Fans Can’t Get Refund For Concerts Canceled Because Of COVID-19 Pandemic

Ticket Companies Made Policy Changes

The entire music industry is at an indefinite pause due to the coronavirus crisis. Major events and festivals canceled, tours and concerts postponed, and even the release of new music was also affected. At the beginning when musicians started canceling their scheduled shows, fans were assured that they could either get refunds or have their original tickets honored at the rescheduled dates.

And now it seems like ticketing companies are changing their refund policy. 58-year old Tami Combs from Indiana told Chicago Tribune that she’s having trouble getting her money back from Ticketmaster. She said, “I have about $3,000 tied up in these tickets. This is my money that they are holding hostage.”

Apparently, she’s not the only one. There are several others airing their frustration at being unable to get refunds. For Ticketmaster, the policy used to say that anyone could get their refund “if your event is postponed, rescheduled or canceled.” But amid the COVID-19 outbreak, they changed it so that cancellation is the only reason to get the money back. For StubHub, their update said: “When an event is canceled, you will receive a StubHub coupon worth 120% of your original order.”

In the past few weeks, there have been over 20,000 events canceled in the US alone which meant that the ticket companies could also be struggling financially. 2020 was supposed to be a profitable year what with several reunited bands going back on the road. But, coronavirus happened and everything came to a screeching halt.

Some concerts have been moved to later this year, others to 2021. But there are still those without any rescheduled dates. And fans have no idea if they’re ever going to get any of their money back.