Music fans concerned about lack of refunds for rescheduled events

Ticketmaster Ireland has declined to say if it will refund people with tickets for rescheduled events which have been cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic if the new dates do not suit them.

Music fans have contacted The Irish Times in recent days to express concern that they are not being offered refunds for rescheduled events, even if they know they will be unable to attend on rearranged dates which are sometimes more than a year into the future.

Thousands of events large and small have already been cancelled or rescheduled because of Covid-19, while a ban on mass licensed gatherings of more than 5,000 people has been extended until the end of August.

That has led to more widespread event cancellations and left concert promoters and artists looking for suitable dates to reschedule events.

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Industry sources have cast doubt on whether any large-scale outdoor concerts will take place this year, while venues such as the 3Arena in Dublin, which has a 13,000 capacity, might not be able to re-open until close to Christmas.

In long-standing terms and condition on its website, Ticketmaster says tickets for events which have to be rescheduled will “usually be valid for the new date”. However, if people notify the company within a specified deadline that they cannot attend the rescheduled event they “will be able to cancel your order and obtain a refund of the sale price of your tickets or packages plus the relevant service charges”.

Difficulty

However, things no longer seem to be so clear-cut and people who have bought tickets from Ticketmaster for a range of different events have spoken of their difficulty in finding out where they stand when it comes to refunds for events which are postponed or rescheduled to times that do not suit them.

Sharon Grant bought four tickets for The Killers in Dublin on June 16th. The concert has been rescheduled for June 15th and 16th, 2021 and she has so far not got a refund from Ticketmaster.

Simon Bell bought tickets for Iain Stirling in Vicar St which was scheduled to take place on May 22nd. It is not going ahead. "Our only option it appears is to go to the event on a new date of their choice on April 13th, 2021. This does not suit us and we would rather a refund."

A spokesman for Ticketmaster said that if an event is cancelled, “ticket purchasers don’t need to do anything. Ticketmaster will be in touch”.

However, for postponed or rescheduled events, the company said it would make contact with ticket holders directly and their “tickets will remain valid”.

When asked directly if the company will be standing by its long-standing policy of offering refunds to people if rearranged dates did not suit them, the spokesman said: “We won’t be making any additional comments at this time.”