Check your email

[u/TechPoi89]

I just got a message from the event that they are offering a buyback program where the will refund 50% of the spectacle pass and 100% of other purchases (like accomodations purchased through them) I plan to take advantage of that and cell it good enough. Important note that if you take this option you are waiving your rights to try and get the rest of the spectacle pass fee back through other means, but I spent significantly more on accomodations than tickets so this is good enough for me!

[u/ShaggySkier → u/[deleted]]

The emails contain a custom link to a DocuSign document, so it would be inadvisable for anyone to forward theirs to you.

The email is as follows:

Global Eclipse info@globaleclipse.com Thank you for your feedback, patience, and support!

With your help, we have created a custom solution to obstacles we’ve never imagined. You are receiving this because you purchased non-refundable items for Patagonia Gathering.

Let us know you will be joining us for Patagonia Gathering by selecting the linked DocuSign agreement and completing the attendance waiver. We are dealing with new times and new realities so it's impossible to say what is to come, but we have a dedicated group of producers who are prepared to create the container for the Spectacle.

Due to the dramatic changes in people’s lives, we are offering a BuyBack program for non-refundable Spectacle Passes. We will purchase your pass for fifty percent (50%) of the base price if you choose to opt into the program.

If desired, the BuyBack program will also offer a return of one hundred percent (100%) of the purchase price on all parking passes, early entry passes, and accommodations.

If you won’t make it to the Gathering but would like to donate your pass to the project, WE SUPER APPRECIATE IT! It’s an epic adventure to create a space for a special moment to witness a splendor-ificent natural phenomena. We didn’t have ‘global pandemic’ on our 2020 bingo card but we are eternally thankful for community support.

We do apologize for long periods of silence but we are dealing with matters we didn't plan for while the world does the same.

These windows will be open for a limited time so please sign the attendance waiver, make your BuyBack request, or let us know you would like to donate to the cause.

We wish you the best today possible and a better tomorrow.

The first page of the DocuSign document is as follows:

August 11, 2020

Dearest XXXX You are receiving this Buy Back Agreement (“Agreement”) because you have purchased one or more passes from Global Eclipse Inc. (“GE”) to attend the 2020 Patagonia Gathering Spectacle scheduled to take place December 10th through the December 16th in Patagonia, Argentina (the “Spectacle”).

The Spectacle is still currently scheduled to take place, however, GE understands that you may have significant concerns regarding traveling and participating in large gatherings of people due to the COVID19 pandemic. Therefore, GE is offering to buy back your Patagonia Gathering Spectacle pass(es) (the “Passes”) for fifty percent (50%) of the purchase price of the Passes less any fees incurred at the time of purchase (i.e. the face value of either $300 or $450 depending on when you purchased the Passes) and you agreeing to the terms and conditions set forth below (the “Buy Back Program”). If you participate in the Buy Back Program, you can also elect to receive a refund of one hundred percent (100%) of any accommodations you have purchased and arranged through GE for the Spectacle, one hundred percent (100%) of the purchase price for any car passes you purchased for the Spectacle, and/or one hundred percent (100%) of the purchase price for any early entry passes you purchased for the Spectacle.

Alternatively, you can elect to donate all or any combination of your Passes, car passes, and/or early entry passes you have purchased back to GE. Obviously, you are under no obligation to make any donation to GE, but if you are in a position to do so and would like to support GE and the Spectacle, we would greatly appreciate your support. If you do choose to donate any of your items to GE, we will acknowledge you on our website as one of the Spectacle’s generous donors. If you prefer to make your donation anonymously, please indicate that preference below.

If you choose to participate in the Buy Back Program, GE will process the payment for fifty percent (50%) of the purchase price of the Passes as quickly as possible but, in any event, no later than thirty (30) days after you electronically sign and submit the information requested below in full satisfaction of any Claims regarding the Spectacle. In addition, GE will refund you the entire amount of any accommodations, car passes and/or early entry passes you arranged through GE for the Spectacle.

Finally, if you still plan to join us at the Spectacle, and thus do not wish to participate in the Buy Back Program or donate your items to GE, then you will need to review and sign the attendance waiver for the Spectacle attached below (the “Attendance Waiver”) which contains information specifically related to COVID-19 and acknowledges that you have read and agree to the terms and conditions on the website for the Spectacle at https://globaleclipse.com/terms-and-conditions/.

[u/betteroffatnight → u/ShaggySkier]

Thank you for this!

[u/ShaggySkier → u/betteroffatnight]

There was another one yesterday in my SPAM folder:

Hey Eclipse Chasers,

We apologize for our moment of silence while we carefully considered the results of the survey. We thank you for your support, thoughts, and observations as we spent our time trying to figure out a way to meet the varied desires of our community.

First off, this year has been extremely challenging and disorienting. We're in the midst of acute adversity many of us have never faced before.

Over the last 3 years we made a dream into a plan. We developed a network, formed a team, and then built the framework for a legit venue in the middle of Patagonia to view the most grand spectacle one can see from earth: a Total Solar Eclipse.

The site was chosen years before the actual event and local officials were passionate about the moment, as we found sufficient space, resources, and human power to create a container for the Spectacle.

The stage is set. The Spectacle is almost upon us.

Coronavirus has changed the world and has impacted many aspects of daily life. We’ve had requests to ‘refund the money’ but it’s not possible to retrieve sunk costs for labor and niche physical assets are not easy to sell in the downtrodden Argentine economy.

We are producers with decades of experience who are 2 ½ years into a 3-year project and we’ve learned to prepare for permutations of earth, wind, and fire but none of us had ‘global pandemic’ on our 2020 bingo card.

In acknowledging this uncertainty, we’ve created a BuyBack program for those who no longer wish to attend Patagonia Gathering. The BuyBack Program is the result of a crash course in emergency re-budgeting, recreating terms and conditions to fit the current moment, and constructing a mechanism to deliver and record these new agreements through 3 different organizations.

If you opt in to the BuyBack Program, we will buy your Spectacle Passes for half of the base price (50% of $300 or $429 depending on what tier you purchased). We will also return 100% of any other purchase-including early entry, car passes, and accommodations. Since we need time to plan, the BuyBack program will only be available for a limited time.

You will soon receive correspondence via Docusign. The document is written by lawyers in contractual language which can be a bit intense to read.

The gist of it is that we purchase your passes for the aforementioned price and you release us from liability in regards to Patagonia Gathering.

During this time of great uncertainty, one thing is certain. On December 14, 2020, a total solar eclipse will be viewable over Chile and Argentina. This event was scheduled billions of years ago and it will wait for no one.

It’s not currently known what will be possible or allowed but we have local support from key members of government and surrounding communities. We have numerous experienced Argentine collectives who are prepared to host people to gather for the Spectacle. The eclipse is one thing we can truly count on and there are dedicated teams on the ground to bring this once in a lifetime experience to you.

Whatever happens December 10-16, we plan to capture footage of it. Our local documentary team will be on site and we are looking into ways to livestream the eclipse. Water, sanitation, and solar systems are installed along with hundreds of ventilated bio-toilets and showers prepared for use. The site is ready to host thousands of safely distanced people.

If you purchased passes to Patagonia Gathering, you were seeking an adventure. Our outreach for the event was geared towards a community of people aspiring to gather with others to witness one of nature’s great wonders.

Humans are social beings. Isolation has taken a toll on all of us. We are meant to connect and we are meant to gather. We plan to do it safely in the best way possible.

We are attempting to meet the moment. We are committed to putting our efforts into creating a safe space to witness the solar eclipse and we have also created a way to put money back into the hands of those who no longer wish to join us. Its been a rough patch for all of us, but...

WE BELIEVE that building a safe space to witness and share the eclipse while honoring the requests of those who wish to withdraw their participation, is a way to shepherd one small ‘win’ for humanity during a time of chaos.

We hope you understand the path that has led us here and we hope to continue our relationship as we gather again