Big Day Out organisers have detailed their refund process on their website, following the announcement that Beady Eye, Deftones, and The Hives have been added to BDO 2014. Organisers previously stated that refunds would be offered to fans unhappy with the changes.
After former co-headliner Blur announced their cancelation, Big Day Out CEO Adam Zammit assured fans via Twitter, that his company would “do the honourable thing.” However the terms and conditions of BDO tickets are quite clear about which circumstances allow for refunds:
“If you no longer wish to attend the event due to the change in the headline act…and provide the original ticket(s) and proof of purchase, We will refund to you the ticket price inclusive of booking fees but exclusive of delivery or mail fees and or any Processing Surcharge.”
Meanwhile, promoter AJ Maddah remained adamant about giving punters value for money and honouring the integrity of the ticket, saying, “We’re hoping to announce our replacements this week…and at that point if anyone’s not satisfied they will be able to get an immediate refund.”
In the interests of consumer protection and the proverbial Aussie “fair go,” Music Feeds has examined each of the newly announced Blur replacements, to see if they will indeed compensate for the lack of woo-hoo-ing come festival season. Keep in mind, Maddah said he would’ve added two bands regardless of Blur’s cancelation: “I was going to add 2 bands before Blur even fell out.”
It’s unclear just who will be Blur’s direct replacement as all three bands appear to be sharing billing on the newly released event poster. However, Maddah recently tweeted that he’d previously seen Blur’s “direct replacement” perform in London, a description that matches Beady Eye.
The decision to have Beady Eye come on to do the job Blur couldn’t is one so logical, Alan Turing would be proud. Made up of former members of arguably Britpop’s most successful band, Oasis, Beady Eye have been garnering praise for precise, dynamic live shows and gritty songcraft.
Meanwhile Sacramento’s favourite alt-metal act, Deftones, have one of the most devoted followings in metal and make up for an unfortunate lack of heavy bands on the BDO 2014 roster. Their in-the-pocket performances are consistently lauded for their dynamism and familial atmosphere.
Speaking of dynamism, Swedes The Hives pack some heavy artillery in that department. Their secret weapon goes by the name of Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, who employs the charm of The Devil and the conditioning of a UFC fighter to beat audiences into submission.
For those still unsatisfied, the Big Day Out website’s new ‘Refunds‘ page outlines the refund process for ticket-holders: “Refunds are available until Monday January 6, 2014, and to the original purchaser only,” for fans who are “unsatisfied with the alterations to our 2014 lineup.”
The refund process is different depending on the avenue of purchase––Oztix, General Pants, or Ticketmaster. For each, only the person who made the original order is permitted to request a refund, and funds are refunded to the original credit card or bank account used to purchase.
For all details, head to the official Big Day Out 2014 Refunds page. Stay up to date with all the news surrounding Big Day Out 2014 at our special Feed here, and all of the intrigue surrounding Blur’s acrimonious cancellation at our ‘Blur Cancel Big Day Out’ Feed, here.
