Getting a refund for pre-booked cinema tickets

Widow57

I bought 3 tickets (£52.50) excluding booking fee,  to see Michael Ball and Alfie Boe at the Empire Cinema screening in Swindon on 29 March 2020.

I also bought two tickets (£35.00) excluding booking fee,  for the VE Day 75 live performance being screened from the Royal Aolbert Hall on Friday 8 May 2020.  The cinema in Swindon has been closed since the middle of March, because of the Cov-19, and I understand the reasons for closing it. 

However, what I have difficulty in understanding is why I cannot get a refund for the tickets.  Both sets of tickets were paid for by credit card, and acording to Empire, we should automatically be credited to our credit card account if the tickets were bought online.  The two tickets for the VE75 screening were bought on line, the other 3 tickets were bought in person by me at the cinema.  I emailed the cinema, and received a replying stating that for the tickets that I bought in person, I have to wait until the cinema opens, which as we all know could be weeks away.   The two tickets that I purchased on line would be automatically credited back to my credit card acount.

I was not happy with the reply that I received, so I emailed again, enclosing copies of all the tickets and the receipts, with a requested that a total of £87.50 is credited back to my credit card account asap.  I am a pensioner, and cannot afford to wait months for this money to be credited back to me.

One of my friends, who also bought tickets for the VE75 screening at CineWorld in Swindon, went on line, completed a refund request form, and the money has now been credited back to her credit card.  I have emailed Empire again, but they are just ignoring my emails. 

I cannot understand why one cinema in Swindon can reimburse their clients, but the other one can't.  Is there anything that I can do legally to try and get my money back?

Aylesbury_Duck

You need to remember that Empire and CineWorld are two different companies, so what Cineworld has done has no bearing on what Empire do.  Have you been refunded for the two tickets yet?  There may be an understandable delay for that process in the current circumstances.  As for the three tickets bought in person, it's reasonable for them to say they will only refund in person, so I'm afraid you'll just have to be patient.  There's no legal process to accelerate things if their policy is to refund in-person sales in-person.  Presumably they want you to surrender the tickets before they'll refund you.

I see a lot of people saying things like "I am a pensioner, and cannot afford to wait months for this money to be credited back to me."  What's your reasoning for that?  If none of this lockdown had happened you would have surrendered £87.50 forever, so why is it now not affordable for you to wait weeks to get it back?  Surely if you can't afford to be without £87.50 now, you couldn't afford to buy the tickets in the first place?  

Widow57

Thank you Aylesbury Duck.  I am desperate to get the money back, as none of my friends had a chance to pay me for their tickets.  So I am carrying the cost of all the tickets, as opposed to the cost involved for 1 person - me.  I am aware that they are two different companies and they obviously have different procedures in place.  One thing for sure, I will not be going to the Empire Cinema in the future. 

Aylesbury_Duck

Widow57 said:

Thank you Aylesbury Duck.  I am desperate to get the money back, as none of my friends had a chance to pay me for their tickets.  So I am carrying the cost of all the tickets, as opposed to the cost involved for 1 person - me.  I am aware that they are two different companies and they obviously have different procedures in place.  One thing for sure, I will not be going to the Empire Cinema in the future. 

I see.  Have you asked your friends for their share?  It's a bit unfair for you to be carrying all the risk.

I think you're being a bit harsh on Empire here - their policy of refunding in-person sales only in-person is perfectly reasonable and understandable.  Let's face it, if the reason your friends aren't able to pay you their share is because they can't do it in person, that's all Empire are doing.

davidmcn

Widow57 said:

I am desperate to get the money back, as none of my friends had a chance to pay me for their tickets. 

I'm sure if they are real friends then they'd pay you their share anyway.

DoaM

davidmcn said:

Widow57 said:

I am desperate to get the money back, as none of my friends had a chance to pay me for their tickets. 

I'm sure if they are real friends then they'd pay you their share anyway.

Indeed - share the burden, share the reward. That way you're only down the cost of your own ticket, and can refund them their share once Empire refund you.

(Any further comment about not being able to afford not having your own ticket refunded is nonsensical ... you were happy to bare the cost and go to the event, so you could obviously afford your own share. If the event had gone ahead as planned you wouldn't have that money coming back anyway - in fact you'd have spent more on concessions while there).

[Deleted User]

Widow57 said: One thing for sure, I will not be going to the Empire Cinema in the future.  

Well not in the near future certainly. You'll have to attend for your refund  though. 

In the meantime, if money is tight, you should approach your friends for reimbursement of the money you paid on their behalf. I'm certain they can send you money even in lockdown.  

ThumbRemote

Aylesbury_Duck said:

I think you're being a bit harsh on Empire here - their policy of refunding in-person sales only in-person is perfectly reasonable and understandable. 

No, it really isn't. It might be reasonable if their cinemas were open, but it's utterly unreasonable if the cinema is closed and it's impossible to attend. 

Aylesbury_Duck

ThumbRemote said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

I think you're being a bit harsh on Empire here - their policy of refunding in-person sales only in-person is perfectly reasonable and understandable. 

No, it really isn't. It might be reasonable if their cinemas were open, but it's utterly unreasonable if the cinema is closed and it's impossible to attend. 

Fair point.  I was thinking about it from the point of view of them needing to have the tickets back to process the refund, but I suppose they could suggest OP posts them in so the refund can be processed.

[Deleted User]

Aylesbury_Duck said: I suppose they could suggest OP posts them in so the refund can be processed.

Post them to who exactly? The staff at the cinemas are all furloughed..

Aylesbury_Duck

Head office?  Otherwise, OP is stuck.