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Viagogo ‘refusing to refund fans’ for concerts cancelled because of the pandemic

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The particular ticket resale website Viagogo is refusing to reimbursement fans who bought seat tickets for gigs and sports cancelled because of the pandemic, based on the consumer group Which?.

Hundreds of summer activities have fallen victim towards the coronavirus outbreak, with organisers offering to give fans their particular money back if they do not wish to, or cannot, transfer their particular tickets to 2021.

But Viagogo, that can be criticised by the music market, MPs and campaign organizations over its treatment of clients and alliances with effective ticket touts, is declining to follow suit.

Instead it is claiming the particular events have been postponed, even if the organisers confirm they are cancelled. Viagogo’s terms and conditions provide a refund or a voucher really worth 125% for cancelled activities, but not if they are postponed.

Viagogo has recommended customers who cannot go to a rescheduled event in order to relist the tickets upon its website, which allows the business to take a repeat commission payment of up to 25% on every single new sale.

One customer, Melissa Taylor swift, paid more than £270 for 2 tickets to the Wireless celebration, an event that the organiser, Event Republic, says has been terminated.

Viagogo declined to refund her for the basis that Festival Republic had given buyers the choice to carry over their window of next year.

Which usually? said Viagogo had transformed its cancellation policy, making a “loophole” that rules out there refunds where customers were told they can defer their particular tickets to next year.

“My partner includes a job where he is required to disappear at the last minute. We are unable to commit to next year, ” Taylor swift said.

Gordon Scott was also refused the refund after buying seat tickets for Leeds festival to find the US rap metal team Rage Against the Machine.

Viagogo claims the big event has been postponed rather than scrapped, but Gordon said the particular tickets were “useless” in order to him if the band aren’t on next year’s selection.

Scott ultimately obtained a refund yet said it took your pet countless hours to get his cash back, and warned that other people may not have the “tenacity in order to hound them like all of us did”.

Event Republic, which organises the particular Wireless, Reading and Leeds festivals, confirmed its occasions had been cancelled. It stated it would speak to the consumer legal rights body the Competition and Marketplaces Authority (CMA) about Viagogo’s behaviour.

2 other consumers, who utilized Viagogo to buy tickets towards the golf Open Championship along with a My Chemical Romance show, said they had got their particular money back only after attractive to their banks.

A Which? consumer legal rights expert, Adam French, stated: “Viagogo has a history of tearing customers off and skirting the law, and in these difficult times it seems to be subterfuge its responsibilities to clients when considering requests for refunds. ”

People from france called on the CMA in order to factor Viagogo’s actions in to its ongoing investigation in to the company’s $4bn (£3. 2bn) takeover of its rival StubHub.

The watchdog is examining the suggested tie-up after reaching a primary conclusion that it could significantly reduce competition.

A spokesperson for Viagogo said: “This is an unparalleled time for the live occasions industry, and we understand that clients might be left disappointed from the fact that thousands of events internationally are being postponed, rescheduled or even cancelled.

“If an event is rescheduled, the particular customer’s tickets remain legitimate, per our terms and conditions, and so they are not entitled to a reimbursement. The customer always has the option of relisting their tickets on the system if they can no longer attend the newest date.

“If an event is completely cancelled the client is entitled to a money refund or 125% coupon. In the case of refunds, we enjoy our customers’ patience whilst we process their demand. ”

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Viagogo ‘ refusing in order to refund fans’ for live shows cancelled due to the pandemic

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