New laws in Finland allow gig-goers to get refunds for crappy shows

The national broadcaster Yle said that the Scandinavian nation's Consumer Disputes Board passed a ruling that people who have purchased tickets can obtain refunds if the gig is "well below reasonably expected standards".

A 2013 incident has sparked the change after a Chuck Berry fan left a concert in Helsinki disappointed saying the legendary guitarist "seemed fatigued", and demanded a refund.

However, the new ruling is clear that fans can't get a refund just because they claim to have not liked the show - it has to fall some way short of meeting consumer expectations on a wider scale.

Consumer Disputes Board spokesman Pauli Ståhlberg said that: "Anyone seeking a ruling like this is always spurred by a subjective opinion, but that's not enough to get a refund. What is significant is a generally agreed view that the concert was a failure, as it was in the Chuck Berry case."

Festivals are set to adhere to different rules because of their varied nature. Ståhlberg went on to say: "There are numerous different performers at a festival and so it have to be evaluated as a whole. Even the marching order affects perception of the overall quality. A failed performance by a featured star is a bigger deal for consumers than one by a warm-up band".

[via NME]