And so the refund rigmarole spins round. Despite assurances in January by the race director that the refund for my cancelled 2015 Santa Barbara Marathon would be processed by June (!!) 2016, that did not happen.
After my repeated messages to the organizers have continually been ignored I’ve now taken to contacting sponsors of the event. Below is the standard text I am sending to Silver Sponsor Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce, and Gold Sponsors ABC 3 Santa Barbara, Lafond Winery & Vineyards, and Oniracom Media Marketing:
Good morning. I’m writing to you as I understand you are a sponsor of the Santa Barbara (Half) Marathon. This organization cancelled their marathon in 2015 four weeks before the event and later promised refunds to marathoners by the end of June 2016. This has not happened. I’ve repeatedly tried contacting them in the past month asking for updates or information and heard nothing back. I’ve tried email, phone, Facebook messenger, and the online form submission at sbmarathon.com where you are shown as a sponsor.
Given the race director and staff’s lack of communication and disorganization (if I’m being charitable) or dishonesty (if I let my continued disappointment and frustration take hold), I would advise you that they are painting Santa Barbara and by extension yourselves in a very negative light.
If there is anything you can do to ask questions of the organizers regarding this ongoing failure to refund money they themselves assured runners would be returned, I would greatly appreciate it.
Further I would strongly suggest you reconsider sponsorship of an event that treats people so lackadaisically, rudely, or again if I let my anger take hold dishonestly.
Sincerely,
Kevin Hanna
I don’t know if anything will come of this. I do know the race organizers have had my $100 entry fee for a non-existent event for over a year now. I suspect I’m well out of the time limit for disputing the charge on my credit card but I will try that as well.
Caveat emptor when it comes to dealing with the Santa Barbara (Half) Marathon crew.
Run Kevin Run? Not in Santa Barbara I won’t.
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Quick update at 2:22 pm:
Replies received from the Vineyard and the Chamber of Commerce.
