Angry Mamma Mia! fans denied refund

ABBA fans who paid $125 for Mamma Mia! seats with no view and missed out on replacement tickets won't get a refund, promoters say.

Since complaints surfaced last week, more than 100 people have called or emailed The Dominion Post to say they could not see the show from their seats at TSB Arena in Wellington.

TSB Arena and London-based promoters Little Star have blamed the seating problems on the stage, which had to be lowered by 20 centimetres, interfering with sight lines.

Patrons who complained last week were offered replacement tickets, but the show finished on Sunday, leaving those not compensated in the lurch.

Some audience members who travelled from outside Wellington for the show have been offered a 50 per cent refund.

However, arena manager Neville Brown said that would not be extended to anyone else. He admitted that meant some patrons would miss out. "I'd like to think we've been as fair as we possibly can under the circumstances. I've got to draw the line somewhere.

"I find it unreasonable that people who attended the first weekend's shows are only coming out now."

The promoter's decision to not offer a blanket refund was probably for financial reasons, he said. "[The promoter] is unwilling to look after everyone who thought they had been disadvantaged.

"I'm sure that he will be concerned about protecting his bottom line."

In an email to The Dominion Post, Little Star spokesman Nick Grace apologised to customers and said the company was taking the complaints seriously. He did not respond to questions about why refunds were not being offered to all customers with a genuine complaint.

Disgruntled patrons said the refunds should have been offered to everyone affected by the seating problems.

Jan Cullen, of Karori, took her eight-year-old twin daughters to the show at Labour Weekend and said she and the girls had not been able to see anything from their untiered "premium" seats.

The promoter's response was not good enough, she said. "We should have the choice of replacement tickets or that refund.

"It doesn't matter if we live five minutes up the road."

The Commerce Commission has said some patrons who asked about the view when they bought their tickets would have grounds to make a formal complaint.

The commission does not enforce the Consumer Guarantees Act but patrons could claim a breach of the Fair Trading Act, a spokeswoman said.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Call Ticketek on 0800 686 677 – it is passing on patrons' details to TSB Arena.

You can also contact TSB Arena directly on 04 801 4231 or tsbbankarena@wcc.govt.nz