to be absolutely fucking fuming with the Eden Project

[Shiftinglard]

Every year, the Eden Project have bands playing. The tickets are mega dear - £35 each + £5 booking. You are not allowed to take anything food or drink wise in (soft or alcoholic), and have to buy drinks tokens to buy their overpriced drinks. Their food is hideously expensive, i.e. £6 for a slice of pizza.

Anyway, I bought six tickets to take the whole family and two of my son's friends to see Chase and Status for his birthday in July, the concert is July 4th. Eden project have now sent an email out saying they have reduced prices to £20 each, meaning I have spent £90 more than any later purchasers. To add insult to injury, some people pay a premium to have advance purchasing of tickets so they are even more out of pocket.

I have contacted the box office, they will not be refunding any of the earlier purchsers.

This is grossly unfair, does anyone know if there is any comeback or I have to suck it up and just not line the money grabbing bastards pockets again?

PS they really piss me off, they make a big song and dance about how "ethical" they are, they are just into fleecing families.

I'd complain to high heaven and see if you can get some food vouchers out of them for the hassle x

Weeeel, you new they were mega dear, etc, but bought them anyway.

I'm afaid it's tough luck really, though it is crap.

Why not just avoid them?

It sounds as though they are stuggling to sell tickets. They are hardly likely to refund early purchasers and lose still more money.

It's like booking early for a holiday, you pay more than you might if you waited for a last minute booking, but really you're paying for peace of mind, knowing you have a ticket.

I think tickets are a bit like flight or holiday prices. You buy them early if you want/need to and pay the face value. If you leave it closer to the date they might be cheaper, they might be more expensive or might be sold out and you can't get them at all. Presumably C&S were less popular than expected so they've dropped the price to sell more.

Well, it's like buying something in the shops & seeing in the sale a month later.

Cross post with Obiwan.

Now I could be wrong here but...

It used to be that if you bought something using visa or MasterCard, and you found it cheaper within a certain timescale, they would refund the difference. I used it once with a leather jacket that was reduced in the sale two days later - but that was in 1997

Dunno if they still do this, or if it would apply to tickets?

£5 booking fee? God that makes me fume on its own. I just wouldn't pay out that sort of money, full stop.

I hope it doesn't rain, the eden concerts are pretty crummy when it rains.

Why pay the money in the first place if you're going to whinge about the price of tickets and the ridiculous prices of food and drink?

Do you not think that people like you are the reason they get away with charging prices like that in the first place?

I doubt you can do anything about the cheaper tickets...the same as you couldn't do anything about Airlines selling cheaper tickets when they know they're not going to fill up the plane.

So many things are different prices at different times or to different people, hotel rooms, train tickets, bus tickets, flight costs, even food in the supermarkets changes price as it gets near its sell by date and the price is reduced.

It sounds shit and overpriced but you bought them knowing all you know. You are not unreasonable to feel annoyed but its kind of a case of tough shit.

You knew they were expensive though...
It's not uncommon for places to reduce the cost of tickets if they are not selling well. Did you read the T&Cs? I've heard people moan about the premium, but that is a decisions they have made.
I think if you call, you will just be reminded that they are a charity.
Hope you enjoy the concert, I have seen some great acts there and loved it (plus, I have taken my own food and seen families eat picnics during the concert....)

Omg. I'm such a prat! All this time I thought it was Jason status . I'm turning into an embarrassing mum. Thanks op, sorry about your ticket ishoo though.

That's the price you were willing to pay and that's the price you got them for.

It's like you buying a dress for £50, a week later it's in the sale.

They've done nothing wrong. They're just trying to clear 'stock' as it were.

They aren't "money grabbing bastards". As has been said, you paid an amount you were prepared to pay. The fact that they've had to reduce them as they've not sold is just tough.

they must be struggling to fill the concert, which means they are at danger or or already likely to lose money on this. they are not a big company despite all their recent success, and they employ a lot of people directly and they make a big impact on the tourism market and local dependent businesses - why would you wish them into financial difficulty? just because you now regret buying tickets at full face value.

You've taken the risk that anyone takes when booking early in order to secure tickets. Although I'd question how good this concert is going to be if they're now reducing the ticket price so drastically.

Sounds like a con to me. Most of the so-called "ethical" firms are, look at innocent smoothies for example. They are just out to take the money of gullible lefties.

I'm surprised at how unsympathic everyone is.

I would be pretty cross in your situation OP - I think people in general know that flights and holidays might be cheaper at the last minute but I've never heard of concert tickets coming down in price.

I don't think the fact that you thought it was expensive anyway is really the point, it's a birthday treat and sometimes we pay over the odds for those but it doesn't stop you being mightily pissed off to find out the price has come down.

Keep complaining, you might get a refund. It would certainly make me think twice about going to a concert at the Eden Project. Are they on Twitter - maybe a bt of bad publicity might make them think again.

Josephine CD

what have I missed about innocent smoothies? Great marketing but didn't think they were that bad?

I remember there was some furore about them selling a majority share in the company to Coca-Cola.

well the main issue with innocent smoothies is that they are pasturised - so the quality of the smoothie is nothing like that of a freshly made one. Of course their marketing would have you believe they are the best thing available .....

but I digress

I can see why you are PO'ed OP, but really you thought it was worth the price when you bought the tickets - so you are just going to have to suck it up. I agree with the dress on sale analogy. If the weather had been hot and sunny for the last month it would be sold out and there would be bidding wars on ebay.

Here this should make you feel better - someone paid £515 for £20 worth of tickets to the Battersea park Jubilee Party - I went. It was a complete wash out. If it had been sunny it would have been the most marvellous party ever. (we still had a good time but we got very wet).