Ticket buyers for Bridgerton ball in Detroit call it an all-out scam run by scoundrels

Detroit has been rebuilding its brand as a comeback story for years now, so the last thing we’d want to do is turn back the clock to be trashed as a scene of “complete chaos” in the Hollywood Reporter. But here we are, thanks to a Bridgerton ball gone bad.

A Netflix-inspired — but not Netflix sponsored — event called the “Detroit Bridgerton Themed Ball” sold tickets priced at reportedly around $100 to $1,000 as a romantic romp back to the Regency era with a night of elegance and grandeur.

No mention of a gyrating pole dancer who was part of the night’s entertainment if you will, according to angry social media posts this week, along with raw meat for dinner.

Ticket buyers who dressed in sumptuous lace, lavish gowns and their finest attire called the event an all-out scam run by scoundrels. At times they said it was so deadly dull, that one picture on social media showed a woman in a green evening dress sitting on the floor, slumped against the wall, engrossed in something on her smartphone.

Shades of 'Willy Wonka-inspired experience'

The promised enchanting evening, no doubt, proved to be enlightening. Shady events are a thing, too, as consumers are warned to beware of losing good money buying tickets for fake festivals, dowdy parties and counterfeit ticket scams.

More: 'Scamerton': This Detroit 'Bridgerton' ball went so poorly, it's being compared to Fyre Fest

A Willy Wonka-inspired experience went wacko in Glasgow, Scotland, in April where ticket holders complained they ended up in a warehouse that lacked any of the candy-colored charm of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." And many remember the bad vibes from the infamous Fyre Festival fiasco, a lavish getaway concert in 2017 that collapsed in a sea of mud and was anything but a VIP experience.

This week, all the big names carried the Detroit news about the Bridgerton ball: The New York Times, Time, Vanity Fair, Forbes, People, US Weekly. E! News online declared that the “Bridgerton-themed Ball in Detroit was nothing short of a royal disaster.”

'Bridgerton' fans drove hundreds of miles to be disappointed

Maureen Holliday, 38, who drove more than 260 miles one way from Cincinnati in her Hyundai Palisade with two girlfriends, wants to make clear that she blames no one other than the promoters who were all over Facebook and social media talking up the Bridgerton experience. Much was made about dinner, dancing, big prizes and more.

She wants her money back from Uncle & Me LLC, which she noticed now seems to also use another name too on Eventbrite called "UM Event Management Company."

"We're not mad at Detroit. We're not mad at Michigan. We're just upset with the company," Holliday said.

"We're not upset with the girl that was pole dancing because that's what she was hired to do."

Though, Holliday did say she felt sorry for the mom with two teenage daughters at her table who seemed embarrassed by the exotic dancing, which Holliday called "extremely inappropriate" especially when young people were in the group.

Why pole dancing? At an event highlighting prim-and-proper "Bridgerton," a drama set between 1813 and 1827 in London? Even with the TV show's steamy love scenes?

"No one knows," Holliday told me by phone Wednesday.

Holliday spent $487.92 on four tickets, bought via Eventbrite.com, back in June. It was her gift to girlfriends who live too far away and rarely have a chance to get together. Two pals live in Owensboro, Kentucky; one lives in Middletown, Ohio.

The event was originally scheduled for Aug. 25 but then canceled. The friend who lives in Ohio couldn't go to the re-scheduled date on Sunday because she works in a jail, Holliday said, and could not get the time off. Holliday said she has tried unsuccessfully to get money back for weeks for that friend's ticket, which went unused.

Not enough food, not enough service

Holliday dressed for a night of elegance. She loves the "Bridgerton" love story and following the lives leading up to love. She said she ended up spending $300 online at Bella for stunning champagne colored ballgown decked out in diamonds. Really, rhinestones and pearls. Her hair was enhanced by $50 in extensions.

She expected a lovely dinner, too, not undercooked chicken wings, one meatball and some mashed potatoes, gravy and salad. Only two people appeared to be serving the group and guests had ridiculously long waits. It was so bad that the mom and the daughters at her table got up to help out serving, she said. Holliday said she would have done the same if her dress were shorter and not as billowing.

"We almost Door Dashed it," she said. "It was getting that bad."

More: 'Scamerton': This Detroit Bridgerton ball went so bad, it's being compared to Fyre Fest

They did go to a bar nearby to get drinks at one point because the event seemed to run out. The women arrived around 5 p.m. and left around 11 p.m. because they wanted to wait for a "Diamond of the Season" contest where the prize was $2,000 cash for the best dressed. A man and a woman were named as winners. But Holliday wonders if they got their money.

"The good part about the whole thing was meeting the people that came out," Holliday said. "Seeing the dresses, seeing other people, making connections with other people, that was the nice part about it."

"But everything else was just trash."

Holliday, a mom who works as a program support assistant in infectious diseases, has been tracking everything on TikTok and social media about all the Bridgerton ball backlash, including spotting that the young violinist at the event now says she hasn't been paid.

The “most splendid soirée of the season,” as it was advertised, was held at the Harmonie Club in Detroit, which finds itself in the midst of all the bad publicity.

Harmonie Club in Detroit 'no way affiliated with the promoters'

Roger Basmajian, president and CEO of the real estate and development firm Basco, which owns the historic Harmonie Club and runs the venue, said his group had nothing to do with the programming and what happened.

He said his firm has been “mostly paid” for leasing out the venue to the third party. He did not know how many people showed up to the event but said the capacity was 500.

“We feel bad as to how people got treated,” Basmajian told me by phone. "But our involvement was not in the programming, selling the tickets, the food and beverage that was served. We really weren’t aware of what was promised and what ultimately got delivered.”

He stated later in a follow-up email: "We are in no way affiliated with the promoters and organizations that rent our venue for events such as the Bridgerton Ball organized by Uncle & Me, LLC and Chelsea Beard."

Uncle & Me LLC was started by an uncle and niece team Jeremy Scott and Chelsea Beard, according to the company's online posting. "We bring amazing networking events to local cities for small businesses!" the company states on its Facebook page. The page also shows a Motor City spring pop up shop in Eastern Market for Cinco De Mayo last spring. Uncle & Me filed for articles of organization in Michigan on Jan. 20, 2023.

Uncle & Me did not return emails from the Detroit Free Press and could not be reached by phone. The voicemail was full for a number listed online for Chelsea Beard.

The state articles of organization lists a mailing address at 43313 Woodward Ave., which appears to be a Staples store, in the Bloomfield Hills area, which might involve a virtual mailbox service that allows customers to use a Staples store as their official mailing address.

Harmonie Club, Basmajian said, offers support for events, such as providing proper back-of-house facilities, janitorial, security and safety team. But the "planning, programming, and execution of the actual events are handled by the venue lessees, promoters, and their teams," he said in a statement.

His statement continued: "We are highly disappointed with the organizers of this event and their mistreatment of guests. We are currently evaluating our vetting procedures in an effort help prevent such events from taking place in our facility in the future, as well as any legal remedies that may be available to us against the promoters of this event."

The Harmonie Club is leased for weddings, corporate events,and other occasions.

“Generally, it always goes smoothly,” Basmajian told me in a phone conversation. “This was the first situation that we had to deal that got the press that it got.”

Uncle & Me LLC has not posted any updates on its Facebook page. The last item was from Aug. 24 when the initial event to be held at Beacon Park was canceled. The Queen's Ball was set for Aug. 25 at the Castle Hall in Beacon Park in Detroit.

Chelsea Beard posted a statement posted on her Instagram this week: "We understand that not everyone had the experience they anticipated at our event on Sunday night at The Harmonie Club, and for that, we sincerely apologize. Our goal was to create a magical evening, but we recognize that organizational challenges and unforeseen changes, including a last-minute venue and date change, impacted the experience for some guests."

She continued: "Unfortunately, some nonrefundable deposits from the original bookings resulted in losses on our end, which added to the challenges. Nonetheless, we take full responsibility for these shortcomings."

Beard said the company "was working diligently to address all concerns and will be reaching out with further details shortly."

Ticket holders, she said, can expect an email with "the next steps." She also thanked those who attended, saying they "all looked breathtaking."

"Your understanding and loyalty mean the world to us, and we are dedicated to making this right."

Nothing romantic about fighting for a refund

This Bridgerton ball scandal has plenty of consumers demanding refunds. But that could be tough, as the event page says: "No refunds."

Some who used a credit card might be able to dispute the charge with the card issuer. (I reached out to Chase and American Express but received no answers on how they'd handle the Bridgerton backlash.)

When you're disputing a charge involving a complaint about quality, you need to first try to get that refund from the seller of the service or good.

It's wise, if you don't see a refund quickly, to dispute the transaction with the credit card company under the Fair Credit Billing Act, according to Teresa Murray, who directs the Consumer Watchdog office for U.S. PIRG, a nonprofit advocacy group. She said these same protections don't apply to debit cards.

Most transactions, she said, can be disputed online. Some banks may require a follow up with any documentation in writing.

The Federal Trade Commission notes that when it comes to charges for shoddy goods or services purchased with a credit card "you could dispute the amount due, withhold payment, and ask the issuer to investigate the problem." The issuer could not require you to pay the disputed amount without first conducting an investigation. You might have to take other action if you're not satisfied with the outcome, such as looking into whether you might be able to sue the seller.

You'd want to send your dispute letter so that it reaches the issuer within 60 days after the first bill with the error or charge that was sent to you.

Yet, ticket-buyers can't be overly optimistic, either. Many times, you can get the runaround from notorious rakes.

"In most cases like this, those people who purchased tickets will not likely be able to get their money back," warned Nakia Mills, director of marketing for the Better Business Bureau offices in Southfield.

Consumers can visit BBB.org/ScamTracker to report any issues they had with the Bridgerton ball or other events. The site can also be used to research complaints on issues.

In this case, the event organizers did not refund money it seems when the Aug. 25 event in Detroit was first canceled, based on Holliday's experience. She plans to dispute the charge with her credit card company, though, and see what happens next.

Detroit Free Press writer Christine MacDonald contributed to this report.

Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on X (Twitter) @tompor.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Attendees of Bridgerton ball in Detroit call it a scam, want refunds