to think they should refund us for these tickets

[alloalloallo]

We usually go to a music festival most years.

We bought tickets in August/September 2019 for the 2020 festival - they do an early bird offer and we go with a big group of friends so we buy the tickets then as they’re substantially reduced.

Covid hit and obviously the 2020 festival didn’t happen so the tickets were rolled over for this year.

The festival have just released their Covid policy and they require you to either have had both jabs, with the second jab at least 2 weeks before the festival, or a lateral flow test within 72 hours of the festival.

DH and I have already had both jabs and DD1 and her boyfriend will have had her second one in time.

DD2 and her boyfriend are 16 and have had their first jabs, but won’t have had their second jab in time.

The problem we have, is that DD2 has Tourette’s and the type and severity of her tics mean that we can’t get a test anywhere near her - we’ve tried about a billion times and short of full on restraining her, it’s just not happening.

I’ve emailed the festival and I’m just getting nowhere - they just keep referring me to their Covid policy FAQs, so I asked for a refund, but get referred to the no-refund parts of their Ts and Cs

We could sell the tickets, but local selling pages are usually awash with them and we’d never get the ticket value back

We can’t be the only ones in this position, so just wondering what others have found

Thanks!

Considering the lateral flow tests are so crap it seems a bloody ridiculous thing anyway. I know so many friends who got negatives when positive that I just don't trust them at all

Yeah I'd have someone else do the test for her or have her spit/blow her nose into a tissue and test that.

Thanks

We tried spitting into a tissue when she was supposed to do them for school and couldn’t get the control line - we have loads of the tests here still so will give them another go.

We can always do the test for her.

After a year of this with masks and tests for various things, it’s just so frustrating that these things aren’t ever considered

As far as I understand it the current policy is for 16 and 17 year olds to be offered one vaccine only. This may well change after the role out of the first but under the current policy 1 vaccine in this age group IS fully vaccinated. Can you contact the festival and see if they can amend for this reason?

Assuming this is Victorious? Have you spoken to any of them as i imagine the emails are coming in thick and fast and they're only giving stock responses. I hope you manage to work something out as everyone needs this festival. Praying for the weather of 2 years ago!

There are ways around this without spending hours on the admin trying to officially get around the t&c’s…

@Sparklfairy

When is the festival? When did DD have her first jab? Can she got to a walk in and get the second dose early? I went at 8 weeks but my walk in was doing from 4 weeks (pfizer).

16 to 17 are only been offered one jab and then the NHS classes them as full vaccinated.

It’s not Victorious. It’s not a particularly large festival

I’ve been trying for a couple of weeks to speak to someone but not getting anywhere

The replies seem to be actual replies rather than auto responses - they’re addressed to me by name and refer to my query but just link me to the Covid policy FAQs every time

We’ve got a few weeks yet so will just keep trying

If it's Victorious, the proof of LFT they want seems to be confirmation that it's been reported via the NHS site. The only proof the NHS wants seems to be the serial number of the test and you reporting that you've taken it and it's negative. Seems a bit mad to me, I don't see how that is conceivably proof of the result of the test.

Sorry, cross-post.

My mistake @Pissinthepottyplease

If it’s NHS confirmation of a result from a LFT they’re wanting, you don’t even need to do the test. Scan it and log it as negative.

I’ll point out that this isn’t something I’ve done but a complete flaw in the whole ‘proof of test’ rules.

just fake the test

It does sound like they are discriminating and she should be exempt due to her disability however the easier, less stressful option would be to take the test for her or do the test without swabbing. The actual test won't know you haven't stuck it up her nose. Like you say the chances of her being positive if you're all testing are slim and majority at the festival will indeed be double vaxxed. You can always raise the discrimination thing later if it's something you want to address.

Can she get her second jab at a walk-in centre? You should be able to just book online and go.

@icedcoffees

Can she get her second jab at a walk-in centre? You should be able to just book online and go.

16yos aren't eligible for second jabs yet.

Just fake the test , ridiculous rule anyway as it’s so easily flouted .

@Terhou do you know if children need to show an LFT for Victorious? I've looked at all the FAQ's etc but it's unclear.

There are special spit tests you can do - have been looking at them in case kids need them fir travel. Think it’s a company called Halo? Might be worth for future even if not for the festival?

There is no way of verifying a home lfd test result. So if someone were to report a negative then that’s what it is.

@SUPsUP

There are special spit tests you can do - have been looking at them in case kids need them fir travel. Think it’s a company called Halo? Might be worth for future even if not for the festival?

I've done the Halo test, you need a lot of spit! They actually give you instructions on making chewing movements to get your saliva going.

Anyway as plenty of people have said the NHS 'proof' is not exactly fool-proof, I do them properly for work but at a small concert last week some attendees were boasting about faking them and how easy it was.