Q&A: How will the refund process work?

Ticketmaster announces details of refund logistics in “unprecedented” operation

If I bought my tickets over the phone, online or through the Ticketmaster app, what do I have to do to secure my refund? You can relax. On July 15th a full refund will automatically be reimbursed to the card used to make the purchase. Ticketmaster has said you should allow seven to 10 working days for the refund to reach your account.

That sounds really convenient, but I bought my tickets at a Ticketmaster outlet? There is a little more effort required but it's only a form. You have to print the "refund form" from the Ticketmaster website, fill it out, and post it to Ticketmaster at PO Box 4695, Dublin 2. You will also need to return the actual tickets with the form.

Ticketmaster says you should make a note of the show date and your seat details, and retain the left hand portion of the refund form for your records. You can expect the refund to come in the form of a bank transfer within 21 days of Ticketmaster receiving the form.

What if I don't trust the postman? Don't worry. You'll have to wait until July 15th but if you follow the very same instructions and drop the form and the tickets into the Ticketmaster outlet you purchased them in, you will receive the bank transfer within the same timeframe.

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I don't trust the postman and the Ticketmaster outlet where I bought my tickets is no longer an outlet, so what can I do? You must have bought your tickets at either the News & Deli in Dundalk, Fassaugh Stores in Cabra, Whites in Wexford, the Irish Shop in Ennis, or at Cusack Park in Ennis, but you can still get your refund by following the same steps and returning the form and tickets to any existing Ticketmaster centre.

What about my service charge? A full refund including service charge will be issued to all ticket purchasers.

I paid by Laser Card but it was decommissioned on February 28th. Will the refund go back into my account? Ticketmaster will contact you to obtain updated payment details.

I purchased tickets from a tout. Can I get a refund? If the tout from whom you bought the tickets paid for them in cash at a Ticketmaster outlet, you will be able to get a refund by sending the form and the tickets to Ticketmaster as outlined above, so it's worth a try.

If, however, the tout used a credit or debit card to purchase the tickets, it’s a double payment for them as the refund will go straight into their account.

Most tickets are traceable but Ticketmaster has said individuals who purchased tickets from “unauthorised ticket sellers” will need to “contact that ticket seller” themselves to obtain a refund.

Good luck with that.

What if somebody else in the queue offered to buy me extra tickets I needed on their allocation? Unfortunately you're in largely the same position as if you had bought from a tout. Ticketmaster's relationship is with the customer who bought the ticket – not the ticketholder. So it's another case of "contact that ticket seller" yourself.

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson is an Irish Times reporter