The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has opened for the first time a sanctioning file against a company that organizes events and festivals in various parts of the country.

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First sanctioning proceedings

The reason is that the company includes as a mandatory clause the express prohibition of entry to the festival site with food or drink from outside, and attendees may be searched and, if necessary, denied entry for this reason.

However, in each of the organized festivals, it is specified that you can enter with certain food and drink, a small bottle of water, a piece of fruit, a sandwich or a snack sealed, additionally requiring in a separate section that sandwiches or homemade food sealed with foil or film will not be accepted.

In addition, the organizer is investigating the system of payment through cashless bracelets, which this organizer includes in those events that are already on sale in order to avoid the use of cash. The cashless wristband system is the only form of payment allowed inside the festival grounds. The refund and reimbursement of the remaining amount are not allowed below 2 euros due to the handling fee of 1.5 euros. Non-compliance, in this case, would constitute an infringement as they are considered abusive clauses, as well as the refusal to accept payment in cash.

The penalties foreseen for these infringements can be considered serious or very serious infringements, with fines of between 10,001 and 100,000 euros, in the case of serious infringements, and between 100,001 and 1,000,000 euros, in the case of very serious infringements.

In the event that the illicit benefit obtained by the infringing practices exceeds such amounts, the penalties imposed could reach between four and six times the illicit benefit obtained, for serious infringements, and between six and eight times the illicit benefit obtained, in the case of very serious infringements.