By Christopher Elliott
Guest Columnist

Elizabeth Moeck has tickets to see David Foster in concert, but the show gets canceled during the pandemic. What happened to her refund?

Christopher Elliott

I bought tickets for the David Foster Hitman Tour in 2019. The performance date was May 14, 2020. 

On May 1, Ticketmaster emailed me that the concert had been rescheduled to Jan. 16, 2021. But in August, Ticketmaster sent an email that the concert would be canceled and my ticket refunded.

I contacted Ticketmaster because I paid for the concert with a gift card, but Ticketmaster said they had to refund to a credit card, so I gave them my credit card information.

Ticketmaster didn’t refund the tickets as promised. So I called back in December. This time, I got through to an automated system that recommended I contact Ticketmaster online.

A representative reviewed my request and said, “At this time, we are awaiting funds from the event organizer. As soon as the funds are received, we will immediately process your refund to the method of payment used at the time of purchase.”

It’s been almost three years since they canceled my concert. Can you help me get my $125 back, please? — Elizabeth Moeck, Garland, Texas

That sounds like a fun concert, and I’m sorry it got canceled. Ticketmaster should have quickly refunded your money as it promised, instead of waiting for the organizer to pay the ticket reseller.

But that’s Ticketmaster’s policy. So the company was waiting for a refund from the organizer, which is not the optimal customer service experience. If Ticketmaster took your money, then Ticketmaster should be responsible for returning it promptly. The agreement with the organizer is none of your concern.

Also complicating your problem: You paid with a gift card, but Ticketmaster wanted to refund to your credit card. That may have slowed your refund, although it’s not something Ticketmaster would have admitted.

I have a complete guide to getting a refund from Ticketmaster on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. I also list the names, numbers and email addresses of the Ticketmaster customer service executives on the site. Ticketmaster has threatened me with legal action for publishing the names of its executives, but the contacts are still there for you to use.

Here’s a little-known fact. If you have an email from a business like the one you had from Ticketmaster promising a refund, your credit card company can help. A credit card dispute department would regard a written promise as a credit memo. If you file a credit card dispute and share that email with your bank, you will probably win the dispute and get a refund.

I contacted Ticketmaster on your behalf. A representative called you and apologized for the delay. Ticketmaster sent you a new gift card to cover the cost of your tickets.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at [email protected] or get help by contacting him.