Sounding Off:
A reader from Dublin got in touch after Velvet Revolver, a band he was looking forward to seeing at The Who's Marlay Park concert later this month, cancelled their gig with little or no fanfare, leaving him in possession of a pricey ticket he has little interest in.
Velvet Revolver are something of a rock music coalition, featuring the former drummer, bass player and lead guitarist from Guns N' Roses and the one-time rhythm guitarist and singer with Stone Temple Pilots. The band's inclusion as support to The Who was advertised by promoters MCD, and tickets were available only through Ticketmaster.
"Velvet Revolver's inclusion was confirmed to me on the MCD website via a link from the Ticketmaster website, and so I took the plunge and paid out my 78.50 (including booking fee of course)," he writes.
Recently he noticed that Velvet Revolver's name had mysteriously been omitted from advertisements by MCD, and a search of the Ticketmaster and MCD websites offered no clue as to why the band were no longer being promoted as part of the gig.
"A more detailed search of the web confirmed that Velvet Revolver had in fact cancelled," he writes.
He is furious because he believes MCD and Ticketmaster have failed to properly inform people who have bought tickets and those who are considering doing so that the line-up has changed. Furthermore, his request for a refund from Ticketmaster, on the basis that the band who he paid to see are no longer performing, has been "flatly refused because Ticketmaster never mentioned the participation of Velvet Revolver".
While this may well be true, MCD certainly did promote the band's appearance. "I am of the opinion that both MCD and Ticketmaster are implicated in failing to uphold a simple contract based on offer and acceptance," he writes, and he asks us to highlight both the cancellation of Velvet Revolver and the refusal of Ticketmaster to refund his money.
We contacted Ticketmaster to see what they had to say. A spokesman said our reader was entitled to a refund and should have received one. "Since last week two other people have already been given refunds. The person involved here should go back to where he purchased his ticket and obtain a refund. Ticketmaster is letting all its agents around the country know that a refund is appropriate in this situation."
Watch out for rip-off repairs
Another reader got in touch after being recently quoted a price of 450 by a well-known Dublin jeweller for the repair of his watch.
"A screw was loose in the back of my Longines watch, but it was still working perfectly," he writes.
He brought it in to Weirs, which is the recommended Longine retailer in Dublin, and they explained they would have to send it to the Swiss Longines factory for repair.
Fair enough, he thought, until two weeks later he received a call with an eye-wateringly expensive quote of 450 for the watch's repair. "I said I didn't want to get it fixed if that was the case. They then told me if I didn't want it fixed I would still have to pay a 45 examination and handling fee," he says.
When he picked up the watch and coughed up the examination fee he brought it to the Dawson Jewellers on Dawson Street.
"They took the watch in, fixed the screw and charged me €10! Now I understand Longines may have serviced the watch and done a few extras, but that is an absolutely ridiculous difference."
