Need advice on what to do about Michael Jackson tickets - postponed dates.

crazyshady · 22 June 2009 at 4:29PM

It's not been till today i've realised that one of the dates i had sold tickets for was postponed. I recieved no email or contact from Ticketmaster about this so assumed it didn't affect the dates i got tickets for. Anyways after a lengthy and not so pleasant chat to Ticketmaster i now have to inform those i sold the tickets to on Ebay. Haven't had any contact from them either so they'll understand when i explain how i was unaware about it.

Now bare in mind the dates havent been cancelled, just postponed and i realise next March isnt exactly a couple of weeks difference and i can understand some people maybe booking hotels in advance but...am i required to refund them their money? Ive sent emails and confirmation emails and screenshots to them before to prove that it is infact genuine. I'm lucky enough in all my years of ebaying to have never had a negative feedback. I just don't know what to do. It's not like their going to miss out, they are still going.

Also one other small thing. Obviously the 45 day period has passed so i dont think a paypal claim can be made but some of you may remember at the time i asked advice on bank transfers. This was due to one customer not having a confirmed paypal account and unable to send anything other than a cheque. It also meant no fees. I need to go back to that thread but i remember someone mentioning that people have been reversing bank transfers. Is it possible that they could infact get their money back even though they've legitimately sent me it?

StaffsSW · 22 June 2009 at 4:36PM

Two options for you -

Pro-actively contact each buyer and offer them a full refund either by paypal or sending them a cheque/bank transfer if that is how they paid. Ticket sellers have a really bad repuation on eBay so rise above them.

Bury your head in the sand and leave a few people proper pee'd off yet another dodgy ebay ticket seller.

You know which option you have to do.

crazyshady · 22 June 2009 at 4:40PM

I'm not exactly known for selling tickets so i would never class myself as a ticket seller.

cyril82 · 22 June 2009 at 4:46PM

Are ticketmaster offering refunds on the postponed dates?, if they are you should too, if not it's at your discretion and depends on how you choose to deal with the situation.

i see no reason why buying tickets on ebay should give you any more or any less rights than if the person had bought from ticketmaster directly.

soolin · 22 June 2009 at 4:46PM

I agree with Steve

A good seller is going to be refunding their buyers and then reselling the tickets with the new dates, hopefully nearer the time. A bad seller is going to rely on the fact that his buyers can't do a chargeback after 45 days and can't leave a neg after 60, and just leave them to sort it all out on the basis of 'tough luck'. What you do really depends on which category you feel you fit into.

As an aside I should imagine that there will be enough sellers in the second category to ensure that within a few months ebay have new policies on paypal holds for all tickets, and probably cut down even more on pre sales. I also imagine there will be new ways being thought up now by the venues to try and top touting even more than they already do.

soolin · 22 June 2009 at 4:48PM

crazyshady wrote: »

I'm not exactly known for selling tickets so i would never class myself as a ticket seller.

You have sold tickets (plural) therefore you are a ticket seller. Obviously though you can sell whatever you like and as far as HMRC is concerned it all comes under your self employed registartion so you don't need to seperately identify yourself as a ticket seller as long as oyu are already registered as self employed.

StaffsSW · 22 June 2009 at 4:50PM

Given the vast number of threads across the internet about people not receiving tickets, or paying over the odds for them., it is only a matter of time before ebay take another knee-jerk reaction, just like the knife ban and free P&P etc.

You may not be a ticket seller specifically, but you are an ebay seller and with that comes some responsibility.

If you were the buyer of one of your tickets, what would YOU want to happen?

cyril82 · 22 June 2009 at 4:56PM

If you bought from a normal box office whether or not you got a refund would come down to whether or not the concert organisers were offering refunds on the postponed dates, if they are not you wouldn't get a refund if you bought direct from the box office so it woud be unreasonable to expect it from an independant seller.

Just follow ticketmaster and the concert organisers lead.

crazyshady · 22 June 2009 at 4:56PM

The last time i sold tickets of any kind was 4 years ago and me personally?......If i wanted tickets for something id make sure i got them first time round. If you really wanna go to something that badly you make the effort when the tickets go on sale. You don't just sit back and not bother and buy from Ebay. And without this going any further you guys know what some people were selling those tickets for and those people were buying them up. To spend that amount on tickets means you must be stupid or have money to burn.

I am an honest seller and if the concert was cancelled i would have no problem giving a refund as i myself would automatically get one. But for a postponed date? They'll still get to see Michael. It's not like their being told 'No your not gonna see him at all'. I'm not exactly about not being notified either and if they were proper real fans they would have known about these dates being postponed and known which date they had bought tickets for.

StaffsSW · 22 June 2009 at 5:03PM

If you are looking for some technical loophole to get you out of a sticky situation, this is probably not the best place to ask for that advice. Your best option is to discuss it with your paying customers, not random stranagers on an internet forum! At the moment you do not know if they are happy to wait for the postponed concert, you don't know if they have booked hotels, if they have any other holidays planned etc.

Until you speak to them, you will not know what to do.

You still have the option to bury your head in the sand though - if you would feel comfortable with this.

cyril82 · 22 June 2009 at 5:19PM

the fact that the op is actively seeking advice on how best to handle the situation would suggest to me that they intend to deal with it just once they have considered all aspects and made an informed decision on how best to proceed.

I don't think the op is burying their head in the sand at all.

I agree this forum is probably not the best place to get advice on this which is why I would just follow the concert organisers lead on this one.

Need advice on what to do about Michael Jackson tickets - postponed dates.

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