Following a Senator’s Inquiry Request, Ticketmaster Decides They’ll Offer Refunds After All
In what is surely just a coincidence, Ticketmaster appears to be backtracking on the recent change to their refund policy… after a senator requested a formal investigation into that new policy.
As you’re likely aware, Ticketmaster recently — and somewhat shadily — made a retroactive change to their refund practice. Whereas in the past customers could get refunds for shows that had been cancelled or postponed/ rescheduled, under the new guidelines, refunds would be issued only for cancelled events. This updated protocol understandably made a lot of people angry, given that a) literally every previously-scheduled concert is now postponed, and b) the economy has tanked, people are losing their jobs in massive numbers, and thus, every penny counts.
Now The New York Times reports that Ticketmaster will likely be returning to the old refund practice… but made the move only after lawmakers sought an inquiry into the change:
“This week, a New York state senator, James Skoufis, announced an investigation into the business practices of ticketing companies, including Ticketmaster, and asked the New York attorney general to open an investigation into the company.
“On Friday, two Democratic members of Congress — Katie Porter, of California, and Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, a longtime critic of Ticketmaster and Live Nation — called on the companies to refund fans’ money.
“‘With Americans weathering the brutal and continuing impacts of this global crisis, your decision to confiscate their money is reprehensible and should be reversed immediately,’ the Congressmen wrote in a letter to Live Nation and Ticketmaster officials.”
As a result, Ticketmaster — which is owned by Live Nation Entertainment — will open a thirty-day refund window for canceled or rescheduled shows starting May 1. The plan is nearly identical to one laid out earlier this week by Live Nation’s competitor, AEG Presents.
Still, the report says that the company is making an effort to encourage customers not to ask for their money back:
“Live Nation has also offered incentives for its customers to hold on to their tickets — and therefore let the company to hold on to revenue. For canceled shows, Live Nation is offering its customers credits worth 150 percent of their tickets’ value to use on future events.
“Customers who decide to go to shows when they are rescheduled will also receive credits, but for lesser amounts that may vary for each event. Live Nation’s program applies only to events in the United States.”
You can read the entire report here.
[via Lambgoat]
