Philly Pops fans frustrated as future concerts remain uncertain: 'I would like my money back'
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Longtime fans of the Philly POPS are expressing frustration over a lack of response and refunds.
The Action News Troubleshooters has received new information from the organization after a number of ticket holders reached out wondering what was happening with concerts and refunds.
"We've been a subscriber to the POPS I would say close to 25 years," said Nancy Katz.
But the beloved Philly POPS are in trouble. They've been evicted from the Kimmel Center for back rent and sued by its musicians for back wages.
Katz says she feels both sympathetic and sad.
SEE ALSO: Philly Pops evicted from Kimmel Center after missing $520,000 payment
"This is something we look forward to. We're supposed to actually have seven concerts this year."
Katz and her husband went to a show in September. The rest are up in the air.
"Very unrealistic that this is ever going to take place," she said. "And if not, I would like my money back. We pay, with the service fee, $425 this year for these shows."
The Philly POPS told Action News it does hope to present the remainder of the season's shows at the Kimmel but "we also are in conversation with other venues. We intend to reschedule all concerts missed from the 2022-2023 season."
"They never use the word canceled. They say postponed because I think by using the word canceled that would imply some obligation to refund your money," said Katz.
Other ticket holders are also upset about a lack of communication by the organization.
And when Katz has been able to leave a message, she says nobody calls back.
"I would like more of a response and more of an assurance that two or three concerts could still be held, possibly in this time period," she says.
The Philly POPS said it is playing catchup after its ticketing system crashed due to a cyberattack. It also says it "will communicate to all ticket holders on changes to schedule and policy" and expects to do so "in the days ahead."
Meantime, if you paid for your tickets by credit card, you can try disputing the charge.
You can also file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office, which has forced other companies to provide refunds for canceled events.
Statement from the Philly POPS
"Since February, Philly Pops and its attorneys have sought to engage with POKC (Philadelphia Orchestra Kimmel Center) to resolve our differences so that we can honor our performance obligations. It is our hope that this work will be successful and that we can present the remainder of the season's shows at the Kimmel, where the tickets were originally sold. It is heartening that we are returning the ticket database to normal last week and this week.
We expect to offer a more detailed statement about these issues in the days ahead."
2nd Statement from the Philly POPS
"All calls are reviewed and have been kept manually for review and match to the Ticket Philadelphia database. We lost access to the database on February 9 when the Kimmel ticketing system had an outage that lasted until late last week. We are currently processing the data.
We continue to hope for a thoughtful, accurate and credible response from POKC. In the event that POKC does not allow us to finish the season at the Kimmel, we also are in conversation with other venues. We intend to reschedule all concerts missed from the 2022-2023 Season.
We will communicate to all ticketholders on changes to schedule and policy."
Statement from Kimmel Center, Inc.
"All questions about Philly Pops tickets and performances should be directed to the Pops. We look forward to hearing from the Pops with a credible plan to pay back the $1M debt owed to our organization."
