Can a company legally deny refunds for an event which they cancel

justanothername

Went to the cinema last week where there were problems with the film format and the screening was eventually cancelled.
However the company refused refunds and only offered tickets for a future booking.as compensation.
They do state 'no refunds' in their terms and conditions but is this legal?

tightauldgit

Pretty sure they can't do that. If they've cancelled it then they must refund you, unless you paid by a gift card or something then I think they can refund you by the same means but if you paid cash/credit card or whatever and they've not provided what you paid for then they have to refund you in full. 

TELLIT01

It's possibly a grey area.  I've seen reports of people having problems getting refunds on concert tickets because the promoters claim the concert has been postponed, but no new date is given.  If the film is still being shown they may try the same thing of saying it has only been postponed.  You need to check the T&C for the ticket sales.

eskbanker

TELLIT01 said:

It's possibly a grey area.  I've seen reports of people having problems getting refunds on concert tickets because the promoters claim the concert has been postponed, but no new date is given.  If the film is still being shown they may try the same thing of saying it has only been postponed.  You need to check the T&C for the ticket sales.

The issue is potentially a challenge to the validity of those Ts & Cs, if they're in contravention of statutory rights (as a blanket 'no refunds' policy in all circumstances probably would be), so if OP clarifies who the provider is, it should be possible for people to review them with that in mind....

Ditzy_Mitzy

I have been in a similar situation whereby a film was stopped halfway through and not resumed; we were all given vouchers to redeem against another showing and told to go home.  My friend and I later returned and watched the same film again, although managed to see the whole thing the second time!

I had no reason to question it at the time, as my interest was in seeing the rest of the film rather than getting money back, but I do wonder if the part showing affects things.  Did you see any of the film at all, OP?  It's unclear from the initial post.  

justanothername

Hi.
Saw half an hour of the 3hour long film AND the cinema is almost an hour's drive from me so less than convenient to return to

justanothername

🤔
Seems most people are pretty unsure on this one so far.
Thanks for the responses anyway

Ditzy_Mitzy

justanothername said:

🤔
Seems most people are pretty unsure on this one so far.
Thanks for the responses anyway

It's a grey area.  You should be entitled to a refund, but probably not a full one on the basis of having received part of the service - they were able to show you a segment of the film.  How much money are we talking about?  If the cinema are entitled to make a reasonable deduction from the refund, you may end up with something worth less than the credit coupon you already possess.  Do you actually want to see the rest of the film?

eskbanker

justanothername said:

🤔
Seems most people are pretty unsure on this one so far.
Thanks for the responses anyway

If you're looking for more informed views about the legality of the provider's terms, it would help to allow people to see them:

justanothername said:

They do state 'no refunds' in their terms and conditions but is this legal?

eskbanker said:
The issue is potentially a challenge to the validity of those Ts & Cs, if they're in contravention of statutory rights (as a blanket 'no refunds' policy in all circumstances probably would be), so if OP clarifies who the provider is, it should be possible for people to review them with that in mind....

Manxman_in_exile

Is this a case of cancellation?  Isn't it frustration of contract?  (Sounds like everybody was there in the audience, started to show the film, but unspecified technical problems prevented the showing from continuing).

If I'd only seen 30 minutes of a 3 hour film I'd want a full refund.  I'd say it was a clear case of frustration and T&Cs are irrelevant.

user1977

eskbanker said:

justanothername said:

🤔
Seems most people are pretty unsure on this one so far.
Thanks for the responses anyway

If you're looking for more informed views about the legality of the provider's terms, it would help to allow people to see them:

justanothername said:

They do state 'no refunds' in their terms and conditions but is this legal?

eskbanker said:
The issue is potentially a challenge to the validity of those Ts & Cs, if they're in contravention of statutory rights (as a blanket 'no refunds' policy in all circumstances probably would be), so if OP clarifies who the provider is, it should be possible for people to review them with that in mind....

Or at least tell us which cinema it is so we can check ourselves.