Soundwave ticket holders angry over refund debacle after festival cancelled

CONFUSION reigns over who is liable for refunding tickets to the three cancelled Soundwave festivals.

21/02/15 Soundwave Festival at Bonython Pk. photo Calum Robertson

SOUNDWAVE ticket holders will be reimbursed when payments that should have been kept in a trust by the promoter are returned to the ticket seller, the manager of Eventopia says.

Confusion reigns over who is liable for refunding tickets to the three cancelled Soundwave festivals in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, after the organiser and the ticket seller both pointed to each other.

Organiser AJ Maddah, who announced on Thursday that the hard rock music festivals scheduled for January would not go ahead, first used his Twitter account to direct fans to Eventopia.

The ticket seller fired back with a letter directing out-of-pocket fans to ask the promoter for their money.

And in an interview with music website Fasterlouder, Eventopia general manager Martin Curnow said proceeds from Soundwave ticket sales should have been in a trust held by Maddah, as part of what he’s said is standard industry practice.

Soundwave and former Big Day Out promoter AJ Maddah.

“AJ is in breach of his contract,” he said. “AJ is responsible for returning the funds and, according to our contract, those funds should be held in trust. AJ has the money.”

Maddah said Eventopia knew he wasn’t holding money he had been given in trust.

“They advanced money toward artist deposits and costs,” he said. “They are fully aware and trying to slime their way out of obligation.”

Maddah has also taken to Twitter, writing: “Go to your credit card provider and they will charge-back it if eventopia refuse to refund”.

In another post he wrote, “SEVEN HUNDRED MILLION DOLLAR CORPORATION trying to get out of refunding fans and heaping it on broke promoter via dirt tactics”.

Choice’s director of communications Matt Levey said he had seen the Twitter exchange and also the responses by disgruntled and concerned ticket holders.

He said it’s best for ticket holders to approach their bank and ask for a “charge back”, although the terms and conditions for refunds differs between each financial institution.

“If you paid for your Soundwave ticket by credit card, then a very good option would be to seek charge back through your credit card provider,” Levey told AAP.

“You are better exercising that option whatever the outcome (between the organiser and ticket seller).”

A performer at Soundwave Festival. Picture: Calum Robertson.

The big four banks, ANZ, Commonwealth, NAB and Westpac all have different time limits on customers lodging complaints to seek a charge back, according to the terms and conditions posted online.

Customers with NAB should apply for a charge back within 90 days of the transaction, while Westpac and Commonwealth have a 30-day window and ANZ offers two months grace.

All four banks state that after the time elapses, they may not be able to assist with a charge back.

Levey said charge back was not uniform across the industry. “It’s not a standardised thing,” he said.

“Where we often see it is in travel, where they have paid for a cruise or something and the provider goes insolvent and there have been issues there because of the period in which charge back expires.”

Maddah has blamed the “internet hate squad” and trolls for poor ticket sales, forcing him to cancel the series of hard rock festivals.

One fed-up fan tweeted to Maddah: “doesn’t matter who is at fault I just want my money back. I am not losing 600 dollars. What now?”