Glastonbury fan 'loses £16k' over VIP tickets

[Losing my hair]

18 minutes ago, bombfrog said:

Two other points -

A. He doesn't run a parking fine company, I looked it up and it's a proper company that manages traffic on motorways, seems totally legit.
 

Intrigued where you got your information from.

Companies house list 2 directors named Nathan Challis neither of which quite fit the profile in the article - "Mr Challis, a 36-year-old director of a traffic management company" - this could of course just be inaccurate reporting (who'd have thought!)

One is a 36 year old ex H&S director of 2 companies whose business is listed as manufacture of transport equipment and appear from their names to be involved in traffic management - cones, signs, temporary traffic lights etc. and all appear to be connected to a holding company which is still in business but does not list him as a current or ex director.  Both companies have gone into liquidation  but he had resigned as a director before this. 

The second is a 24 year old sole director of a road markings company first listed in March of this year coincidentally based in the same area and appears to be able to function without any online presence that I can find.

But no evidence that he has been involved with a parking fines company.

I've got little sympathy for him as a little research on his behalf would have informed that that SEE are the only legitimate seller of tickets and so he should have known he was going in on dodgy tickets. I suspect that Hello Front Row had acquired tickets meant for band members family, friends etc or had bought some of the Pilton residents 3 day tickets but they had not been delivered to them before Mr Challis threw his toys out of the pram.

[Tom White]

What is the earnings/wealth cutoff level after which people no longer deserve sympathy if they suffer some kind of injustice? 

[The Spandex Warrior]

8 minutes ago, kalifire said:

Somebody being scammed is bad no matter how much money they have. Inverse snobbery is as bad as snobbery itself. 

I'm out of upvotes, but this is spot on.

[bombfrog]

4 minutes ago, Spindles said:

Honest question here.  Are the people that do this criminals?  Should there not be punishment for this behaviour that ruins the lives of the owners and employees of smaller businesses that go to the wall so directors can get wealthier?  Should those people be allowed to continue to do so?

Of course they shouldn't be allowed to do it, but is there any suggestion that this guy has?

[gherkin8r]

2 minutes ago, Spindles said:

Dickheads be dickheads.  It might be suggested that running a business that goes bust, not paying it's bills, then restarting an identical business weeks later and doing it again multiple times is most likely a criminal enterprise.  

 

When I was in the building industry there were companies that would just not pay their bills till their suppliers went bust.  British business is riddled with this.  Generally these companies would then wind up, restart with a new name and somehow ALL of the equipment, infrastructure, people and then do it all again, usually with just stickers over the top of the old logo.

 

Honest question here.  Are the people that do this criminals?  Should there not be punishment for this behaviour that ruins the lives of the owners and employees of smaller businesses that go to the wall so directors can get wealthier?  Should those people be allowed to continue to do so?

Yes for me they are and I abhor this sort of thing. The vast majority of people on here made their assertions on his character before any of this came to light or with no reference to anything other than him being rich as though that was damning enough. 

[Ohinever]

*reads this thread about the rich and privileged in society*

 

*Reads thread revelling in spotting celebrities, including an actress who got paid millions for pretending to have mothered cgi dragons*

 

*shakes head slowly, somewhat bemused *

 

 

 

 

[bombfrog]

3 minutes ago, Losing my hair said:

Intrigued where you got your information from.

https://www.rwcivilengineering.co.uk/what-we-do/traffic-management/

 

3 minutes ago, Losing my hair said:

I've got little sympathy for him as a little research on his behalf would have informed that that SEE are the only legitimate seller of tickets and so he should have known he was going in on dodgy tickets.

Maybe he spends all his time trying to make his company a success and doesn't spend all day on Efestivals like we are 

[Losing my hair]

12 minutes ago, kalifire said:

Somebody being scammed is bad no matter how much money they have. Inverse snobbery is as bad as snobbery itself. 

But he wasn't scammed, he threw his toys out because his dodgy tickets didn't arrive at a time convenient to him. he could have waited and got his tickets.

[bombfrog]

2 minutes ago, Losing my hair said:

But he wasn't scammed, he threw his toys out because his dodgy tickets didn't arrive at a time convenient to him. he could have waited and got his tickets.

Who do we believe about that? If I'd paid that much for tickets and they didn't turn up on the Wednesday I'd be livid. He waited there for 24 hours.

[davidquaid]

Scamming is bad and should not be tolerated.  

The Scammers are criminals and should be punished.  

The Scammed are victims and deserve sympathy.  

End of.

Also: 

There is no relationship between being a dickhead to how much money you have or don't have at any particular moment in time.

[gherkin8r]

Just now, bombfrog said:

Who do we believe about that? If I'd paid that much for tickets and they didn't turn up on the Wednesday I'd be livid. He waited there for 24 hours.

Exactly and if he had waited longer (presumably in his accommodation) then his chances of a refund would have been diminished as they would claim he had used the accommodation he paid for. 

[Spindles]

2 minutes ago, bombfrog said:

Of course they shouldn't be allowed to do it, but is there any suggestion that this guy has?

Yes.  As mentioned earlier in the thread, the companies house info shows that pattern.  Resigns as director, 3 months before windup to not be affected by any restrictions personally with directorships, new business starts with him as director, resigns 3 months before windup, rinse and repeat.  It's not just that it's obvious that he's been doing that, but that it's obvious he will keep doing so.

As I say, people start a business, get massive loans and massive contracts, fold the business and leave the debts behind having redirected the money to somewhere it can't be touched so that on paper the business has made a loss then basically buy all the assets back from the receivers at discount and start up under a new name.  British business is rife with this, particularly in building and infrastructure industries.

I'd also mention that the company who let him down didn't rip him off.  They provided all the services advertised but couldn't get him access to the festival ground on day 1, instead being able to on day 2.  The majority of VIP punters aren't turning up for Wednesday, most are only really there Fri-Sun.  By all accounts he had use of their area and facilities as advertised but they couldn't get him access to the festival ground itself until the following day.

[gigpusher]

For me it's the idea of paying more for a better experience ie the mingling with VIP's etc that irritates me. I think less of the artists who provide this kind of thing as well as to me it is saying that those with more money deserve a better experience. I can appreciate people needing more comfort like a bed or showers if they are older or poorly but nobody needs to be meeting artists who will only mingle with them because they have money. 

I hate seeing VIP packages for normal gigs as well. If he'd paid for a yurt and just a normal festival ticket I'd have more sympathy. That being said if he was scammed I hope the scammer is caught and punished as well. I long for a day when everyone has to hit f5 to get tickets and the only reselling of any tickets is through twickets or similar resale sites that don't allow you to profit. 

[HalfAnIdiot]

1 hour ago, Jamie 2194 said:

So Rich and hard working deserve scrutiny however the lazy and poor people of the world who choose not to work hard should be given the right to blame the people who carve out a career and work long hours for what they have.... get a grip people. 

You really don't have a clue what poverty is do you. I seriously suggest you get out and explore the world beyond your apparent little bubble.

Sometimes I think this is the Young Conservatives forum.

[TheGoodWillOut]

maybe there should be a form when registering asking you to confirm your salary isn’t over £50k if you own a detached house or/and drive a nice car. Answer yes to any and your registration is immediately rejected. 

?

[Losing my hair]

5 minutes ago, bombfrog said:

https://www.rwcivilengineering.co.uk/what-we-do/traffic-management/

 

Maybe he spends all his time trying to make his company a success and doesn't spend all day on Efestivals like we are 

There is no Nathan Challis listed as a director for that company although it does operate in the same geographical area.

2 minutes ago, bombfrog said:

Who do we believe about that? If I'd paid that much for tickets and they didn't turn up on the Wednesday I'd be livid. He waited there for 24 hours.

But it's not like his ticket was never going to turn up or that the festival had officially started when he stomped off and he was offered £5k compensation, which I suspect was the price of the tickets (which Hello Front Row probably sold on to another punter anyway) 

 

Anyway I run my own business and I'm spending too much time on here chatting about a fool who risked a lot of money but didn't get the reward he expected (capitalism) rather that trying to earn a living, so 'bye for now.

[bombfrog]

3 minutes ago, Losing my hair said:

There is no Nathan Challis listed as a director for that company although it does operate in the same geographical area.

I'm not going to post it here because it would basically be doxxing, but his linked in page lists his name and the company.

[eastynh]

31 minutes ago, TheGoodWillOut said:

Can we move on from this guy and start slating the campervan people ? Obviously wadded enough to hire a campervan and have a shower every morning. How dare they 

I hired a campervan. Cost me £1100 + 250 deposit + 200 for extra insurance. I worked 12 hours on Christmas day and Boxing day to pay for it. I sat in work on those days, pretty much depressed and pretty much on my own. Yet I knew it would enable me to go to the festival as due to health reasons, it is impossible for me to tent it these days. Now the best bit is I did not even have a ticket when I booked the camper, I got lucky in the resale. Yet i was determined that I was going to the festival. I was working god knows how many hours overtime to enable me to buy one of these media/vip/package tickets if need be. Now I am not rich in any way. I probably come from one of the poorest areas out of any member of this forum. Yet I was willing to graft my bollocks off to enable me to go, even if I had failed with all possible legitimate avenues.

Now if I had been had over with a VIP ticket, would I have received any sympathy off this forum? Probably not as no one would have known my circumstances. Would I have deserved any? Yes I think I would. Now none of us know this fellas circumstances, yet people seem a little hasty in judging him. He might have grafted his bollocks off all his life to enable him to pay to get in. I have loads of sympathy for the fella. He is not the bad guy here, it is the scoundrels who have had him over.

[HalfAnIdiot]

1 hour ago, bombfrog said:

Anybody else think that HalfAnIdiot might be the full idiot? (sorry, that was too easy)

 

Pathetic ad hominum attack.

Play the ball, not the man.

[TheGoodWillOut]

1 hour ago, Jamie 2194 said:

So Rich and hard working deserve scrutiny however the lazy and poor people of the world who choose not to work hard should be given the right to blame the people who carve out a career and work long hours for what they have.... get a grip people. 

Unfortunately not all rich are hard working and the poor all lazy.  

[bombfrog]

3 minutes ago, HalfAnIdiot said:

Pathetic ad hominum attack.

Play the ball, not the man.

I agree. Apologies.

[HalfAnIdiot]

1 minute ago, bombfrog said:

I agree. Apologies.

Good on you. Accepted.

[gigpusher]

3 minutes ago, eastynh said:

I hired a campervan. Cost me £1100 + 250 deposit + 200 for extra insurance. I worked 12 hours on Christmas day and Boxing day to pay for it. I sat in work on those days, pretty much depressed and pretty much on my own. Yet I knew it would enable me to go to the festival as due to health reasons, it is impossible for me to tent it these days. Now the best bit is I did not even have a ticket when I booked the camper, I got lucky in the resale. Yet i was determined that I was going to the festival. I was working god knows how many hours overtime to enable me to buy one of these media/vip/package tickets if need be. Now I am not rich in any way. I probably come from one of the poorest areas out of any member of this forum. Yet I was willing to graft my bollocks off to enable me to go, even if I had failed with all possible legitimate avenues.

Now if I had been had over with a VIP ticket, would I have received any sympathy off this forum? Probably not as no one would have known my circumstances. Would I have deserved any? Yes I think I would. Now none of us know this fellas circumstances, yet people seem a little hasty in judging him. He might have grafted his bollocks off all his life to enable him to pay to get in. I have loads of sympathy for the fella. He is not the bad guy here, it is the scoundrels who have had him over.

Don't think that's true. My objection is entirely to anything associated with mingling with celebs who would only mingle with you because you have money. When Lovefields very last minute announced they had yurt and ticket packages the other week my husband and I said we would happily pay for that next year if we were unlucky enough not to get tickets in the sale or resale. It would mean that Glastonbury would be our one and only holiday of next year and we'd be eating beans on toast for a while to pay for it but the festival means that much to us. There are lots of ways to get into the festival that don't involve paying for VIP mingling packages that cost £16k. 

Christ you could buy a house in Pilton and sell it after the festival and it would probably cost you less. I don't think he's neccessarily a bad guy but I'd guess at a shallow guy and would definitely say a fool and his money are soon parted. Still hope if he was scammed the person gets caught and punished but it is a very Fyre Festival story where you think it's probably only the very worst of people who lost money in the first place so yes I have less sympathy than normal. 

[TheGoodWillOut]

6 minutes ago, eastynh said:

I hired a campervan. Cost me £1100 + 250 deposit + 200 for extra insurance. I worked 12 hours on Christmas day and Boxing day to pay for it. I sat in work on those days, pretty much depressed and pretty much on my own. Yet I knew it would enable me to go to the festival as due to health reasons, it is impossible for me to tent it these days. Now the best bit is I did not even have a ticket when I booked the camper, I got lucky in the resale. Yet i was determined that I was going to the festival. I was working god knows how many hours overtime to enable me to buy one of these media/vip/package tickets if need be. Now I am not rich in any way. I probably come from one of the poorest areas out of any member of this forum. Yet I was willing to graft my bollocks off to enable me to go, even if I had failed with all possible legitimate avenues.

Now if I had been had over with a VIP ticket, would I have received any sympathy off this forum? Probably not as no one would have known my circumstances. Would I have deserved any? Yes I think I would. Now none of us know this fellas circumstances, yet people seem a little hasty in judging him. He might have grafted his bollocks off all his life to enable him to pay to get in. I have loads of sympathy for the fella. He is not the bad guy here, it is the scoundrels who have had him over.

You don’t have to explain your situation to anyone.  I too was in a campervan, wouldn’t do it any other way.

i was being a little sarcastic with what could be determined as rich and having that little bit more luxury while at glasto

 

 

[Losing my hair]

6 minutes ago, bombfrog said:

I'm not going to post it here because it would basically be doxxing, but his linked in page lists his name and the company.

You can put what you liked on your Linkedin page, nobody ever checks. He's not listed by companies house and he's not featured on R&W's website https://www.rwcivilengineering.co.uk/our-story/senior-executives/ - guy's a chancer.

Anyway, I really have to get some work done.