Refunded ticket price but not booking fee

Fletch123

I booked cinema tickets with my credit card last Friday but when we arrived at the cinema (to collect the tickets and then see the film) we were told that it was closed due to a power failure and that we could phone them the next day for a refund onto the credit card. It was annoying having a let down of an evening as well as paying for luas tickets for a wasted trip but fair enough, these things happen.

I called all day on Saturday, no answer. Called on Monday- I was told that they couldn't find my booking but that it was probably a glitch on the computer and that he would call me back. He didn't. I called the next day and during a very short phonecall they found the booking and said that it would be refunded immediately.

Just checked my account and they refunded me the ticket price but not the booking fee. Yes, it's 80cent, not a significant amount of money at all. However I feel really annoyed that they wouldn't refund this amount out as by way of a good will gesture.

Tried calling them again but no answer- I'll try during office hours tomorrow, but any opinions? Is this a case of 'it's in the small print'?

Gummy Panda

Which cinema was it?

axer

Fletch123 wrote: »

Is this a case of 'it's in the small print'?

No, you are 100% entitled to the full amount. They should be giving you free tickets at this point for doing that.

jhegarty

Service not provided , full refund. No question.

JohnC.

jhegarty wrote: »

Service not provided , full refund. No question.

Would it not be like the way Ticketmaster work? The service in question being making the booking, which was provided? I know it's little consolation, but that is how other service charges (and their non-refund) are justified. It's an extra service which has been provided and is separate from the ticket for admission to the movie.

axer

Kahless wrote: »

Would it not be like the way Ticketmaster work? The service in question being making the booking, which was provided? I know it's little consolation, but that is how other service charges (and their non-refund) are justified. It's an extra service which has been provided and is separate from the ticket for admission to the movie.

no even with ticketmaster - no concert = 100% refund including booking fee. no question about it.

Ludo

Similar thing happened to me in the cinema in Dundrum town centre a while back. Movie kept getting stuck and after the third ten minute interruption and missing parts of it, we left and looked for a refund. They refunded the money to credit card but said they could not refund the 80cent booking fee...tossers. Wanted me to fill out forms to get it back. There was no point in gicing out to the "manager" as he looked like a school kid...he can't have been more than 20.
Didn't bother and never went back there again and never will.

calex71

been refunded by ticketmaster several times for canceled shows and always have received the booking fee in the refund.
It's only 80c but there is a principle here .

Fletch123

Well,I'm glad that others agree that it's the principle of the 80c

I called them again, wasn't a great phonecall to be honest, not sure if the girl understood me, had to repeat myself a few times. She didn't apologise but she did say she would sort it out. I have to wait another few days now till it shows up on my online account (till Tuesday actually because of the weekend).

This is turning into a saga. I think I'll send them an email outlining the whole story. At worst at least they're informed of what's going (could be a staff training issue). At best they might pass on some complimentary cinema tickets

Thanks for the comments guys! I'll keep you posted if I don't get my 80c back

Fletch123

Right, no sign of the 80cent on my online account and no contact from the cinema. I'm going to call them tomorrow to speak to the manager but what should my approach be? This will be the fourth time calling them for a refund and every time previous I have been polite and understanding. Should I turn on my impatient tone and start making demands?

Also, should I email them the story so far just so my complaint is in print?

axer

Fletch123 wrote: »

Right, no sign of the 80cent on my online account and no contact from the cinema. I'm going to call them tomorrow to speak to the manager but what should my approach be? This will be the fourth time calling them for a refund and every time previous I have been polite and understanding. Should I turn on my impatient tone and start making demands?

Also, should I email them the story so far just so my complaint is in print?

Maybe you should contact your credit card provider and do a charge back since that costs the cinema money and make a complaint regarding this business to the mastercard or visa for them holding onto unauthorised funds.

Fletch123

Well, they finally refunded me the 80c. Tad annoying that it took that much upheaval to get a standard refund back.

Thanks for the advice all!

Run_to_da_hills

You should contact Joe Duffy, if 300 people turned up for that cinema show thats 300 x .80 or e240 profit they made for showing nothing.

whippet

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

You should contact Joe Duffy, if 300 people turned up for that cinema show thats 300 x .80 or e240 profit they made for showing nothing.

Profit? they would have lost a hell of a lot more due to the incident, consider all the admin time and charges to process the refunds, the merchant charges on the credit card transactions, paying staff who arrived for work and had to go home .......

Tefral

Fletch123 wrote: »

I booked cinema tickets with my credit card last Friday but when we arrived at the cinema (to collect the tickets and then see the film) we were told that it was closed due to a power failure and that we could phone them the next day for a refund onto the credit card. It was annoying having a let down of an evening as well as paying for luas tickets for a wasted trip but fair enough, these things happen.

I called all day on Saturday, no answer. Called on Monday- I was told that they couldn't find my booking but that it was probably a glitch on the computer and that he would call me back. He didn't. I called the next day and during a very short phonecall they found the booking and said that it would be refunded immediately.

Just checked my account and they refunded me the ticket price but not the booking fee. Yes, it's 80cent, not a significant amount of money at all. However I feel really annoyed that they wouldn't refund this amount out as by way of a good will gesture.

Tried calling them again but no answer- I'll try during office hours tomorrow, but any opinions? Is this a case of 'it's in the small print'?

Same happened me, went to see public enemies in the same cinema, was refunded the full amount

bcirl03

Good on ya Fletch123, sticking with it and getting your money back. If only we all did this.

Similar thing happened to me in a Vue in Liffey Valley. Booked tickets for Saturday night show, picked aisle seat for the two of us. Turned up and the movie was moved to a different screen and we were now sitting by the wall. Went up to the ticket desk and requested my booking fee back, happy to see the movie but on principal part of the service fee I paid for was for an aisle seat. Took me 15 minutes of arguing with the manager (who must have been just out of nappies). Got it in the end refusing to fill out any forms. Since then I don’t go to Vue but that’s another long thread of issues.

Paying for a service fee I expect 100% no matter how much.

I'm sorry but for 80cent, why didn't you just go in to the cinema yourself instead of ringing in, and asking for it back in coins?

Oh and passing age comments against a manager isn't fair whatsoever. If anything that is being ageist (yes, it works both ways). Just because they're not as old as you are doesn't mean they're not capable of doing they're job. Especially when they have been told by their higher-ups that they aren't allowed to do this sort of thing (I'm not saying that it's right or wrong, it's just annoying).

bcirl03

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm sorry but for 80cent, why didn't you just go in to the cinema yourself instead of ringing in, and asking for it back in coins?

Oh and passing age comments against a manager isn't fair whatsoever. If anything that is being ageist (yes, it works both ways). Just because they're not as old as you are doesn't mean they're not capable of doing they're job. Especially when they have been told by their higher-ups that they aren't allowed to do this sort of thing (I'm not saying that it's right or wrong, it's just annoying).

Who said I rang - READ MY POST

And eh you sound like someone from VUE. You should work there!

Run_to_da_hills

whippet wrote: »

Profit? they would have lost a hell of a lot more due to the incident, consider all the admin time and charges to process the refunds, the merchant charges on the credit card transactions, paying staff who arrived for work and had to go home .......

Thats their problem, no reason for them to retain anything, Insurance should cover their short falls. (If they have such thing as event cover).

ZiMZuM

bcirl03 wrote: »

Who said I rang - READ MY POST

And eh you sound like someone from VUE. You should work there!

Ehh i think he was referring to the OP ringing the cinema not eh you...

tallaghtoutlaws

bcirl03 wrote: »

Good on ya Fletch123, sticking with it and getting your money back. If only we all did this.

Similar thing happened to me in a Vue in Liffey Valley. Booked tickets for Saturday night show, picked aisle seat for the two of us. Turned up and the movie was moved to a different screen and we were now sitting by the wall. Went up to the ticket desk and requested my booking fee back, happy to see the movie but on principal part of the service fee I paid for was for an aisle seat. Took me 15 minutes of arguing with the manager (who must have been just out of nappies). Got it in the end refusing to fill out any forms. Since then I don’t go to Vue but that’s another long thread of issues.

Paying for a service fee I expect 100% no matter how much.

Correct me if im wrong but isnt the service for credit card bookings? And the fee is for the privilige of being able to pay with card? Banks charge cinema, cinema charge you type thing?

If you pay cash you dont pay a service charge am I correct? If I am say I paid with cash in your instance what would I demand back? See where Im going with this? If I were the cinema I would have not backed down to be honest over the service charge as the "service charge" relates to the service of using a card and not anything else.

In your instance you should have fought for a full refund and walked out to be honest. By staying there to watch the movie you really showed them nothing.

You and the OP have very different experience and grounds in fairness.

As for the age thing I managed a store when I was 18 and always looked young until the facial hair kicked in Referencing someones age is unneccessary in fairness as someone else pointed out.

rubadub

whippet wrote: »

Profit? they would have lost a hell of a lot more due to the incident, consider all the admin time and charges to process the refunds, the merchant charges on the credit card transactions, paying staff who arrived for work and had to go home .......

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Thats their problem, no reason for them to retain anything, Insurance should cover their short falls. (If they have such thing as event cover).

Exactly, you don't go charging customers to cover your losses. They could have swtiched it and said 80cent was the ticket price and €10 was the booking fee they were retaining. Whats to stop them?

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

Banks charge cinema, cinema charge you type thing?

That might be illegal, I'm not sure. I don't think shops can directly add on the CC charges, some might do it on the sly, and some customers might try it which I think is also illegal. i.e. blackmailing a shop saying "give me a cash discount or I am going to use my CC and you will have to pay the fees".

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

If you pay cash you dont pay a service charge am I correct? If I am say I paid with cash in your instance what would I demand back? See where Im going with this?

With say ticketmaster you pay booking fees, and service charges and CC charges etc. If you pay cash in HMV they get an agents fee, if the gig is cancelled you get this back, even though HMV have provided more of a service, i.e. the admin involved in refunds. If you buy online it costs even more, but again you get a full refund.

The guy paid a booking fee and the seats were not booked for him.

tallaghtoutlaws

rubadub wrote: »

Exactly, you don't go charging customers to cover your losses. They could have swtiched it and said 80cent was the ticket price and €10 was the booking fee they were retaining. Whats to stop them?


That might be illegal, I'm not sure. I don't think shops can directly add on the CC charges, some might do it on the sly, and some customers might try it which I think is also illegal. i.e. blackmailing a shop saying "give me a cash discount or I am going to use my CC and you will have to pay the fees".



With say ticketmaster you pay booking fees, and service charges and CC charges etc. If you pay cash in HMV they get an agents fee, if the gig is cancelled you get this back, even though HMV have provided more of a service, i.e. the admin involved in refunds. If you buy online it costs even more, but again you get a full refund.

The guy paid a booking fee and the seats were not booked for him.

UCI call it a card handling fee:

http://www.uci.ie/fanatic/terms_of_use/#term10

15# The Prices of the tickets are those displayed on the Website from time to time, during the ordering process, except in cases of obvious error. In addition to the ticket price a Card Handling Fee (levied by Bookit Ltd (a member of the ODEON Group which acts as an agent of the relevant company in paragraph 14 above) in consideration for processing your credit/debit card transaction with its bankers), is payable on online and telephone transactions, and this will be notified to you during the ordering process. All prices and fees include any applicable Value Added Tax. For users in the United Kingdom all prices are in pounds sterling, and for users in the Republic of Ireland, all prices are in Euros.

And so do VUE

http://myvue.ie/cinemas/terms_and_conditions.asp?SessionID=88D97363011843649AA8F5D5FB564CD4&cn=1&ci=60&ln=1

5. For tickets purchased online and by telephone, a card handling fee is payable in addition to the ticket price. This will be notified to you at the time and point of purchase. The card handling fee is charged by Vue Booking Services Limited (a member of the Vue Group which acts as an agent of Vue Services Limited) in consideration for processing your credit/debit card transanction with it's bankers.

Fletch123

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm sorry but for 80cent, why didn't you just go in to the cinema yourself instead of ringing in, and asking for it back in coins?

Because I would have had to pay for another Luas fare to go to the cinema to ask for 80c. Phone call is cheaper than Luas fare.

Anyway, matter was resolved. If the cinema had explained to me that I wouldn't be getting my booking fee back when getting the refund, I may have accepted it, but they didn't. As cronin_j said, he got the full refund so it must have been a glitch with my refund (it was the same movie and incident by the way). Got my 80c so I'm happy!