Gloucester marathon

I signed up for the Gloucester marathon which got cancelled a few days before the race cause of the snow it was 30 quid to enter and they have said they are not giving any refunds, can they do this cause ive paid money for nothing surely i should be able to get my money back, the only thing they have said is that if i sign up to run it next year ill get a discount but ive already paid this year and have nothinjg to show for it.   Are all races like this?

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Comments

  • It says on the website that they plan to reschedule the race, lets hope they get there butts in gear and sort a date fast! ??30 is a lot to loose, plus hotel etc! They got to remember we support there race and if they upset people they won't return! Ill never trust them again if its not rescheduled!



    No, not all races are like this! There's a lot of profit to be made from this so I hope they get this back on for OUR sakes!
  • I was having a debate around this - I know they said in their T&C's that there are no refunds, but T&C's can be declared unfair ...

    However the debate was if this is a company that organises the race then they should refund, a small club maybe not ...

    My view is that they should ... just as BA would if they cancelled a flight or any other service company would if they could not deliver the service that you paid for.   

  • Or at least re-arrange.  All companies invest some cost - i.e. BA with the plane costs etc.  So who should take the risk of cancellation?

    The paying customer i.e. us - or the company running the service.

  • As far as I understand the 'refunds not available on cancellation' statement isn't quite correct for civil/commercial contracts. They are obliged to refund, less reasonable costs, the sums paid (or alternatively re arrange it). The 'refunds not available on cancellation' statement constitutes a penalty clause which are not allowed within contracts.

    But I imagine they'll be able to rearrange it. Not their fault it was snowy!!

  • Ya right Richard, it's not there fault but its not ours either! It's has to be rearranged and we should be refunded if we can't make that date! It filled pretty early so a reserve list should be made so runners that can't make the date can be reinbursed by the runners that want it!
  • I think you are being a bit harsh here. Entering a race is not the same as a normal commercial transaction. Most races are put on by running clubs for the benefit of the running community. They are not greedy corporations out for maximum profit, just small groups of volunteers giving up their time, without whom our sport could not exist. I help out with a medium size race (about 1,000 runners) and when I count up the person hours that go into it, both beforehand and on the day, it would never be commercailly viable if we didn't do it all for free. Alot of the expenditure is committed before the day and cannot be recouped if the race is cancelled.If I enter a race in December or January I accept that it may be cancelled due to bad weather and take that risk. I was also due to race yesterday, but would never dream of badgering the organisers for a refund. 

  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭

    Lazy Gardener has a very valid point. A large amount of the expense is up front, there probably is no budget to refund anything to you! You think that they wait until the night before to arrange and pay for the food, drink, gels, t-shirts,medals, winners prizes, any fees for using local ground or buildings, any fees for road closure, medical assistance...

    You cannot count your travel an hotel fees into it, I don't believe the entry to their race insists you enter from far away and stay in a hotel over night?

    If you enter a race in winter you run the risk of it being cancelled.

  • Interesting LG - so you are saying the risk should be with the racer who has also paid up front?

    I have not badgered for a refund, I was just giving my opinion, they say that they are rearranging for another weekend and that will be fine by me. 

    And I also said if a club put on the event I would not mind bearing that most club events are sub £15!

    However in this case it is £30 odd so quite a bit more to write off. 

    I know of other events that have been cancelled due to weather that gave free entry to the next year's event, club run and run by a business.  Longleat 10km was one year moved by a weekend due to ice, you were offered a 90% refund or to run the weekend or two after.

     So what I was saying is that a NO REFUNDS policy is not the correct thing to do - in my view.

  • most of them state clearly no refunds.if you thought the terms and conditions were unfair then why on earth sign up to it and pay your money........

    I think they are being very generous in trying bo rearrange or give a discount for next year......

     I really can't see why people enter races when they are not happy with the terms stated..........

  • Yes I agree Seren, although in defense the NO REFUNDS thing came out in an email as a PDF attachment after I had entered ...

    I was just commenting on what other races that had been canceled have done.  If they re-arrange that will be brilliant and well done to them.  If they give me 80% of next years race brilliant. 

    If they leave us out of pocket with nothing to show ... no so brilliant.

  • I'm with running bench 100% I'd never ask for a refund and I know the expense of a race like this but I also know the profit that's made at 500x ??30 so surly it's in there interest to re organise ASAP!! I've been running for many years and have had a few postponed due to weather and the foot and mouth etc. In every occasion it was sorted and rescheduled very fast! Lets just hope this does happen! Sooner a rescheduled date the better. We are all running addicts and I'm sure we race a lot so a date soon would be great, just so there's less chance of clashing.



    We all know how races fill so I've got races planned and entered up to September so my fingers are very much crossed as I do like this event.
  • As far as I understand its not a case that they can not refund a deposit, less their costs incurred to date. But I never really thought out the fact they this was all volunteer work for them and that it is a charity in which case its not like they make any money on it.

  • I have been informed by the organisers that the Glos marathon and 50K will not be rescheduled, despite alluding to that fact when the race was 'postponed'. As yet, there is no mention on their website of this or any form of refund or discount off future BTL races. Is anyone else angry and disappointed about this or is it just me? I don't feel this should go unnoticed!

  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭

    What are you expecting to get back from your £30 entry?

    Keep in mind that this happened the day before the race so :

    - Medals/trophies already paid for.
    - T-shirts already paid for.
    - Medical cover already arranged and paid for.
    - Road closures (if required) already arranged and paid for.
    - Using any buildings will have already been booked and paid for.
    - Food, drinks, gels all already bought.
    - Probably needed to hire vans to transport stuff around like large amounts of food and drink! that will have been paid for, plus fuel required.
    - Extra little things that go unoticed... loads of disposable cups, bin bags, paper towels, emergency blankets, official photographer maybe?

  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭

    Agreed David, I didn't say there was no profit but the return from £30 would have been small.

    Yes, gels and drink could be reused as could some of the other stuff mentioned but then there wouldnt be this problem if the race was being re run would there! As it has been cancelled then other stuff you normally find at races... biscuits, cake, fruit will be a write off. The other stuff still usable will already have been paid for, so in theory they have the money invested at the moment image

    Maybe they could have just posted everyone a couple of cups, a couple of gels, an old banana and a peice of cake. Of course no one would want the medal and tshirt as they haven't earned it.

  • I'm with David on this one. They should reschedule in which case the food items already purchased could be re-used. Or offer a percentage refund in the form of a discounted entry into another of their races. It's not the sum of money that's in question, it's the principle that they haven't offered and have potentially done rather well,out of it. I believe the same thing happened with their Cotswold marathon in the past. If you are going to arrange marathons in January you have to be prepared to reschedule due to bad weather and possibly get an alternative date in the calendar just in case.
  • Can someone help me out with this query? Is 'Beyond the Limitations' (BTL) a charity organisation or do profits end up with the company? This obviously makes a big difference as to how we should view their no refund on cancellation policy.

  • They are not a charity - a private events company. I can't comment on the profits of course!
  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭

    I think it's fair to say that the organising company was not to blame for the cancellation.... and we've agreed that the costs on them would be pretty massive if they had to refund (I assume that most of these are fairly small companies, often run by fairly ordinary runners... but that isn't particularly relevant).

    It's also not fair to pass all the risk onto the runners... so the obvious thing to do, if people insist on not accepting a "no refunds in case of cancellation" clause,  would be to take out insurance against this possibility - just like many outdoor events do.

    At a guess, I'd say that insurance premiums wouldn't be much, but would probably add maybe 5% to the entry fees.

    Personally, I'd rather not have the insurance added to entry fees...  but I doubt it could realistically be an 'optional' insurance.  Probably just one big policy taken out by the organisers, to allow them to make a blanket refund.  

    I'd rather take the small risk. But it would be up to the running public to decide on that.

  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭
    David Falconer 3 wrote (see)

     and still come out of the whole thing financially as if they had gone through with the event anyway .....

    You have to expect that this isn't quite true.

    They must have avoided a lot of costs because of the cancellation.... but got the same income!

  • Most of the costs in races are covered by sponsors so I would there currently going Ka Ching Sid the runners and laughing all the way to the bank! I haven't even received a email or any contact. It's an zbdplute disgrace!
  • XX1XX1 ✭✭✭
    This would make me think twice about entering any event organised by BTL... The snow may not have been their fault but there is no excuse for poor, or lack of, communication.
  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭
    Muzza wrote (see)
    Most of the costs in races are covered by sponsors so I would there currently going Ka Ching Sid the runners and laughing all the way to the bank! I haven't even received a email or any contact. It's an zbdplute disgrace!

    I would agree that sponsors do help but I can't imagine they make a massive difference. I couldn't see any sponsors of the marathon listed on the site, or in fact for any BTL event.

    There is no excuse for not letting people know what is happening, that is pretty basic in organising anything not just races. However, it still stands that you entered a race knowing that there was a "No refund on cancellation" policy. It's £30, suck it up. If you are that bitter just don't enter a BTL event again.

  • From what I remember of boddington there was no such luxury of fruit, cake , biscuits, just water which can be used at one of their other events



    The medal and if there was a t shirt would not beable to be used again unless they didn't have a date on so they can't give full refunds but I would have thought a small amout off a future race would be nice
  • All I'd like to know is what's going on, no contact, no rearranged date nothing! Was planning on Boddington but no chance now! I liked Gloucester marathon and done it the last 2 years but I'm unlikely up return! Not for loosing cash plus hotel fee but for the shabby disgracefull way we have all been treated!
  • Just emailed them again to see if they have any updates ... will not hold my breath!

     

  • The no refunds T&C came after entry for me, attached to an email .... not certain that is a fair and clear way of doing it ...

    £30 is £30, but more about the principle of no communication other than a note on the website, that slowly slipped off the webpage, until now it is gone.

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