Festival-goers warned to look out for hidden costs

Bluetonic

Music fans headed to the Electric Picnic festival in Co Laois this weekend have been warned to look out for hidden costs associated with the event.

The organisers are planning to charge €10 for a timetable of when the various acts are going on stage, despite the fact that fans have already paid up to €135 for concert and camping tickets.

Bus Eireann, meanwhile, is charging up to €35 for return tickets from Dublin to the venue at Stradbally Hall.

Consumers Association chief executive Dermot Jewell said this was a disgrace.

"We really do need to grab a lot of things by the scruff of the neck, drag them out into the open and explain that these are unfair, unrealistic prices," he said.

"Consumers can play their part as best they can by ignoring them when possible, but realistically, it's business and the providers of the service who are going to have to acknowledge that they can't continue to charge these stupid and outrageous prices forever."

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2005/09/01/story218771.html

damienom

That's business, get over it.

Happens at all festivals, what do you expect, people will still be stupid enough to buy them

BaZmO*

Bluetonic wrote:

The organisers are planning to charge €10 for a timetable of when the various acts are going on stage, despite the fact that fans have already paid up to €135 for concert and camping tickets.[/url]

I don't think anybody would deny that they are charging too much but the problem is people still buy them. If people refused to buy them one year they'd sure as hell drop the price the following year. Simple supply and demand really.

Bluetonic wrote:

Bus Eireann, meanwhile, is charging up to €35 for return tickets from Dublin to the venue at Stradbally Hall

I personally don't think that's too bad. I live in Clondalkin and if I was to get a taxi into town and then back home on a night out it would cost me €30, so €35 from Dublin to Laois return isn't that bad IMO.

B.

Jim

Eh, this happened at Oxegen.
I don't see the above as "Hidden Charges", esp the bus ticket bit.
If the ticket said "2 Day Camping + Timetable + Transport" then fair enough.

damienom

They'll be charging for food, water and other essentials next......

You've been warned

Jim

damienom wrote:

They'll be charging for food, water and other essentials next......

You've been warned

And giant floppy hats.

damienom

And the air for inside the blow up chairs.......

28064212

With regard to the timetables, I don't have a problem with buying them, they're quite good as a souvenir for €10, bought them both years I was at witnness, even though the timetable was released beforehand. But it's the fact that you basically have to buy them to have any sort of hope of seeing your favourite band, especially ones that are lower on the bill. You shouldn't be forced into buying something that you essentially need.

It's equivalent to paying for a bus ride, then when you get on you're told you have to pay another €10 to find out when your stop is coming up. And the buses window's are blacked out. And you're blindfolded. You could probably guess when to get out, but it's impossible to be sure

GloriaH

If you call them - the number is on the website, you can get the times over the phone and save yourself a tenner!

damienom

Also some of the papers are bound to print a supplement over the weekend, if not check the site

machiavellianme

35 euro is that bad. i live in between portlaoise and stradbally and typically bus eireann to portlaoise is about 12-14 euro return (cheaper with student cards) and several private companies such as o'connells and kavanaghs also serve the town for much the same price.fares to stradbally from portlaoise arent overly expensive and even a taxi from portlaoise normally couldnt cost more than 15 euro.

Gregeri

... perhaps they should look at how the Dutch do it - Cammping at Dance Valley this year - free shuttle bus (not as far out of the way as Elec.Pic was aprox 30mins from Train to Event). Free time tables, free rain ponchos, free plastic garbage bags, cheap water + food for campers...

28064212

damienom wrote:

Also some of the papers are bound to print a supplement over the weekend, if not check the site

I doubt it, pretty sure they didn't for Oxegen. Also, not much good if you're camping at the festival, where are you going to get a paper? And the times aren't on the site, that's what the whole argument is over.

With regard to calling them, what's the number? Is it a premum rate that's going to end up costing you €15? You'd want to be a fairly fast writer to get them all down.

BaZmO*

Gregeri wrote:

... perhaps they should look at how the Dutch do it - Cammping at Dance Valley this year - free shuttle bus (not as far out of the way as Elec.Pic was aprox 30mins from Train to Event). Free time tables, free rain ponchos, free plastic garbage bags, cheap water + food for campers...

That sounds great, but just imagine you were a promoter and you were organising an event and despite the fact you weren't offering all the extras that were at Dance Valley the gig sold out.
Would you bother spending your profits on the punters that were gonna go anyway?

B.

StickyMcGinty

yea dance valley was the best run dance event i've ever been to.. pity bout the weather!!

damienom

Originally Posted by damienom
Also some of the papers are bound to print a supplement over the weekend, if not check the site

I doubt it, pretty sure they didn't for Oxegen. Also, not much good if you're camping at the festival, where are you going to get a paper? And the times aren't on the site, that's what the whole argument is over.

All the papers did it for Oxegen, I'd imagine someone will have it for this

StickyMcGinty

the time tables for EP are up already on ie-dance and www.bodytonic.com/forums

Gregeri

BaZmO* wrote:

That sounds great, but just imagine you were a promoter and you were organising an event and despite the fact you weren't offering all the extras that were at Dance Valley the gig sold out.
Would you bother spending your profits on the punters that were gonna go anyway?

B.

Did E.Picnic sell out?? Valid point, Im simply pointing out the difference in attitude, it doesn't need to be all about profit for some promoters -- I need to keep reminding myself that it's normal to expect these things in Ireland.

shuushh

honestly the 30 quid i paid for the bus ticket for electric picnic was pretty good thought considering i could get the bus anytime between 7 and 12 and leave the venue anytime between 10 - 3 a.m.

this whole thing of having to buy timetables though is fairly disgraceful although they obviously make money of it so the only way to stop it is for people to stop buying them. would it really be that hard to have a screen up with updated timetables for the festival.

BrianD

damienom wrote:

All the papers did it for Oxegen, I'd imagine someone will have it for this

They may have listed the bands but certainly not the times!

Kappar

BrianD wrote:

They may have listed the bands but certainly not the times!

Every year we had a page from one of the papers that listed the times and stages the bands were on.

Smurfpiss

Times were actually printed in the mirror. but on the day of the festival which isnt much good to anybody really. anyone whos camping really anyway.
thing is these festivals have different promotors. Now while they're not much different at least aiken did release the times reasonably in advance. If ya want to buy the timetable after that then thats up to you. Transport costs were not bad, weren't great either. You could always go the route of private hire and who knows it might work out cheaper and more direct to your door. Having said that i dont think any of us should lie down and take these rip off prices.... but eh... lets get eddie hobbs on the case!

matrim

About the times, I don't know about electric Picnic but at oxygen there was a tent that had all times.

This was kept updated, and any changes to times were there. If you went there you had your times for free.

BaZmO*

matrim wrote:

About the times, I don't know about electric Picnic but at oxygen there was a tent that had all times.

This was kept updated, and any changes to times were there. If you went there you had your times for free.

Remember seeing that alright. It was a First Aid tent just on the left as you walk in?

B.