Participants who register for Storm the Trent do so with the acknowledgement that:
Why is this the refund policy?
After 10 years of doing our absolute best to service refund requests to a level that we know has been above and beyond that of comparable events, we have determined that the flexible and accommodating refund policies we have offered in the past are simply no longer a viable option. These policies have too often been taken advantage of, which unfortunately puts us in a position where controls have to be implemented. Customer service is and always will be our first and foremost priority at Storm Racing, but like for any small business, it is an equally important priority to protect ourselves from loss.Don't you have a waiting list?
Generally, yes. However, what typically happens is that registration will open in December and the race will fill up in early March. At that point, a waiting list is created. Then, in the weeks before the race (not coincidentally - just before the cut-off dates for refunds under past policies), numerous requests for refunds begin to pour in (over thirty individual requests in 2011). At this stage, racers or teams who signed up on the waiting list are typically no longer available to participate, leaving an empty team space that goes unfilled, which might otherwise have been claimed by those waiting list teams.Why can't I transfer my entry to another race?
All of the events in the Storm Racing series are very popular - each one typically reaches or exceeds registration capacity. By transferring entry fees from one event to another, we effectively reduce the available team spots for a future event which otherwise can reasonably be expected to get filled, while leaving a gap in the event from which the registration is taken. In other words, regardless of where the entry is moved to, we are still left with a loss on the registration. Please be assured that implementing a strict refund policy is not something we relish, but being racers ourselves, we are well aware that the policy outlined above is well within the norm for comparable events with high registration volumes. We sincerely hope that you will appreciate our position and recognize that it is out of necessity and not of disregard for our participants.