Consumer rights organisation Test Achats is filing a complaint against ten Belgian music festivals for potentially breaking the law by not accepting cash or abusing their token systems for food and drink vouchers to make extra profit.
Test Achats investigated the general terms and conditions of 13 festivals and notified them of potential breaches in advance to give them a chance to adjust their policies. The organisation then went out into the field to investigate compliance.
They found that of those 13 festivals, eight did not accept cash, two demanded illegal surcharges on payment, five charged excessive fees to recover money left on a payment wristband, and two did not refund unused tokens at all.
Festivals have been required to accept cash on-site since March last year. However, Test Achats found that eight festivals still do not offer this option "when selling tickets, food and drink vouchers, when parking or at the campsite," said Test Achats spokesperson Laura Clays.
Illegal practices
Test Achats also noted that two festivals unexpectedly charged extra fees at the end of the booking process. However, this is illegal: the advertised price must include all costs and taxes to avoid surprises for the consumer. Subtly adding "management costs" or "delivery costs" at the end – which techo festival Tomorrowland charges for its wristbands – is an illegal practice.
The organisation further found that almost no festival allowed cancellation of tickets, even in cases of force majeure, and some festivals even abused the situation to make money from the resale of a ticket. Pukkelpop, for example, developed its own exchange platform and charged €16 to use it. Reselling or exchanging tickets should never become a lucrative market for event organisers, stressed Test Achats.
The organisation also points to the cashless payment systems at many festivals. "Here too, we see violations of the legislation on payment methods. These wristbands should be considered a means of payment and therefore comply with the rules. There should be no minimum amount to recharge and the remaining balance should be refunded."
Credit: Belga / Virginie Lefour
Five of the 13 festivals that were checked did not comply with one or more of the obligations. "Les Ardentes, for example, charged a total of €5 to activate the wristband and for people to be refunded the remaining balance. It has really become a kind of business model, making extra profit on the back of the festival-goers who are obliged to use the system," Clays said.
In each case, Test Achats contacted the festival organisers to offer them an opportunity to explain themselves and make the necessary adjustments. Some reacted positively, while others did not respond.
Test Achats is therefore filing a complaint with the Economic Inspectorate against ten festivals: Couleur Café, Paradise City, Graspop, Rock Werchter, Pukkelpop, Tomorrowland, Ronquières, Lokerse Feesten, Les Ardentes and Dour.
The organisation also drew up a list of good practices and hopes the organisers, helped by the Economy Ministry, will do better next year.
