Sydney Barbecue Festival organisers who sent customers home hungry on the weekend are refusing to issue refunds, prompting outraged attendees to vent on an online hate page.
The Sydney Festival Barbecue Facebook hate page sprung up just four hours into Saturday's Yak Ale Sydney Barbecue festival at The Domain and quickly filled up with complaints of long lines, sold-out vendors and warm beer.
Organiser MMJ Events Pty Ltd said the $25 ticket price would not be refunded, claiming "all elements of the event were delivered as advertised".
Attendees said they longed for the local Bunnings barbecue after paying for a smoked meat smorgasbord but instead being served salad.
"After queuing for the better part of half an hour, our patience was rewarded with the $15 brisket plate, which in fact was three quarters salad that had been wilting in the sun all morning", Adam Winder wrote on Facebook.
A separate company involved in event staffing and site management for the festival, Mothership Events, has a track record of leaving patrons wanting more.
Attendees of a $500 New Year's Eve event on Sydney Harbour eventually won partial refunds after complaining to Fair Trading about long lines and unfulfilled food promises.
The music arm of the company went into liquidation in 2013 after a headlining rapper failed to appear at a music festival while the events business was linked to the cancellation of Port Stephen's Tastes of The Bay festival.
On Monday, Fair Trading said it was sifting through complaints from the weekend and encouraged anyone with concerns to lodge a complaint.
