AUSTIN (KXAN) — San Antonio resident Myra Morado jumped on the chance to attend the ‘Beyond Van Gogh’ art exhibit at Circuit of the Americas after a previous trip to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Spending nearly $140 on tickets for herself, her daughter and her best friend, Morado looked forward to their visit on June 18.
Then, her reservation was rescheduled to June 26 without input or warning, before a second impromptu postponement shifted her tickets back to July 2. ‘Beyond Van Gogh’ exhibit vendors said the rescheduled dates were due to “recent bad weather and the resulting construction delays,” delaying the exhibit’s launch to June 25.
But for Morado and several other customers, the unannounced postponements have led to unanswered requests for refunds, with some ticket holders expressing frustrations over the lack of input on rescheduled dates and limited communication from the exhibit’s customer service representatives.
“It’s a little frustrating…I mean, I understand, I’m sure they’re getting bombarded with emails requesting refunds, and with people upset,” Morado said. “It just seems like, maybe, like bad organization.”
Austin resident Megan Brady was scheduled to visit the exhibit with her boyfriend on June 18 after spending nearly $100 on tickets. Their reservation was postponed to July 2, with exhibit representatives saying in the email they had 48 hours to request a date transfer. She emailed the company back and, three days later, representatives said they would not authorize a refund because she did not make the 48-hour notice.
“I think [the communication has] been terrible,” Brady said. “You just get an email, there’s no actual customer service to call or talk to and then you just send your email and wait and hope that somebody gets back to you.”
“The soundalike names of the events are causing confusion, and some fans are frustrated that they bought tickets to one event but then realized it was not the one they wanted.”
better business bureau, march 2021 news release
The ‘Beyond Van Gogh’ exhibit is one of several art shows popping up across the country, helmed by different vendors. Similar exhibitions are underway in San Antonio and Dallas by unrelated vendors.
The Better Business Bureau forewarned prospective attendees of the various vendors involved in a March news release, urging customers to carefully review the tickets and event information before making a purchase.
“Several exhibits featuring post-impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh are scheduled to tour select cities in North America, but they are offering different experiences,” the release read. “The soundalike names of the events are causing confusion, and some fans are frustrated that they bought tickets to one event but then realized it was not the one they wanted.”
Austin resident Jennifer Myers frequently visits art exhibitions with friends, and said she had been awaiting this showcase after purchasing her tickets in the spring. After an impromptu rescheduling and repeated requests for a refund or date transfer, she said she doesn’t feel confident she’ll ever hear back from exhibit representatives.
“I feel like I’ve been bamboozled,” she said. “It’s maddening you know? Very unprofessional.”
Representatives from ‘Beyond Van Gogh’ have not responded to repeated requests for comment from KXAN at the time of publication. KXAN will update this story if a statement is received.
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