Brits and locals are fuming after their tickets to four Marbella concerts were cancelled without refunds.
Thousands of people have been affected after buying tickets to the Marbella Arena events scheduled for August 8, 9, 16, and 22.
The highly-anticipated concerts were This is Michael; God Save the Queen; Earth, Wind and Fire Experience; and The Beatles Symphonic.
In a statement last week, Marbella Arena said the cancellations were a ‘unilateral’ decision by the promoter, Rock Concerts Málaga S.L. (Costa del Sol Festival), whom they accuse of refusing to refund the ticket prices.
Meanwhile, according to local newspaper Marbella24horas, the promoter claimed Marbella Arena wanted to pull the concerts due to low ticket sales and a technical failure that occurred during the Alphaville concert on June 13.
But the arena maintained that that concert ‘went off completely normally.’
It acknowledged that a ‘temporary problem’ was detected in one piece of equipment during the sound check, but insisted it was ‘resolved by the responsible audiovisual company.’
This allowed the ‘concert to start on time and proceed without incident, as all attendees were able to confirm and as reflected in the event’s audiovisual material’, it said.
Marbella Arena ‘deeply’ regrets the cancellation of the four events in August and blasted ‘the promoter’s refusal to refund ticket purchasers,’ as stated in two formal communications on July 10 and 14.
More than a week later, countless customers have been left without refunds, saying they simply cannot get through to the promoters.
Marbella Arena said it has no legal or contractual responsibility for the management or sale of tickets, which ‘falls exclusively on the promoter.’
Furthermore, Marbella Arena denounces that Rock Concerts Malaga, S.L. ‘attempted to shift responsibility onto the venue that does not fall to it, exerting pressure with alleged reputational damage to avoid responding to purchasers.’
Marbella Arena has called on those affected to ‘file complaints directly with the promoter, who is solely legally responsible for refunds.’
They also assure that they have brought the situation to the attention of the competent authorities.
‘We reiterate our commitment to transparency, legality, and respect for the public who trust Marbella Arena as a leading space for culture and entertainment,’ the venue stated.
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