This article has been updated to include comments from Eventbrite chairman.
Fans who spent hundreds of dollars or more on passes to the inaugural Roxodus music festival in Ontario, which was suddenly cancelled on Wednesday, got some good news early Saturday.
Eventbrite, the company that processed ticket sales for Roxodus producers MF Live Inc., said it will issue full refunds.
“We are transferring funds to ticket holders immediately & they will see it in their account within 7 business days,” read a tweet from Eventbrite.
The company is using funds from its own Fan Relief Program “to make all ticket holders whole as we continue to aggressively pursue the return of funds from Roxodus.”
Customers have been notified by email.
"I hope they understand that’s not a refund they’re receiving. A refund is actually getting your own money back. That’s from our balance sheet," Eventbrite chairman Kevin Hartz told iHeartRadio.ca. "We created a relief fund because these people have absconded with their money and are unresponsive, so this is coming from our coffers. It’s not the festival's money."
Hartz said although Eventbrite has no obligation in this case, "it just feels like the right thing to do."
Passes ranged from $129 for single day general admission to $639 for a four-day VIP pass. Organizers also sold camping packages priced between $219 and $1,600; parking from $49 to $119; and shuttle bus services from nearby towns.
Hartz said all the funds collected on behalf of Roxodus "was paid out to them."
Wednesday's cancellation statement from MF Live Inc. promised information on refunds would be forthcoming – but the reference to refunds on the festival's website was deleted the following day.
The Eventbrite tweet said MF Live Inc. (Mike Dunphy and Fab Loranger) “have provided no indication they will refund ticket holders.” It said Eventbrite believes fans “deserve to get their money back now.”
MORE: What We Know About The Men Behind Roxodus
It's good news for Roxodus fans, who have been seeking answers on social media and threatening legal action.
On Friday evening, Dunphy issued a statement claiming he did not “control funds received from ticket sales” and has “not stolen monies” from the event, which was set to happen July 11 to 14 at Edenvale Aerodrome in Clearview Township.
“Since I am not in control of financial items regarding Roxodus, I cannot communicate the plans for refunds.”
It's not the first time Eventbrite has seen this kind of thing happen, and Hartz said it won't be the last. The festival market is "attracting more undesirables," he said, "so it’s something that fans and others need to be aware of."
Loranger has not made himself available since announcing the festival was being scrapped.
iHeartRadio.ca has been your source for Roxodus cancellation coverage:
• Ontario's Roxodus Music Festival Cancelled
• Should Fans Be Surprised By Roxodus Cancellation?
• Roxodus Joins Graveyard Of Canadian Music Festivals