Veteran restaurateur Kevin Collins, coordinator of White on Whitehaven Long Lunch, said there had been a handful of complaints and that he is aware a guest has lodged an application with the Office of Fair Trading.He says any disgruntled guests should make a claim through the government watchdog, but he believes they are not entitled to a refund.“The only refunds we have provided were for people who could not make it because of the Melbourne lockdown and didn’t turn up,” Mr Collins told NCA NewsWire.“I have not had many requests for refunds (because of the weather) and going through the Office of Fair Trading is the appropriate process.”The Courier-Mail reports that one attendee has lodged an $882 refund with the Office of Fair Trading following the soiree, run over the weekend of May 29 and 30.The second day of the event (May 30), for which weekend packages cost up to $2,000, was lashed by a massive two-hour storm.With a lack of adequate shelter from the rain, video of the afternoon captured attendees cowering under beach umbrellas, while a photo of a damaged marquee captured guests urinating in bushes in the background.Mr Collins said any outdoor event, no matter the time of year, can be subject to inclement weather and it was an unfortunate situation.“It’s an outdoor event and it can rain at outdoor events,” he said.“It’s got to be a consideration when people attend an outdoor event.”He said he had received a lot of praise from other attendees at event. “I’ve had dozens and dozens of emails of support from people, and far more saying ‘it was a pity about the rain’ but they had a great time, than I have had people saying it was horrible and I want my money back,” he said.More than 700 guests attended the four-hour “long lunch” at Whitsunday Island over the weekend, with each day starting at 11am.On Sunday, just 10 minutes after more than 300 guests arrived by ferry, a massive cloud parked over Whitehaven Beach and pelted the area.The Courier-Mail reported that a second-day (May 30) attendee had lodged a complaint with the Office of Fair Trading, asking for a refund of $822.14, the cost of two tickets, because terms and conditions were not honoured.The woman stated a refund would be “very fair” given “the cost spent to attend the event, including flights and accommodation, and the conditions were ”dangerous”, marquees collapsed, and that male guests were urinating “right where you were meant to eat”. The “Long Lunch” had been running as part of the Clipper Race Carnival, held in the Whitsundays in January, for the past two years before breaking away in 2021 as a stand-alone event in May, which is part of the dry season.Tourism Whitsundays promotes the event and its chief Tash Wheeler said the White on Whitehaven Long Lunch by Fish D’vine was one of the region’s showcase events.Mr Collins said he was looking to move the event to a new date in 2022.He says a survey has been sent to attendees seeking feedback.“We are looking to move the date, but that will be based on our survey,” Mr Collins said.
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