price is a special offer. For instance, she might post ‘opportunity to book a kid’s assault course next Saturday, only £10 per child.’

Another member of the group has calculated that the admin has made at least four figures from this practice over the past couple of years. The admin initially claimed that she was using the extra funds to pay for her own children’s lessons due to financial constraints. Later, she stated that the money was being used to purchase items for the community. However, upon further inquiry, it was revealed that these ‘community’ items were educational toys that she gave to her local community centre but has since taken back.

The vast majority of the board members have since been posting that they have no problem with people charging admin or booking fees for course bookings, however they believe she should have been up front and transparent that she was doing this, especially on a board that was setup to try and help save families' money. From a legal standpoint, has the admin broken any laws by her actions? We’ve only booked one course with her, so we’re not that much out of pocket to be bothered about it, but I’m curious about the legal implications of what's she's been doing.

TL/DR Admin on kids activities boards charging admin/booking fees whilst making out she has negotiated special rate, is this illegal

[Chimune]

I think you have confused an 'admin' with 'a business'.

Its facebook !

[simon_harris]

so the activity is usually £15, admin posts up that she can get it for £10 but you have to book through her, she then pays the venue £8 and keeps the difference?

[CloudyNight]

simon_harris said:

so the activity is usually £15, admin posts up that she can get it for £10 but you have to book through her, she then pays the venue £8 and keeps the difference?

I don't know all the prices for all the activities but for the one my kids did it was £8 to book directly and £10 with her. We booked two kids a block of 12 lessons each so we paid an extra £24. AFAIK none of the deals she offered were actually cheaper than going direct, it was the wording of her posts that made it seem like she had negotiated a deal.

[Simpo Two]

CloudyNight said:

TL/DR Admin on kids activities boards charging admin/booking fees whilst making out she has negotiated special rate, is this illegal

You can offer a special rate and still make money from it. The worst case would be 'misleading advertising' IMHO.

I would reverse out of the Facebook Vortex of Righteous Concern, just decide if what you pay is fair for what you get, and stay or leave accordingly

[The Rotrex Kid]

CloudyNight said:

simon_harris said:

so the activity is usually £15, admin posts up that she can get it for £10 but you have to book through her, she then pays the venue £8 and keeps the difference?

I don't know all the prices for all the activities but for the one my kids did it was £8 to book directly and £10 with her. We booked two kids a block of 12 lessons each so we paid an extra £24. AFAIK none of the deals she offered were actually cheaper than going direct, it was the wording of her posts that made it seem like she had negotiated a deal.

She sounds like a great businesswoman TBH

[martinbiz]

CloudyNight said:

simon_harris said:

so the activity is usually £15, admin posts up that she can get it for £10 but you have to book through her, she then pays the venue £8 and keeps the difference?

I don't know all the prices for all the activities but for the one my kids did it was £8 to book directly and £10 with her. We booked two kids a block of 12 lessons each so we paid an extra £24. AFAIK none of the deals she offered were actually cheaper than going direct, it was the wording of her posts that made it seem like she had negotiated a deal.

So she does the footwork and admin and takes a small cut, effectively a commission, not sure why you would think it's illegal or that there is something wrong with that, just like hundreds of hotel booking agents do on the internet, You pays ya money and takes your choice or you can vote with your feet.

[bennno]

CloudyNight said:

I don't know all the prices for all the activities but for the one my kids did it was £8 to book directly and £10 with her. We booked two kids a block of 12 lessons each so we paid an extra £24. AFAIK none of the deals she offered were actually cheaper than going direct, it was the wording of her posts that made it seem like she had negotiated a deal.

Why didn't you just book directly?

[CloudyNight]

martinbiz said:

So she does the footwork and admin and takes a small cut, effectively a commission, not sure why you would think it's illegal or that there is something wrong with that, just like hundreds of hotel booking agents do on the internet, You pays ya money and takes your choice or you can vote with your feet.

As I mentioned above other users have posted that they see no problem with people doing this, most services like theatre or concert tickets operate this way. However what is causing the issue is the fact she didn't admit this when she posted up the 'offers' and made out they were a special deal. Users trusted her as she was one of the admins of the group that was setup to try and save families money rather than cost them more.

[ro250]

Pretty amazing people don't check direct prices first (normally takes 30 seconds online).

I say amazing, but when there are people asking what time places open/close on facebook I can quite believe they will just blindly book anything.

[TheDrownedApe]

ro250 said:

Pretty amazing people don't check direct prices first (normally takes 30 seconds online).

I say amazing, but when there are people asking what time places open/close on facebook I can quite believe they will just blindly book anything.

Are you really surprised? Should i mention the word Millennials?

Good on this person, great business acumen.

[simon_harris]

CloudyNight said:

simon_harris said:

so the activity is usually £15, admin posts up that she can get it for £10 but you have to book through her, she then pays the venue £8 and keeps the difference?

I don't know all the prices for all the activities but for the one my kids did it was £8 to book directly and £10 with her. We booked two kids a block of 12 lessons each so we paid an extra £24. AFAIK none of the deals she offered were actually cheaper than going direct, it was the wording of her posts that made it seem like she had negotiated a deal.

So with what I suggested I would have had no problem, however it sounds like she is representing she has negotiated a deal wherein she is just advertising their services and then making a profit on bookings without actually doing anything. That to my mind is a bit cheeky.

[akirk]

Is it any different to all those companies with websites very similar to the DVLA / Passport Office etc. who charge you a premium to fill out the forms you can complete yourself and make a profit... If they are not closed down then I suspect that she won't be!

legal - though a bit morally / ethically dubious

[andburg]

its not an admin fee

The person running the "business" is stating they can provide X for Y, you could get X yourself but they've put some leg work in and potentially made it easier for you. I dont see why they shouldnt add on for their services but I'd question whether they're operating legally as a sold trader/company, paying the necesary rates and holding insurances.

[E-bmw]

ro250 said:

Pretty amazing people don't check direct prices first (normally takes 30 seconds online).

I say amazing, but when there are people asking what time places open/close on facebook I can quite believe they will just blindly book anything.

^^^^ Wot 'e said.

I have no issues if people want to be lazy & not bother doing their own due diligence before booking, and I have no problem with others making money off these idiots, obviously laziness has a cost implication.

I left faceberk a long time ago when the groups local to me that I joined after moving were seemingly all full of dimwits asking "where the local hairdresser is" "what time the pub closes" etc. rather than spending less time googling it & not having to also then wait for the answer.

At times it seems that you need to leave your brain behind to use social media.

[CloudyNight]

The issue the board users feel is the majority of posts on this board consist of “the farm centre are offering pay as you please this weekend” or “if you enter SUMMER20 you get 20% off museum entry” type of posts. Also whilst you can check some prices online a lot of the smaller places websites are just a home page with a map and a phone number.

I’d say people were too trusting rather than lazy, when an admin (and therefore a supposedly trusted person) put up posts making out they have a deal for various activities, they naively assumed they were saving money. I don’t think anyone would be complaining if she made out she was operating a business booking activities and therefore took a fee.

Like I said above I’ve only given her £24 without knowing it so I’m too fused and TBH it’s been worth it for the entertainment value of the other users going mad at her. Hell hath no fury like a large group of Facebook mums that feel they’ve been ripped off.

[Sebring440]

CloudyNight said:

when an admin (and therefore a supposedly trusted person) put up posts making out they have a deal for various activities, they naively assumed they were saving money.

Well, just call her on on the FB group every time she posts another offer. Call her out. Keep calling her out. She'll soon get the message.

She posts an "offer" for £20, you know you can book direct for £15. Call her out.

[Flumpo]

Sebring440 said:

CloudyNight said:

when an admin (and therefore a supposedly trusted person) put up posts making out they have a deal for various activities, they naively assumed they were saving money.

Well, just call her on on the FB group every time she posts another offer. Call her out. Keep calling her out. She'll soon get the message.

She posts an "offer" for £20, you know you can book direct for £15. Call her out.

She’s probably anticipated that, she’s an admin.

[Ezra]

I'm struggling to understand what the fuss is about, OP. If someone's making a bit of a profit, so what? Seems quite entrepreneurial to me.

Anyway, you've found out / it's come to light, and you (and all the other group members) can either keep booking through that person or do your own thing. Why the need for everyone to be up in arms? Everything is such a drama nowadays.

[anonymous-user]

I guess one thing to consider (including for her) is any potential liability on the Facebook woman if things go wrong. If something's misdescribed, a child has an accident or an activity provider goes bust before fulfilling the obligation. It doesn't sound like much money on each one though, to be fair.