"VIP" concert tickets - I don't think so!

Tabitha005

I'd like to try to reclaim some money back on the cost of what I believe were grossly disproportionately-price gig tickets that purported to be "VIP" tickets.

I paid £75 each for two tickets (general admission tickets were £31.75 each) and the only additional benefit I was, I kid you not, separate portaloos from the main general admission crowd. 

I wrote to the operators of the venue who sold the tickets over two weeks ago, requesting a refund in the difference in price, but haven't had any response whatsoever. 

Would it be reasonable to make a complaint/representation to Trading Standards about this? Any advice would be appreciated as I feel very strongly that the price paid for the tickets in no way reflected the value or benefit I actually received.

Aylesbury_Duck

Tabitha005 said:

I'd like to try to reclaim some money back on the cost of what I believe were grossly disproportionately-price gig tickets that purported to be "VIP" tickets.

I paid £75 each for two tickets (general admission tickets were £31.75 each) and the only additional benefit I was, I kid you not, separate portaloos from the main general admission crowd. 

I wrote to the operators of the venue who sold the tickets over two weeks ago, requesting a refund in the difference in price, but haven't had any response whatsoever. 

Would it be reasonable to make a complaint/representation to Trading Standards about this? Any advice would be appreciated as I feel very strongly that the price paid for the tickets in no way reflected the value or benefit I actually received.

What matters is not what extra facilities/services you used, but what was promised, and what was available for you to use.  Going back to the purchase, what was it that persuaded you to choose VIP tickets over general admission tickets?  What was promised, and what was delivered or available?

Tabitha005

The promise was of a dedicated bar - which turned out to be a pair of beer barrels with a scaffold plank between them (and no bar seating area as advertised), along with a dedicated area offering 'fine food' - this wasn't the case, either, as the entire food offering was all together in the general admission area. The 'VIP' area was also behind the stage, so there was no dedicated area from which to see the performance. This last point wasn't made explicit at the time of booking. 

It honestly was ONLY the 'dedicated' portaloos that defined the VIP tickets from the general admission tickets, which I don't believe offers anything like an enhanced experience for the additional cost of the tickets.

Aylesbury_Duck

Well you could try a letter before action for the £86 you're after, and then if that doesn't generate a response, court action is available.  Only you can decide if it's worth going to those lengths.

Tabitha005

Thanks for your suggestion. I've contacted the organisers again by email today, and if I don't get a response in the next few days, I might try an LBA. It's no so much the money, but having suffered a slew of examples of appalling value for money over the past couple of months, I'm on a bit of a mission!