A CUMBRIAN man has said that its ‘unfair’ that he hasn’t received a full refund after booking tickets for a show that was subsequently cancelled at The Sands Centre in Carlisle.

Gary Dowd booked £99.72 worth of tickets in person at the box office on December 7 for the Cher tribute show which was due to be performed in March.

The show was then cancelled on December 22 and Gary only received a £92 refund despite never receiving the tickets themselves - which were to be emailed to him two weeks before the show.

The Sands Centre confirmed that the £7.72 that was withheld from the refund was a booking fee which is applied to all tickets regardless of whether they were bought online or in person.

“I just don’t understand why I can’t get the full amount of money back after the show has been cancelled,” said Gary.

News and Star: “It’s not my fault that the show has been cancelled and I should get all the money back.”

When asked if he was aware that he had to pay a booking fee when buying the tickets in person, Gary said that “there was no explanation of any booking fee at the counter.

“I know its only a small amount of money but it's about the principle of getting a refund.”

A spokesperson for The Sands Centre said: “It is clearly stated in our terms and conditions and on two further information pages on our website that booking fees are not refundable in any circumstances and regardless of how tickets are purchased. 

“Hard copies of our terms and conditions are also available at the centre’s box office for those who choose to book in person.

“We would always advise potential customers to read booking terms and conditions before making a purchase.

“Booking fees are there to cover our administrative costs. 

“As a charitable social enterprise, we keep our booking fees to a minimum, these are generally significantly lower than other ticket agents and we do not make a profit from these fees.”

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