Ministry initiates legal proceedings against Reggaeton Beach Festival

Following the complaints filed by FACUA-Consumers in Action, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has initiated its first disciplinary proceedings against the company DQG Norte, AIE, organiser of the Reggaeton Beach Festival, which takes place in eleven Spanish cities, including a micro-fiesta in Torrevieja this weekend, with threats of a fine of a million euro, or more.

The Reggaeton Beach Festival scheduled events in 11 locations throughout Spain such as Madrid (where the Madrid City Council withdrew their licence for security reasons), Marina D’Or, Asturias, Tenerife, Marbella, Benidorm, Mallorca, Barcelona, ​​Santander, Torrevieja and Galicia.

FACUA denounced the company before the regional consumer protection authorities for preventing access to venues with food and drinks, for not allowing cash payments inside and for keeping part of the money from the cashless bracelets in the refund.

The Balearic Islands opened a disciplinary file after the association’s complaint but given that the irregularities take place in different autonomous communities, both the consumer authorities of this community and that of Catalonia, asked the Ministry to take charge of the case.

Thus, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has assumed the sanctioning power that was endowed with a recent reform of the General Law for the Defence of Consumers and Users and other complementary laws. Reform that was produced in response to the demands transferred by FACUA to the minister since the beginning of the legislature.

The company subject to the sanctioning file includes as a mandatory clause the express prohibition of entry to the festival site with food or drink from outside, and attendees may be registered and, where appropriate, denied entry for this reason.

However, in each of the organised 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 sealed snack, additionally requiring in a different section that sandwiches or homemade food will not be accepted.

The Ministry is also investigating other practices denounced by FACUA at the Reggaeton Beach Festival. It is about the imposition of a payment system through cashless bracelets, not accepting cash. In addition, the return and refund of the excess amount is not allowed below 2 euro due to management costs that amount to 1.5 euro. All these practices would constitute an infringement as they are considered abusive clauses, the Ministry has warned in a statement.

The sanctions provided for these infractions can be considered as serious or very serious infractions and be sanctioned with fines of between 10,001 and 100,000 euro, in the case of serious ones, and between 100,001 and 1,000,000 euro, in the case of very serious ones.

In the event that the illicit benefit obtained from the infringing practices exceeds said amounts, the sanctions imposed could reach up to 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 ones, the Ministry recalled in its statement.

FACUA calls on those affected by these abusive clauses to complain to the promoter of the Reggaeton Beach Festival, and recalls that they can go to the association to defend their rights as consumers.

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