Protocol for race refunds due to date changes

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

What is the protocol for offering refunds for a race which has the dates moved and the revised race dates do not suit. I registered 3 people for a race through RunIreland and they moved it due to weather conditions. I have emailed the race organiser and the official line i am getting is that i will not get a refund rather a free place the next time they plan to run the race which could be next year.

Surely this is unacceptable?

tunney

Griffin Scruffy Actress wrote: »

What is the protocol for offering refunds for a race which has the dates moved and the revised race dates do not suit. I registered 3 people for a race through RunIreland and they moved it due to weather conditions. I have emailed the race organiser and the official line i am getting is that i will not get a refund rather a free place the next time they plan to run the race which could be next year.

Surely this is unacceptable?

Name and shame. Let people vote with their feet in future years.

plodder

It is unacceptable. You could threaten the small claims court. It's extremely easy to make a claim, though it costs €15. I recently got 80 euro out of Ryanair. So, it does work.

RoyMcC

The organisers might be in a difficult position here. They will have incurred at least some costs of staging the event and they may not be financially in a position to make full refunds. And if you start refunding a few entrants then really you have to offer a refund to all.

Not saying it's right, just that it might be difficult.

Btw I am not the organiser

guapos

The Jingle Bells 5k organisers have said they will refund but it will take a while

plodder

Yeah, I'd just add it would depend on the event, whether I'd actually look for a refund. If it was "genuinely" organised by a club or charity I probably wouldn't.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

tunney wrote: »

Name and shame. Let people vote with their feet in future years.

I will name them later but just waiting to hear back from them on the last mail i have sent. I think it is utter bollix btw if they move the date and the date does not suit it's hardly my fault and i would expect a full refund.

baza1976

RoyMcC wrote: »

The organisers might be in a difficult position here. They will have incurred at least some costs of staging the event and they may not be financially in a position to make full refunds. And if you start refunding a few entrants then really you have to offer a refund to all.

Not saying it's right, just that it might be difficult.

Btw I am not the organiser

Sorry Roy, You are usually the voice of reason.
But thats bxllxx. Everyone who has paid are in a difficult position and have incurred a cost not mention the handling fee!!!! Put on top of that the current economical climate where people are already finding it hard to make things meet and even more so with Christmas coming. Events are fast enough to take it!!!!!

Nothing personal Roy.

RoyMcC

Baza let's say

Entry fees taken €1,000 (100 runners @ €10 each)
Costs incurred €750
Money in bank €250

You are the organiser. You intend to refund everyone how exactly?

And sorry but a race entry fee is a non-essential and shouldn't lead to the runner's family going hungry.

another world

Would they not have insurance to cover these sort of occurrences? I would have thought they should

kennyb3

What about if 2 races are re-arranged and both fall on the same day (possibility of aware and waterford half both on 18th now).

RoyMcC

another world wrote: »

Would they not have insurance to cover these sort of occurrences? I would have thought they should

I believe that weather (Pluvius) insurance is pretty expensive and only economical for bigger events. But yes, it's something that organisers ought to be considering perhaps.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

RoyMcC wrote: »

Baza let's say

Entry fees taken €1,000 (100 runners @ €10 each)
Costs incurred €750
Money in bank €250

You are the organiser. You intend to refund everyone how exactly?

And sorry but a race entry fee is a non-essential and shouldn't lead to the runner's family going hungry.

I get your point but why should i be out of pocket? I committed and paid up to race on a certain day which has now been moved to a date which i cannot make. No doubt there are costs incurred but thats the risk organisers take when planning events around winter.

On the bolded bit i am happy to pay €75 (albeit slightly pricey for 3 entries) to run a race but not so happy giving away €75 for the craic!! A bit like paying for a meal without eating the food don't you think.

Still no response back from the organiser from my last two e-mails.

RoyMcC

I absolutely see your point too, and you should at least be expecting replies to your emails and some sort of explanation if a refund cannot be made.

Just by way of further illustration of how an organiser can be boxed into a corner with the best will in the world. Three years ago I organised my 9th Jersey Half-Marathon which attracts a good crowd from the UK. In addition to the small entry fee these people had paid for flights and hotels. The weather was hellish on the morning of the race - sub-zero temperatures, freezing wind and rain. The last seven miles is along the exposed south coast road. In retrospect I should have called the thing off - as it was we had three hospitalised.

Had I cancelled I (or more correctly the club) would have faced big monetary claims which we would have had to pay or contest. These concerns overruled the health & safety aspect - we took the stance of warning the runners and letting them make the choice.

Just saying that no one's a winner in these circumstances.

nerraw1111

You would always like to give the benefit of the doubt to the race organiser, particularly if an event is rescheduled due to bad weather. Wouldn't like to see an organiser up s***'s creek because of it.

But ultimately, a race organiser should give you a refund when asked. E20 won't see somone in the poor house but it's still a week's worth of milk or whatever.

I think the small claims court would side on the customer's part.

BeepBeep67

I think I'd probably take a different view depending if it was a club run event or a commercial enterprise (who should have this built in it's contingencies). At the very least I'd expect this year's goodie bag (posted to me) and an entry for next year's or another event by the same organisers.

Oisin11178

RoyMcC wrote: »

I absolutely see your point too, and you should at least be expecting replies to your emails and some sort of explanation if a refund cannot be made.

Just by way of further illustration of how an organiser can be boxed into a corner with the best will in the world. Three years ago I organised my 9th Jersey Half-Marathon which attracts a good crowd from the UK. In addition to the small entry fee these people had paid for flights and hotels. The weather was hellish on the morning of the race - sub-zero temperatures, freezing wind and rain. The last seven miles is along the exposed south coast road. In retrospect I should have called the thing off - as it was we had three hospitalised.

Had I cancelled I (or more correctly the club) would have faced big monetary claims which we would have had to pay or contest. These concerns overruled the health & safety aspect - we took the stance of warning the runners and letting them make the choice.

Just saying that no one's a winner in th

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Got sorted in the end thanks to Run Ireland with a refund on it's way. Not even an email back from the organiser on the refund query but yet they were good enough to send a generic e-mail on the race with eveyones mail address viewable:rolleyes:
10k Heath organisers are obviously having a laugh.