IRVINE, California (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Some people who attended a New Year's party at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine California are complaining that the promised amenities included with the VIP tickets they purchased for the event didn't live up to expectations.
According to a report in the OC Register, tickets for the New Year's Eve event ran from $40-75 but the promoter also sold "silver" and "gold" vip packages that included shuttles, free parking, free booze, a VIP lounge and bathrooms away from the Hoi Polloi but some attendees are complaining that the promoter didn't deliver on many of these promises.
"We got those tickets because we were promised shuttles, free parking, free booze and a VIP lounge with separate bathrooms and bars with no lines," Dave Townsend of Foothill Ranch told the Register. "We really didn't get any of that."
Richard Goodwin, who's company RPG promoted the party defended the event "We put on a really great event," Goodwin told the Register "Of 8,000 people, 7,500 had a good time."
Most of the complaints seemed to focus on the beverage service, with some attendees reporting that the event ran out of social lubricant at 10:30 pm, an inauspicious circumstance at a New Year's Eve bash.
"The general concession lines were very long," Goodwin said. "We braced for 6,500 people and wound up selling (tickets) a little bit better than we thought."
Some of these problems also devolved from the fact that the promoter failed to secure a required permit for the event's new location at Oaks Blenheim Event Center near San Juan Capistrano, necessitating a December move to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. Ticketholders were notified of the move via email on Dec. 27th.
Despite the problems, RGP is not offering refunds. Instead, they will be offering a free VIP pass to VIP ticketholders who were disgruntled about this year's event. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
