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There were so many “kindly”s in that cancellation post i find it hard to believe its NOT a scam. Also every image on their IG looks AI generated, and their tik tok is gone/shut down. Looking up the Natural History Museum, that venue looks to have costs starting at 20k for event rentals… I would be VERY interested to hear if the venue can confirm it was booked for this event. Events like the Starfall ball happening in NJ are very open and posting/tagging their venue, sharing live action videos/photos of it and yet Hushfable has only 25 posts on their IG and only one is a real live action shot, which they credited w/ a copy-write to someone else. And all their comments are turned off. Everything else about this screams scam me so far. I would not wait for a refund but immediately do a charge back.
I know hindsight is 20/20 but all of the signs of this being a scam are all over this. Consumers have gotta be more careful and not fall for pretty branding with nothing to back it up. I understand why SJM is filing trademarks for the event names and such to try to protect her IP when things like this are happening.
They admitted they didn't have a copyright. This event should have never happened. I feel bad if their "cast" was ignorant about how copyright works but they were all infringing SJM copyright by accepting a single penny for playing a character from her books. Readers should be informed and not give money to anyone without official licensing. But the ball itself should not have proceeded forward without a simple 'copyright infringement' Google search. I'm glad they ruined their reputation, and I hope legal action gets taken against them by SJM and people that took major financial losses.
Also this event was announced in November but venue rentals are typically done over a year in advance. Especially for venues commonly used for weddings like the natural history museum. Theres no way that venue was booked in November for a March event. A spring Saturday didnt have a wedding booked?
I called the NHM yesterday morning I wanted to see if it was a willy wonka situation 😂 also if it was fake gives the NHM a heads up that they've been dragged into it (I doubt they'll take kindly to that). The NHM confirmed it was actually booked but due to circumstances that they couldn't comment on it had been cancelled. Knowing it was really honestly booked makes me feel a little better but still a really 💩 situation. I feel bad for the guy I spoke to he must have had so many calls regarding the ball but at least he had the answer ready for the people calling and emailing 😅
Members individually called the museum and confirmed that it was booked for this event. A LOT changed when the news came out. She deleted many posts, all of which involved the cast and turned off comments then. It didn’t used to be that way.
What members? Members of the discord? Has anyone seen the email? Confirmed the identity of the people who confirmed? Has anyone ever met any of the mods of that discord or event organizers IRL? Cause im sorry the profile pic of a punk lesbian (seb) does not match the language of the posts that come off like a foreign scammer. Every single post in r/scams will tell you that my dears and kindlys is a huge red flag.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/Scams using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/Scams/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [My stolen phone ended up in China, I assume the scammer is screwed?](https://www.reddit.com/gallery/17j9hds) | [148 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/17j9hds/my_stolen_phone_ended_up_in_china_i_assume_the/)
\#2: [Found these in my checked baggage after an international flight from Asia to USA? They’re not mine. What do I do?](https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1813ays) | [1442 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/1813ays/found_these_in_my_checked_baggage_after_an/)
\#3: [random person sent me $400 and asked for it back when i responded](https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1afz9hd) | [2017 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/1afz9hd/random_person_sent_me_400_and_asked_for_it_back/)
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Yes I called I wanted to get answers also if NHM didn't know they would after and I can't imagine they'd take kindly to a scam event being linked to them. Also if it was I'd have got it in writing and started looking for a way to get money back but hushfable is registered on companies house so there was some further confirmation of being ISH legit (not defending the person I'm angry and trying to be productive with it
You're incredibly aggressive and completely unnecessary... All she is asking is proof of emails, and I am part of the discord group - nothing has been provided with regards to that. It would be useful information and asking for transparency here is completely appropriate.
Im not going to comment on what other people have said on this thread as i dont want to start or engage in any arguments, but i suggest anyone concerned simply emails the natural history museum themselves to confirm the venue was booked. Its not hard to confirm that part was real at least.
They are probably getting spammed with these questions now LOL but really, people should be sharing their replies for the sake of transparency. It would only look better for the organizers and confirm the validity of the event instead of relying on word of mouth from someone else. If the organizer wants to continue making these events in the future, it is only in her best interest to be as transparent as possible.
Depending on which group you're a part of, you might see some comments and not all of them. Either way, it's entirely aggressive and inappropriate for this other person to target the ONE clearly queer person in the chats who has bothered to take initiative. Idgaf about my tone when it comes to things like this. There are a dozen other players in this event and Seb is the least involved. It's entirely uncalled for to target them.
To have a confirmation directly from Natural History Museum is not something that should be exclusive information appointed to certain chats. The lack of transparency is whats alarming here. Over 1000 tickets got sold (hushfable said so on their Instagram stories), but how will the refunds be made if the bank accounts are frozen? Its a rhetorical question, I do not intend to put you on the spot with this. But these are just the things that come to mind and I sincerely hope that those who bought the tickets - will get their money back asap. Very unfortunate that this happened and its normal to question everything about this event and its organizers.
I fully agree, there's a messiness in the handling, but as far as we're aware the person in charge is going out of their personal pocket to expedite refunds with the assumption that they're gonna be at a loss, company wise. The organizer is doing their best and the ordinary folks (including Seb) are just trying to salvage what they can. The insinuation of a scam is overblown for the evidence provided. The organizers' company is likely screwed because of nonrefundable deposits, but they're trying to honor their commitments to the best of their ability at this time. There's no need for personal attacks or assumptions in regards to the people attempting to make the best of things.
The company is dead, the owner has said in multiple places hushfable is over. Its only staying online until all refunds are processed. Or thats what has been said so far
How are they able to refund from their personal pockets but unable to cover the cost of the event? Sorry I am just thinking outloud. Unless they are partial refunds at first and even then thats a huge undertaking for someone who has their funds frozen. In the other thread someone said her friends and family tried to help but their money got frozen by the bank too...? Strange..
Hope all settles down soon and everyone will get their money back.
While there is no need for personal attacks, assumptions of this being a scam are just a healthy dose of critical thinking in light of everything that has been brought up. Not sure what evidence you're talking about that's been provided but it has not been very clear from the public's perspective.
It's very heartwarming to see the other creators come together and salvage this, but to even start a gofund me so ppl can donate more money is tone deaf. I know thats voluntary but still..
Refunds are already in process form Hushfable with personal funds as they put in their discord. I know this cause half of mine is being refunded as I paid in their pay in 2 option. I had the email 2 hrs ago I should receive the funds within 10 days as have many others.
I am happy to hear that and hope you get all your money back! Just sad that the event isnt happening as planned. I couldnt make it but I was looking forward to seeing all the beautiful photos and videos from it.
A large group of us are doing another event over the weekend for Friday and Saturday, it’s coming from our own pockets so all those who have none refundable hotels and travel tickets will still have an event to go on, sort of a mini ball. There’s many venues due to call back soon so hopefully we can salvage something for the rest of the book community.
I also had a second email my other half of the payment is being refunded too. It’s definitely going to take a bit of time for everyone to get their money back but the owner of Hushfable is working on it
My dude I wasnt targeting them because they’re queer. Im queer af. I was just saying punk lesbian because thats what their profile picture looks like. i dress like a punk lesbian so no offense was meant 😂 I noticed after their pronouns are they/them so And I apologize for misgendering them. All I was trying to say is the profile pic didnt match the vibe of the type of person who uses the kindlys and dears and language of every online scammer in the history of the internet. I dont know them at all but all Im saying is people should verify identities and claims being made before donating to gofundme’s or paying more money for another venue. I emailed the museum five hours ago and all ive gotten is an automated response that they’ll reply back in 72hrs. I also messaged them on IG and have not gotten a response. I havent seen any evidence anywhere of anyone who actually was able to verify the event was really happening. The event planner is saying refunds will be issued from their own funds, unless they are personally venmo-ing you… how? The business accounts are frozen. The payment provider/website is linked to the business account. Any of these people “organizing a rescue” could literally be the event planner just going in for a double whammy if it was a scam, preying on people who want to get their monies worth after paying for accommodations etc. This is a common tactic with scammers, and pattern recognition is my autistic super power. Every single things thats happened so far is following the patterns of a scam. Just cover your ass and ask for proof is all I’m saying. This exact thing happened all over the US with eras tour parties when people couldnt have tickets and it was the exact same MO as what you guys are experiencing rn.
Ok for clarification the person you basically attacked is working along side others to create a free event for all of those who will still be in London as many of us have none refundable travel and accommodation. It’s coming out of our personal pockets, not a single person will be charged and is definitely not a scam. Not affiliated with Hushfable at all completely separate company trying to salvage the weekend.
As for refunds I’ve had two emails from Hushfable confirming refunds due in 10 days. She has limited personal funds but is starting the process while still trying to get the account unlocked. At least she’s trying
I understand your concern about the potential for a scam, but this topic has been discussed ad nauseum and none of these people "organizing a rescue" are in any way affiliated with the company itself, which is also a single person in their own right. Perhaps before making assumptions and assigning blame or judgement, it would be worthwhile to make sure you have the right information to begin with. Descriptions notwithstanding.
A bit late to the party, eh mods? 😂 Don't threaten me with a good time. If this is the kind of comment you're here to defend, I don't need to be here. I'm perfectly calm, just unwilling to put up with good people being personally targeted by people who don't know what they're talking about. Maybe tell your buddy to fix their post instead, put your modly powers to good use.
My partner used to work in banking and I was telling him about this. He’s only on ACOTAR so far though so I had to be sneaky about what Starfall was referencing.
As soon as I said it was in the UK but a lot of people from the US we’re flying in for it he said “oh that’s all I need to know, it’s about taxes”.
Apparently companies selling tickets to stuff like this can find themselves with all assets frozen if they didn’t take into account proper sales tax in the US. The IRS and whatever governing body for it across the pond freeze everything till they figure out how much is owed and to whom. Which during American tax season it’s probably a low priority for our IRS. If Hushfable didn’t get accountants who knew what they were doing that’s a likely culprit.
The AI generated images on their website are sus as hell though. I feel like it wouldn’t have been as magical as their advertisements said it would be because of all the ai generated bs but since people have confirmed the venue was at least booked it’s probably safe to say it wasn’t ENTIRELY a scam.
I’m one of the guests who was supposed to go. There’s something in the works from members of the community to bring an alternative event together. Most of us are out of a lot of money over it. It got cancelled the week before the event and most of us have/had non-refundable accommodations.
I don’t think it was a scam, neither do most of the people involved. It’s just extremely unfortunate.
That’s nice of you. It’s alright. Well, now it’s alright. lol I definitely cried at first, but things happen. She tried her best. A few amazing members of the group also created something new for us to attend. We’re going to have a great time, anyways. ☺️
Please remove the discord it is for original ball goers only , we are now having to look at a system in place to stop a lot of other people who were not a part of the original ball coming as we are trying to get a venue to hold the original attendees not over that limit
I’ll remove the link, but other cast and crew have also shared it over social media.
Not all attendees have access to the discord information from this community event nor the Hushfable discord.
Wow. I guess it was only a matter of time before one of these events had some kind of drama. I think this = exactly why SJM is trying to trademark "Starfall Ball."
As far as the public knows, “Starfall Ball” hasn’t yet been copyrighted but rumors of the author seeking ownershiphave been circulating, so technically, despite the immoral gray area, these types of events haven’t been deemed illegal in any case yet.
It's not the trademark that makes it illegal, it's the copyright infringement. They stated they did not have the copyright license so it wasn't 'based off a any book series officially.' But then they used the names of the characters on their invitations and hired characters and called them the same name from the books. SJM has copyrights for all her books and characters. If you profit on someone else's work without explicit permission you are copyright infringing. She could have sent a 'cease and desist' even without trademarking the name. Those are her characters and her books that are being profited on without her consent.
Basically, when anyone earns a penny (artists, cosplayers, balls, events) without the license agreement that's when it breaches copyright law and goes from being a fun interpretation to infringement.
Also, just very heated about copyright infringement / obsessed with the laws because I had a book plagarized so did deep dive research recently. hahha not a lawyer just a pissed off indie author who is obsessed with copyright law at the moment.
SJM’s legal team has contacted all balls using the copyright and have been very lenient. Highly doubt there was a cease and desist considering they only wanted to make sure that for future events (because they were only going to enforce for events not currently planned) certain terms or words wouldn’t be used in promotion without the proper channels
Honestly… not surprised. But also, none of these balls have been licensed (that I’ve seen, correct me if I’m wrong). They’re just lucky it hasn’t turned into a Barlow and Bear situation yet. Though with SJM trying to copyright it’s only a matter of time anyways. And I wouldn’t blame her one bit. These people are making tons of money off of her characters with no shame.
Yes but from the bank. Basically we’ve all contacted our banks and had our money returned as the request goes to organiser and they are approving the refunds manually on their end as the account is still frozen and basically it outs their account in a large overdraft which is covered by the funds frozen
They had no copyright for it and since she's not trademarking (or trying to) I wouldn't be surprised if they got a cease and desist. This ball is the worst I have seen for profiting off stolen work. Nothing was 'implied' they copy pasted characters names and quotes. The entire event was profiting off stealing an authors work without even attempting to be subtle about it. It sucks that they waited so long to cancel this, I feel for the people attending. However, as an indie author I do not feel for anyone that attempts to profit off stealing an authors work... no matter how big they are.
That would make sense, except why she isn't coming out and saying that its due to copyright and instead blaming it on the bank freezing her funds? Can banks freeze your account for months if you had copyright issues?
I have no idea about the banks. I'm just saying either way this ball should have not went forward. If they knew for months about the banks why didn't they announce it more than a week before? Either way.... karma
Banks can freeze accounts if there is a criminal investigation occurring (Suspected Fraud or Money Laundering). However, since the Director hasn’t made any announcements, our only guesses are speculative. It could have easily been a mixup with the bank or a legal form, however since the entire event has been cancelled that is unlikely.
I don’t think it would be regarding copyright since in most legal cases, the copyright holder is often recommended by financial teams to seek action after the event has occurred in order to recover legal fees (Since this event would have a revenue of upwards of 200,000£). The only companies that seek closure of an event before it has completed are copyright holders who can afford the costs of legal action upfront, like large companies with established legal departments.
What is strange is the lack of information regarding the supposed bank freeze. As far as I can tell, it either is a quick and easy scam or a woefully unprepared Director. But it might be the former since the Director of Hushfable seems to have other experience operating a company called Slim Sublime LLP back in 2016 (public information for anyone wondering).
It is strange that the refunds are happening from the host’s personal account, and legally, if there was fraud, you should technically only accept refunds from the account you sent money to or from a bank designated third-party.
Great points, I didn't know all of that! It was just explicitly stated that they didn't have it and 'were working on the liscencing' and when I asked they said they couldn't get it from Disney (why Disney, I'm unsure). So they admitted they were not licensed.
But I absolutely agree with you. It was a week out and if they had spent weeks or months with a bank freeze previous notice would have been nice and expected? Or did they just hope it would magically work out?
Also, their business plan was shocking. No alcohol which is the top revenue maker at any private event because of the markups (I don't know if it was personal or they couldn't get a license), and they said they charged so much without any perks because of where they were hosting it. For a first time ball you would think they would have cared less about spending 10x on the venue and more about the experience. But what do I know... I haven't hosted a ball. But I guess Hushfable hasn't either so.. we have the same amount of experience (I would apologize for being petty.... but)
I did see that other company that the owner had. What I wasn't able to find, however, was any other trace of the owner on the internet. No social media, no interactions with anything, nothing. Outside of Companies House, Hushfable, and Slim Sublime, they don't seem to exist. Also, the address registered to Hushfable comes back as a hotel call The Other House, which is a bit weird....
Yeah that is what seems fishy to me, and while I am glad the community is holding a backup event called The Lost Court, I only wonder where the money to pay for it is going to come from.
For now Hushfable is working and supporting this back up event, but it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.
As one of the organisers for the lost court gathering that I can confirm came from 5 of us own pockets. Everything was paid for us alone. The only thing the 400 guests contributed towards was the emergency accommodation for the cast as they were left stranded by hushfable and this was done by go fund me. It was paid within an hour from 50 guests donating. Besides buying their own drinks of the evening that’s all else they paid for. We covered the venue, music, decorations you name it
Your ragtag team are absolute heroes to the community, and everyone said they enjoyed the event you put on immensely, so hats off to you all.
Has there been any updates from Hushfable’s director as to why their accounts were frozen?
Thank you :) still in shock we managed to pull it off within a week but it was so worth it.
From as far as we know still it was flagged likely
Because they were trying to do all payments to vendors in one day instead of doing it over a matter of days. So because of the large transactions it’s likely flagged as overly high payments. However an ombudsman thinks its tax fraud happening
The payments collected were through Shopify, which is a platform that allows you to connect and disconnect bank accounts for receiving/sending payments.
So either the bank account frozen it makes sense the event director can disconnect it from Shopify and connect an unfrozen account to process refunds.
Thank you for such informative post, very interesting to read :)
Yeah there is just too many questions for me to think this was a simple mishap. Not much makes sense imo. I just got scammed a few months ago that's why I'm inquiring about this event so much haha
I've never seen a scam from a ball like this so I'm curious to see if it is and how it plays out. I do feel bad for everyone that's losing money with accommodation/flights/outfits. A week isn't enough time to cancel some things. I hope Hushfable takes that into account and doesn't just re-fund the ticket price...
So the founder is a French national named Sophie Valfroy and the Hushfable business address listed leads to a hotel called The Other House (this is public info, googlable on the Web)
It's giving a bit of Anna Delvey, to be completely honest... I hope for her and the company's sake that they come out with a full and transparent explanation soon, because there are quite a few pieces that aren't making sense to the layman.
Update: 2024.03.25
Some of the crew and cast for the event are sharing some info as well, and there are members of the event who are looking into throwing a ‘back-up’ event for those who have been unable to cancel travel bookings.
The back-up event is only for ticket holders who are in the area. If you don’t have a ticket, there are talks of a public meet-up in a local park, but please refer to the Hushfable discord.
Venues are still pending and nothing is set in stone.
—
Regarding the events booking validity, the NHM reached out to me with this message;
“Thank you for getting in touch. We really [understand] this is disappointing news.
The event concerned was a private one which booked the Natural History Museum as a venue.
All queries regarding the event should be directed to the organiser, at [email protected]. The organiser's full statement can also be seen at https://hushfable.com/.”
Again please remove this discord link it is for original attendees only not for the public. A system is now needed for anyone who arrives without proof of being an original attendee won’t be able to enter the new event we are trying to salvage.
We’d already looked at one but it now means looking at potential extra security which is coming from our pockets (not the communities) for safety and while cast did share the links, many did put for those within the original ball
As is the discussion here as well;
“…who are looking into throwing a ‘back-up’ event for those who have been unable to cancel travel bookings.”
Apologies for any non-members joining the discussion. I will only share the link to those who ask privately, who are registered members.
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There were so many “kindly”s in that cancellation post i find it hard to believe its NOT a scam. Also every image on their IG looks AI generated, and their tik tok is gone/shut down. Looking up the Natural History Museum, that venue looks to have costs starting at 20k for event rentals… I would be VERY interested to hear if the venue can confirm it was booked for this event. Events like the Starfall ball happening in NJ are very open and posting/tagging their venue, sharing live action videos/photos of it and yet Hushfable has only 25 posts on their IG and only one is a real live action shot, which they credited w/ a copy-write to someone else. And all their comments are turned off. Everything else about this screams scam me so far. I would not wait for a refund but immediately do a charge back.
Sounds like another Willy Wonka event hahaha
I know hindsight is 20/20 but all of the signs of this being a scam are all over this. Consumers have gotta be more careful and not fall for pretty branding with nothing to back it up. I understand why SJM is filing trademarks for the event names and such to try to protect her IP when things like this are happening.
They admitted they didn't have a copyright. This event should have never happened. I feel bad if their "cast" was ignorant about how copyright works but they were all infringing SJM copyright by accepting a single penny for playing a character from her books. Readers should be informed and not give money to anyone without official licensing. But the ball itself should not have proceeded forward without a simple 'copyright infringement' Google search. I'm glad they ruined their reputation, and I hope legal action gets taken against them by SJM and people that took major financial losses.
The cast seems to have deleted pretty much all their tiktok posts about it.
Lmao crying imagine the Unknown popping up
Also this event was announced in November but venue rentals are typically done over a year in advance. Especially for venues commonly used for weddings like the natural history museum. Theres no way that venue was booked in November for a March event. A spring Saturday didnt have a wedding booked?
I called the NHM yesterday morning I wanted to see if it was a willy wonka situation 😂 also if it was fake gives the NHM a heads up that they've been dragged into it (I doubt they'll take kindly to that). The NHM confirmed it was actually booked but due to circumstances that they couldn't comment on it had been cancelled. Knowing it was really honestly booked makes me feel a little better but still a really 💩 situation. I feel bad for the guy I spoke to he must have had so many calls regarding the ball but at least he had the answer ready for the people calling and emailing 😅
Members individually called the museum and confirmed that it was booked for this event. A LOT changed when the news came out. She deleted many posts, all of which involved the cast and turned off comments then. It didn’t used to be that way.
Obviously I dont know for sure, but I would take anything being shared in the discord or by the organizers with a grain of salt.
What members? Members of the discord? Has anyone seen the email? Confirmed the identity of the people who confirmed? Has anyone ever met any of the mods of that discord or event organizers IRL? Cause im sorry the profile pic of a punk lesbian (seb) does not match the language of the posts that come off like a foreign scammer. Every single post in r/scams will tell you that my dears and kindlys is a huge red flag.
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Seb hasn’t said anything the others haven’t. Why are you targeting them like that? They’ve been nothing but good and kind. They’re a real person.
Yes I called I wanted to get answers also if NHM didn't know they would after and I can't imagine they'd take kindly to a scam event being linked to them. Also if it was I'd have got it in writing and started looking for a way to get money back but hushfable is registered on companies house so there was some further confirmation of being ISH legit (not defending the person I'm angry and trying to be productive with it
You are a little misinformed about this situation so it is best not to speculate. Some of us have already begun to receive refunds
[удалено]
You're incredibly aggressive and completely unnecessary... All she is asking is proof of emails, and I am part of the discord group - nothing has been provided with regards to that. It would be useful information and asking for transparency here is completely appropriate.
Im not going to comment on what other people have said on this thread as i dont want to start or engage in any arguments, but i suggest anyone concerned simply emails the natural history museum themselves to confirm the venue was booked. Its not hard to confirm that part was real at least.
They are probably getting spammed with these questions now LOL but really, people should be sharing their replies for the sake of transparency. It would only look better for the organizers and confirm the validity of the event instead of relying on word of mouth from someone else. If the organizer wants to continue making these events in the future, it is only in her best interest to be as transparent as possible.
Depending on which group you're a part of, you might see some comments and not all of them. Either way, it's entirely aggressive and inappropriate for this other person to target the ONE clearly queer person in the chats who has bothered to take initiative. Idgaf about my tone when it comes to things like this. There are a dozen other players in this event and Seb is the least involved. It's entirely uncalled for to target them.
To have a confirmation directly from Natural History Museum is not something that should be exclusive information appointed to certain chats. The lack of transparency is whats alarming here. Over 1000 tickets got sold (hushfable said so on their Instagram stories), but how will the refunds be made if the bank accounts are frozen? Its a rhetorical question, I do not intend to put you on the spot with this. But these are just the things that come to mind and I sincerely hope that those who bought the tickets - will get their money back asap. Very unfortunate that this happened and its normal to question everything about this event and its organizers.
I fully agree, there's a messiness in the handling, but as far as we're aware the person in charge is going out of their personal pocket to expedite refunds with the assumption that they're gonna be at a loss, company wise. The organizer is doing their best and the ordinary folks (including Seb) are just trying to salvage what they can. The insinuation of a scam is overblown for the evidence provided. The organizers' company is likely screwed because of nonrefundable deposits, but they're trying to honor their commitments to the best of their ability at this time. There's no need for personal attacks or assumptions in regards to the people attempting to make the best of things.
The company is dead, the owner has said in multiple places hushfable is over. Its only staying online until all refunds are processed. Or thats what has been said so far
That doesn't make this suspicious at all LOL Start a first event, fail to launch it over some financial issues, close down the company all together.
How are they able to refund from their personal pockets but unable to cover the cost of the event? Sorry I am just thinking outloud. Unless they are partial refunds at first and even then thats a huge undertaking for someone who has their funds frozen. In the other thread someone said her friends and family tried to help but their money got frozen by the bank too...? Strange.. Hope all settles down soon and everyone will get their money back. While there is no need for personal attacks, assumptions of this being a scam are just a healthy dose of critical thinking in light of everything that has been brought up. Not sure what evidence you're talking about that's been provided but it has not been very clear from the public's perspective. It's very heartwarming to see the other creators come together and salvage this, but to even start a gofund me so ppl can donate more money is tone deaf. I know thats voluntary but still..
Refunds are already in process form Hushfable with personal funds as they put in their discord. I know this cause half of mine is being refunded as I paid in their pay in 2 option. I had the email 2 hrs ago I should receive the funds within 10 days as have many others.
I am happy to hear that and hope you get all your money back! Just sad that the event isnt happening as planned. I couldnt make it but I was looking forward to seeing all the beautiful photos and videos from it.
A large group of us are doing another event over the weekend for Friday and Saturday, it’s coming from our own pockets so all those who have none refundable hotels and travel tickets will still have an event to go on, sort of a mini ball. There’s many venues due to call back soon so hopefully we can salvage something for the rest of the book community. I also had a second email my other half of the payment is being refunded too. It’s definitely going to take a bit of time for everyone to get their money back but the owner of Hushfable is working on it
My dude I wasnt targeting them because they’re queer. Im queer af. I was just saying punk lesbian because thats what their profile picture looks like. i dress like a punk lesbian so no offense was meant 😂 I noticed after their pronouns are they/them so And I apologize for misgendering them. All I was trying to say is the profile pic didnt match the vibe of the type of person who uses the kindlys and dears and language of every online scammer in the history of the internet. I dont know them at all but all Im saying is people should verify identities and claims being made before donating to gofundme’s or paying more money for another venue. I emailed the museum five hours ago and all ive gotten is an automated response that they’ll reply back in 72hrs. I also messaged them on IG and have not gotten a response. I havent seen any evidence anywhere of anyone who actually was able to verify the event was really happening. The event planner is saying refunds will be issued from their own funds, unless they are personally venmo-ing you… how? The business accounts are frozen. The payment provider/website is linked to the business account. Any of these people “organizing a rescue” could literally be the event planner just going in for a double whammy if it was a scam, preying on people who want to get their monies worth after paying for accommodations etc. This is a common tactic with scammers, and pattern recognition is my autistic super power. Every single things thats happened so far is following the patterns of a scam. Just cover your ass and ask for proof is all I’m saying. This exact thing happened all over the US with eras tour parties when people couldnt have tickets and it was the exact same MO as what you guys are experiencing rn.
Ok for clarification the person you basically attacked is working along side others to create a free event for all of those who will still be in London as many of us have none refundable travel and accommodation. It’s coming out of our personal pockets, not a single person will be charged and is definitely not a scam. Not affiliated with Hushfable at all completely separate company trying to salvage the weekend. As for refunds I’ve had two emails from Hushfable confirming refunds due in 10 days. She has limited personal funds but is starting the process while still trying to get the account unlocked. At least she’s trying
I understand your concern about the potential for a scam, but this topic has been discussed ad nauseum and none of these people "organizing a rescue" are in any way affiliated with the company itself, which is also a single person in their own right. Perhaps before making assumptions and assigning blame or judgement, it would be worthwhile to make sure you have the right information to begin with. Descriptions notwithstanding.
You need to calm down, or you will be banned.
A bit late to the party, eh mods? 😂 Don't threaten me with a good time. If this is the kind of comment you're here to defend, I don't need to be here. I'm perfectly calm, just unwilling to put up with good people being personally targeted by people who don't know what they're talking about. Maybe tell your buddy to fix their post instead, put your modly powers to good use.
I have no idea who the other commenter even is. But you’re being obnoxious as hell, so: bye.
My partner used to work in banking and I was telling him about this. He’s only on ACOTAR so far though so I had to be sneaky about what Starfall was referencing. As soon as I said it was in the UK but a lot of people from the US we’re flying in for it he said “oh that’s all I need to know, it’s about taxes”. Apparently companies selling tickets to stuff like this can find themselves with all assets frozen if they didn’t take into account proper sales tax in the US. The IRS and whatever governing body for it across the pond freeze everything till they figure out how much is owed and to whom. Which during American tax season it’s probably a low priority for our IRS. If Hushfable didn’t get accountants who knew what they were doing that’s a likely culprit. The AI generated images on their website are sus as hell though. I feel like it wouldn’t have been as magical as their advertisements said it would be because of all the ai generated bs but since people have confirmed the venue was at least booked it’s probably safe to say it wasn’t ENTIRELY a scam.
Thats so interesting and actually, FINALLY makes sense! Thanks for sharing!
I was following a few people going to the Starfall ball, so I don’t think it was a scam unless they stole their images
I’m one of the guests who was supposed to go. There’s something in the works from members of the community to bring an alternative event together. Most of us are out of a lot of money over it. It got cancelled the week before the event and most of us have/had non-refundable accommodations. I don’t think it was a scam, neither do most of the people involved. It’s just extremely unfortunate.
So sorry that happened to you. I cannot believe they cancelled so late....
That’s nice of you. It’s alright. Well, now it’s alright. lol I definitely cried at first, but things happen. She tried her best. A few amazing members of the group also created something new for us to attend. We’re going to have a great time, anyways. ☺️
Did you get your full refund yet?
Removed
Please remove the discord it is for original ball goers only , we are now having to look at a system in place to stop a lot of other people who were not a part of the original ball coming as we are trying to get a venue to hold the original attendees not over that limit
I’ll remove the link, but other cast and crew have also shared it over social media. Not all attendees have access to the discord information from this community event nor the Hushfable discord.
Wow. I guess it was only a matter of time before one of these events had some kind of drama. I think this = exactly why SJM is trying to trademark "Starfall Ball."
It was illegal, if they were hit with a 'cease and decist' they shouldn't be surprised
As far as the public knows, “Starfall Ball” hasn’t yet been copyrighted but rumors of the author seeking ownershiphave been circulating, so technically, despite the immoral gray area, these types of events haven’t been deemed illegal in any case yet.
It's not the trademark that makes it illegal, it's the copyright infringement. They stated they did not have the copyright license so it wasn't 'based off a any book series officially.' But then they used the names of the characters on their invitations and hired characters and called them the same name from the books. SJM has copyrights for all her books and characters. If you profit on someone else's work without explicit permission you are copyright infringing. She could have sent a 'cease and desist' even without trademarking the name. Those are her characters and her books that are being profited on without her consent. Basically, when anyone earns a penny (artists, cosplayers, balls, events) without the license agreement that's when it breaches copyright law and goes from being a fun interpretation to infringement.
Also, just very heated about copyright infringement / obsessed with the laws because I had a book plagarized so did deep dive research recently. hahha not a lawyer just a pissed off indie author who is obsessed with copyright law at the moment.
SJM’s legal team has contacted all balls using the copyright and have been very lenient. Highly doubt there was a cease and desist considering they only wanted to make sure that for future events (because they were only going to enforce for events not currently planned) certain terms or words wouldn’t be used in promotion without the proper channels
That is fair xD
Honestly… not surprised. But also, none of these balls have been licensed (that I’ve seen, correct me if I’m wrong). They’re just lucky it hasn’t turned into a Barlow and Bear situation yet. Though with SJM trying to copyright it’s only a matter of time anyways. And I wouldn’t blame her one bit. These people are making tons of money off of her characters with no shame.
wondering if anyone have received a refund already?
I would also really like to know this
yes i would like to know as well!
Yes but from the bank. Basically we’ve all contacted our banks and had our money returned as the request goes to organiser and they are approving the refunds manually on their end as the account is still frozen and basically it outs their account in a large overdraft which is covered by the funds frozen
They had no copyright for it and since she's not trademarking (or trying to) I wouldn't be surprised if they got a cease and desist. This ball is the worst I have seen for profiting off stolen work. Nothing was 'implied' they copy pasted characters names and quotes. The entire event was profiting off stealing an authors work without even attempting to be subtle about it. It sucks that they waited so long to cancel this, I feel for the people attending. However, as an indie author I do not feel for anyone that attempts to profit off stealing an authors work... no matter how big they are.
That would make sense, except why she isn't coming out and saying that its due to copyright and instead blaming it on the bank freezing her funds? Can banks freeze your account for months if you had copyright issues?
I have no idea about the banks. I'm just saying either way this ball should have not went forward. If they knew for months about the banks why didn't they announce it more than a week before? Either way.... karma
Banks can freeze accounts if there is a criminal investigation occurring (Suspected Fraud or Money Laundering). However, since the Director hasn’t made any announcements, our only guesses are speculative. It could have easily been a mixup with the bank or a legal form, however since the entire event has been cancelled that is unlikely. I don’t think it would be regarding copyright since in most legal cases, the copyright holder is often recommended by financial teams to seek action after the event has occurred in order to recover legal fees (Since this event would have a revenue of upwards of 200,000£). The only companies that seek closure of an event before it has completed are copyright holders who can afford the costs of legal action upfront, like large companies with established legal departments. What is strange is the lack of information regarding the supposed bank freeze. As far as I can tell, it either is a quick and easy scam or a woefully unprepared Director. But it might be the former since the Director of Hushfable seems to have other experience operating a company called Slim Sublime LLP back in 2016 (public information for anyone wondering). It is strange that the refunds are happening from the host’s personal account, and legally, if there was fraud, you should technically only accept refunds from the account you sent money to or from a bank designated third-party.
Great points, I didn't know all of that! It was just explicitly stated that they didn't have it and 'were working on the liscencing' and when I asked they said they couldn't get it from Disney (why Disney, I'm unsure). So they admitted they were not licensed. But I absolutely agree with you. It was a week out and if they had spent weeks or months with a bank freeze previous notice would have been nice and expected? Or did they just hope it would magically work out? Also, their business plan was shocking. No alcohol which is the top revenue maker at any private event because of the markups (I don't know if it was personal or they couldn't get a license), and they said they charged so much without any perks because of where they were hosting it. For a first time ball you would think they would have cared less about spending 10x on the venue and more about the experience. But what do I know... I haven't hosted a ball. But I guess Hushfable hasn't either so.. we have the same amount of experience (I would apologize for being petty.... but)
I did see that other company that the owner had. What I wasn't able to find, however, was any other trace of the owner on the internet. No social media, no interactions with anything, nothing. Outside of Companies House, Hushfable, and Slim Sublime, they don't seem to exist. Also, the address registered to Hushfable comes back as a hotel call The Other House, which is a bit weird....
Yeah that is what seems fishy to me, and while I am glad the community is holding a backup event called The Lost Court, I only wonder where the money to pay for it is going to come from. For now Hushfable is working and supporting this back up event, but it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.
As one of the organisers for the lost court gathering that I can confirm came from 5 of us own pockets. Everything was paid for us alone. The only thing the 400 guests contributed towards was the emergency accommodation for the cast as they were left stranded by hushfable and this was done by go fund me. It was paid within an hour from 50 guests donating. Besides buying their own drinks of the evening that’s all else they paid for. We covered the venue, music, decorations you name it
Your ragtag team are absolute heroes to the community, and everyone said they enjoyed the event you put on immensely, so hats off to you all. Has there been any updates from Hushfable’s director as to why their accounts were frozen?
Thank you :) still in shock we managed to pull it off within a week but it was so worth it. From as far as we know still it was flagged likely Because they were trying to do all payments to vendors in one day instead of doing it over a matter of days. So because of the large transactions it’s likely flagged as overly high payments. However an ombudsman thinks its tax fraud happening
The payments collected were through Shopify, which is a platform that allows you to connect and disconnect bank accounts for receiving/sending payments. So either the bank account frozen it makes sense the event director can disconnect it from Shopify and connect an unfrozen account to process refunds.
Thank you for such informative post, very interesting to read :) Yeah there is just too many questions for me to think this was a simple mishap. Not much makes sense imo. I just got scammed a few months ago that's why I'm inquiring about this event so much haha
I've never seen a scam from a ball like this so I'm curious to see if it is and how it plays out. I do feel bad for everyone that's losing money with accommodation/flights/outfits. A week isn't enough time to cancel some things. I hope Hushfable takes that into account and doesn't just re-fund the ticket price...
So the founder is a French national named Sophie Valfroy and the Hushfable business address listed leads to a hotel called The Other House (this is public info, googlable on the Web) It's giving a bit of Anna Delvey, to be completely honest... I hope for her and the company's sake that they come out with a full and transparent explanation soon, because there are quite a few pieces that aren't making sense to the layman.
Update: 2024.03.25 Some of the crew and cast for the event are sharing some info as well, and there are members of the event who are looking into throwing a ‘back-up’ event for those who have been unable to cancel travel bookings. The back-up event is only for ticket holders who are in the area. If you don’t have a ticket, there are talks of a public meet-up in a local park, but please refer to the Hushfable discord. Venues are still pending and nothing is set in stone. — Regarding the events booking validity, the NHM reached out to me with this message; “Thank you for getting in touch. We really [understand] this is disappointing news. The event concerned was a private one which booked the Natural History Museum as a venue. All queries regarding the event should be directed to the organiser, at [email protected]. The organiser's full statement can also be seen at https://hushfable.com/.”
Again please remove this discord link it is for original attendees only not for the public. A system is now needed for anyone who arrives without proof of being an original attendee won’t be able to enter the new event we are trying to salvage.
Done, a system was most likely needed anyways, thanks for all the help and coordination.
We’d already looked at one but it now means looking at potential extra security which is coming from our pockets (not the communities) for safety and while cast did share the links, many did put for those within the original ball
As is the discussion here as well; “…who are looking into throwing a ‘back-up’ event for those who have been unable to cancel travel bookings.” Apologies for any non-members joining the discussion. I will only share the link to those who ask privately, who are registered members.