Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC: Difference between revisions

Line 20:

}}

== ~~Deceptive Business Practices~~ ==

==== Delaying refunds for postponed events ====

Ticketmaster has a history of not making refunds immediately available for events that are postponed. While the tickets remain valid for canceled events awaiting a rescheduled date, customers who want immediate refunds are often left at the whim of event organizers, who tend to not allow refunds until an official rescheduled date for the canceled event is announced.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What happens if my event is rescheduled or moved? |url=https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9784889055889-What-happens-if-my-event-is-rescheduled-or-moved |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250527193857/https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9784889055889-What-happens-if-my-event-is-rescheduled-or-moved |archive-date=27 May 2025 |access-date=16 Jun 2025 |website=Ticketmaster}}</ref> Since Ticketmaster is owned by the same parent company as many promoters, they have significant influence and control over when customers get refunds, even though it seems like they are a simple intermediary.

=== Bait-and-switch ticket sale tactics (~October 2008 to ~February 2009) ===

A prime example of this is the cancelation of Shakira's “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour” concert, planned to take place on June 13, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome. The concert was canceled less than an hour before showtime. While tickets to the event remain valid, customers were forced to wait 60 days or until the event is rescheduled before requesting a refund.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Sanchez |first=Christine |date=16 Jun 2025 |title=What to know about Shakira’s postponed shows in San Antonio, Houston |url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/san-antonio/news/2025/06/16/shakira-postponed-shows-structural-issues |url-status=live |access-date=16 Jun 2025 |work=Spectrum News 1 Austin}}</ref> While most companies will refund customers if a specific product is not delivered at a specific date, Ticketmaster appears to make concerts an exception in this case. There is no option for customers who know that they will not attend the event again before the official rescheduled date is announced. Alas, they are forced into uncertainty instead of expecting a refund for undelivered service.

Moreover, customers are forced to request the refund instead of automatically being issued one when the event isn't rescheduled. If 60 days pass, and the event has not been rescheduled, a "30-day window" will open where customers must request the refund.<ref name=":3" />

==References==

==Deceptive Business Practices==

===Bait-and-switch ticket sale tactics (~October 2008 to ~February 2009)===

In 2009, Ticketmaster displayed a status message that indicated there were no more tickets to display even though there allegedly were many available tickets. The company was fined for this, as Ticketmaster secured the proceeds of Bruce Springsteen fans, who sought price-gouged tickets via Ticketmaster's resale site, TicketsNow .<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 Feb 2010 |title=Ticketmaster and TicketsNow Settle FTC Charges of Deceptive Sales Tactics, Refunds for Springsteen Concertgoers Provided; FTC Warns Other Ticket Resellers |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2010/02/ticketmaster-ticketsnow-settle-ftc-charges-deceptive-sales-tactics-refunds-springsteen-concertgoers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250304053736/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2010/02/ticketmaster-ticketsnow-settle-ftc-charges-deceptive-sales-tactics-refunds-springsteen-concertgoers |archive-date=4 Mar 2025 |access-date=16 Jun 2025 |website=Federal Trade Commission}}</ref> This message was allegedly displayed voluntarily, even though many seats remained vacant. Therefore, buyers were driven to purchase tickets via TicketsNow where the prices were significantly higher, and sometimes two times their original value.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=20 Jun 2016 |title=Fight the Monopoly! |url=https://www.backstreets.com/fightthemonopoly.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819093656/https://backstreets.com/fightthemonopoly.html |archive-date=19 Aug 2024 |access-date=16 Jun 2025 |website=Backstreets.com}}</ref>

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 }}
-== Deceptive Business Practices ==
+==== Delaying refunds for postponed events ====
+Ticketmaster has a history of not making refunds immediately available for events that are postponed. While the tickets remain valid for canceled events awaiting a rescheduled date, customers who want immediate refunds are often left at the whim of event organizers, who tend to not allow refunds until an official rescheduled date for the canceled event is announced.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What happens if my event is rescheduled or moved? |url=https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9784889055889-What-happens-if-my-event-is-rescheduled-or-moved |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250527193857/https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9784889055889-What-happens-if-my-event-is-rescheduled-or-moved |archive-date=27 May 2025 |access-date=16 Jun 2025 |website=Ticketmaster}}</ref> Since Ticketmaster is owned by the same parent company as many promoters, they have significant influence and control over when customers get refunds, even though it seems like they are a simple intermediary.
-=== Bait-and-switch ticket sale tactics (~October 2008 to ~February 2009) ===
+A prime example of this is the cancelation of Shakira's “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour” concert, planned to take place on June 13, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome. The concert was canceled less than an hour before showtime. While tickets to the event remain valid, customers were forced to wait 60 days or until the event is rescheduled before requesting a refund.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Sanchez |first=Christine |date=16 Jun 2025 |title=What to know about Shakira’s postponed shows in San Antonio, Houston |url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/san-antonio/news/2025/06/16/shakira-postponed-shows-structural-issues |url-status=live |access-date=16 Jun 2025 |work=Spectrum News 1 Austin}}</ref> While most companies will refund customers if a specific product is not delivered at a specific date, Ticketmaster appears to make concerts an exception in this case. There is no option for customers who know that they will not attend the event again before the official rescheduled date is announced. Alas, they are forced into uncertainty instead of expecting a refund for undelivered service.
+Moreover, customers are forced to request the refund instead of automatically being issued one when the event isn't rescheduled. If 60 days pass, and the event has not been rescheduled, a "30-day window" will open where customers must request the refund.<ref name=":3" />
+==References==
+<span></span><references />
+==Deceptive Business Practices==
+===Bait-and-switch ticket sale tactics (~October 2008 to ~February 2009)===
 In 2009, Ticketmaster displayed a status message that indicated there were no more tickets to display even though there allegedly were many available tickets. The company was fined for this, as Ticketmaster secured the proceeds of Bruce Springsteen fans, who sought price-gouged tickets via Ticketmaster's resale site, TicketsNow .<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 Feb 2010 |title=Ticketmaster and TicketsNow Settle FTC Charges of Deceptive Sales Tactics, Refunds for Springsteen Concertgoers Provided; FTC Warns Other Ticket Resellers |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2010/02/ticketmaster-ticketsnow-settle-ftc-charges-deceptive-sales-tactics-refunds-springsteen-concertgoers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250304053736/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2010/02/ticketmaster-ticketsnow-settle-ftc-charges-deceptive-sales-tactics-refunds-springsteen-concertgoers |archive-date=4 Mar 2025 |access-date=16 Jun 2025 |website=Federal Trade Commission}}</ref> This message was allegedly displayed voluntarily, even though many seats remained vacant. Therefore, buyers were driven to purchase tickets via TicketsNow where the prices were significantly higher, and sometimes two times their original value.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=20 Jun 2016 |title=Fight the Monopoly! |url=https://www.backstreets.com/fightthemonopoly.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819093656/https://backstreets.com/fightthemonopoly.html |archive-date=19 Aug 2024 |access-date=16 Jun 2025 |website=Backstreets.com}}</ref>