Latest news with #RAMonsterEvents
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Monster Truck firm issues statement over 'rip-off' event with just one truck
A Monster Truck company has explained why an event billed as an "adrenaline-pumping action" ended up being slammed as a "rip-off". People flooded to the Wolverhampton event to ultimately find only one truck made an appearance. The "Motorfest" organised by RA Monster Events was hyped up as a weekend filled with "jaw-dropping stunts, heart-racing races, and massive tyre-crushing action". Thrill-seekers and families shelled out £19 per ticket for the two-day spectacle at Wolverhampton Racecourse the previous weekend. Read more: Couple lose 15st with one simple change However, attendees have labelled the event a "flop", with scores of disgruntled customers clamouring for refunds. A statement on RA Monster Event's Facebook page pointed the finger at a former truck partner for pulling out of the event at the eleventh hour. They stated: "The decision to withdraw was made solely by the ride truck operator. "While we respect their right to make their own operational decisions, we must firmly correct the record: our event fully met all agreed safety and operational standards. "RA Monster Events is committed to delivering an unforgettable and safe experience for families across the UK." Footage circulating on social media depicts the lone monster truck struggling to mount just two cars in the central arena. Disappointment also stemmed from a fleeting eight-minute display, while all truck ride-alongs were scrapped due to "operational issues". Bewildered spectators reported that announcers informed them the vehicles had difficulty with the "terrain", despite the area being predominantly level. Patrons recounted how one truck merely looped around what looked like a "dusty car park" before driving away. Local resident Shannon Hipgrave, hailing from Penn in Wolverhampton, forked out £85 for five tickets to bring her two year old son, who adores trucks, and relatives to the show. She expressed her frustration: "We queued longer to get in the place than we stayed there, there was nowhere to sit and we couldn't see a thing. "The event was such a let down, it was an awful experience." Another parent who attended the event with her brood mentioned that the commentators repeatedly excused the trucks' performance, citing their "limited" capabilities due to the terrain. The 43 year old woman, who chose to remain anonymous, expressed her disappointment: "It kept being mentioned by the commentator that the terrain limited them in what they could do." She noted a missed highlight from the event's promotion: "They had advertised a stunt man jumping on fire in the promotional videos, but that didn't occur. I am assuming it was due to it being slightly windy that day, so unsafe." Regarding attempts to get a refund, she said: "It may be worth mentioning also, that on the Saturday we attended, I called the ticket provider to see if we could recoup the money back, and was advised I would have to the events organiser directly." Despite following instructions, her efforts were met with silence: "I submitted a message, as instructed, and have not heard anything back as of yet." She recounted the promises made by the organisers: "The organiser promised several different acts comprising of bikes, stunts, and the biggest act being the monster truck. Also, there was supposed to be ride on monster trucks." However, the reality fell short of expectations: "The acts were quite disappointing, seemed very limited and short." She detailed the lengthy delays between performances: "The wait time for acts to be set up and started ranged from 40 mins, through to the longest wait being over an hour for the finale monster truck act." The climax of the event was underwhelming: "The final act only lasted eight minutes total after waiting over an hour. An announcement was also made to say that there were no ride-on monster trucks." Another anticipated stunt was absent: "There was also no stunt involving a stunt man jumping off a platform on fire, and shown in the promotional video." She disclosed the cost of her experience: "I paid for four tickets at a total cost of £55.30." Stef McArber, who attended the event with their spouse and two kids, was left feeling misled after expecting a demolition derby-style spectacle. The 45 year old recounted their experience: "I felt deceived that the 'show' was portrayed as a lot larger and involved a lot more than it actually did, and that certain things were missing, such as the ride on monster trucks." However, the family's excitement turned to disillusionment when they realised the truck display was a mere eight minutes long and a forklift had to reposition some of the vehicles. McArber expressed their dissatisfaction, saying: "It should've been on grass or tarmac, the ground surface was awful. Its nothing like it was billed." They continued, lamenting the disarray: "It was just a shambles, the kids were really disappointed. "The most disappointing thing was the venue and the lack of organisation. A dusty, dirty carpark essentially." McArber also highlighted the uncomfortable conditions: "Then the heat was unreal, there was nowhere to sit, no real shade and a bottle of water was £2. "We waited so long in the heat between the performances, it was very difficult keeping the kids entertained without spending more money." Describing the anticlimactic end, McArber said: "The worst party of the experience was probably the finale, the monster truck. One truck driving round and round and crushing four cars for around eight minutes. "When it drove off I was expecting another one to appear. I couldn't believe that was the end of the 'show'." Reflecting on the cost versus the experience, McArber stated: "We got early bird tickets, £12 each so £36 for the three of us, the 4 month old was free. "But the truck was not impressive at all. There were lots of broken cars all lined up when we arrived. "We were expecting a demolition Derby type experience, lots of noise and crushing cars - our four-year-old was so excited. "Before the monster truck show a forklift started moving the cars out the way. "He moved four to the middle and when the truck finally arrived it drove round and round and over the cars - it was so disappointing and all felt a bit flat." Another mum expressed: "We left before even seeing the one and only monster truck as it was over 40 minutes late and we got fed up of watching them water the ground. "I have requested a refund but heard absolutely nothing back, but reading through past events this is an occurring theme." Robert Cooper shelled out £32 to take his wife and son to an RA Monster event in Great Harwood, Lancashire, in June, but said it was "far from what was advertised". The father voiced that the packed spaces and cramped conditions made him feel unsafe and the stunt shows were absent. He stated: "I graft hard all week and look forward to the weekends with my two-year-old son and doing fun exciting stuff." UK Monster Truck Rides, which provided trucks for the organisers, announced its decision to withdraw from the show and any future RA Monster's shows, alleging the "minimum requirements" were not fulfilled. RA Monster Events is staging shows across the nation in the summer including Tewkesbury, Norwich, Great Yarmouth and St Albans.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘It's a shambles!' Parents slam £55 Monster Truck ‘extravaganza' with lame cars in ‘middle of empty, dusty car park'
A MONSTER Truck event has been slammed a "let down", as attendees demand refunds. Despite promising an "adrenaline-pumping weekend of thrills", attendees were left disappointed by long waits for lacklustre performances. 4 4 4 4 The RA Monster Events' advert promised "jaw-dropping stunts, heart-racing races, and massive tire-crushing action". After paying £19 per ticket for the two-day event at Wolverhampton Racecourse, attendees were underwhelmed by the shows, with some demanding refunds. The event took place in what some visitors described as a "dusty car park", which commentators told audiences was causing issues for the vehicles. Several of the weekend's events were also impacted by "operational issues". One attendee said: "We queued longer to get in the place than we stayed there, there was nowhere to sit and we couldn't see a thing. "The event was such a let down, it was an awful experience." This was after she had spent £85 on five tickets to bring her truck-loving two-year-old to the event. poor display. She said: "They had advertised a stunt man jumping on fire in the promotional videos, but that didn't occur. I am assuming it was due to it being slightly windy that day, so unsafe. After a disappointing first day, she called the ticket provider to ask for a refund on the £55.30 she spent on four tickets. Glastonbury opening ceremony branded a flop by disappointed revellers as fireworks display 'dogged by sound issues' She was told to contact RA Monster Events directly but hasn't heard back. Throughout the weekend, guests were expecting a range of events across bikes, stunts and monster trucks. She said: "The acts were quite disappointing, seemed very limited and short. "I felt deceived that the 'show' was portrayed as a lot larger and involved a lot more than it actually did, and that certain things were missing, such as the ride on monster trucks," she added. The wait time for the acts took upwards of 40 minutes, with over an hour for the finale monster truck show. This finale only lasted eight minutes and featured one truck driving in circles, crushing four cars. In an advert for the event it says the morning session would run from 10am-2pm, and the afternoon session from 4-8pm. The advert also promised monster truck rides, but these were reportedly cancelled on the day. One family was left disappointed by the finale. After a forklift moved cars around, leaving four in the middle of the arena, the monster truck "drove round and round and over the cars - it was so disappointing and all felt a bit flat" an attendee said. He said: "It was just a shambles, the kids were really disappointed. "The most disappointing thing was the venue and the lack of organisation - a dusty, dirty carpark essentially." The attendee said that ground surface impacted the shows, and that it should have been on grass or tarmac. With temperatures soaring to 34C over the weekend, attendees found it difficult waiting around in the heat. The open area lacked shade, and the venue charged £2 for bottles of water. UK Monster Truck Rides, who supplied trucks for the weekend, pulled out of the show and RA Monster's future shows after the "minimum requirements" were not met. A statement on RA Monster Events' Facebook page blamed a former truck partner for withdrawing at short notice. It said: "The decision to withdraw was made solely by the ride truck operator. "While we respect their right to make their own operational decisions, we must firmly correct the record: our event fully met all agreed safety and operational standards. "RA Monster Events is committed to delivering an unforgettable and safe experience for families across the UK." Throughout the summer they will be hosting their Motorfest and Funfair events in towns like Market Rasen, Wolverhampton, Hertfordshire and Great Yarmouth.
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Wolverhampton monster truck event branded rip-off by families
A monster truck event that promised a "spectacular" day out has been branded as a "complete rip-off" by Monster Events advertised their "Motorfest" at Wolverhampton Racecourse as a weekend filled with motorbike shows, live acts, stunt shows and a giant funfair. However, families said they spent up to £19 a ticket for a 10-minute show where "one truck with a loud exhaust drove around in circles" and a selfie with mascots on 28 and 29 follows a string of complaints about the organiser's events across the country, with many on Facebook criticising its high ticket prices and lack of organisation, which left children "bored and disappointed". The BBC has contacted RA Monster Events, based in Ashington, Northumberland, for comment. Shannon Hipgrave, from Penn, Wolverhampton, said she spent £85 on five tickets to take her truck-loving two-year-old son and family after being impressed by the event's advertising, but decided to leave early because it was "such a let down"."We queued longer to get in the place than we stayed there, there was nowhere to sit and we couldn't see a thing," Ms Hipgrave described the show as an "awful experience" that was poorly rides were promised but organisers said on Facebook that the rides did not appear due to "operational issues" that were beyond their UK Monster Truck Rides, which supplied trucks for the organisers, said it decided to pull out of the Wolverhampton show and any of RA Monster's future shows as "minimum requirements" were not suppliers, based in Newark, Nottinghamshire, did not disclose the requirements but said it involved ground conditions and queue management which could affect the quality of rides and safety. Robert Cooper spent £32 to take his wife and son to an RA Monster event in Great Harwood, Lancashire, in June, but felt let down as it was "far from what was advertised".He said that none of the motorbike or stunt shows were at the event and the minimum viewing space made it feel "really unsafe and crowded"."I graft hard all week and look forward to the weekends with my two-year-old son and doing fun exciting stuff," he said. Another customer, David, said that his tickets were not even scanned to get into the event and he watched "people walking in and straight back out again"."There were queues and queues of people not knowing what was going on, no schedule as to when events were happening," he said. RA Monster is holding events across the country in the summer including Tewkesbury, Norwich, Great Yarmouth and St Albans. It thanked customers on Monday on Facebook for an "action-packed June" from "roaring engines to smiling faces".Cat Keenan, an influencer from Newport, South Wales, took her son to an RA Monster event at Chepstow Racecourse in March but said he was left "heartbroken" after watching trucks drive repetitive laps behind a metal Keenan posted a video on TikTok about the event where she said the truck did a "pretty cool trick" but the show ended after about five minutes. "It's a big money waster, the advertising makes it look so good. I expected a full on monster show but there was a lot of disappointed people," she said. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
