By Henry Green
People who had bought tickets to a drone show at Trent Bridge were left confused after initially being told there would be no refunds when adverse weather forced the events to be cancelled.
Customers who had planned to attend A Christmas Carol: The Drone Light Show have now been offered their money back after being first told that tickets were non-refundable earlier today (December 9).
The shows, featuring hundreds of co-ordinated drones with coloured lights, were due to take place on Saturday (December 7) and Sunday (December 8).
But organisers Yuup called both off on safety grounds because of high winds from Storm Darragh. Some customers were at first told they would be moved to contingency dates on Monday and Tuesday instead, but on Sunday these performances were also called off.
Several ticket holders told Notts TV Yuup then said they were unable to get a refund and had instead been offered the chance to transfer their tickets to events next year.
Clare Hodgkiss, from Chesterfield, had been due to go to the show on Sunday.
“I was initially offered tickets for today (Monday) instead of yesterday but I couldn’t go anyway as I am at work,” she said.
“I was then told I could only use the money to go towards future shows in March which I am on holiday for anyway. I contacted the company multiple times and had no reply.
“I understand it is not their fault as the weather was poor but their communication has been poor and I will never book with them again,” she added.
Other people posted on Facebook, saying they had at first been told the tickets were non-refundable – meaning people either accepted new dates in 2025 or faced losing their money.
Before the full refund was offered, Donna Smith wrote: “As far as I’m concerned we haven’t got what we paid for. I don’t want to transfer to some other show next year. Not happy.”
Yuup then announced on Monday afternoon that customers could now claim a full refund.
A Yuup spokesperson said: “Following the announcement yesterday that Celestial’s A Christmas Carol: The Drone Light Show could sadly not go ahead in the interest of audience safety due to the adverse weather, we would like to offer a full refund to customers that do not wish to book an alternative show or experience.
“We have contacted all customers individually to offer a full credit to the amount of the original show booking, and customers will now be able to claim a full refund.
“We understand how disappointed customers are that the show did not go ahead as planned, and the challenge for some to make an alternative show.
“All customers will be contacted via email by 23:59 GMT on 10th Dec 2024 where they will be offered the option to transfer their ticket to a future show or claim a full refund. For those waiting for a response, the team will continue to work around the clock to respond to all queries and would like to reassure all customers they will be touch as soon as possible.”
For further information, ticket holders should visit https://www.yuup.co/christmas-carol-nottingham, and all queries can be directed to [email protected].
The future drone light shows at Trent Bridge are in production and are scheduled for March and November 2025.
