Its not acceptable, he said, explaining what to write. The reason I bought tickets on StubHub was the guarantee, said Joshua Woody, who purchased March 13 tickets to a Lizzo concert in Houston in February. Just three weeks later, the company issued an update on their coronavirus policy. For big sporting events, when is a sellout a sellout? 1:00 StubHub offers some customers cash refunds for tickets to events canceled during the pandemic, creating an exception to a no-refunds policy it adopted in March 2020 to the dismay of. I still printed out the notice of dispute. Were committed to guiding you towards the resources you need to answer questions about your event. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Thats quite the dramatic turnaround, considering less than a month has gone by. Marketplace is a division of MPR's 501 (c)(3). Filled out the block for reason. StubHub will require you to send in the incorrect tickets and it will be at their discretion whether they issue you a full refund or offer you StubHub credit for future events. | NY Call 1-(888)-364-3065 |NYC Health Dept. What resale sites like StubHub are doing to the price of your ticket, How much a Super Bowl ticket will cost you and how its changed, Lets do the numbers: The money spent on the Rio Olympics. 5. Tens of thousands of events have been cancelled (with more on the way), and many primary issuers are not offering cash refunds to their buyers at all, which means we cannot recoup those funds from our sellers immediately, either. If a ticketholder cant attend, they can resell their tickets on StubHub with no selling fee. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Each cancelled show was a loss to StubHub of their fees which now represented as much as 45% of the total sale. Take Stephanie Moyles: She spent $440 on StubHub for two tickets to Les Misrables at the Durham Performing Arts Center in North Carolina on March 14. StubHub FanProtect Guarantee: Trusted by people worldwide, we back every order so you can buy and sell tickets with 100% confidence. Overall, the website has very good customer service & refund policy. Stubhub does not have the money for refunds and recently admitted so in court. Theres a lot happening in the world. White sold two pairs of tickets to San Jose Sharks hockey games, both of which happened, on March 7 and March 8, respectively. If you don't, we may cancel orders and charge you as provided in our User Agreement. But on March 25, StubHub changed the terms of its guarantee, giving it the discretion to make a full refund or issue the 120% coupon, according to the suit. And new figures show more than half of ticket holders still haven't gotten their money back. The cost of loneliness: Social isolation holds back workers and costs employers billions, Businesses and consumers are borrowing more, despite rising interest rates, Why a Guarneri violin is expected to fetch $10 million at auction. The credits are valid through the end of 2022. Prefer a cash refund instead? "The return of live events, the input of customers, partners, and regulators, and the opportunity to finally consult with our new parent company, viagogo, all contributed to StubHub's decision to make this move now," the company said in a statement. StubHub will cancel payment to the seller (or recover the payment if it has already been paid). Receive a coupon for 120 percent of your original purchase*. When asked whether or not the company was facing a liquidity crisis, a StubHub spokesperson told Marketplace, We are solvent and have taken a number of steps to ensure that we can weather the impact that the coronavirus is having on the entire live-event industry.. Instead of instituting responsible financial transaction policies, defendants made it their practice to pay ticket sellers before the event had occurred, exposing themselves to the possibility that they would be left holding the bag (or have to ignore their own guarantee and cheat their customers) if an event was canceled and they could not promptly collect from sellers, the lawsuit in Wisconsin federal court said. If StubHub made a mistake, call their customer service line at 1-866-788-2482 and explain your problem. 3. These policies are subject to change, so please refer to the venue, team, or performer website for the latest requirements prior to your event. Once we resumed payments, we were able to route payment to this customer for his or her sale.. StubHub is an online ticket exchange that allows people to buy and sell live event tickets in a safe and guaranteed way Feedback Buy sports, concert and theater tickets on StubHub! Ja Morants allegations of aggression off the court, explained. Rossman, a credit card industry analyst, said other sellers like Ticketmaster also have their issues, but there's a particular flaw in StubHub's business model. But these are unprecedented times.. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. These include national distributors like StubHub and Ticketmaster, as well as local organizations, including the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and the Penn Museum. Postponed events may not be eligible for refunds. Unfortunately, not all ticket sellers and venues are making it that easy. Sellers must tell StubHub about any seat changes and disclose any relevant health and safety requirements associated with their listing when they differentiate from the overall venue policy. At regular volume, we can afford to take that risk. StubHub, however, wont offer refunds to anyone who bought a ticket after March 25 of last year if an event is canceledonly credits. [5] Better yet, because the arbitration proceeding is administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and its consumer arbitration rules permit the arbitrator to award you any legal fees and costs you could have received in court (consumer-friendly California law applies per the user agreement),[6] you can hire a lawyer to file your refund arbitration claim and StubHub will likely have to pay his/her fees and costs too. Indiana asserted StubHub violated the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, Indiana Code 24-5-0.5-1 et seq. Matt McMillan filed the lawsuitin federal court in Madison and seeks to have it declared a class action on behalf of the tens of thousands of StubHub customers no longer getting refunds to some 23,000 canceled games, concerts and other events. StubHub, for example, typically provides a credit of 120% of the total amount paid for tickets when an event is canceled (though the company recently . The suit accuses StubHub of breach of contract, conversion, negligent misrepresentation. In these cases, theres nothing people can do but wait, until things get back to normal and events resume. Always cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue or sleeve. It had already been disbursed to the sellers. 505 North 20th Street StubHub's return policy is called the "FanProtect Guarantee". If your event is canceled and not rescheduled, you'll automatically receive a full refund back to your original method of payment. Date of experience: 20 January 2023. More: Stay up to date on all of MLives coronavirus coverage. Viagogo, a tickets marketplace, bought StubHub in February 2020. [2] StubHub said theyd refund canceled tickets, but now theyre taking that back (StubHub is here for you. 2. Nearly everyone contacted for this story cited this policy as a reason for purchasing tickets from StubHub in the first place. For third party ticket resellers, it gets even more complicated. For the reasons described above, the likely result of these quick-fire response and payment requirements is that StubHub will agree to pay your refund claim on or around the due date. Sorry we couldn't be helpful. If the event for which you bought ticket (s) was cancelled, as indicated on your Notification, you are entitled to a refund of the paid value subject to the exclusions as set forth herein, unless the Event Organizer is offering a Credit (as defined below), and you want to accept that Credit. All rights reserved. Lets pick a winner in every mens college basketball conference tournament. And best of all, the practical effect of StubHubs user agreement requiring it to pay all the arbitration costs (these costs alone can run several thousand dollars, which is probably a lot more than the cost of the concert tickets youre asking to be refunded), and possibly your lawyers fees and costs too, is that StubHub should be strongly incentivized to pay your refund claim rather than dispute it.[7]. wearing a mask at all times, providing proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status, submitting proof of a negative COVID-19 test within a certain period of time, etc.). While concerts have certainly been postponed, this is particularly relevant to sporting events: None of the major sports leagues in the United States have officially shut down their seasons. You can also follow WPXI on Facebook and Twitter. Virginia, along with nine other states and DC, has reached an agreement with StubHub, an online ticket reseller, after the company refused to pay refunds for events canceled as a result of COVID-19. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today. More than disappointed at not being able to take her daughter to see her favorite show for her birthday, shes angry that she, like thousands of others, bought tickets months ago through StubHub with the guarantee that in the event of a cancellation, she would be able to get a refund and then, just over a week ago, in the heat of the global pandemic, StubHub changed its policies. So Farley filed a credit card dispute against them, and won back his $600. This Rewards Cash is ready to be used right now through the Vivid . Through my 2 plus hour phone conversations, I learned that the link to accept the tickets can also expire and the seller then has to be contacted and the whole . Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. StubHub Inc. has agreed to pay more than $9.5 million to consumers from 10 states and the District of Columbia over allegations the ticket reseller failed to provide them with refunds over events cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.. StubHub had drawn intense scrutiny and several lawsuits after an abrupt policy shift last spring, issuing only credits towards future ticket purchases on events that were cancelled due to the pandemic rather than cash refunds - with the exception of purchases made in states where law required cash refunds in such an event. A brutal sucker punch in the OVC tournament stopped the game in its tracks. The suit accuses StubHub of breach of contract, conversion, negligent misrepresentation and violations of various California consumer protection laws. But is StubHub legal? AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Tel: 205.795.6588 This may include details from your tickets (so be sure to keep them), or information from the event venue. What happens to showgoers and sports fans when events across the globe are canceled and tickets are no good anymore? Did you find it helpful? View complete StubHub Return Policy If you do not receive your tickets in time for your event, StubHub will attempt to issue you replacement tickets. It has shared the following tips: What you can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases: For statewide and national information on the virus, visit Michigan.gov/Coronavirus or CDC.gov/Coronavirus. If you want to receive local news alerts, please download our WPXI News App. Read more about our event cancelation policy. Refunds will be equal to the original purchase price. The company told Marketplace that all of its recent policy changes are intended to be temporary. StubHub is offering some customers cash refunds for tickets to events that were canceled during the pandemic, creating an exception to a no-refunds policy it adopted in March 2020 to the dismay of . However, UPS and retail fees will not be refunded. It doesn't look like the case has officially seen the courts yet. All Rights Reserved. I want to assure you that StubHubs FanProtect Guarantee protects every purchase the ticket you have purchased on our site will get you into the event or we will make it right, reads the update, which is also signed by Cassidy. If the event is canceled and not rescheduled, you will get a refund. And a seller isnt getting a refund from a sports team or venue of an event until something is actually canceled. How Ticketmaster came to dominate live events (and incur the wrath of Taylor Swift fans), Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. 2023 www.jsonline.com. Canadian Doug Farley was supposed to visit New York City in mid-March to see his Calgary Flames take on the Islanders, Devils and Rangers, but the NHL season, like everything else, was paused, so he tried to get a refund. If a ticketholder can't attend, they can resell their tickets on StubHub with no selling fee. StubHub will refund your money if an event is cancelled or moved. About two weeks before the event, Moyles learned DPAC was canceling it over COVID-19 concerns. If your event is canceled, StubHub says it will add a coupon worth 120% of your original order to your StubHub account. Explain your scenario, and provide any applicable evidence. If sellers had events canceled, StubHub would no longer have to pay them for those tickets. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. could be sentient says Microsofts chatbot feels like watching the A cruise company is making a big play for remote workers to sail around the world for just $30,000 a year, CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. [5] If your refund demand is for more than $10,000 (which seems unlikely in most cases; if youre buying those kind of tickets, take me with you next time), you may be required to demonstrate that the costs of accessing arbitration will be prohibitive as compared to the costs of accessing a court for purposes of pursuing litigation on an individual basis. If you can do that, it will be up to the arbitrator to determine how much StubHub must pay for the arbitration costs. If an event is cancelled and will not occur at a later date, StubHub will send the Buyer an email offering the Buyer the opportunity to return their tickets within 2 weeks in order to receive. From a mall parking lot altercation to a fight with a teenager during a pickup game, these are the allegations Ja Morant is facing. If they are successful, the defendant pays the legal fees. Attn: Litigation Department Just a heads-up that some of the services were reviewing here have affiliate partnerships with us, so we may earn a commission if you visit one of them and buy something. Irvine, CA 92606. Straight-up refunds for purchases from official outlets. All Rights Reserved. The issue concerns StubHub's FanProtect Guarantee policy, which before the pandemic ensured that customers who bought tickets on StubHub to events that were later canceled could get a full refund. The company is a registered Since its inception in 2000, StubHub has grown to become the world's largest ticket resale marketplace. FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. As for Farley, he said he can't wait for his hockey team to one day soon score the hat trick by beating three Tri-State Area teams in a row. Recently, we announced this as our standard policy for canceled events, with refunds available in jurisdictions where they are required. There's class action suits, that they violated their fan protect guarantee," Rossman said. In May 2021 - as a result of the attorney generals' investigations - StubHub reversed its decision and notified its customers that if they purchased tickets prior to March 25, 2020 and their events were cancelled, they would receive a full refund unless they elected to retain their account credits. The fired Google engineer who thought its A.I. Ticket sales volume had crashed at the same time as they'd been receiving chargebacks from customers and requests for refunds on cancelled shows. It also covers you if an event is cancelled, or rescheduled and requires new tickets to be purchased. Tap Tickets in the navigation bar at the bottom. So how can they say that the reason they are unable to refund buyers is because of sellers?, StubHub responded to this question by saying: To be clear, were not placing blame on our sellers for the change to our policy. What are the consequences if I dont comply with these health and safety policies? The company enables fans to buy and sell tickets to virtually any event, from sports games and concerts to theater productions and festivals. Christian & Small LLP represents a diverse clientele throughout Alabama, the Southeast, and the nation with clients ranging from individuals and closely-held businesses to Fortune 500 corporations. Places like Vivid Seats, Gametime and SeatGeek are still offering refunds, or credits of equal value for future use. Expert: Parents Be Mindful Of Children's Stress After Months Of Isolation, Chopper 2 Over Empty NYC Streets, Landmarks, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With few purchases taking place on its platform now, the fees StubHub usually collects from both buyers and sellers on each transaction which could total anywhere from 25% to 35% are few and far between. NO MORE REFUNDS. Your email address will not be published. Terms & Conditions. StubHub users who attend events during the COVID-19 pandemic agree that they are responsible for complying with all venue, team, and performer policies including COVID-19 verification requirements and health and safety protocols (e.g. The AAA, upon its receipt of your refund arbitration claim, will notify you and StubHub that your claim has been received and StubHub will then be required to submit its written response (and its payment for the costs of the arbitration) within 14 days. If you've purchased tickets, you'll . Events that were postponed or rescheduled wont be refunded, Fowlks said. Just remember you may not be given a new ticket or wristband for certain events if the ticket does not scan. StubHub normally sells almost $5 billion in tickets a year. Looking to sell? Kimmel believes the case will be resolved within the next 12 months in favor of consumers. In that email, Cassidy outlines to their valued StubHub customer base that there really isnt anything to worry about when it comes to tickets they purchased. Have already received refund from credit card. According to court documents, when the pandemic caused wide-spread cancellations of events, StubHub reassured customers they would be receiving cash refunds, but they could opt to get a credit instead. Fugitive in $18 million COVID fraud scheme extradited to U.S. Energy Department report on COVID's origins rekindles ongoing debate. StubHub is offering some customers cash refunds for tickets to events that were canceled during the pandemic, creating an exception to a no-refunds policy it adopted in March 2020 to the. Before, if an event were canceled before it happened, StubHub would then go back and essentially reverse the transaction, charging the seller for a refund, as its doing now in many cases. Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. We will notify you that the event was canceled and provide instructions on how to obtain the refund or credit. No problem. As pointed out by @don_shano, this is not only absurd (fans deserve their $ back), its unethical and likely illegal. 8 Feb 2023. Michigans State Emergency Operations Center is coordinating state-government resources and the response to the coronavirus spread. StubHub promised its customers a full cash refund for cancelled events with its FanProtect Guarantee. | CT Call 211 | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 72 hours prior to the event). Receive a coupon for 120 percent of your original.