After receiving backlash for changing their refund policy, Ticketmaster is planning to offer reimbursement for concerts that have been postponed due to Coronavirus.
Starting on May 1, fans will begin receiving emails from Ticketmaster to get their money returned for postponed shows. Fans will then have 30 days to request the funds. If the customer doesn’t request a refund, their ticket can be used for the rescheduled date.
According to The New York Times, Ticketmaster, which is owned by Live Nation, said they would reimburse events that were postponed, rescheduled or canceled according to their website on March 12. The post was reportedly updated to reflect that refunds would only be issued when an event had already been canceled.
“As always, canceled events are automatically refunded. If an event organizer is offering reimbursement for postponed or rescheduled events, a refund link will appear on your Ticketmaster account,” Ticketmaster’s post read. “Otherwise, you are encouraged to periodically check back online to see if the status of their event has changed.”
Ticketmaster will only repay customers if the concert organizer allows them to. This caused a problem for customers who held tickets for shows that were uncertain due to COVID-19.
The refunds will reportedly cover most festivals and concerts through July. Events in August, that have not been canceled, will be addressed at a later date. Reimbursement for NBA and NHL games are controlled through the respective teams and leagues.
“It just takes time to work through the math and work with the calendar. When you move a Friday show to a Monday night, you don’t know what is going to happen with the fans,” a source at Live Nation told Billboard. “We had to move slow to get it right and we hoped by May we would have some clarity on dates and agreed terms.”