Colosseum (and other Co-Op Culture tickets) to issue vouchers - NO refunds

[marazul]

Co-Op Culture announced today that vouchers will be issued for cultural sites closed during the emergency.  The vouchers will be valid for a year from the date the facilities reopen.

Here is the statement:

 

ONLINE PROCEDURE FOR VOUCHER REQUEST- Covid 19

Dear Customer,
supporting the action of all those who are directly engaging in the health emergency and in compliance with the measures put in place by our government, Coopculture is activating new ways to continue carrying out its work and to assist all those who have the right to receive a voucher as a refund for a ticket or a service they have not been able to use.

Please read the following note and to use the following procedure to request your voucher on https://voucher.coopculture.it/.

TERMINATION OF THE PURCHASE CONTRACTS OF TICKETS FOR SHOWS, MUSEUMS AND OTHER PLACES OF CULTURE - REGULATION LAID DOWN BY D.L. MARCH 17, 2020, N. 18

We inform you that with the Law Decree of 17 March 2020, n. 18, a special discipline has been prepared to resolve the problems encountered by purchasers of tickets for shows, museums and other places of culture, which found it impossible to use them due to the extraordinary measures adopted at national level for the containment of Covid 19.

Pursuant to the provisions of article 88 (read here the article) of the legislative decree n. 18/2020 all consumers and professional operators who have purchased admission tickets to be used in the period from the adoption of urgent measures to contain and manage the epidemiological emergency from COVID-19 and who request it, have the right to receive a voucher for obtaining a new and similar title to be used within one year of its issue.
 

Special conditions dependent on measures of the public authority

Equally, those who, in the period in which they should have used the ticket, found themselves unable to use it are entitled to obtain the voucher as:

a) subjects against whom the quarantine with active surveillance has been ordered, or the fiduciary home stay with active surveillance by the competent health authority;
b) subjects resident, domiciled or recipients of a ban prohibition of removal to the areas affected by the infection;
c) subjects tested positive for the COVID-19 virus for which the quarantine with active surveillance has been arranged, i.e. the fiduciary home stay with active surveillance by the competent health authority, i.e. hospitalization at health facilities;
d) subjects who have purchased the ticket for a museum and / or place of culture located in the areas affected by the infection (so-called red areas) as identified by the decrees adopted by the President of the Council of Ministers pursuant to article 3 of decree-law 23 February 2020, n. 6;
e) public and private educational institutions to which travel suspension measures and educational initiatives pursuant to art. 1 and 2 of Legislative Decree February 23, 2020, n. 6 and the consequent implementation measures.

If it is necessary to prove the existence of the specific conditions referred to in letters a) to d) above, it will instead be necessary to send by email to vouchercovid@coopculture.it copy the entry document and additional documentation to demonstrate the right to the voucher.
If the documentation prove the effective existence of the right to the voucher, within 30 days from the submission of the application to the system, Coop Culture will issue the voucher and email it to the applicant.

Procedure for obtaining the voucher:

To obtain the voucher it is necessary to present a special application no later than the deadline of 30 aprile 2020.

For this purpose it is necessary to fill in the form ONLINE PROCEDURE FOR VOUCHER REQUEST, to put in the reservation code number (PNR) and the e-mail used.
Any request for the issue of vouchers sent in a manner other than that indicated one will not be taken into consideration.

The validity of "open tickets" is automatically extended by one year from the reopening of the site, without the need to activate the voucher request.

By express provision of the law, the possibility of receiving any other form of refreshment, including the reimbursement of the price paid, remains excluded.

The system will automatically produce and send you a receipt, which can be used to proceed with a new booking of the same ticket / service.

The new Booking, without any additional burden, can be made by email to vouchercovid@coopculture.it or by another online method which will be communicated starting from the next May 30th 2020 , in according with the end of the containment measures, the definition of the date of reopening of the monuments and the archaeological area, and in relation to any new provisions that will be imparted on the adoption of measures aimed at limiting or reducing the gatherings and to limit access.
Coop Culture, in agreement with the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities, will recognize to the voucher holders a priority access to reservations, in order to facilitate the choice of congenial dates and times.

[cruisemom42]

A year from the time of reopening is reasonable, I suppose, but surely some overseas travelers will find it difficult to make it back in that time period.

 

Would a credit card provide a refund, assuming you had that coverage and the place wasn't open?

 

(My other thought is that only Italy would make the process so bureaucratic!)

[marazul]

The bureaucracy is quite a contrast with the Vatican which will simply refund the tickets to the credit card. 

 

I am planning to try this and other charges with the credit card company.  I will see what happens, but these charges had been paid for, not pending.  I will also try the cc's cancellation policy, but I am sure this could fall under one of the many exceptions.

In any event, I am staying at home with nothing better to do so that could be today's entertainment.  🙃

[marazul]

Co-op culture will provide vouchers for tickets dated through May 3.  

[marazul]

Cruiserbruce - I see you are referencing this thread above.

 

Just an update.  I got my vouchers last week. 

Vouchers can be requested for tickets dated March 8 through May 17.  The request must be made not later than May 30.  These dates may be extended if the reopening date is delayed again.  

Here is the link for claiming the tickets.  https://voucher.coopculture.it/  Scroll down, click the "box" and verify your order.  It is really easy. 

Here is the email that came with the voucher confirmation:

 

Dear Guest,

With this email we confirm that we have accepted your request to issue a voucher for the order XXXXXXXX

The voucher reference code remains the same as the original booking.

We remind you:

1. This voucher is not transferable;
2. The validity of the voucher is subject to verification of the validity of the security for which it is issued and / or the existence of the specific conditions that legitimize its obtaining, in accordance with the provisions of article 88 of the legislative decree. n. 18/2020;
3. If the purchase was made by an Intermediary, the voucher is issued to the Intermediary, which responds to its Customer;
4. This voucher is valid for re-booking a similar ticket / service to be used within one year from the date of issue;
5. The new reservation, without any additional charge, can be made by email to vouchercovid@coopculture.it, not before May 30^th 2020 or by another online method which will be communicated, compatibly with the cessation of the containment measures, the definition the date of reopening of the monuments and of the archaeological area, and in relation to any new provisions that will be imparted on the adoption of measures aimed at limiting or reducing the gatherings and to limit access;
6. All updates will be published on the website www.coopculture.it .

the CoopCulture staff

Edited April 30, 2020 by marazul

[dogs4fun]

On 3/31/2020 at 7:53 AM, marazul said:

I am planning to try this and other charges with the credit card company.  I will see what happens, but these charges had been paid for, not pending.  I will also try the cc's cancellation policy, but I am sure this could fall under one of the many exceptions.

In any event, I am staying at home with nothing better to do so that could be today's entertainment.  🙃

Any luck with your credit card refund?

[marazul]

25 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

Any luck with your credit card refund?

I did not try it.  I decided to do a last round of asking for refunds first.  All the tours I booked were refunded.  The only one that provided a voucher instead of a refund is the Colosseum, so since I got something in exchange it doesn't qualify for a cc claim.   

Have you made any cc claims?

[dogs4fun]

Yes and I received refunds on all with the exception of a river cruise (received a voucher for a future cruise). I would have preferred a refund on the river cruise - that is why I inquired about the Colosseum voucher. Of course there is a huge price differential between the cost of a river cruise and the cost of a colosseum ticket. 😏

Edited May 4, 2020 by dogs4fun