Parents and children alike were left disappointed recently after a ticketed Dinosaur Festival Australia show did not come to town.
The three-day event was set to run from Friday, July 16 to Sunday, July 18 at the Shepparton Showgrounds but was postponed — and not for the first time.
There is speculation questioning the legitimacy of the travelling dinosaur show, which promises a “once in a lifetime opportunity” with its animatronic dinosaurs.
Events have been advertised along the east coast of Australia and even reportedly in the United States and Africa; however, many of the shows have been postponed or rescheduled without reason.
Some events have come to fruition in other locations, including Toowoomba and Brisbane.
A Greater Shepparton City Council spokesperson said the private company had approached council for use of the Shepparton Showgrounds, but emphasised it was not a council event.
“Any specific questions about the event should be directed to the company managing the event,” the council spokesperson said.
The News attempted to contact the festival without successful response.
After purchasing three tickets, Rebecca Neville-Edwards was all set to travel two hours from Wodonga to bring her three-year-old to the show in Shepparton.
But as the days got closer, she started seeing a recurring narrative across Facebook.
“I had a bit of an inkling something was off,” she said.
“I knew it had been cancelled in other areas but that was legit, I’d seen photos of their stuff bogged and things like that.”
Prior to buying tickets, Mrs Neville-Edwards researched the show without any concerns arising, but now she has seen a large response of negative comments and posts.
Visitors to the festival’s Facebook page are met with another: Travelling Dino Festival SCAM, a showcase of posts from patrons airing frustrations and trying to attain refunds.
Festival-goers have been sent tickets following their purchase but have struggled to make ongoing contact with the festival after postponements.
“I can recall somewhere there were no refunds being offered, no way to get money back in their clause,” Mrs Neville-Edwards said.
“That’s setting up a lot of people for disappointment.“
A NSW Fair Trading spokesperson said it had received complaints and was currently investigating the organiser of the event.
Real Dinosaurs, the company of national touring group The Dinomaniacs, has been bearing the brunt of having a similar dinosaur experience show since February last year.
Real Dinosaurs director Lisa Forde said the company had received messages of abuse from patrons looking for answers.
“Everywhere we went it was very difficult for us to prove we weren’t a scam,” she said.
“People tarred us with the same brush because we also have dinosaurs,” she said.
The Dinomaniacs recently visited Shepparton with their “fun-filled dinosaur adventure” show.
“The worst part about this is not only does it affect the hip pocket, but it upsets the kids that expect to go and see some dinosaurs,” Ms Forde said.
A Consumer Affairs Victoria spokesperson said consumers were encouraged to do their research before making a purchase.
This includes reading online reviews of the company or the event through Google or Facebook, looking into past events run by the company and speaking with family and friends.
The spokesperson said CAV took breaches of the Australian Consumer Law seriously and would investigate allegations of wrongdoing and take action where necessary.
Consumers who feel they may have been scammed through a ticket purchase are urged to contact CAV by visiting https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/contact-us/report-an-issue/report-a-scam or calling 1300 558 181.