Formula E: Vancouver ticket holders still have not received a refund (Update)

A ticketing company is suing the organizers of the cancelled Formula E electric car race originally scheduled in Vancouver for more than $3.3 million.

The One Stop Strategy (OSS) Group had sold an estimated 30,000 tickets to the July 2 Canadian E-Fest, when it abruptly announced the event had been “postponed” in April.

While organizers had initially said customers would get information about refunds in July, ticket holders have complained about silence from the company.

On Wednesday, ATPI Travel and Events Canada — the company that acted as ticketing provider for the event — said it had filed a lawsuit against OSS for reimbursement of ticket sales “after multiple attempts to reach the company.”

“We want to make it clear that the OSS Group has the sole responsibility with respect to the refund process,” the company said in a statement.

“However, despite being clearly and contractually required to do so, the OSS Group has not returned the ticket sale proceeds for ATPI to process the ticket refunds.”

The suit, filed in Quebec Superior Court, claims its contract with OSS requires “the sale proceeds as well as all related costs … be returned to ATPI within 30 days for customer refunds.”

It has been nearly two months since the Vancouver FIA Formula E event was formally cancelled, but ticket buyers have yet to receive a refund.

The OSS Group was the organizer for the event and is now the group responsible for giving ticket buyers their money back. Daily Hive received a statement from OSS earlier this week as well as an email from a ticket buyer who said OSS denied a chargeback attempt.

A ticket buyer attempted to initiate a chargeback through their bank.

The bank received a statement from OSS in response to the ticket buyer’s chargeback attempt saying that because the event was postponed and not cancelled, a chargeback wasn’t necessary.

“I am not hopeful that I will see any of my money returned to me,” the ticket buyer said.

An OSS Group spokesperson told Daily Hive that an official statement would be made soon but that “everyone that wants a refund will get one.”

OSS Group also told Daily Hive that they were “very confident we will have an event in 2023,” despite FIA Formula E’s decision to not include Vancouver in the provisional calendar.