Glastonbury fan 'loses £16k' over VIP tickets

[dulcificum]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-48799006

Quote

 

A man says he has lost £16,000 after buying VIP Glastonbury tickets, from a ticketing firm, that were not there when he arrived.

Nathan Challis, from Southampton, said he bought tickets from Hello Front Row for a "luxury yurt" and "tickets not usually available to the public".

When he arrived on Wednesday the festival site tickets were not there.

Hello Front Row said his tickets did arrive, but after Mr Challis left the site on Thursday.

Glastonbury Festival said only "[ticketing company] See Tickets are authorised to sell tickets for Glastonbury Festival" and resale through other sites was not authorised.

Mr Challis, a 36-year-old director of a traffic management company, said he was offered a deal, including the yurt and two VIP tickets which he was told "are reserved for press, performers and the music industry and VIP guests which gives access to all VIP areas including performers and managers area".

He said he was promised he and his partner Kayleigh Lewisage would be able to "mingle with celebs and media and other VIPs" for a special price of £9,995 if he could pay the full amount up front.

Image captionMr Challis said he turned down a partial refund of £5,000

He opted to pay a deposit instead so was charged an extra £2,000 plus VAT, making a total £14,411.

In January this year, the company contacted him again offering a yurt closer to the festival site for an extra £2,000 which he accepted, bringing his total bill to more than £16,000.

But when he arrived at the campsite, which was outside the festival site, on Wednesday the tickets were not there.

He said he made numerous calls to Hello Front Row to find out what was happening, but after waiting more than 24 hours took the decision to return home and request a refund.

He said during a phone call with the company his request was refused because he had checked into the yurt, but he was offered £5,000 compensation instead which he refused.

Hello Front Row, in an emailed statement, said that Mr Challis's tickets for the festival site were delayed but were ready for him after he left.

"We are doing a full investigation into what caused the delay. All our other clients are at Glastonbury having a great time."

Image copyrightEPA Image captionThe Vaccines opened Glastonbury on Friday on The Other Stage

The BBC has asked how many other clients the firm has at the festival, and how it obtained VIP tickets to resell, but the firm said it was "not at liberty" to discuss this.

Mr Challis has successfully bought tickets for the Brit Awards from Hello Front Row in the past.

The Hello Front Row website offers deals that promise "the most exclusive experiences and on the worldwide stage".

 

lol.

Absolutely zero sympathy here.

[Superscally]

My heart bleeds.

[HalfAnIdiot]

Poor guy, what a shame....

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

Why on earth would anyone pay money to be able to access ‘vip areas’ and mingle with celebrities? Surely you can do that anywhere for a lot less money? I’d pay over the odds to obtain tickets if I had to purely to access the festival, surely that’s the only important bit?

[Amy Lawn]

Would be interested to know how much the lowest paid staff at his firm are earning. A year's take-home for a lot of people the ugly dickhead pissed up the wall.

Eat the rich.

[Superscally]

2 minutes ago, GETOFFAMYLAWN said:

Would be interested to know how much the lowest paid staff at his firm are earning. A year's take-home for a lot of people the ugly dickhead pissed up the wall.

Eat the rich.

Ah this is the second post of yours I've wanted to upvote in the last two threads bit I'm out.

[mashedonmud]

I didn't get there either.  Cost me fuck all. ?

[carlosj]

3 minutes ago, GETOFFAMYLAWN said:

Would be interested to know how much the lowest paid staff at his firm are earning. A year's take-home for a lot of people the ugly dickhead pissed up the wall.

Eat the rich.

 

Just now, Superscally said:

Ah this is the second post of yours I've wanted to upvote in the last two threads bit I'm out.

Done it for you.

if anyone else wants a luxury experience, for £8k I'll lend you my van, wheel you through Gate C in my trolley and wear a variety of celebrity masks.

That's celebrity, not gimp.

 

[Superscally]

2 minutes ago, carlosj said:

 

Done it for you.

if anyone else wants a luxury experience, for £8k I'll lend you my van, wheel you through Gate C in my trolley and wear a variety of celebrity masks.

That's celebrity, not gimp.

 

Brill. I want to upvote you too now x

[Spindles]

I would disagree with both perspectives.  You are right.  We shouldn't eat the rich.  We should just build a big fucking pyre out of money and watch them throw themselves on it.

[gherkin8r]

Regardless of whether you would make the same decision the guy has still been royally fucked over so I'd have some sympathy for him. 

[Tuna]

6 minutes ago, gherkin8r said:

Regardless of whether you would make the same decision the guy has still been royally fucked over so I'd have some sympathy for him. 

Been played like a fiddle. £2k to go a bit closer? All a bit Business Secrets of the Pharaohs isn't it. 

[gherkin8r]

The £2k was for a luxury yurt I thought. I personally couldn't give a flying fuck what he does with his own money. You'd find plenty of very rich artists that were performing at the festival who I'm sure spend an awful lot of money on holidays etc so not sure how this is any different but am open to suggestions.. 

[Beerqueen]

2 minutes ago, gherkin8r said:

The £2k was for a luxury yurt I thought. I personally couldn't give a flying fuck what he does with his own money. You'd find plenty of very rich artists that were performing at the festival who I'm sure spend an awful lot of money on holidays etc so not sure how this is any different but am open to suggestions.. 

No, it was for 

 

42 minutes ago, dulcificum said:

a yurt closer to the festival site for an extra £2,000

He had already paid £14000 for two tickets and a yurt.

[gherkin8r]

2 minutes ago, Beerqueen said:

No, it was for 

 

He had already paid £14000 for two tickets and a yurt.

My mistake. Not sure it changes the rights and wrongs of the situation though. 

Unless of course "traffic management" involves clamping cars in which case I hope he dies a slow and painful death.

[dentalplan]

Having no sympathy is okay but you can all do better than to revel in the guy’s misfortune.

[bigfurbdogg]

He may have been a bit naive, but it comes across as weird to feel no sympathy for him, even worse to take pleasure in a guy getting mugged off for all that money!

As @gherkin8r said, plenty of rich artists play at the festival who probably waste much more money than that, on probably much less. Most people are are happy to treat them like heros.

[Homer]

I happen to reckon that the real baddie in this story is the company that stole his money. 

[AiiShotTheDJ]

Feel for the guy to be fair- money aside he’s obviously hoped to experience the festival and couldn’t because they’ve, in essence, conned him. I’d be pretty pissed too. Money wise- I’m sure I read about a private campsite for £25,000 odd just outside of the gates which celebs use. 

[stuartbert two hats]

24 minutes ago, gherkin8r said:

Regardless of whether you would make the same decision the guy has still been royally fucked over so I'd have some sympathy for him. 

Yeah, as much as I dislike the fact that someone in our society has this much money whilst others struggle, I can still feel sympathy for someone who has been ripped off something rotten.  I wouldn't be surprised if spending that amount of cash for nothing really stings.  Sometimes in tales like this there are heartaching backstories about how much they gave up for a dream trip.  Or maybe he's a complete rotter, I dunno.

But I can still feel sympathy for him, even if I do fancy eating the rich.

[Madyaker]

I don't understand how this happened? It makes it like sound like there was nobody there when he arrived? Was it not open until thursday? Why did he have to ring them surely there must have been someone there to organise it?

[gherkin8r]

 

39 minutes ago, GETOFFAMYLAWN said:

Would be interested to know how much the lowest paid staff at his firm are earning. A year's take-home for a lot of people the ugly dickhead pissed up the wall.

Eat the rich.

Should we burn Michael eavis as well because the loo crew earn significantly less than him? 

[HalfAnIdiot]

27 minutes ago, Benja100 said:

I have to say I find posts like this highly socially divisive. You may be right, you may be wrong, he may be the nicest most altruistic man on the planet, the point is you don’t know. This kind of attitude in my opinion does as much harm to society as any wealth gap. 

The social divide is the huge pay disparity, not a post knocking the rich FFS.

These things need to be called out. Don't fall for the rich man's shite story. You'll be telling us all about the benefits of 'trickle down economics' next!

[chatty]

It's a bit silly to trust a co.pany that aren't involved. Especially at Glasto who seem to be strict on third party selling.

Still though he has been massively done over and I do feel for him. If he's earned his money he has the right to spend it on what he wishes even if it seems ludicrous by our standards.

Bit rich or not, no one should be paying money out and not receive what they have paid for. If it was under different circumstances then I reckon people here may have a differing attitude like of someone had bought a car from a garage and they took the money then didn't deliver the car people would be furious but this is exactly the same really. A company conning people out of their money, not really something to celebrate.

[balti-pie]

2 minutes ago, AiiShotTheDJ said:

Feel for the guy to be fair- money aside he’s obviously hoped to experience the festival and couldn’t because they’ve, in essence, conned him. I’d be pretty pissed too. Money wise- I’m sure I read about a private campsite for £25,000 odd just outside of the gates which celebs use. 

Windinglake farm! I was overjoyed to see that it’s right next to the Oxfam staff field ??? so they’re shelling out many thousands for showers, food and comfy camping just outside gate B, and I did three eight hours shift for virtually the same thing (the car park is next door, so I took fleeces and duvets, tent carpet etc etc): BUT they can get a golf buggy to take em down the road ? well worth the dollar eh