Treefort Music Festival draws thousands to Boise; one customer wants refund for VIP passes
BOISE – The inaugural Treefort Music Festival in downtown Boise hit the right note over the weekend.
Organizers say 10,000 indie music lovers from all over the country attended the four-day event.
During the weekend – organizers say not only did fans buy tickets, but they slept in area hotels, ate local food and bought items from vendors. They believe, without a doubt, the Treefort Festival should turn into a yearly event because it provided music lovers with great entertainment and helped boost the local economy.
While most feedback was positive, not everyone was happy.
Our newsroom received complaints from some upset VIP pass holders. Boise-native Hilary Lee was among them.
“I was really disappointed because I was so excited about the event,” said Lee.
Lee said she bought two VIP passes for $150 each “to basically avoid waiting in lines.”
She had a guest in town and wanted to treat her friend to an exciting weekend. However, she said it didn’t go as planned.
“There was no communication, direction or way to distinguish VIP from regular passes,” said Lee. “We were supposed to get access to the front of the line, however, when I went up there, the bouncer yelled at me to get back at the end of the line. I was both embarrassed and appalled because I spent so much money.”
Lee said an organizer on the scene told her a refund “was highly unlikely.”
However, Treefort’s main organizer, Eric Gilbert, said that’s not true. He said there were a few complaints from VIP pass holders and he expects to answer each customer individually.
“I come from a customer-service background,” said Gilbert, “and I take each complaint serious.”
He said most feedback was supportive and positive but he understands there are hiccups when you organize a brand-new event.
“If anything, people kept saying they were surprised at how well the event was organized,” said Gilbert. “We will sit down this week and go through everything and find out what worked and what didn’t work. We had over 250 volunteers helping us and it might have been a simple communication breakdown.”
Lee said she wants to support local events like Treefort in the future – she just wants her money back.
“If they address the issue and give me a refund, it will tell me they are great business people,” said Lee, who works in the corporate industry. “I am still very embarrassed by how I was treated but this could end in a happy way if they honor my request.”










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