StubHub updated their policy today. StubHub recently stopped offering cash refunds for canceled or postponed events. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. San Francisco, CA 94105, A copy of the Notice of Dispute form is available through a link in the user agreement on StubHubs website (or by searching for StubHub notice of dispute on Google), and a copy is appended to this article as Exhibit A, StubHub Article, Notice of Dispute. seq., it seems unlikely that an arbitrator would find a claim demanding a refund in the context of a COVID-19 event cancellation to be so frivolous as to award arbitration fees against the consumer. Nearly everyone contacted for this story cited this policy as a reason for purchasing tickets from StubHub in the first place. Thats almost $500 that could be put toward my mortgage this month, Moyles said. Exhibit A, StubHub Article, Notice of Dispute, Exhibit B, StubHub Article, Consumer Demand for Arbitration, https://www.stubhub.com/legal/?section=ua, Exhibit C, StubHub Article, Request for StubHub to Pay Fees, https://www.adr.org/sites/default/files/Consumer_Demand_for_Arbitration_Form_3.pdf, International Society of Primerus Law Firms. Buyers turn to credit card disputes to recoup cash. This article is not here to tell you about how, in response to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, StubHub initially sent out a reassuring email to its customers that it would refund their ticket purchases for canceled events only to then update its policies a short time later to remove that very option. Create is a multi-purpose WordPress theme that gives you the power to create many different styles of websites. It is simply a platform that connects people who are selling tickets with people who wish to buy tickets. He also eventually received his payment on the night of April 3. Buyers who attend events during the pandemic agree to comply with COVID-19 verification requirements and health and safety policies as the venue, team, or performer requires. The reason I bought tickets on StubHub was the guarantee. Tel: 205.795.6588 Thats when Woody, Moyles, Kreifels and many others learned that the refunds werent coming. And a seller isnt getting a refund from a sports team or venue of an event until something is actually canceled. We will notify you that the event was canceled and provide instructions on how to obtain the refund or credit. Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. Tel: 601.427.4050 100 Historically, StubHub has paid sellers within a week of the tickets being purchased by someone on the marketplace, often before the events actually happen. Log in to your StubHub account and click or tap Profile then Orders to view your event status. StubHubs return policy is called the FanProtect Guarantee. StubHub has made an exception in one case: If the buyers billing address or event is in one of 14 states with consumer laws around refund, the customer still can get a refund. It covers you as a buyer if your tickets do not arrive in time for an event, are not valid for the listed event, or were grossly misrepresented on StubHub. No problem. Unfortunately, not all ticket sellers and venues are making it that easy. "It's really bad customer relations, I think, to kick people off for disputes like this," said Ted Rossman of BankRate. Powered and implemented by FactSet. Attn: Litigation Department | NY Call 1-(888)-364-3065 |NYC Health Dept. But when it came to the current situation, it didn't honor the deal, the suit claims. Drake and Bradley are the favorites in the MVC mens basketball conference tournament. If you can no longer attend the event, you can, Log in to your StubHub account and click or tap Profile then. Event Cancellation Protection . "It was no problem canceling flights. Coupons, not refunds: a new policy for buyers, StubHub was hit with a class action lawsuit by a Wisconsin resident a week ago, alleging it is reneging on its guarantee to provide cash refunds as many are seeking to get their money back for the thousands of events canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic., Todays live event landscape looks far different than it did months or even a few weeks ago, a StubHub spokesperson told Marketplace in an email. In a statement to the site, StubHub indicated it made the difficult but responsible decision to furlough a portion of our employee base. The site reports the number of employees to be 67 percent of the companys workforce, leaving approximately 150 workers out of about 450 to handle operations until at least June.. StubHubs FanProtect promise boasts that every order is 100% guaranteed because 99% guaranteed just sounds sketchy.[11] If you think that is a broken promise because receiving future credit for an event that may never happen just sounds sketchy too, file a refund arbitration claim to get your money back. StubHub is offering the retroactive refunds now because the live events industry is opening back up. For the reasons described above, the likely result of these quick-fire response and payment requirements is that StubHub will agree to pay your refund claim on or around the due date. This doesnt mean, of course, that folks arent having any trouble with some of these other major marketplaces. She says she called and chatted online with StubHub nine times from March 16 onward, after her home state went on lockdown and the event was canceled. The company enables fans to buy and sell tickets to virtually any event, from sports games and concerts to theater productions and festivals. We'll email you when an event is canceled. According to court documents, when the pandemic caused wide-spread cancellations of events, StubHub reassured customers they would be receiving cash refunds, but they could opt to get a credit instead. This image from. Canceled Event Info Mar 28 Tue 8:00pm Ibeyi Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC See Tickets Apr 15 Sat 8:00pm Los Temerarios Usa Tour Greensboro Coliseum Complex - Greensboro, NC See Tickets Apr 22 Sat 7:30pm North Carolina Theatre Presents The Color Purple Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts (fka Duke Energy) - Raleigh, NC See Tickets No problem. Otherwise you will receive a voucher for 120% of your purchase price. Most venues, ticket platforms, and resellers are offering full refunds (ticket fees included) when an event gets canceled. Then theres the question of the legality of the move, beyond any ethical shortcomings. If an event is canceled, we'll give you a StubHub credit for 120% of the amount you paid. Required fields are marked *. [8] See Paragraph 22, Section B, titled Arbitration Procedures, regarding the requirement that you must submit a Notice of Dispute form before filing a refund arbitration claim. 2875 Michelle Dr., Ste. With offices in Birmingham, metro-Jackson, Mississippi, and the Alabama Gulf Coast, Christian & Small focuses on the areas of litigation and business, is a member of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms, and is the only Alabama-based member firm in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Tap Sell on the ticket group and set the number of tickets that you want to sell and how they're split. It had already been disbursed to the sellers. One has to wonder how reassuring emails to those employees were in the weeks leading up to their furlough. The agent will be able to grant you a refund if your scheduled event has been canceled. StubHub was pressing hard to get money. The fired Google engineer who thought its A.I. 2023 www.jsonline.com. StubHub, an event ticket re-seller, told him the company couldn't issue a refund, only a credit towards a future event. But StubHub simply cant afford to play the role of banker. With the economy suffering due to COVID-19, customers want their money back, from all sides. Eli Lilly announced a cap on insulin costs. Its no longer giving refunds, just coupons. Irvine, CA 92606. But people want their cash back now. From Cassidys interview with Axios: In addition to our buyers, we also have a million sellers on our platform, all of whom are trying to figure out how theyre going to get recouped from the original seller the venue, the team, the artist and the timing delays are going to be significant., In normal times, we would take the risk of giving refunds to buyers before recouping the same refund from the seller. Were committed to guiding you towards the resources you need to answer questions about your event. 8, Ch. Before, if an event were canceled before it happened, StubHub would then go back and essentially reverse the transaction, charging the seller for a refund, as its doing now in many cases. Jim White of Brisbane, California, a regular seller on StubHub, said he encountered issues receiving payment not for events that only sold before the COVID-19 disruption, but events that took place before it started. StubHub, as the middleman between buyers and sellers of secondhand tickets, says that handling refunds for the huge number of canceled concerts is simply not manageable. Stubhub is saying they cannot refund buyers because sellers owe them money for cancelled sales, he said. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. "The return of live events, the input of customers, partners, and regulators, and the opportunity to finally consult with our new parent company, viagogo, all contributed to StubHub's decision to make this move now," the company said in a statement. All Rights Reserved. Viagogo, a tickets marketplace, bought StubHub in February 2020. Only 120% coupon? Birmingham, Alabama 35203 Kimmel says its not as hard as you might think. [2] "StubHub said they'd refund canceled tickets, but now they're taking that back (StubHub is here for you. wearing a mask at all times, providing proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status, submitting proof of a negative COVID-19 test within a certain period of time, etc.). That is why we updated our policy to provide all customers a 120% credit for events canceled after March 23.. Its just missing with no explanation. Theres a lot happening in the world. Marketplace is a division of MPR's 501 (c)(3). Lets pick a winner in every mens college basketball conference tournament. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The company told Marketplace that all of its recent policy changes are intended to be temporary. Paul Sawers / VentureBeat . 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. It covers you as a buyer if your tickets do not arrive in time for an event, are not valid for the listed event, or were grossly misrepresented on StubHub. The credits are valid through the end of 2022. Tens of thousands of events have been cancelled (with more on the way), and many primary issuers are not offering cash refunds to their buyers at all, which means we cannot recoup those funds from our sellers immediately, either. In these cases, theres nothing people can do but wait, until things get back to normal and events resume. Fax: 205.328.7234, 603 Duling Avenue StubHub will offer refunds for canceled events but not postponed events. But is StubHub legal? 2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. If you push back and a company still refuses to give your money back, you might have to take legal action, like filing a claim in small claims court. CORONAVIRUS:NY Health Dept. In normal times, we would take the risk of giving refunds to buyers before recouping the same refund from the seller. StubHub said it was the first in the ticket brokerage industry to offer the 120% credit and that so farabout 70% of its customers accepted the option. If you are denied entry or are dismissed from the event due to your failure to comply with these policies, you will not be compensated for your order. Tom Wolf, VIDEO: Man dead after 3 people start shooting outside apartment in Allegheny County, DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts, Pittsburgh woman missing for more than 30 years found alive in Puerto Rico, Crafton man accused of sexually assaulting 11-year-old girl at playground, Target 11 Investigates: SWAT team truck damaged, This Sewickley home is for sale for almost $5M (photos), Family of local teacher left with brain injury from car crash searching for healthcare options. If the tickets you receive are the wrong ones, please call StubHub at 1-866-788-2482. All rights reserved. Even on March 12, as major cancellations had begun to be announced, StubHub emailed users to say, "We have your back," and assuring them they could still get refundsbut also offering, as an alternative, coupons for 120% of the tickets' prices, redeemable for a year. You can apply this coupon toward multiple StubHub events in the same currency. StubHub and several more of these. Each cancelled show was a loss to StubHub of their fees which now represented as much as 45% of the total sale. And new figures show more than half of ticket holders still haven't gotten their money back. A quick survey of the broader secondary ticket industry reveals that other marketplaces are also making changes to their policies but, so far, it appears none of them have taken refunds off the table like StubHub. By attending the event, you assume all risk of exposure to COVID-19. Looking to sell? 5. But why is insulin so expensive in the first place? What To Do If Someone Isn't Social Distancing Or Wearing A Mask? If the buyers billing address or event is in one of 14 states with consumer laws around refund then the customer still can receive a refund. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. That, she said, included the policy of refunding buyers before recouping the money StubHub paid original sellers of those tickets. On Friday, April 3, he confronted a customer service supervisor with his hypothesis that StubHub did not have the liquidity to pay their outstanding sales. Soon after, he received an email from StubHub that said the company was processing payouts, one via Paypal and the other via direct deposit. Also, if time permits, you can simply re-sell your tickets on StubHub (see our How to Sell Tickets on StubHub tutorial) or another popular ticket resale website. Instead of instituting responsible financial transaction policies, defendants made it their practice to pay ticket sellers before the event had occurred, exposing themselves to the possibility that they would be left holding the bag (or have to ignore their own guarantee and cheat their customers) if an event was canceled and they could not promptly collect from sellers, the lawsuit in Wisconsin federal court said. For a buyers and sellers, theres the waiting game on whether an event is canceled or just postponed. For big sporting events, when is a sellout a sellout? Sorry we couldn't be helpful. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions. That includes includes California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Utah, and Virginia. Fax: 601.707.7913, 1 Timber Way StubHub notes it was the first to offer the 120% credit for canceled purchases. StubHub is offering some customers cash refunds for tickets to events that were canceled during the pandemic, creating an exception to a no-refunds policy it adopted in March 2020 to the dismay of . Receive a coupon for 120 percent of your original purchase*. We will process the refund to your original payment method within 5 days. But StubHub was the one that caused the grief," Farley told CBS2's Natalie Duddridge on Thursday. ContactBruce Vielmetti at (414) 224-2187or bvielmetti@jrn.com. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Unless you want a refund). SBNation.com. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. . But StubHub responded by booting him from their ticket platform altogether, something experts say is a sneaky clause in StubHub's fine print. However, their respective terms of service seem to leave the door open for shutting down refunds if need be as things progress. pic.twitter.com/onFRrGVh6S. Farley said refunds should be a piece of cake. As for Farley, he said he can't wait for his hockey team to one day soon score the hat trick by beating three Tri-State Area teams in a row. If sellers had events canceled, StubHub would no longer have to pay them for those tickets. Gibbs Law Group filed a complaint on May 1, 2020 against StubHub for refusing to refund customers who purchased tickets for events that have been cancelled in light of COVID-19. Home Online Shopping Buying and Selling StubHub Course StubHub Return Policy and Refunds. StubHub is here for you, reads part of the email, which was signed by company president Sukhinder Singh Cassidy. NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- For months, major concerts and sporting events have been canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. If they cant produce to you what you paid for in and around the same time you bought it to occur, then, youre entitled to your money back. StubHub will cancel payment to the seller (or recover the payment if it has already been paid). If an event is canceled, well give you a StubHub credit for 120% of the amount you paid. Consumers shouldnt have to underwrite the business problems of this company that can no longer honor the agreement they made, he said. Request to speak to a Vivid Seats agent. 2. Receive a coupon for 120 percent of your original. No matter which option you choose, you must also send a copy to StubHub at the following address (which is different from the address where you sent the Notice of Dispute form): StubHub, Inc. It has shared the following tips: What you can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases: For statewide and national information on the virus, visit Michigan.gov/Coronavirus or CDC.gov/Coronavirus. "If you want a refund don't accept no for an answer, because if you're entitled to one under the original agreement, you should get one," Kimmel said. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Just 21 days ago, online ticket exchange and resale company StubHub sent a reassuring email to their customers. Fax: 251.432.1700, Business Services and Commercial Litigation, Author: Bradley R. Hightower Thats simple contract law, he explained. However, there are some cases where StubHub may give you a refund, or even replacement tickets. At the same time, consumers who had purchased approximately $5 billion annually from StubHub clamored for refunds of the tickets they had bought for shows which were postponed or cancelled as. Now, the company is the subject of two class action lawsuits Also, if you bought tickets on StubHub, there is a class action lawsuit underway to settle the issue on whether they have to honor refunds. If you can no longer attend your event for any reason, you can sell your tickets with confidence on StubHub in just a few quick steps. But in a March 30 email to its customers, cited in the suit, it said the crisis has delayed getting its money back from sellersat a time when buyers expect immediate refunds. Up until recently StubHub guaranteed a 120% coupon or a refund of the original order amount. If you want to file a refund arbitration claim against StubHub for COVID-19 related event cancellation, you should follow the steps below. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Lindsay is the author of this solution article. Postponed events may not be eligible for refunds. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. In more refined language, the suit claims that StubHub has "quietly sought to force their buyers to endure the financial losses that Defendants own guarantee created for Defendants in the entirely foreseeable scenario that world occurrences would cause the simultaneous cancellation of numerous public events.". [5] If your refund demand is for more than $10,000 (which seems unlikely in most cases; if youre buying those kind of tickets, take me with you next time), you may be required to demonstrate that the costs of accessing arbitration will be prohibitive as compared to the costs of accessing a court for purposes of pursuing litigation on an individual basis. If you can do that, it will be up to the arbitrator to determine how much StubHub must pay for the arbitration costs. Read more about event statuses. A copy of the Demand for Arbitration Consumer Arbitration Rules form is available for download from AAAs website[10] and a copy is appended to this article as Exhibit B, StubHub Article, Consumer Demand for Arbitration. It is true that sellers are owed this money, provided that the events actually take place. February 16, 2021 March 13, 2020 by Brett Goldberg. and click the Request cash refund button on the appropriate credit. All Rights Reserved. In May 2021 - as a result of the attorney generals' investigations - StubHub reversed its decision and notified its customers that if they purchased tickets prior to March 25, 2020 and their events were cancelled, they would receive a full refund unless they elected to retain their account credits. Im not proud of having to do it, but in order for us to be there for our customers post-recovery, we have to make these tough decisions now, Cassidy told Axios.com. [7] There is a provision in the Paragraph 22, Section C of the user agreement, titled Costs of Arbitration, which provides that in the event the arbitrator determines the claim(s) you assert in the arbitration to be frivolous, you agree to reimburse StubHub for all fees associated with the arbitration paid by StubHub on your behalf that you otherwise would be obligated to pay under the [AAA] Rules. But given Californias consumer-friendly laws that apply to any arbitration claim, including its ticket seller laws in Cal Bus & Prof Code Div. Wheres that guaranteed refund? Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Date of experience: 20 January 2023. [5] Better yet, because the arbitration proceeding is administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and its consumer arbitration rules permit the arbitrator to award you any legal fees and costs you could have received in court (consumer-friendly California law applies per the user agreement),[6] you can hire a lawyer to file your refund arbitration claim and StubHub will likely have to pay his/her fees and costs too. A buyer that had Opening Day tickets is stuck waiting to see what Major League Baseball is going to do with the 2020 season. And for that, the law is on your side. For full information about the FanProtect Guarantee, and how it works for you as a ticket buyer, click here. It turns out, according to BankRate, more than half of people who laid out cash for events since the pandemic shut everything down didn't get it returned, and 60% have given up trying. Payouts delayed for events before COVID-19 shutdowns. According to a StubHub representative called Derrick F., who I e-chatted with through the site yesterday afternoon, "We'll do our best to find you comparable or better tickets, or offer you a full refund." Stubhub throws around a lot of "FanProtect Guarantee" lingo, which, as Derrick F. put it, is like "ticket insurance." We have a situation right now where we had over 20,000 events canceled, basically at the same time," StubHub president Sukhinder Singh Cassidy told Axios.com. Prefer a cash refund instead? The cost of loneliness: Social isolation holds back workers and costs employers billions, Businesses and consumers are borrowing more, despite rising interest rates, Why a Guarneri violin is expected to fetch $10 million at auction.