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The death of pop star Michael Jackson has left thousands of fans facing a struggle to reclaim cash for tickets to upcoming concerts that have now been cancelled. Some may not see any of the money they paid again.
Jackson had been scheduled to play 50 nights at London's O2 arena, starting on the 13th of July.
Around 750,000 tickets had been sold, with the majority costing between £50 to £75 and being purchased directly through registered ticketing companies. However, a good number of fans bought their tickets 'second hand' throught online auction sites such as Ebay, which complicates matters.
The good news is that those who bought directly from the concert promotor, AEG Live, and ticket exchange companies such as one of the biggest, Seatwave.com, should be able to claim their money back.
'Souvenir tickets' offered
AEG Live has announced it will be offering fans either their money back or a 'souvenir ticket' as an alternative. The cut off date for choosing the souvenir option is the 14th of August.
From Wednesday information about keeping the tickets or getting a refund can be found on www.michaeljacksonlive.com.
Seatwave has a claim form on its website which can be completed and returned. Seatwave was advising consumers to use the website to contact them as phonelines are expected to remain clogged for some time.
Fees and admin costs
Refunds may not cover booking 'fees' and 'administration' costs, and those looking for a complete refund could find these elements are retained by the booking agency.
Ticketmaster, another major ticket seller, has yet to confirm it's position, but its terms and conditions state that refunds including booking fees are given if an event is cancelled.
Ticket holders should keep close hold of their sale voucher or mailed/emailed receipt as proof of purchase, check the name of the company they bought through, and contact them directly for refund information.
Credit card purchases
If you paid for your tickets with a credit card, you should be covered by the credit card provider for the cost of the tickets under the terms of the Consumer Credit Act. However, this doesn't apply to purchases from third parties, either on auction sites or directly with individuals.
You should contact your card provider for details of how to claim.
Third party purchases
Unfortunately, for those that bought tickets on private auction and sale sites such as Gumtree and ebay, there are no terms and conditions. Therefore there is no legal contract between the seller and buyer at the moment of sale, and you have no right to claim your money back.
The only thing you can do in this instance is to try and contact the seller to see if they're feeling predisposed to help.
