Seattle Van Gogh show that brought prior BBB warnings fails to materialize on time – KIRO 7 News Seattle

An art exhibition called Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience was due to start in Seattle this week. But the first shows are suddenly canceled.

It is an event that KIRO 7 first reported on in March after the Better Business Bureau issued a warning about the “immersive experience.” Now some customers have lost their money – and a promised show.

“You are disappointed. But unfortunately there have been some warning signs that led us to believe that this could be the ultimate, ”said Ben Spalding, a spokesman for the Better Business Bureau Great West-Pacific division.

When the tickets went on sale, Fever Up announced that the event would be held in a secret location somewhere in Seattle.

Now the shows have been canceled – at least for the next week or so – according to customers who share their experience on social media. It is not clear whether the first shows in October will take place as planned.

Some people have such trouble communicating with the company that they raise their concerns to the Attorney General.

“I’m a huge artist. I’m a graphic designer and I was really excited to go there, ”said Shawna Birkett, who lives in Everett. Her tickets were for Wednesday September 22nd.

She said she forgot that the venue was supposed to be a “secret” until about two weeks ago.

“When I asked about the location, it was said that the event was centrally located. How big is Seattle? What does that mean? ”Said Birkett.

Pamela Allyn in West Seattle got the same reply when she got on the line. Her tickets were also for September 22nd.

“‘Venue is chosen,’ they said, and they stick with you through and through,” Allyn said. “I’ve sent you so many emails,” she said.

Allyn tried to get a refund for four tickets on her credit card. However, she said her credit card company would not issue a refund because she purchased the tickets more than 90 days prior to attempting to claim.

Then Allyn said she filed a complaint with the Washington Attorney General.

“It was a nightmare; it really has. And the sad thing is that I really wanted to see it with my sister, ”she said.

The AG’s office announced on Wednesday that 17 customers have submitted complaints so far. Ten people have got their money back so far, the other seven only filed complaints last week. Customers can file a complaint, click here.

Others like Birkett are still waiting for their refund. She said she reached out to the company but made no complaints.

“It won’t kill me if I don’t get it back. But at the same time it’s a kind of robbery. They steal tons of money from people, ”said Birkett.

The BBB said it saw an increase in complaints about Fever and Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience. The company is not accredited by the BBB.

“Unfortunately, we hear from some who are currently having difficulties,” said Spalding. He said the company is quicker to respond to customer complaints compared to March.

KIRO 7 asked Fever when the company’s first Van Gogh event would be in Seattle, where it would be, why it was delayed, and if customers who wanted a refund would receive it on Wednesday. One “account manager” said she would contact us “as soon as possible with more information”, but did not respond until this article was published.

This week, some customers received emails from Fever, some of which said, “We have experienced delays in the arrival of shipments for the Seattle experience due to the impact of COVID-19 on global transportation logistics.” It also urged customers to rebook their tickets.

Fever is currently still selling tickets for the Van Gogh event, and the BBB warns “buyers watch out” for people who are still interested.

“At first it is difficult to hold an event during the pandemic. But hosting a secret location like the one advertised here that doesn’t really do a good job of exposing some of the refund and cancellation policies can be a really suspicious situation for consumers, ”Spalding said.

“I don’t know how they sleep at night,” Allyn said. “I’ll never buy tickets from them again.”

Another complaint about Fever’s event is that it is titled similarly to another Van Gogh event that was made famous in part by a scene on the Netflix show “Emily In Paris”. This show is called “Immersive Van Gogh” with the word “immersive” in front of the artist’s name.

There’s also an Imagine Van Gogh: The Immersive Exhibition show kicking off this December in Tacoma at the Tacoma Armory.

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