Fans’ struggle for refund pays off after Snoop Dogg postponement

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Dad Mike Stevenson shared his troubles with Crusader after buying two tickets last February costing £144 for his son Paul and daughter-in-law. 

The sale included cancellation protection insurance.

After the original date didn’t happen Mike transferred the tickets to Paul’s account ahead of a new show booked in for September – which didn’t go ahead either.

With no further date offered the family sought a refund and came up against more problems. 

++ If you’ve been affected by this issue or feel you’ve been a victim of injustice, please contact consumer champion Maisha Frost on [email protected] ++;

“It’s all so confusing,” Mike explained. “When Paul logs in he can’t see the tickets, although I still can. We have contacted customer services many times, but we’re going round in circles.

“In live chats I’m promised someone will get back within 24 hours, only they don’t. There’s no clarity either about getting a refund. We have no idea if the gig will ever take place so we want to call time.”

The ticketing industry is multi-layered and it does not take much for a customer to lose track of who they should be dealing with.

A closer look at Mike’s protection insurance did not yield anything either given his family’s particular problem.

This was because, despite a policy jammed packed with conditions, they were all about what would happen if ticket holders were unable to attend a show.

Mike bought his tickets through the O2’s partner US ticketing agency AXS, part of the AEG group which operates the O2.

Crusader found attempts to contact AXS were most effective going through the O2. Then AXS responded immediately by bringing much needed cheer and refunding the Stevensons.

An AXS spokeswoman said: “As a third party ticketing agent – when an artist cancels or postpones a gig, we’re generally in somewhat of a holding pattern awaiting instruction.

“In this case, the show hasn’t been cancelled but instead postponed and as such, we are awaiting further details as to when the rescheduled concert will take place.

“Once this is confirmed, it is at this point refunds are generally offered to customers who are unable to make the rescheduled date, with a view of ensuring those who have purchased tickets have ‘first dibs’ so to speak and don’t miss out.”

[The family’s name has been changed]

How best to avoid losing out when an event is postponed or cancelled 

If an event is cancelled the legal expectation is a full refund is given. The ticket company’s fees and charges should be clear at time of purchase including any credit or debit card fees. Consumer rights rules require any re-performance must happen within a reasonable time and without causing significant inconvenience to the consumer. Bear in mind when hanging on that circumstances and availability can change. By far the best protection is to ensure when purchasing a ticket that the company you buy from is a member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR). This is the industry body that regulates ticket sales and offers a disputes resolution service. 

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