Virigina Beach race cancelled due to COVID 19 refunds refused

d2 wrote:

The whole road race industry is going to get destroyed from this epidemic. I personally know more than a handful of people in the road race industry that are going to lose everything from this.

It's hard to hear these stories of people trying to get their $50 back when I have friends that won't be able to pay their mortgage or feed their families from the losses they are about to sustain from canceled events.

Why didn't the race organizer have insurance?

Many (most) insurance policies have specific exclusions for things like terrorist attacks, pandemics, and biological attacks. Most race insurance is around protecting from liability for things like cars ignoring police and hitting participants, lawsuits over heart attacks during the race, volunteers getting hurt moving things, etc.

You can buy specific terrorism insurance, and I'm guessing that it's possible to buy insurance for pandemics, but I don't know of any race that does that, other than terrorism, I would assume most of the large events have that coverage.

I am a large timer for the race industry.

You just don not understand the how many other business's are down the pay roll with these races.

EVERYONE is hurting. My company just lost two months of events, from this. Thousands and thousands. Some of the races canceled are paying us a small portion, others are postponing. It's BAD.

So many other vendors interconnected to these large events that just lost and entire industry.

You are complaining about $100. The entire industry has been wiped out, if they refund you people's business will go under. This isn't Wall Street where the event industry gets a quick 1.5 trillion pumped into it just to give it a nice little 24hr boost.

You have ZERO idea what you are talking about, people's families and business's are at state here and you are angry about a f**(*( race entry.

I won’t feel bad for the Chicago area race event companies that stage marathons and races in public forest preserves or 5ks in shopping mall parking lots. to eliminate police costs and link the rave entry to a charity url and ask you to donate. I know that these race directors are making seriously good money and donating next to nothing to whatever charity logo they have on the online entry form. They also skimp or do not award the prizes they advertise for winners.

Call your credit card company on those guys and contest or dispute the charge.

Everybody is saying the race organizers already spent all the money. If they are cancelling and keeping all the money, shouldn't they be paying their vendors?

Who in the Chicago area puts on a marathon in a forest preserve or mall parking lot? Just curious.

Most vendors require an up front non-refundable deposit to reserve their services.

Japan said that the Olympics will go on as planned

or for profit food companies

or for profit electric companies

or for profit gyms.

what non profit company doi you work for

Jerry Maguire wrote:

I am a large timer for the race industry......You have ZERO idea what you are talking about, people's families and business's are at state here and you are angry about a f**(*( race entry.

Amen to this. I was a time for 25 years, but shut my company down in 2006. A couple of days ago I spent time on the phone with the well-known timer I sometimes partnered with back then.

He sees big trouble ahead for his company, and most if not all the others.

Timing is a niche business, and when there's nothing to time you're in big trouble. Most of your investment is in equipment that has no other purpose. The hobby timers can let it go, but the pros can't.

We can only hope that when racing begins again we haven't lost too many timers.

Jerry Maguire wrote:

I am a large timer for the race industry.

You just don not understand the how many other business's are down the pay roll with these races.

.

You are confusing your problems with mine. If you take my money and you don't offer a service, a refund is due. The fact that it costs you money isn't my problem it is yours. You either should have bought insurance or self insured.

Starting a bussiness is risky. Sometimes the risk shows up and you get screwed. If all the existing race companies go bankrupt, that sucks for them. In 6 months when this passes, a whole bunch of new companies will be formed. That is the circle of corporate life.

ALL races everywhere should suspend pre-entries until such time as this "crisis" passes. Of course, this is most likely will happen on its own, as nobody will enter a race not knowing if it will actually be held.

lorettob wrote:

Virginia Beach Shamrock Races cancelled due to the COVID19. J& A Racing refusing refunds. Telling everybody they are offering a virtual race or for an additional fee they will let you run next year. They also said you should have gotten race insurance. What the hell? Each half marathon entrant paid $118. This is a SCAM

I've said this before on these boards. This is simply theft if it is true. Theft is 'the action or crime of stealing.' It's only a crime if it's illegal, but this is definitely the 'action' of stealing. It might be technically legal depending on the legal jurisdiction of the race, but it is absolutely unethical to abscond with funds when one didn't deliver the product promised. At an absolute minimum, the race should provide free entry into a similar future event.

Oh, and if you disagree with me, I can setup a website where you can send me $150 for entry into a race on June 1 that I may or may not cancel. Naturally, I will provide no refund if I do cancel it.

it's theft wrote:

lorettob wrote:

Virginia Beach Shamrock Races cancelled due to the COVID19. J& A Racing refusing refunds. Telling everybody they are offering a virtual race or for an additional fee they will let you run next year. They also said you should have gotten race insurance. What the hell? Each half marathon entrant paid $118. This is a SCAM

I've said this before on these boards. This is simply theft if it is true. Theft is 'the action or crime of stealing.' It's only a crime if it's illegal, but this is definitely the 'action' of stealing. It might be technically legal depending on the legal jurisdiction of the race, but it is absolutely unethical to abscond with funds when one didn't deliver the product promised. At an absolute minimum, the race should provide free entry into a similar future event.

it's theft wrote:

lorettob wrote:

Virginia Beach Shamrock Races cancelled due to the COVID19. J& A Racing refusing refunds. Telling everybody they are offering a virtual race or for an additional fee they will let you run next year. They also said you should have gotten race insurance. What the hell? Each half marathon entrant paid $118. This is a SCAM

I've said this before on these boards. This is simply theft if it is true. Theft is 'the action or crime of stealing.' It's only a crime if it's illegal, but this is definitely the 'action' of stealing. It might be technically legal depending on the legal jurisdiction of the race, but it is absolutely unethical to abscond with funds when one didn't deliver the product promised. At an absolute minimum, the race should provide free entry into a similar future event.

I agree. Its theft. I'd be fine if the race provided entries to another of their fall events or shamrock next year for those who were entered.

Again, they could move the marathon to any time they wanted. They could hold this thing in july and the city would give them a permit. Would it suck to run a marathon in july in va beach? hell ya, but at this one the half is way bigger anyways

dadsfadsfdasfdsafdas wrote:

Jerry Maguire wrote:

I am a large timer for the race industry.

You just don not understand the how many other business's are down the pay roll with these races.

.

You are confusing your problems with mine. If you take my money and you don't offer a service, a refund is due. The fact that it costs you money isn't my problem it is yours. You either should have bought insurance or self insured.

Starting a bussiness is risky. Sometimes the risk shows up and you get screwed. If all the existing race companies go bankrupt, that sucks for them. In 6 months when this passes, a whole bunch of new companies will be formed. That is the circle of corporate life.

You heartless piece of sh*t. I hope you catch corona virus and experience tiredness and a slight fever.

dark cloud wrote:

dadsfadsfdasfdsafdas wrote:

You are confusing your problems with mine. If you take my money and you don't offer a service, a refund is due. The fact that it costs you money isn't my problem it is yours. You either should have bought insurance or self insured.

Starting a bussiness is risky. Sometimes the risk shows up and you get screwed. If all the existing race companies go bankrupt, that sucks for them. In 6 months when this passes, a whole bunch of new companies will be formed. That is the circle of corporate life.

You heartless piece of sh*t. I hope you catch corona virus and experience tiredness and a slight fever.

People either can't or won't answer this question...

If the race director is keeping all of the money, why aren't they paying their vendors?

Seems that this race timer has a problem with the race director. Seems like the patrons have a problem with the race director.

If they are keeping the money because otherwise they would go out of business (which, again , is just the nature of business) then why aren't they paying their timers who will otherwise go out of business?

dark cloud wrote:

It’s not a scam. Of course it’s cancelled. Your healthcare system and economy are about to fail due to a worldwide pandemic.

Pandemic?

The flu infects 30 million people a year in the USA. Every year. Is the flu a pandemic every year.

dadsfadsfdasfdsafdas wrote:

You are confusing your problems with mine. If you take my money and you don't offer a service, a refund is not due. The fact that I won't get my money back is my problem not yours. I either should have bought insurance or self insured.

Purchasing tickets is risky. Sometimes the risk shows up and you get screwed. If all the existing customers go bankrupt, that sucks for them. In 6 months when this passes, a whole bunch of new customers will continue showing up. That is the circle of consumer life.

Fixed it for you.

i like Chinese. wrote:

dark cloud wrote:

It’s not a scam. Of course it’s cancelled. Your healthcare system and economy are about to fail due to a worldwide pandemic.

Pandemic?

The flu infects 30 million people a year in the USA. Every year. Is the flu a pandemic every year.

Massive face palm for all the morans still comparing corona virus to the flu.