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issues reported while redeeming circle k calgary stampede passes
some calgary stampede visitors got error message when trying to use code printed on back of passes purchased from convenience store chain
jul 11 2023
2 minute read
the midway at calgary stampede on sunday, july 9, 2023.
darren makowichuk/postmedia
the calgary stampede says it’s aware of problems some fairgoers have encountered when trying to redeem promotional tickets purchased through circle k convenience stores.
the circle k promotion sells two general admission tickets to the stampede and two coca-cola products for $33.
but some stampede visitors got an unpleasant surprise when they tried to redeem those entries online by entering a five- or six-character alphanumeric code that appears on the back of the ticket. they were met with an error message telling them the code was invalid or had already been used.
several calgarians detailed that experience to postmedia, including keisha hilborne, who purchased a pair of passes at a southeast calgary circle k location last month and discovered while trying to enter the fairgrounds that the code didn’t work.
“every time we tried putting in our code it said that it didn’t exist. so we talked to the people at the stampede and they said there was nothing that they could do,” hilborne said.
“there were so many people there that were going through the same thing. we could hear quite a few people upset in the lineup behind us; people (were) being turned away.”
in the end, hilborne opted to buy tickets at the gate after failing to find a resolution through stampede customer support staff, spending another $46 on top of the original $33 to access the midway.
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it’s not a devastating financial blow, but she said it’s one that could add up between everyone who encounters the problem.
anyone who had purchased the offer is now able to redeem it by showing the ticket at any entrance to stampede park, the calgary stampede said in a statement on monday. stampede representatives did not reply to questions about whether customers who had been unable to use the passes would be compensated.
couche-tard, the parent company for circle k, did not respond to a request for comment from postmedia monday.
the issues with the tickets sparked conversation on the calgary subreddit , where some impacted customers said they had filed a chargeback with their credit card company to recover the cost of the passes.
twitter: @jasonfherring
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