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Baseball group says Expos refunds are on the way

By HARRY MINIUM
The Virginian-Pilot
© November 4, 2004

NORFOLK "” The check's in the mail, or so say officials from the Norfolk Baseball Co.

Nearly five weeks after the Montreal Expos announced they were relocating to Washington and not Norfolk, hundreds of Hampton Roads fans who paid $100 deposits for Expos season tickets have yet to receive refunds.

Fans placed deposits for nearly 10,000 season tickets. William Somerindyke Jr., chief executive officer of the Norfolk Baseball Co., vowed in September that the refunds would be received within two weeks. He apologized on Wednesday for the delay, and said those who haven't received refunds should receive them by Nov. 10.

Somerindyke said the problem has been with the escrow agreement with SouthTrust Bank. It called for all refunds to be made by check. However, hundreds of fans paid their deposits through an Internet pay service called PayPal, which doesn't do refunds with checks.

"The funds taken in by PayPal were transferred to an escrow account established at SouthTrust Bank that was set up by the baseball company's law firm, Troutman Sanders," officials said in a press release issued Wednesday. "When the funds were to be returned, there was a technical dispute concerning the mechanism to accomplish the refund."

Somerindyke said attorneys negotiated an agreement Tuesday and that the refunds will be wired to PayPal by the end of this week. They should show up beginning Monday.

"We told our attorneys two weeks ago to please get this money back to our fans," Somerindyke said. "We're as frustrated as they are about this."

Perhaps not as frustrated as Mark Hagedorn, a retired Army sergeant from Suffolk. He plunked down $400 for four season tickets and has been unable to find out anything about getting a refund.

"It was pretty easy to give your money, but the leads are pretty scarce as to what to do about getting it back," he said. "I gave as a goodwill contribution to try to bring something here that I love. I had no doubt that I would get it back. Now, I don't think I will."

Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim, who led the city's effort to attract the Expos, urged fans to be patient. He said in 1997, when a group collected season-ticket deposits to attract a National Hockey League team, it took more than a month before the money was returned.

"I'm confident the money is on its way," he said. "It took some time for the hockey money to be refunded, and I'm sure it will take some time with this as well."

Norfolk Baseball Co. officials, through the press release, also tried to set fans' minds at ease.

"The Norfolk Baseball Company wants to reaffirm once again that they do not have possession of the funds," the release said. "The funds were held in an escrow account and will be refunded through PayPal."

Anyone with questions about a refund should call 961-6030.

Reach Harry Minium at 446-2371 or harry.minium@pilotonline.com