Originally Posted by
jjjanos
Given the ease of electronic crediting, there really is no reason for any region to
1. Process the financial part of the entry prior to the event
2. Not refund the full amount if notice of withdrawal is made prior to midnight Friday evening, going into Saturday.
If, however, the Region has turned away entrants because of your entry, then, regardless of when you withdrew, you should be on the hook for the full amount if you pre-registered and you occupied a slot that was turned away.
That being said, one reason to retain part of the entry fee has to do with credit card transaction fees. If the Region processes such an entry, it gets dinged something like 3% by the CCC. If they then process a refund, they get hit with another 2-3%. Which suggests that charging the card prior to the event is a stupid policy. None-the-less, if the Region does process the entry - they should retain the bank fees.
Lots of businesses charge you a cancellation fee - airlines, hotels...especially if booked through a site like travelocity.