From 17 December, we’re updating our event terms and conditions to remove the ability for customers to transfer event tickets and receive refunds.
From 17 December, we’re updating our event terms and conditions to remove the ability for customers to transfer event tickets and receive refunds.
This change of policy is due to a significant increase in the number of counterfeit wristbands currently being sold across campus and the additional administrative burden being placed on our teams in processing transfers and refunds.
We know that these changes will be unpopular but it’s important to understand why we have got to this point. Since the start of the academic year, we have denied entry to a large number of individuals attempting to enter events with fake wristbands which culminated in over 200 people being turned away at Juicy Halloween on Friday 29 October.
This isn’t about the impact on our finances – although you should be aware that every time you purchase a counterfeit wristband the money goes to the criminal and isn’t reinvested into services for students – instead counterfeit wristbands pose several potential risks. This ranges from the inability to accurately record who is entering events (a stipulation of our licence), students being ripped off by paying more than face value, and non-compliance with our COVID-19 protocols putting the health of other attendees at risk.
How does this impact you?
The process for purchasing a ticket has not changed, all tickets for events will still be purchased on your website account. The caveat now is that our stance on transfers and refunds is much stricter and brings us in line with standard practice across the entertainment industry.
A quick note on the legal side – ticket sales are exempt from The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 and as such the 14-day cooling-off period you generally receive when purchasing a product online does not apply.
Our Venues Code of Conduct has always carried a sanction of a four-week exclusion for those who attempt to enter the venue without a valid ticket/wristband. Previously we’ve reserved the enforcement of this for when individuals force entry via fire doors or jumping barriers, but we’ll now also be applying this to those caught attempting to gain entry with a fake wristband.
We are also removing the fast-track entry system where you collect a wristband from the Union Helpdesk and instead, all the checks that take place there – banned list check, proof of age, proof of student status, and proof of having a ticket – will now take place on the door of the event.
This all sounds a little onerous, but it is bringing forward work we had already started. We’ve wanted to remove wristbands for a while both for the reasons above and for environmental factors, and were working on a solution in the background. We’ve accelerated that work and brought forward investments in our infrastructure which we’re confident will mean the door experience improves and gets faster as the team adapts to the new way of working.
We’ll announce more details on these changes when they’ve been finalised and fully tested.
Where to buy tickets
There’s only ever been three locations to purchase tickets for Students’ Union events and that’s through our website, the StudentLink app or on the door of an event (where we have advertised availability on the door).
If anyone attempts to sell you a ticket through Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook or another events website, it is almost certain to be a fake. If you’re ever in doubt about the source of a ticket, contact marketing@su.rhul.ac.uk and we’ll be able to verify it for you.
Read the full terms and conditions