Ticketmaster caused a stir earlier this week with a quiet update to their refund policy. The page previously indicated that “refunds are available if your event is postponed, rescheduled or canceled, with the only exception reserved for MLB games and US Open events.” However, the update changed it so postponed and rescheduled shows were no longer eligible for refunds. This came after Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, postponed all upcoming tours back in March.
Now, Live Nation and AEG, the two biggest players in the live entertainment space, have updated how they are handling all the rescheduled shows. Ticketholders can now get refunds, but there is a catch: The shows have to have been rescheduled with new dates announced (as The New York Times notes). This means that fans with tickets to shows that have been postponed indefinitely are not eligible for refunds.
AEG will offer refunds under those conditions, and buyers will have a 30-day window to request their money back, beginning on May 1 or on whenever the new dates are announced. Live Nation’s timeline is less clear, as they note, “Live Nation’s plan is to continue offering an opportunity for refunds on all of its rescheduled shows as new dates are set. We anticipate those windows will begin to open up on an event by event basis in the next few weeks.”
Ticketmaster previously offered a statement about their new policies, saying, “In the past, with a routine volume of event interruptions, we and our event organizers have been able to consistently offer more flexibility with refunds for postponed and rescheduled events. However, considering the currently unprecedented volume of affected events, we are focused on supporting organizers as they work to determine venue availability, new dates and refund policies, while rescheduling thousands of events in what continues to be an evolving situation.”