On The Record

• Is it to late to complain now?

  September 27, 2007 @ 12:28 pm | by Jim Carroll

  The Barbra Streisand Irish concert saga looks like it’s coming to an end. The report has been issued, the apologies have been given and 2,500 Babs freaks are going to get either their money back or a “voucher”.

  The report itself has CCTV footage from the day, extracts from the event management plan and even rainfall charts.

  Interestingly, there’s also a statement from National Consumer Agency big cheese Anne Fitzgerald with the report, including this lovely nugget which suggests that this one, like Babs, may yet run and run.

  We believe that the compensation being offered by MCD represents a fair deal for consumers. However, the NCA would advise patrons that, if they do not wish to accept the compensation now on offer from MCD, they are entitled to refuse it and to take action against the company in the Small Claims Court. Similarly, patrons who are not being offered any compensation may have grounds for action in the Small Claims Court

  But, are you happy now? Bet those who didn’t complain are fuming.

  Comments (7)

• Customer service department, can we help you?

  August 21, 2007 @ 11:07 am | by Jim Carroll

  There have been a few pieces filed already following the Consumer Association of Ireland’s decision to publish their letter to MCD Concerts giving out about the recent Babs show in Dublin.

  Readers will recall that MCD established a committee in the wake of the show to find out what went wrong (hey, people couldn’t find their seats - job done) and this commitee is due to report their findings in September.

  Back when the Babs ruckus first occured, Shane made an interesting point about the lack of a customer services department at a company like MCD who deal with thousands of punters every year.

  However, some promoters are taking action. MCD’s main competitors Aiken Promotions have come up with this (with thanks to eagle-eyed On The Record reader Lass for pointing it out).

  I don’t recall seeing this customer care policy on their website before this summer and wonder what provoked them to publish it (the link is at the very bottom of their home page). Would it be, perhaps, Babs?

  The policy is very comprehensive and covers such areas as how stewards should deal with customers, how serious incidents should be handled and how staff should deal with dissatisfied customers. Expect to see other promoters cogging this one in the coming months.

  And yes Rockford, Babs is the gift that keeps on giving.

  Comments (21)

• You can’t handle the truth, Barbra Streisand

  July 23, 2007 @ 7:41 pm | by Jim Carroll

  Yeah, yeah, I know, I wouldn’t have believed it either if you had told me when I started this blog that I’d write several posts in July 2007 about Babs. I mean, the singing Babs as opposed to the hurling Babs. I’ve even learned how to spell her name right without having to resort to Google.

  Anyway, Babs. It’s interesting to note that the most popular diva in Co Kildare has a Truth Alerts section on her website.

  This is where you can see her very own truth and reconciliation go-to team in action. Here, Ms Streisand’s people take widely reported misconceptions about the singer and set the record straight. They’ve tackled the truth about some posters in London in 1994, an unauthorised biography and the Streisand Foundation’s unfortunate purchase of some Halliburton shares.

  Our favourite is this one:

  In view of press speculation that there was a political aspect to an incident at one of the recent Ft. Lauderdale performances of the current Barbra Streisand national tour, the star wishes it known that she discovered later that the outburst was in no way political. The man who threw a paper cup with liquid in it onto the stage was actually the guest of someone to whom Streisand had given tickets, a guest who had had one or more too many beers but no political convictions.

  But, hold on, there’s NOTHING about her recent schmozzle in Ireland. No polite notice to counteract all the bad press caused by her recent take-the-money-and-fly appearance at Castletown House. No kindly written letter to her fans about the experience of a lifetime which turned out to be nothing of the sort. No memo from Babs about her role in the fiasco.

  Well, it’s not good enough. We, the bloggers who’ve had a grand old time of it since last Saturday week, demand action.

  Comments (5)

• More Babs & MCD

  July 17, 2007 @ 3:08 pm | by Jim Carroll

  MCD have announced that they’re setting up a specialist commitee to look into the Barbra Streisand concert debacle.

  The committee will be chaired by Pat Byrne, former Garda Commissioner. It will also include Health and Safety Officer, Michael Slattery of Slattery & Associates along with Julian Davis, Communications Consultant on Special Olympics World Games. It will also include senior MCD personnel including Denis Desmond and Justin Green.

  Michael Slattery was the health and safety officer at the recent Oxegen festival and Julian Davis works with Fleishman Hillard PR.

  MCD invited any fans affected by the above issues to write to Denis Desmond, 7 Park Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. Concerned concert goers are encouraged to continue to contact MCD. To date 127 complaints from the 17,000 attendance have been received.

  Denis is going to be a busy man with all those letters. As Shane points out, it’s staggering to think that a company dealing with thousands of customers every week doesn’t have a dedicated customer hotline.

  This committee will hold its first meeting this week and it is anticipated to have completed its work by early September.

  Well, that’s Liveline sorted for September.

  Comments (5)

• More Complaints Denis

  July 16, 2007 @ 5:46 pm | by Jim Carroll

  If it’s Monday, it must mean that Irish concert-goers are fuming. No-one fumes as well as we Irish and there’s never been a better time for it than this summer.
  (more…)

  Comments (12)

• It’s not just the banks who want your SSIA cash

  May 1, 2007 @ 2:30 pm | by Jim Carroll

  Hearing that the country was awash in cash, Barbra Streisand has decided it’s high time to visit Ireland. She performs at Castletown House, Celbridge, Co Kildare on July 14.

  It will be a posh affair, per the press release.

  “A 58 piece orchestra will accompany Ms Streisand as she performs many of the classic songs from her unique repertoire such as “Evergreen”, “People”, “The Way We Were”, “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and many more.”

  You don’t usually get that sort of thing in Co Kildare. You certainly won’t get it the week before.

  Tickets for this soiree? Well, they start at 118.50 euro and then rise to 193.50 euro, 270.75 euro and 551.75 euro.

  What the hell do you get for 551.75 euro (including booking fee)? The mind boggles.

  Comments (4)