We booked Signature Dinner Packages 5 months ahead at $389 each: Platinum concert tickets, VIP parking, 4 course meal and 3 hr drinks pkg.

With "Platinum" as the marketing description our seats turned out to be B-reserve. Does Platinum = B-res in your books? A-Res seats were being sold for $150 in the week leading to the concert

Advised arrival was 3.00pm. We arrived at 2.30pm and the VIP parking was full. At the foot entry at that point there were just 4 other people in the VIP queue. Who was parked in the VIP parks?

They let us into the grounds at the same time as General Admission but the Attendant at the next checkpoint apologised that he couldn't let us into the VIP area as he hadn't been given a names list yet or wrist bands. We waited and watched GA attendees grabbing wine and food and setting up for their enjoyable afternoon. Ironic that the GA attendees were settling in, while the premium price customers were standing in a growing queue (50 or so metres deep). Eventually we are updated that they are not ready for us and we won't be let in for “some time".

2hrs after pulling into the carpark they are letting us in, but then it all stops. We are told that those who are attending the Signature Dinner have to move to another door .... 60 or 70 very unhappy people walk around the growingly crowded grounds to the new entry ... to be told by some very cranky staff that there is no way we are going in that door.... Eventually we are instructed to go back to where we started. On returning the poor Attendant confessed he had no idea what to do with us ... waited a bit and then made a decision to let us up .... As we walked through the door.. very late.. there were empty trays of champagne flutes, no table numbers and a mass of people descending from multiple doors .... it must have taken another 1/2 hour or more to sort through wrist-bands, tables etc ..... the champagne flutes never did get filled and poor staff were trying to play catch up all night.

Food just didn't come and with no idea how food or drinks were supposed to work, people piled to the bar. Apparently a VIP Package doesn't = drinks being brought to the table .... despite the trays of champagne flutes suggesting it had been in the plan to greet all with a cup of bubbles. Eventually another stressed staff member appears with a small tray of a bite of salmon on a biscuit. We all got 1, some even dared to take 2. Those in the bar queue missed out .. 15 minutes later a tray of oysters natural. I snared 3 of those given 2 people on our table didn't eat seafood. 10 minutes or so further in 1 bread roll (the little white ones you buy at Coles and throw in the oven .. $2 a pack of 8) . Finally some nice cold seafood arrives and we enjoy prawns, crab and bugs. - but nowhere to put the shell and no bowls of water, lemon etc ... the bowls, lemon and water are brought to the table about 5 minutes after the seafood has been finished and everyone has stashed cracked shell anywhere they could find and wiped hands on table cloths etc. The couple on the table that don't eat seafood asked if they could get more bread ... "sorry we have run out" .....

Right about now we can hear Birds of Tokyo start their set ........ we haven't even been served our main ..... eventually, the beef was great ... but accompanied by the tiniest single potato (smaller than a squashed ping pong ball), a couple of tough pieces of fungi and sauce to provide moisture for the first 3 bites .... and then a poor young staff member walked around the tables to apologise that everything had started late, but "they hoped we were having a great night" ...to compensate for the late start they were going to extend the drinks package for 1/2 hour .. the bands are already playing .. how can we stay inside for longer??

We abandoned the yet to be served dessert and headed out to catch the Oils deliver an almightily amazing performance.

NEVER buy a VIP package at Hope Estate.