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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
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Comments
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Welcome to MSE Sara.
I'm afraid I do agree with the event organisers on this one. Whilst your circumstances are unfortunate, the t&c's attached to buying the ticket were available when you applied for them.
Most concert tickets are non refundable under any circumstances. Therefore, though it does not seem it now, you were lucky to have got anything back.Gone ... or have I?0 -
erm..... as dmg24 said - when are gig tickets ever refundable (esp if its just becasue you are a bit skint!). I am surprised that they were offering any refunds, even before 8th May.
Yes Glastonbury is a rip off in some peoples opinions (inc mine!), but not for the reason above!
Also, totally unconnected to you - who the h**l spends £600 over a long weekend? Fools!0 -
I think having already paid for them, I'd have done all I could to get myself there, including biting the bullet and selling stuff on Fleabay *shudders*. I'm glad that at last we are seeing movements towards beating the ticket touts :j However, I don't think it's very fair that you can't get a refund from them if they're stopping resale.................when they know how popular that event is and will be able to sell the tickets (they should operate a waiting list
). We lost a lot of money on some Richard Ashcroft tickets that we bought via an internet error, but at least we were able to sell them on Ebay, although at a massive loss.
God only knows where that £600 figure came from, I couldn't spend that at a festival :eek: and thankfully neither does my eldest who has just come back from the IOW fest on a shoestring and will be going to Glasto on a shoestring budget. Unless they have worked it out on the festival prices for food and drink, that would make sense maybe, seeing as it was 6 Euros a pint at Slane Castle last weekend for Oasis :eek::eek::eek: LOL I stuck to the free tap water :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:Honorary Northern Bird bestowed by AnselmI'm a Board Guide and volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly on Special Occasions, Green/Ethical, Motoring/Overseas/UK Travel & Flood boards, it's not part of my role to deal with reportable posts. Report inappropriate or illegal posts to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. Views are MINE & not official MSE ones
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I feel very sorry for you, you think it would make sense for Glastonbury to have a waiting list for tickets and they'd be able to sell them on if they're that exclusive.
Perhaps you can try and find someone who looks like you and flog them on!! With that many people going they're not going to stare too hard at the photo!I love surprises!0 -
Honestly, stuff like this .. you can bet that a face to face conversation would just embarrass the event owner.
Of course, that wont happen .. utterly defenceless ... Glastonbury of all places.Do you like my medal ?0 -
£600?!!! Wow, I spent 4 days at Download last weekend and spent a grand total of £110 and £50 of that was on presents for the kids!! A festival is only as expensive as you make it. Take your own food instead of paying arena prices, few cans of chilli and boil in the bag rice and you are sorted, same with alcohol. You don't have to buy merch there, its cheaper to buy it on-line when you get back from the festival.0
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In your subject line you put "Glastonbury ripoff !"
The exclamation mark is superfluous.0 -
Hi,
Not sure why you believe that this is a rip off ...
what happened if you bought a non-refundable plane ticket with Ryan Air (or most other airlines for that matter) - say £150 each, then decided you couldn't go for economic reasons .... what are the chances of getting your money back? Not much I would say.
You bought the tickets & must have read the t&cs ...
I would go ... don't spend £600 for the weekend ... maybe look at going for shorter time?
MarkWe’ve had to remove your signature. Please check the Forum Rules if you’re unsure why it’s been removed and, if still unsure, email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com0 -
Glastonbury: Fools and their money are easily parted.British Ex-pat in British Columbia!0
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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.
Anyone who truly believes that any festival warrants spending £600 must be mad, but IF someone did then I'd at least have thought Insurance would have been undertaken!
It's YOU who are supposed to be thinking ahead to bereavements, loss of jobs...or anything like it! You can't seriously be slating Eaves to be the bad guy on all of this. It's those who pay the sort of prices you speak of who are to blame, but NOT those who are prepared to make it as cheap as possible and thoroughly enjoy it no matter what.
Anyway, they forecast thunder storms so not to worry too much! However, if you don't mind that, then GO and make the most of it on a cheap budget, just don't throw your money away.
SueSealed Pot Challenge 001 My Totals = 08 = £163.95 09 = £315.78 10 = £518.80 11 = £481.87 12 = £694.53 13 = £1200.20! 14 = £881 15 = £839.21 16 = £870.48 17 = £871.52 18 = £800.00 19 = £851.022021=£820.26[/SizeGrand Totals of all members (2008 uncounted) 2009 = £32.154.32! 2010 = £37.581.47! 2011 = £42.474.34! 2012 = £49.759.46! 2013 = £50.642.78! 2014 = £61.367.88!! 2015 = £52.852.06! 2016 = £52, 002.40!! 2017 = £50,456.23!! 2018 = £47, 815.88! 2019 = £38.538.37!!!! :j0
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