OTTAWA,ON- Frustrated Capital Hoedown ticket holders are getting a little more insight on the refund process and it’s not comforting.

On Tuesday Front Gate Tickets sent an e-mail to those who bought tickets, telling them to talk to their banks or credit card companies to get their money back.

At least two ticket holders tell 1310News American Express is offering full refunds within two days but the credit card company says it may be different for Visa and MasterCard customers.

One listener tells us American Express told them that the organizer of the country music festival, which is Concert International, filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday.

The other listener tells us the credit card company says it plans to take Front Gate Tickets to court to get its money back.

Neither of these claims have been confirmed by 1310News.

The problem is Front Gate claims in its e-mail that it can’t process any refunds because the company never received any money from the ticket sales. It was only hired by Hoedown for its software and customer service.

Capital Hoedown was officially cancelled Monday by organizer Denis Benoit. In a statement he says refunds should appear on credit card statements within one week.

Just a single day pass to the three day festival cost $84.75.

Benoit says he called off the country music festival due to high costs, low ticket sales, the cancellation of his event permits and media scrutiny.

1310News called Benoit to try and speak about these developments but our call went to voice-mail and hasn’t been returned.

In his statement Benoit says he will not be doing any interviews until he has settled lawsuits he is filing against numerous local media and individuals for what Benoit believes are untrue, defamatory and injurious statements towards the festival.

Here is the letter sent by Front Gate Tickets to Hoedown ticket holders:

Dear Customers,

    We regret to inform you that Capital Hoedown has been officially canceled. Unfortunately, Front Gate Tickets is unable to automatically process any refunds at this time.

    The main reason we cannot process your refund is because Front Gate Tickets was not hired or retained to process your payment. Rather, Capital Hoedown licensed Front Gate software and contracted with us for limited services, such as customer service and technical support. As a result, Front Gate Tickets did not receive any monies from your purchase, and, thus, is unable to directly make any refunds.

    At this stage, you may formally dispute your charge with your bank or credit card company. We understand this is an inconvenience but this is, at this time, the best option for you to receive a refund for your purchase of tickets to the Capital Hoedown.

    Once again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.

    Sincerely,
    Front Gate Tickets