No refunds for 'awful' Christmas drone show

Organisers of a Christmas drone show in West Sussex which was criticised as "shockingly poor" by angry attendees have said they are not in a position to offer refunds.

Lumina Sky Theatre said in a statement it would host a private event on 28 December at Lingfield Park Racecourse in Surrey for everyone who attended the previous event at the South of England Showground in Ardingly.

However, customers among 1,700 people who joined a Facebook page set up to seek a full refund for the 30 November show have said they are not satisfied.

One person said: "Everything that Lumina promised at Ardingly was either awful, overpriced or missing. Why would anyone want to experience that again?"

Another Facebook group member said: "Surely the costs of this new event could just be used to refund us?"

The Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Drone Show was meant to feature "a mesmerising swarm of 600 drones", the organiser's website said, but one attendee, Sean Tong, said he could only make out about 50 drones and the images were "very unclear".

Several people contacted BBC Radio Sussex to vent their frustrations about the show.

Chris Evans from Burgess Hill, who set up the Facebook group, said: "The event was just so shockingly poor compared to what was advertised I thought it was only right that I should ask for a refund."

Lumina Sky Theatre apologised at the time, saying it had suffered "technical difficulties" and asked customers who wanted a refund to contact them.

However, due to the "significant costs involved in delivering the event", a spokesperson said they were not now in a position to offer refunds.

"We know this isn't the news many hoped for and we have been working tirelessly with our third-party partners to find the best possible way to make this right," said a spokesperson.

The Surrey event will have free parking, 50% off fairground rides and a Michael Bublé tribute performance before and after the show, said Lumina Sky Theatre.

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