In this climate, how does ATG not melt with shame?
You’ll probably have seen — how could you have missed — Sunday in the Park with George, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, has postponed opening to 2021 as Theatreland’s closure continues.
Theatre has always been a cash-flow positive business; audiences typically pay months in advance for a show experience.
Sunday in the Park with George
I had two tickets for a preview to Sunday in the Park with George.
This email arrived in my inbox.
“You do not need to do anything right now. We will be contacting all affected customers shortly with a full credit voucher worth the entire cost of your original booking, including all fees.”
Credit voucher?!
“You will be the first to be notified with the new season dates and will be able to redeem your voucher against tickets for any future performance of Sunday In The Park With George, as soon as the new booking period for 2021 has been finalised.”
WHAT
“The demand for this production has been unprecedented’ ATG’s appeal for our sympathy continues, “and as a valued ticket holder for this production, please stay tuned for exclusive content, behind the scenes looks, and casting news.”
‘Valued ticket holder’. Christ alive.
Ultimately, it is hard to see ATG’s handling of refund requests as anything less than misrepresenting their legal obligation to refund their customers.
For hard-up customers trying to get their hard-earned money back from ATG is the equivalent of wrestling a pig.
Instead of the coronavirus crisis bringing some kind of reckoning, certain parts of the industry are simply now suffering from their own virus and their very survival.
It comes as little surprise, then, that ATG, as with many other ticketing operators are offering credit vouchers as an alternative in the hope audiences will want to see a show when normal life resumes.
Credit vouchers will be worthless in the event that ATG collapses – this affects your legal rights, comrades.
So, I suggest people state explicitly that they want their money back in full and ask when they can expect the cash to be returned.
Something like this:
“I understand that my show [order number] on [date] has been cancelled postponed indefinitely and I therefore request a full refund. Please advise when I can expect to receive my money. For the avoidance of doubt, I do not accept a credit voucher.”
You are absolutely entitled to a cash refund by law, so for now continue to turn down any offers of an ATG credit voucher and insist on a refund.
Trustworthiness is at stake here and for ATG, the days of being able to just style it out with drinks vouchers and ‘priority booking’ may be numbered.
Useful contacts
ATG Customer services
help@atgtickets.com
ATG CEO
Markcornell@theambassadors.com
