Yesterday, Fair Trading executive director Brian Bauer delivered some absolute gems of advice regarding buying tickets to festivals that change their lineups or cancel altogether, whether under dodgy circumstances or not.
News Limited reported that 50 Aussie festivals have announced cancellations since 2010. That’s more than eight a year. While this is awful news for musicians, event organisers and general lovers of music, Bauer has dropped some serious knowledge to help punters during these times of musical uncertainty.
“Under Australian Consumer Law, a business cannot accept payment then fail to deliver what was promised,” Bauer said. That means if a festival is cancelled or the lineup is changed you’re entitled to a complete refund.
He does however set out some pretty clear guidelines on the issue. First, the lineup has to be pretty different to what was announced and if you buy the ticket after the lineup changes you aren’t entitled to a refund.
You may also get your money back if you would have never attended the festival in the first place had you known about the changes, but your chances of getting your money back drastically decrease if you attend the festival for any amount of time.
Bauer gives a few easy precautions you can take to ensure that your rights are protected in case a festival folds last minute, or changes its lineup dramatically:
- Pay with a credit card so you can prove you’ve paid for the ticket;
- Only buy from trustworthy wholesalers;
- Make sure to keep a receipt as proof of purchase and;
- Read the terms and conditions to make sure you know what you’re agreeing too (it’s tedious, but if you’re spending hundreds of dollars on a ticket, it’s probably worth it)
Bauer also recommends punters do their research and Google the name of the festival or the promoter to see if there’s been any red flags in the past. You can also keep an eye on Tone Deaf, a trusted source of Aussie music industry news. Just sayin’
