New Zealanders who purchased tickets to JuicyFest say they are still waiting for refunds after the concerts were abruptly cancelled in late December.
Disgruntled ticket holders claim JuicyFest organisers have ignored emails and messages, while ticketing platform TicketFairy has said it cannot process refunds until the festival’s promoters release the funds.
A Christchurch resident, who spent $1,500 on four VIP tickets, told ChrisLynchMedia.com she was frustrated by the lack of communication.
“JuicyFest are now either blocking or not returning our messages, not returning emails,” she said. “We’re all so worried these promoters are going to just take our money and run.”
A Facebook group dedicated to the refund saga has attracted hundreds of members, with customers sharing similar experiences.
Some claim they are still waiting for refunds from previous events run by the same promoters.
JuicyFest had been scheduled to bring R&B and hip-hop artists to Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch, and Whangārei in early January.
However, all New Zealand dates were cancelled in December, with organisers blaming “targeted efforts to stop R&B festivals” as one of the reasons.
Ticket holders were promised refunds, but many say they have received no money and little communication.
Meanwhile, JuicyFest’s Australian concerts went ahead as planned, further fueling concerns from New Zealand fans who feel abandoned.
In a January 17 response to a ticket holder, JuicyFest organisers said:
“Please know the refund process has started. We will be working through this process in the coming weeks to ensure your refund is processed as soon as possible. Again, we’d like to humbly ask for your patience as we do this. This is not an easy task with thousands of customers across multiple events and multiple payment methods. We are working through this to ensure you receive your refunds in an appropriate time frame.”
A separate email sent to ticket holders in early February also reassured customers that an update would be provided in late February:
“We wanted to send this email to ensure you all that this remains strong on our radar, and we continue to work on this. We will have this information to you as promised this month.”
JuicyFest organisers have been approached for comment, but have yet to publicly address the ongoing refund delays.
On December 20, JuicyFest organisers announced in a press release that the New Zealand leg of the tour had been cancelled, promising refunds but warning the process could take weeks.
“After much consideration, we’ve had to make the difficult call to cancel Juicy Fest in New Zealand and we will be working through the refund process,” organisers said.
“This situation is solely isolated to Juicy Fest New Zealand and does not impact Juicy Fest Australia, which will go ahead as planned. If any of our New Zealand ticket holders want to transfer their tickets to an Australia show, please let us know and we will make this happen.”
They also claimed “tough opposition” in New Zealand had contributed to the cancellation.
“With the decision to cancel Juicy Fest New Zealand, ticket holders in New Zealand are entitled to be refunded. We will be working through this process, but we’d like to humbly ask for your patience as we do this,” the statement continued.
“This is not an easy task with multiple events and thousands of customers. Due to working through this during the festive season when many businesses have a shutdown period, this may be weeks away. All going well, we will have all information regarding the refund process to you all in February.”
A JuicyFest ticket holder told ChrisLynchMedia.com that securing a refund may still be possible by lodging a payment dispute with their bank.
According to the customer, banks require proof that a refund has not been issued before they can intervene. Once verified, the bank contacts the merchant directly and can force the payment reversal.
