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StubHub sign on HQ facade.
(Photo Credit: Michael Vi/Shutterstock)

Update: 

  • StubHub has reached a settlement with consumers over its refund policies during the pandemic, which included allegedly withholding refunds from consumers who bought tickets to events that were later canceled, postponed or rescheduled due to COVID-19.
  • The proposed settlement, filed May 10 in a Montreal court, only applies to StubHub customers, not to customers of co-defendant Ticketmaster. 
  • The settlement class includes Quebec consumers who purchased one or more tickets from StubHub before March 11, 2020, for an event scheduled to take place after March 11, 2020, for which event was subsequently either canceled, postponed or rescheduled without a full refund being provided by StubHub, according to court filings.
  • Members of the class can either get a 120% StubHub credit on their tickets, or a refund of the initial price.

(May 28, 2020)

Ticketmaster is facing a class action lawsuit alleging it implemented an “abusive” refund policy in order to withhold refunds from consumers who bought tickets to events that have since been cancelled, postponed or rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. Governments around the world, including in Canada, responded to the COVID-19 crisis by prohibiting large events and gatherings of people. Currently, no dates or timeline has been announced as to when large concerts, shows and other events can be held again in Canada as there is currently no treatment or vaccine available to treat or prevent the disease.

According to the Ticketmaster refund class action lawsuit, Ticketmaster’s policy prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was to immediately refund customers for the amounts they paid for event tickets if the event was cancelled, postponed or rescheduled.

On March 12, however, Ticketmaster reportedly abruptly changed its policy so that it would only issue refunds for cancelled events after 30 days, and that the event promoters or organizers would be responsible for offering refunds or credits if Ticketmaster deemed the event to be postponed or rescheduled.

The Ticketmaster refund policy change led to serious backlash from angry consumers who are concerned that COVID-19 restrictions will impact concerts and other events far into the future.

“The Class Members who purchased tickets and/or other services on Defendants’ websites never contracted with the event organizers or promoters directly,” according to the Ticketmaster refund class action lawsuit. “The Class Members only contracted with and communicated with Defendants’ Ticketmaster website in this regard and therefore it is the Defendants who have the obligation to refund the Class Members in the case of cancelled, postponed or rescheduled events.”

According to the Ticketmaster refund class action lawsuit, Ticketmaster has “abusively labeled hundreds of events on its website as either postponed or rescheduled” without informing consumers if or when the events will take place. The plaintiff says this represents “a blatantly bad faith attempt to withhold and retain the Class Members’ money indefinitely.”

Ticketmaster’s website reportedly still lists upcoming events as if they will still be held on the date they were originally scheduled even though it is evident that the events will need to be cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on public gatherings.

According to the Ticketmaster refund class action lawsuit, the Ticketmaster defendants should label upcoming events as cancelled and immediately provide refunds to Class Members per the refund policy that was in place when they purchased their tickets.Show cancelled stamp regarding the Ticketmaster refund class action lawsuit filed

“Instead, Defendants decided to illegally withhold and hold hostage the Class Members’ money, for Defendants’ own financial gain and to the detriment of the Class Members’ wellbeing,” the Ticketmaster refund class action lawsuit says.

On Jan. 16, the plaintiff says he paid $250 for two event tickets and parking for an event that was scheduled to take place on May 17. On April 15, he allegedly received an email from Ticketmaster that the event would be held on an undetermined future date and that he should hold on to his tickets. He says it is impossible for Ticketmaster to confirm that the event is still happening and that the ticket seller used that language in order to illegally withhold his money.

The plaintiff says he would not have purchased the tickets if he had known Ticketmaster would fail to issue a refund if the event was postponed or rescheduled. He says the event is “clearly cancelled” but Ticketmaster is “in bad faith refusing to deem it as cancelled.”

By filing the Ticketmaster refund class action lawsuit, the plaintiff seeks to represent himself and a proposed Class of anyone in Canada who purchased at least one ticket from the Ticketmaster defendants before March 11 for an event that was scheduled to take place after that date, and for which the event was subsequently cancelled, postponed or rescheduled without a full refund being issued by the defendants.

“During this pandemic and crisis, with many Class Members either sick or out of work and with no income for the foreseeable future, said Class Members require their refund immediately for rent and groceries, etc.,” the Ticketmaster refund class action lawsuit says.

The defendants named in the Ticketmaster class action lawsuit include Ticketmaster Canada Holdings ULC, Ticketmaster Canada ULC and Ticketmaster Canada LP.

Did you purchase event tickets from Ticketmaster? Has the event been cancelled, postponed or rescheduled? Tell us your story in the comment section below! 

The plaintiff is represented by Joanie Lévesque of Lex Group Inc.

The Ticketmaster Refund Class Action Lawsuit is M.A. v. Ticketmaster Canada Holdings ULC, et al., Case No. 500-06-001066-204, in the Superior Court of Québec, Montreal, Canada.


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27 thoughts onStubHub Class Action Settlement to Provide Credits For Tickets Purchased

  1. sal says:

    i sold superbowl tickets on ticketmaster and stubhub both didnt pay me till this day, stubhub sold my tickets for $8000 and refused to pay me

  2. Saxon B says:

    I bought tickets for the two days BTS was coming to Toronto on May 30 and 31, 2020. Whether you know who they are or not, just understand that for both days in different sections of the arena my total cost came to over $550 after fees, which doesn’t include the army membership I’d paid for to be part of the presale. I’d saved money from my minimum wage job, any extra money I could get, and even money I was given that prior Christmas to save for these tickets. They really meant a lot to me and I was over the moon to have been one of the lucky people to get in early. Not only did the event get continuously rescheduled until it was finally cancelled, but I’ve also reached out to ticketmaster several times stating that I need to change my card information for the refund since I got a new debit card. I never heard from them, nothing more than a confirmation that my message had been sent and I would hear from them within a week or something like that. Then they put up this stupid 30-day policy. I have struggled immensely as a disabled individual over the pandemic. I was just trying to get money back on things that I couldn’t do anymore and when you’re working part-time minimum wage, over $550 is nothing to sneeze at. I am crushed that the event got cancelled but it’s nowhere near the amount of frustration and rage I have toward this wretched company with a ridiculous monopoly over event ticketing.
    And of course, that’s not where this ends. I got tickets to see Hatsune Miku in Toronto on May 13, 2020. It got cancelled in September. Never got a refund for that either.
    I also “spoke” to ticketmaster last month regarding my tickets to Lil Nas X in Toronto for September 16, 2022. I use quotations because during the process I never spoke with a human but had to communicate with a bot system and received an email from a person back almost a week later. They wouldn’t allow me to formally exchange my general seating tickets for accessible seating, which I now needed due to my health getting worse, because I had “sold” one of my tickets. I transferred the ticket through their system to the friend that was going with me to the concert. I also read that accessible seating was only for “wheelchair users and their companions”, meaning that despite my chronic leg pain I could get my ticket order cancelled and would be given no refund due to the fact that neither myself nor my friend uses a wheelchair, or I would have to stand for the entire concert. I was immensely fortunate and grateful that the venue staff at Echo Beach got back to me and allowed me to put myself on the accessible seating list, saying they did not need a ticket that was purchased as an accessible seating ticket.
    Ticketmaster is a bloodsucker that has been taking advantage of people for years, well before covid, and the pandemic only made it worse. We deserve our money back.

  3. Allison says:

    Justin Bieber just canceled his tour for health reasons and ticketmaster is still not issuing refunds. I bought my tickets 1.5 years ago and want a refund. Canceled is different than postponed and a refund by ticketmaster should be automatic! How they continue to get away with this fraud is beyond me.

  4. Gillian says:

    I recently found out that an upcoming show was postponed three months ago and I was never notified. It is now past the refund deadline and Ticketmaster will not budge on giving me a refund. I am so frustrated. It is my money and I purchased tickets for a show this year as my mother will be visiting. I don’t understand how they continue to get away with such terrible practices.

  5. Meghann Forrest says:

    I bought two tickets to joe Rogan April 20 2022 it was can cancelled I asked for refund they sent it to wrong account the first time and then refunded me way less than ticket prices . They were $1400 diamond seat tickets and I got just over 700 back

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