Country Thunder USA Cancels in Texas
by 
Heather on May 26th, 2008
How sad! The Country Thunder USA musical festival that was slated for Texas this weekend (May 29-June 1) has been canceled due to poor ticket sales. Tim McGraw and Pat Green were expected to attend.
This apparently has no bearing on the sister festival on July 16-19 in Wisconsin with Taylor Swift, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert and Sara Evans.
[Image used with permission from Newscom]
Tags: artist news tim mcgraw, Carrie Underwood, country music, country thunder, country-thunder-usa, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Sara Evans, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, texas| 2.8 |
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POSTED IN: Artist News, Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Sara Evans, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw
250 opinions for Country Thunder USA Cancels in Texas
May 27, 2008 at 10:20 am
This could have been a huge annual event, but their cancellations last year AND this ruined that. They are afraid of losing some money, well we have already lost money two years in a row! They owe us!
May 27, 2008 at 6:45 pm
We were coming all the way from Alaska again! We lost our RV ($900) and our annual trip. They didn’t even let us know. We just happened to see they weren’t on the website anymore.
May 27, 2008 at 7:14 pm
That’s awful that they didn’t let you know! Will you be able to get a refund?
May 28, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Not sure what they are going to do yet on refunds. When you think about it, our “discounted” tickets this year was to make up for last year, so not only should we get this years money back, we should get part of what we put in last year. They are supposed to let us know in three weeks what they can do for us. What a scam! We had front row tickets in VIP. If they try to get out of paying people back, I have a feeling there will be a few lawsuits.
Jun 7, 2008 at 2:47 pm
I’m with y’all on this we had vip + camping for both years . They really should give us all a full refund of our money. That doesnt cover the time off we took or the travel expenses we incurred. If they try not to pay I will be willing to join a class action suit to cover all expenses + whatever other legal issues we can pursue. (DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS!!!)
Jun 16, 2008 at 2:33 pm
This is ridiculous. They have been telling people for the last month that management is working on this trying to get the money refunded. It does not take this long for credit card companies to refund the money. So it makes you wonder where everyone’s money really is. My husband and I are calling our lawyer today to find out what we can do. We bought several tickets for this event for friends and family and have not been refunded a cent back!
Jun 23, 2008 at 7:20 pm
I have called everytime they have said to call back and NOTHING!!! Same story, second, third, and fourth verse!!! Today I called and was told that they are just trying to make sure they get everything right and to make sure that they don’t make any mistakes when they start doing refunds and that they are only saying what Corporate told them to say and so it seems to me that is isn’t anything other than a big run around…I am truely beginning to think that the corporate people are cowards and are making the girls that answer the phones take the butt chewings that they should be getting, each time they say they are supposed to get my name, address and make sure my credit info is the same as it was when I ordered my tickets (VIP no less) and I tell them that nothing has changed and that there should be no reason for this, just refund my money!!! And I try to remember that these poor girls are caught in the middle because of their BOSSES!!! I am sick of this, I am sure you all reading this could use your money just the same as me…so what does a person do? Thanks for listening….LOL
Jun 30, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Okay, so I just got off the phone with yet another poor sap answering the phone for six dollars and hour…with the same song and dance….They should be calling you or sending you an email at any time…..NOT to mention I totally agree that they owe us for LAST year…they said RAIN OR SHINE EVENT, well I was there through the rain, and the rain, and the rain….IN A TENT! and yet, i send emails to every address i can get my hands on, and call all the time….but still no response. NO ONE answers my emails, and the people answering phones know nothing either. I too will be more than willing to join in a class action law-suit too!!! Now I’m mad because I could take another vacation if most of my vacation money weren’t already tied up in this!!! Oh, and I talked to my bank, because I paid with my debit card and they said it shouldn’t take more than a week for them to credit the money back to my account…so they are full of it, and I’m mad!!!
Jul 1, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I am so tired of hearing that they are working on it and will call back, I would also join in with a class acion law suit. All that we are getting is the run around, now they have some guy named Rob who is getting together all of the infornation to send to the corporate office, well what have they been doing for the past 6 weeks, I think that the Texas people got scammed.
Jul 2, 2008 at 4:21 pm
I have done the same thing and keep getting the same run around. I am willing to pursue legal action also. We also purchased VIP tickets both years and sat thru the rain. My husband has had to have two eye surgeries this summer and I could use that money BAD!!!
Jul 2, 2008 at 5:17 pm
so, what do we do? how do we pursue this?? I have a lawyer that works down the hall from me, and a couple here in my office…I’ll ask around. If I find we can go through with this, I’ll contact everyone on here so that I can get everyone’s information!
Jul 2, 2008 at 5:35 pm
okay, so reading through the rules, we probably won’t be able to get any reimbursement for last year, unless we can find a loophole, the contract says “Cancellation of or impact on the event due to an act of God, riots, strikes, labor difficulties,etc and any act or order of any public authority or any cause, similar or dissimilar, beyond the control of CT reserves the ticketholder/purchaser NO RIGHT to refund or exchange…”
as for this years crap
“Ticket holder has NO recourse against CT and/or participating sponsors for refunds or reimbursements of any kind due to cancellation or postponment of the Event, or any portion thereof…”
We’ll have to find a good lawyer to get around these clauses….
Jul 7, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I’ll be discussing with our attorney friends as well. Country Thunder thinks that they have lost money now? HA!
And Christy? They can put things like that in their contract or disclaimer, but also advertising “RAIN or SHINE EVENT” makes it a very egredious contract. They’ll have to do more than that to convince a judge (and possibly jury) that this is legal, and right.
The fact that they gave us free camping the following year was also a ploy to keep us happy while they go to the next cancellation.
We were there during the rain as well. And on the day that they cancelled early in the morning, and we were there waiting in the sunshine??? What a shame!
If you are hosting an outdoor event, have the right equipment and prepare so that you can make it happen if it were to rain. If it was hailing, that would have been another thing. They were not prepared and in my mind were therefore careless in protecting their artists, and their fans/customers. This makes it even more egredious.
And don’t get me talking about the INCREDIBLY poor judgement in cancelling THE WEEK OF THE EVENT!!!! Talking about POOR management! Corporate will pay if they do not begin to make restitution VERY quickly! It’s been WAY too long, and it is UNACCEPTABLE!
Jul 7, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I hope that other folks in other states are watching these posts to see how risky it would be to put their money into something like this. This organization only cares about one thing…. MONEY - MAKING it, and KEEPING it!
I hope that they can’t make enough money to hold the other events either. They SURELY don’t deserve it!
Jul 8, 2008 at 9:20 am
So, I got a thought in my head…they said they lost money last year….how is that?? They still had ALL of our money, we got no refunds….no how did they LOSE money?? I found the name of the company that appearantly owns CT in Texas. It’s called Bora Entertainment Venture, LLC…owner Kenneth A. Bora 4501 South General Bruce Drive, Ste 55 Temple, TX 76502. Google his name and the company….he’s a shister and this won’t be his first go around in court!! I talked with a friend i work with who is a lawyer, but not for this stuff….he said IF we could get someone to take the case….we could probably win something for this year…but we probably wouldn’t get anything for last year….but maybe. Now, we just have to find a lawyer to take the case on.
Jul 11, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I am going to CT this week in Wisconsin. Luckily my husbands company bought the $500 tickets as a gesture for him, so we won’t REALLY lose anything if it all went bad, but I know how upset he’d be if we drove the hour + to get there and it was cancelled… I switched my work schedule around it and he’s taking a little time off… With any other concert you get your money back if it’s cancelled. Why should this be different? Sorry you all had such bad experiences in TX.
Jul 12, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Ok, I was wondering about the same thing. It’s been a long time since they canceled it…I think I got the email during the last two weeks of May, and now it’s July and haven’t gotten anything yet. What the hell is the deal???? I’m getting pissed off. I haven’t really talked to anyone on the phone but it seems that that didn’t help anyone anyways. This just makes me angry. I would really like to have my money back!!! Anyways….let me know if anyone has gotten their money back.
Jul 14, 2008 at 10:14 am
the only way we are going to get our money back is by going to court…..they won’t answer any questions…they won’t give you any other phone number for a higher up…..they won’t call you back…nothing!!
Jul 17, 2008 at 11:33 pm
I think its time we all chip in 20 bucks a piece and hire a lawyer and stop talking about it and do it. We have givin them enough time to resolve the issue and they have done nothing. Enough is enough.
Jul 18, 2008 at 9:32 am
If you can find a lawyer to take the case, I’m in…I’ve already talked to three….they told me we wouldn’t win enough money for them to be interested.
Jul 22, 2008 at 12:50 am
yeah this is ridiculous. some recomended that we write a letter to our state representative or get a news investigator to expose their unethical business practices. Is anyone good at writing?
send me an email and let me know
Jul 22, 2008 at 10:50 am
if you are from the DFW area and watch Fox 4, you know about the segment called “What’s buggin you’ with Saul Garza. I sent an email about this….and never got a response.
Jul 22, 2008 at 2:14 pm
I am not getting my hopes up or anything, but I called ealier today and talked to a guy named Rob. He told me that he would call me back BY 5:00 TODAY and let me know what is going on. Like I said I am not going to hold my breath but maybe these people might have finally got off their butts and are going to get us our money back. It is about time. I need it BAD!
Jul 22, 2008 at 2:15 pm
yeah, we’ll see….maybe we should ALL call and see what they tell us!
Jul 22, 2008 at 2:24 pm
ok, i just talked with “Rob” and he said he was hired to take care of all of this….not actually to give out the refunds, but i guess handle the PR side. He told me he sent an email this morning asking “them” when all this was going to take place, and how the procedure would work…he said he would send out a mass email when he heard anything………….I’m with you though Leslie, I’m not holding my breath…….air is good!
Jul 22, 2008 at 7:43 pm
well….no i wouldn’t hold mine either, if i had i would be dead by now because i called again TWO weeks ago and got Rob and got the same story minus the i will call back by 5 today….so i am really beginning to think that country thunder and rob have robbed us!!! i am SICK of it and hope they get what is coming to them…..okay now breathe!!!
Jul 23, 2008 at 9:22 am
he didn’t tell me he’d call by five…he just said he was a frustrated as we are (right! because he has money tied up in this….) and will let us know asap what is going on…..I”m serious! Everyone should call today and ask ROB for answers!!! Tell him how pissed we are! Maybe we should mention lawsuit….maybe that would get their butts in gear!
Jul 23, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I think I’m the first one that posted on here and have since been waiting and watching everyone elses post. I too have heard nothing and honestly don’t even remember the number to call. Someone who has that please re-post so others and myself can also do some calling. I seen the post of people who say they have spoken with lawyers that say we don’t have a chance, and I find that hard to believe. Although I’m not a lawyer, I do have a criminal justice degree and if nothing else this is blantant false advertisement. They CAN’T just not refund our money!
Jul 23, 2008 at 5:02 pm
262-279-6960 is the customer service number….my lawyer friend said we could probably win something for this year, it’s just finding a lawyer to take the case…..
Jul 23, 2008 at 10:48 pm
It clear as day what these clowns have been doing. They were waiting for Country Thunder WI this last week to get some money. I tried to get all the artist that were scheduled to play in Texas to respectfuly boycott WI. I don’t buy the poor ticket sales also. The VIP and Lawn resvered were almost sold out 3 weeks before the cancellation announced 1 week before the show. The forecast 1 week before didn’t look good is the real reason.
Jul 24, 2008 at 9:56 am
Does anyone have a copy of the rules and regulations from this your and possibly last year? I am going to talk to a guy I work with that is a judge and see what he thinks. I can’t find mine. Or even tell me where I can find them?
Jul 24, 2008 at 9:59 am
I have them….but you can go on their website and just click on wisconsin or arizona and you can get a copy off there…click on information, then rules. If you need specific copies from last year, if you saved the email they sent you with your at home printable tickets, there is a PDF file with the rules attached. If you don’t, contact me and I can send you mine. twolilangelsmom@yahoo.com
Jul 24, 2008 at 12:21 pm
The weather was the complete opposite of last year…..this year it was hot and dry!!!
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Hi all. Please don’t let this give Wisconsin a bad name! My sister and I came to Texas last year from WI and planned on coming this year too! We are 100% in agreement with all your frustrations. I have also been in contact with “ROB”. What a joke. Now, when we call, all you get is a recorded message with the option of leaving a voicemail. We are VERY interested in joining in any class action lawsuit that anyone may be getting together. Of course, like everyone, we had to cancel our trip and lost money on the flight, etc. We are EXTREMELY ticked. I think we should be able to recoup something!
Aug 4, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Nobody here gave them a bad name they gave themselves. I don’t buy the slow tickets sales at all. Until compsentation is made we need to encourage all artist especaily the ones from Texas and Oklahoma to boycott these clowns!!! They have done us wrong for over 1 year and can’t even answer a phone. Country Thunder is Country Blunder!!!!
Aug 5, 2008 at 9:20 am
I have talked to the gentleman I work with (a judge) and he is trying to come up with something we can do. Like someone said earlier, it is going to be hard to get a lawyer to do the case for us. He has all of the rules and regulations and everything else I could get to help us. As soon as I heard something I will let you know.
Aug 5, 2008 at 9:34 am
Thank you Leslie!
Aug 5, 2008 at 11:50 am
I strongly encourage everyone who has been not received appropriate compensation for the 2007 and/or 2008 concert to file a grievance with the Better Business Bureau. You can do that online at http://www.bbb.org and file an online complaint form. You can look up Country Thunder USA via their phone number 262-279-6960 and location of Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. It only takes a couple of minutes to complete the online complaint form. Typically, the driving force for BBB is the number of complaints.
Aug 5, 2008 at 1:55 pm
I just got off the phone for about the 40th time and the new response that I was given was, “Call the corporate office at 432-362-0401″. Of course they failed to mention that that number has NOTHING to do with Country Thunder or refunds…..
Aug 5, 2008 at 1:56 pm
i tried the bbb thing, and it says it can’t find the company.
Aug 5, 2008 at 2:00 pm
The number I was given to call for refunds IF you are in Texas is 877-366-2337. You will get a recording that says,
“TEXAS COUNTRY THUNDER IS OUT OF BUSINESS………”
How sad!
Aug 5, 2008 at 2:16 pm
basic message from recording “due to anything we think will make you believe that none of this is our fault, Country Thunder Texas is out of business….but we can afford to still pay the phone bill to tell you this…because we are too chicken s*#t to answer the phone….we are being counseled right now by the mafia on how to hide your money and keep things tied up so that we never have to pay you back for all the money you so generously gave to us! We thank you for your patronage….our vacation homes in Switzerland were in jeopardy of being forclosed on, and now we can keep them a little longer. We are sorry that you get nothing out of your money other than a lesson to never trust a big entertainment company again. Hope you have a good time in your backyard swimming pool this summer as you have no money to spend on a real vacation…rest assured we are having a wonderful time beating the heat here in Switzerland. Sincerly, Country Blunder….”
Aug 5, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I took the few minutes to file a complaint with the BBB.
Aug 5, 2008 at 3:08 pm
I filed a compliant also, we will have to see what happens.
Aug 5, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I am in the process of contacting the Fort Worth Star Telegrams WatchDog of what is taking place. I will keep everyone informed
Aug 5, 2008 at 3:27 pm
ok, i figured it out and made the complaint.
Aug 5, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Keith, that would be awesome…i tried to get Saul Garza from GoodDay on Fox 4 to take the story…but I never heard back from him. Maybe if everyone went to their website and sent something to the What’s Bugging You section….?? Worth a shot right? If nothing else, maybe the news station would pick it up as an investigation…..bad publicity is a great way to get people’s attention!