Music fans flying into the UK disappointed by cancelled concerts

Music fans from around the world were reeling with shock and disappointment after a series of major concerts were cancelled.

Alice Dearing, 59, from Baltimore, US, was excitedly preparing to see Eric Clapton perform at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and had even booked flights and accommodation.

However, HeritageLive announced on Tuesday the event would be cancelled alongside two others due to financial reasons. Some concert-goers said they were still waiting to hear whether their event tickets would be refunded.

Dearing said: "We can see Eric Clapton here in the United States, but it's an arena setting... the appeal was at Sandringham at this beautiful estate."

Headliners including Lionel Richie, Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera and Ricky Martin were due to perform at the five-day event.

Organisers GCE Live had also planned events at the Englefield Estate in Berkshire this month and at Audley End House in Essex next month.

In a statement on Tuesday, it said it had become "almost impossible" to compete in an "increasingly saturated festival market" and had struggled with rising costs.

Dearing last saw Clapton perform at a concert in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, as a newlywed with her husband John.

She said: "We talk about it always and then when this came up at Sandringham it was perfect... it just had our names written all over it."

Dearing said she had been told by See Tickets - the ticket sellers she bought through- that she would get her money back for the concert; however, her flights were non-refundable.

"There were so many logistics to work out; there was a lot of time and money spent on that," she said.

"Now we need to figure out what we are going to do in those few days we would be in Norfolk and the Sandringham area... I still have my B&B reservation, but the main event has gone."

In March, Angela Young from Cambridgeshire booked tickets with See Tickets for her and her sister to see Lionel Richie perform at Sandringham.

She said: "I thought I would love to see Lionel Richie — I don't know if I'll ever get the chance again. I thought it would be lovely to get a ticket for my sister as well for her birthday."

When looking at how to get a refund for her tickets, she said there appeared to be a dispute between the organisers and ticket sellers, which left a "bitter taste" in her mouth.

"Who is going to pay me back for the two tickets, the car park and the insurance for the package which doesn't cover cancellation by the organisers?" she added.

"I'm really upset. I was going with my sister as a 60th birthday present, and we were going to spend time together... I was really looking forward to that."

Jane Goose from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire had been excited to see Christina Aguilera and Craig David perform at Sandringham, and was "shocked" and "disappointed" now that it has been cancelled.

When seeking how to get a refund, she said there felt like there was a "total conflict of information" between the event organisers and the ticket seller.

However, she admitted that hours after contacting See Tickets, she was relieved to find out it would be issuing her a refund.

She said: "It's sad because the Sandringham concerts were a very good thing for this area. It gave people an opportunity to see big stars without having to do lots of travelling to a big city.

"We haven't got big arenas around here, but Sandringham was special."

It is not just concert-goers who feel disappointed. Seb Uczen, general manager of the Coach and Horses in Dersingham, said the cancellation was a "massive hit" to his business, with 95% of room bookings already cancelled.

"We were absolutely shocked and surprised; it was big, big, devastating news for us," he said.

Landlord of the Feathers, John Higginson, said in previous years the events on the estate had been "quite successful".

"We are probably going to lose something like £25,000 that week because all our rooms have been booked out for months and months — we have been turning away business," he added.

In a statement, See Tickets said: "The decision to cancel these events was taken solely by the event promoter, GCE Live. Our position remains that responsibility for customer refunds rests with the promoter since they have failed to return the ticket sale proceeds to us to enable this.

"However, we do not want customers to be left out of pocket while these issues remain unresolved. We have therefore decided to fund customer refunds ourselves in the first instance..."

It added that it would be "reaching out" to customers with instructions on how to claim refunds.

HeritageLive said, "as music fans and festival-goers ourselves, we understand exactly how frustrating it is to be left chasing a refund for a show you were looking forward to".

It continued: "All promoters experience the cancellation of shows from time to time, and the long-standing convention has always been that the ticket agent refunds the customer in the first instance and then recovers those costs from the promoter over time."

It added that it was "glad to see that this [the situation] is now being resolved".

GCE Live were contacted for further comment.

Lisa Webb, a spokesperson for Which?, a UK consumer champion, said individuals who bought through a primary ticket seller will be entitled to a refund of at least the face value of the ticket.

She said if people were struggling with refunds, the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers would be able to offer "alternative dispute resolution" to their members and customers.

Webb said the law states refunds should be given "within a reasonable time".

"You shouldn't be having to contact them or chase them; they have your payment details because you paid them," she said.

While refunds were being sorted out by major ticket sellers, See Tickets were among those in the process of issuing refunds themselves.

After receiving "media coverage" over the cancellation, HeritageLive said on Wednesday it was "terribly sorry" some customers were still awaiting refunds; however, some customers had already received a refund or were in the process of receiving one.

Do you have a story suggestion for Norfolk? Contact us below.

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.