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Glastonbury Rip Off!
saralast
Posts: 2 Newbie
GLASTONBURY – A Rip Off in Two Parts
Although we’d been to many many music festivals we had never been to the world famous Glastonbury festival, for a number of reasons. Some years we had other plans, some years we simply couldn’t afford it and on certain years when we had the money and the time we simply couldn’t get any tickets – even after waiting ‘on hold’ for hours on end on their dedicated ticket line (sometimes it makes me wonder how many people they actually have taking those calls?!)
So last November, my partner and I, as we were both in decent jobs, had both the money and the time so we ‘applied’ for tickets for the ’09 festival and were fortunate enough to get lucky and have our applications approved, my god it sounds as though we were applying for an accreditation to a convention rather than a public festival. The procedure itself entailed providing photographic evidence as none of the tickets could be sold on to any third parties at a later date. I understand the logic behind this as it takes the power away from ticket touts charging inflated prices, but at the end of the day, in a so called market economy, if the demand is high and the supply low then prices tend to dictate themselves and if anyone who was desperate to go and daft enough to pay inflated prices then they were free to do so.
Anyway, we booked and paid for the tickets through my partner, Sara’s brother Andrew, and had to pay the full amount (£175 each) by Xmas to secure our tickets – this was even before we knew who was playing. We decided to take the risk as we’d had many friends who have gone to Glastonbury who assured us that no matter what the line up we’d be sure to have a great time as it was always about a ‘gathering of the people’ that mattered.
Then in January one of those unforeseen circumstances occurred, Sara’s brother’s wife found out she was expecting their first child and as she would have been heavily pregnant by the time of the festival, they made the decision to cancel their tickets, but as they were non transferable they had to swallow the ‘administrative costs’ at a cost of £60 each, bearing in mind that this was less than a month since the tickets were paid for – rip off No. 1.
Then in February this year another unexpected thing happened, I lost my (£35k/year) job, not something you plan for, but as part of the economic downturn, just one of those things! At the time we still thought, as I’d also received a half decent payout from my employer, that we would still be able to afford to go, after all the tickets had already been paid for.
So, by May, when things were becoming a little tight for us, and especially when considering the other costs of transport, food, drink and spending money (a recent survey has suggested that the average cost of attending a festival is now around £600 each – what happened to music for the masses?) we reluctantly decided to cancel our tickets and apply for our (limited) refund, only to be told that the closing date for refunds was May 8th!! I mean, who can tell what other occurrences might take place in the 6-7 weeks before the festival? Family illnesses, bereavements etc.
The bottom line is we were told that unless we had taken out their insurance we would not be entitled to a refund, period. So we tried an unusual approach, we tried to explain our, presumably not unique circumstances during this period of economic turmoil, situation on a human level – how mistaken we were.
So, the bottom line is this, we have wasted £350 of our hard earned cash to an uncaring, cash grabbing corporation. I guess we shouldn’t be completely surprised, this happens all the time and if the small print says you don’t qualify for a refund then tough! But what sticks in my craw is that Glastonbury is supposed to symbolise a gathering of the people (an obvious naivety) and not just another way of ripping people off.
We have tried to reason with the ticket agents (See Tickets.com) although actually getting through to someone on their ‘dedicated ticket line proved to be impossible. We’ve actually spend over four hours in total waiting on hold and being glibly informed that ‘you call is valuable to use and you will be connected to the next available operator’. Of course we were given the option of contacting them on line, which we did on numerous occasions, only to have all of our emails ignored.
Finally, last week we received an email reply from a Simon Roberts in customer services at See tickets, but with the news that we already knew, we did not qualify for a refund. I even suggested sending the tickets back which would prove that we were not attending and even asked for a ‘credit note’ for next year’s event, again to be told no.
What is it with these people? Have they lost touch with reality? To me it smacks of hypocrisy. They now have a system which cuts out the deplorable tactics of the ticket touts resulting in the same outcome that they wished to eradicate, i.e. people getting ripped off.
The Glastonbury organisers, and their modern equivalent of the ‘ticket touts’ at See tickets ought to take a long hard look at themselves and come down from their corporate ivory towers and realise that it’s not just about numbers and ‘bums on seats’ but that in each and every one of these cases they are dealing with real people with real everyday circumstances beyond their control. After all who chooses, and at the very least plans, for losing their job? And how many people do you know that ‘plan for’ their first baby?
So, get real Glastonbury and remember who you are putting the festival on for in the first place because once you start losing the trust of the people you are attempting to satisfy, you are on the slippery slope towards alienation and eventual terminal decline. So, I for one will never attend the Rip Off Festival, ever, and trust that, as I can’t see our situation as being unique and that others have also presumably been ripped off due to unforeseen circumstances and have decided for their own reasons not to make a fuss and just ‘take it’, others will also see this nameless faceless corporate beast for what it is, just another case of rip-off Britain, and determine not to take it anymore. We are sick of being treated to, above all, lack of understanding and compassion and feel our only means to achieving some kind of satisfaction is by blowing the whistle on this unacceptable behaviour, (when we threatened such action as a last resort we were told that they didn’t care if we contacted the press, how arrogant!) regardless of the financial difficulties that we are all experiencing, but especially because of them, and to keep alive the spirit of protest which was supposedly what the initial ethos of music festivals and their founding fathers was all about.
Paul Wilson and Sara Last
Although we’d been to many many music festivals we had never been to the world famous Glastonbury festival, for a number of reasons. Some years we had other plans, some years we simply couldn’t afford it and on certain years when we had the money and the time we simply couldn’t get any tickets – even after waiting ‘on hold’ for hours on end on their dedicated ticket line (sometimes it makes me wonder how many people they actually have taking those calls?!)
So last November, my partner and I, as we were both in decent jobs, had both the money and the time so we ‘applied’ for tickets for the ’09 festival and were fortunate enough to get lucky and have our applications approved, my god it sounds as though we were applying for an accreditation to a convention rather than a public festival. The procedure itself entailed providing photographic evidence as none of the tickets could be sold on to any third parties at a later date. I understand the logic behind this as it takes the power away from ticket touts charging inflated prices, but at the end of the day, in a so called market economy, if the demand is high and the supply low then prices tend to dictate themselves and if anyone who was desperate to go and daft enough to pay inflated prices then they were free to do so.
Anyway, we booked and paid for the tickets through my partner, Sara’s brother Andrew, and had to pay the full amount (£175 each) by Xmas to secure our tickets – this was even before we knew who was playing. We decided to take the risk as we’d had many friends who have gone to Glastonbury who assured us that no matter what the line up we’d be sure to have a great time as it was always about a ‘gathering of the people’ that mattered.
Then in January one of those unforeseen circumstances occurred, Sara’s brother’s wife found out she was expecting their first child and as she would have been heavily pregnant by the time of the festival, they made the decision to cancel their tickets, but as they were non transferable they had to swallow the ‘administrative costs’ at a cost of £60 each, bearing in mind that this was less than a month since the tickets were paid for – rip off No. 1.
Then in February this year another unexpected thing happened, I lost my (£35k/year) job, not something you plan for, but as part of the economic downturn, just one of those things! At the time we still thought, as I’d also received a half decent payout from my employer, that we would still be able to afford to go, after all the tickets had already been paid for.
So, by May, when things were becoming a little tight for us, and especially when considering the other costs of transport, food, drink and spending money (a recent survey has suggested that the average cost of attending a festival is now around £600 each – what happened to music for the masses?) we reluctantly decided to cancel our tickets and apply for our (limited) refund, only to be told that the closing date for refunds was May 8th!! I mean, who can tell what other occurrences might take place in the 6-7 weeks before the festival? Family illnesses, bereavements etc.
The bottom line is we were told that unless we had taken out their insurance we would not be entitled to a refund, period. So we tried an unusual approach, we tried to explain our, presumably not unique circumstances during this period of economic turmoil, situation on a human level – how mistaken we were.
So, the bottom line is this, we have wasted £350 of our hard earned cash to an uncaring, cash grabbing corporation. I guess we shouldn’t be completely surprised, this happens all the time and if the small print says you don’t qualify for a refund then tough! But what sticks in my craw is that Glastonbury is supposed to symbolise a gathering of the people (an obvious naivety) and not just another way of ripping people off.
We have tried to reason with the ticket agents (See Tickets.com) although actually getting through to someone on their ‘dedicated ticket line proved to be impossible. We’ve actually spend over four hours in total waiting on hold and being glibly informed that ‘you call is valuable to use and you will be connected to the next available operator’. Of course we were given the option of contacting them on line, which we did on numerous occasions, only to have all of our emails ignored.
Finally, last week we received an email reply from a Simon Roberts in customer services at See tickets, but with the news that we already knew, we did not qualify for a refund. I even suggested sending the tickets back which would prove that we were not attending and even asked for a ‘credit note’ for next year’s event, again to be told no.
What is it with these people? Have they lost touch with reality? To me it smacks of hypocrisy. They now have a system which cuts out the deplorable tactics of the ticket touts resulting in the same outcome that they wished to eradicate, i.e. people getting ripped off.
The Glastonbury organisers, and their modern equivalent of the ‘ticket touts’ at See tickets ought to take a long hard look at themselves and come down from their corporate ivory towers and realise that it’s not just about numbers and ‘bums on seats’ but that in each and every one of these cases they are dealing with real people with real everyday circumstances beyond their control. After all who chooses, and at the very least plans, for losing their job? And how many people do you know that ‘plan for’ their first baby?
So, get real Glastonbury and remember who you are putting the festival on for in the first place because once you start losing the trust of the people you are attempting to satisfy, you are on the slippery slope towards alienation and eventual terminal decline. So, I for one will never attend the Rip Off Festival, ever, and trust that, as I can’t see our situation as being unique and that others have also presumably been ripped off due to unforeseen circumstances and have decided for their own reasons not to make a fuss and just ‘take it’, others will also see this nameless faceless corporate beast for what it is, just another case of rip-off Britain, and determine not to take it anymore. We are sick of being treated to, above all, lack of understanding and compassion and feel our only means to achieving some kind of satisfaction is by blowing the whistle on this unacceptable behaviour, (when we threatened such action as a last resort we were told that they didn’t care if we contacted the press, how arrogant!) regardless of the financial difficulties that we are all experiencing, but especially because of them, and to keep alive the spirit of protest which was supposedly what the initial ethos of music festivals and their founding fathers was all about.
Paul Wilson and Sara Last
0
Comments
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A few points.
They brought in such a stringent system because touts are far better at getting tickets than your average member of the public. Just take a look at Ebay minutes after any major concert goes on sale and you will see how good they are. If they didn't have such a system, "the masses" as you put it will have to fork out a fortune for their tickets.
I can see why they have a 6 week cut-off for the refunds. If they are to resell that ticket, they need to get it back, then sell it and complete all the admin that goes along with that application, which as you say includes photo ID and all the rest. This must get even more complicated when you consider agents are involved in selling the tickets.
I have no idea where you got that £600 figure from. OH and I go to about 4 (admittedly smaller) festivals each year and it costs us nothing like that. There are the tickets obviously, and the fuel to get there and back, but after that, the only things we have to pay for are likely to be £5 for a programme, a few drinks at the bar and some food. Take your own food and drink and you can keep that bill down even further.0 -
they said a few times u could only cancel if u took out insurance when u 'booked/bought' the tickets. how u missed that is beyond me considering it was on the booking page...0
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Right then sorry you have lost your job but ..... they are running a business and as such trying to make a profit. I have to say you are being a tad unreasonable imho. I realise you are disappointed but honestly I don't know why you feel it would cost you £600 to go. You cut your cloth to fit surely? No one would have made you pay all that money. Truth is you should have gone, it would have done you good to forget about real life for a weekend. Never mind put it behind you and good luck with the jobhunting!xXx-Sukysue-xXx0
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This is aimed mostly at future festival goers.
Most festivals now recommend insurance for those that purchase tickets months in advance. Its the same principle as purchasing travel insurance. Also check your credit card terms you may already be covered. But before pressing go make sure that you read and understand all the information.
OP! If you have paid by credit card it may been worth your while investigating via that.0 -
600quid, youre having a giraffe - ive been to a few festivals and i've never spent anything like that amount of cash. take our own food and booze, buy stuff from home bargains and buy a couple of meals out whilst there and just chill and enjoy ourselves. for how much it cost not to go i would have gone
they are a big corporation, that's life - take out insurance in future.
oh and we did plan our first baby, most people do you know
press? not interested cos they have followed their terms and conditions'We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time0 -
manyThe Glastonbury organisers, and their modern equivalent of the ‘ticket touts’ at See tickets ought to take a long hard look at themselves and come down from their corporate ivory towers ( glastonbury has very strict expectations of See, given the repeated issues there has been and what remains to be the most popularmusic festival in the world. and realise that it’s not just about numbers and ‘bums on seats’ but that in each and every one of these cases they are dealing with real people with real everyday circumstances beyond their control. Im sorry, are you really expecting a major corportation such as See tickets to do this, what other companies do this when selling you tickets?? After all who chooses, and at the very least plans, for losing their job? Er plenty of people do that?? Especially in a recession
And how many people do you know that ‘plan for’ their first baby?
I struggle to see what your problem is here.
You seem to be expecting Glastonbury Festivals and See tickets to plan your life for you-:rotfl: and someone elses fertility!! Are you barking :beer: Well aint funny how its the little things in life that mean the most? Not where you live, the car you drive or the price tag on your clothes.
Theres no dollar sign on piece of mind
This Ive come to know...
So if you agree have a drink with me, raise your glasses for a toast :beer:0
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