‘T-Pain’ Concert - A Barbecue Concept?

‘T-Pain’ Concert – A Barbecue Concept?

Mar 14, 2009 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
The organizers of the T-Pain Mash Night Mega Concert; Hits and Jams Entertainment advertised for over a month, creating a huge appetite for a T-Pain performance on the 23rd February 2009, however just over 24 hours before the show they made a national announcement that T-Pain would not in fact be coming to Guyana. This is after they sold hundreds, if not thousands of tickets to fans at a cost of $3000 each.

The promise of reimbursement was considered for those consumers who were able to, on a national holiday; Mash Day, submit their tickets within a four-hour period; between 10am and 1pm and the reimbursements would be paid on the 25th February 2009. This is absurd and a blatant disregard for consumer rights.
To offer an alternative line-up of over used artists as a compromise to an international artist such as T-Pain and expect the audience to accept this and not want their money back is ridiculous. These organizers clearly violated the rights of consumers and therefore should be reprimanded and made to return all money to those who have existing tickets and chose to stay home.

Following numerous attempts to contact the organizers, who were too busy to take heed to your complaints, I might add, I finally got through to a so-called ‘senior member’, who promised to reimburse my money after attempting to rationalize the fact that they weren’t paying out money because of their “barbeque concept”.
That concept was articulated that once you purchased a ticket for a barbecue and the date has passed you are no longer entitled to a refund. I also heard this concept echoed via the television show that one of the organizers usually hosts.

As an organization they hold full responsibility for providing what they have been advertising or to provide a full refund and foot the cost. A serious organizing entity would have had the insight to agree full contracts that protect themselves and the public from situations such as these.
As an organization they were more than willing to enjoy the profits from the performance that was planned and they should be willing also to accept the losses experienced when deals fall through and not continue to make a profit at the consumers’ expense.
I recommend that these organizations read carefully the conditions printed on the reverse side of the tickets which state clearly “Refunds on cancelled shows…may be obtained by presenting this ticket to the place of purchase within 60 days of the event”.

The authorities should ensure that these organizations can put up the funds before being granted a license to promote such shows, should the performances not go ahead as advertised, so that the consumers can be refunded their money. Further, if they refuse to refund persons money they should be brought to account via legal process for breaking terms and conditions stated on the tickets that they distributed and pay a fine to the consumers’ association.
Calvin Lewis