DUBLIN (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Irish promoter MCD has announced plans to compensate Barbra Streisand but at least one consumer group says its not enough.
The plans for compensation by MCD intend to address the fallout from a disastrous Barbra Streisand concert which took place at Castletown House in Celbridge in County Kildare in July. Heavy rain, traffic jams and a "free for all" in regards to seating left many fans, some of whom paid prices approaching 1,000 dollars per ticket feeling very shortchanged.
The event created over 1,100 letters of complaint, prompting an investigation by Irish authorities who issued findings late last month. To attempt to resolve the problem, the promoter, MCD, has said that it would start issuing refunds. According to the BBC, those who were forced to stand should expect a full refund. 561 patrons who's seats were taken and were forced to sit in cheaper seats will get a refund of the difference. 383 people who complaine about parking will recieve a voucer for 100 Euros.
Denis Desmond, the impresario at MCD said in a statement "Again I would like to apologise to those concert-goers whose experience at the Barbra Streisand concert was spoiled and not what they should have expected."
Still, for some, this isnt enough for some folks. One of them is Dermot Jewell, head of the Irish Consumers’ Association has called the compensatory measures inadequate.
"In actual fact no elements of true compensation are offered. Some refunds, some partial refunds but no compensation," Mr Jewell said. "The recommendation that non-transferable vouchers of 100 euro be issued to consumers who likely never will have either the need or the inclination to attend an MCD run event in their future is poor in the extreme."
As to how exactly Jewell things that MCD should compensate said fans beyond a refund isn't entirely clear.
Another consumer watchdog group, the National Consumer Agency, disagreed with Jewell's assessment. "The volume of calls that we received was a measure of the dissatisfaction of many consumers who attended the concert," Ms Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for the group told the Irish press "However, the NCA would advise patrons that, if they do not wish to accept the compensation now on offer from MCD, they are entitled to refuse it and to take action against the company in the Small Claims Court." = CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
