Australia Refund

bradsmith999

Hi all, a group of us booked to see an event in Australia months ago - the Aus Open Tennis. However, the government are not letting in any tourists for this event in 2 weeks time. I was wondering if I am entitled to a refund for the tickets. I will attach the terms here which are COVID protection at time of booking:

What is COVID-19 Booking Protection?

COVID-19 Booking Protection covers patrons against the following circumstances: 

1. The AO is cancelled or rescheduled as a result of COVID-19 requirements or restrictions (in which case, we’ll refund you for the total price of your tickets)
2 Your specific session of the AO is cancelled as a result of COVID-19 requirements or restrictions (even if other sessions or aspects of the AO still go ahead)
3. We are no longer able to accommodate you at Melbourne Park (this does not include where you fail to meet our vaccination requirements);
4. You are prevented from travelling to Melbourne due to State, Territory or Commonwealth government travel restrictions and you advise us that you are unable to travel at least seven (7) days before the date of your session (so that we have enough time to refund you and then offer the tickets to someone else who missed out);
6. In other circumstances, where we feel it is appropriate.
5. You or any of your group members have COVID-19 symptoms and/or you are required to isolate (or if any of your close contacts or group members has COVID-19 symptoms) and you notify us and provide us with some evidence (e.g. a medical certificate) at least 24 hours prior to your attendance at the AO (or as soon as you can if there are valid reasons why 24 hours’ notice is not possible)

Does option 4 apply to my situation? When the event was booked tourists were not allowed in but we hoped it would all be ok by Jan. It does not mention a requirement needs to have changed to being able to travel to not being able to travel - it just states "prevented from travelling".

Please advise if I can get a refund based on the above booking protection terms (as long as I give 7 days notice).

Thanks all

bradsmith999

Note it also states under FAQs:

I live overseas. Can I still book tickets to AO22?

Please check the travel restrictions that currently apply in your situation before booking tickets (and then gives a link to gov website in Australia)

ThumbRemote

I would have said that point 4 covered you.

bradsmith999

There is no live chat option only a contact form.

Shall I just reference the order and quote point 4, I am just worried they will say "sorry, you should have checked the travel restrictions before booking tickets" and reject my request

user1977

You can try, but I wouldn't say it was very clear either way. 

JJ_Egan

Do not those booking terms depend upon Australian laws , if not purchased from a UK seller .

IvanOpinion

You need to talk to whoever you booked the tickets with - they are the only ones whose answer you need to be concerned with at this time.  You still have a couple of weeks to go, so who knows what will happen in that time period.

mattyprice4004

Id say point 4 covers you, yes. Good luck 

bradsmith999

Hi All,

I sent the same message for all the orders in question requesting a refund and got the following response today:

We're sorry to hear that you are no longer be able to attend the event due to changes in policy.

As we act as the ticketing agent for this event, we're required to escalate your request for consideration. We will be in touch as soon as we receive a confirmation on the outcome of your enquiry.

Refund and Exchange requests are subject to conditions that are outlined in our Purchase Policy. To view our Purchase Policy please click here.

We expect a response as soon as possible, however, if you have not been contacted with a response within two business days of your event, please contact our Customer Service Team via return email.

Kind regards,

---

I then replied and paste the information along with the URL stating the below:

Book with Confidence – Covid-19 Booking Protection

When the Australian Open returns in 2022, the tournament won’t be missing any of the Happy Slam spirit you have come to know and love, but you can now enjoy it all with new measures that put your safety first.

Next year, if COVID-19 changes your game plan, your ticket purchase will automatically be protected.

The Australian Open 2022’s COVID-19 Booking Protection covers the full cost of your ticket or experience if you’re unable to travel to or attend the event due to COVID-19.

It’s not an add on, it’s a guarantee** – and it comes standard with all Australian Open 2022 tickets purchased through Ticketmaster, covering ticket-holders against the following circumstances:

·         Australian Open 2022 is cancelled or rescheduled as a result of COVID-19 requirements or restrictions​

·         A specific session of the AO22 is cancelled as a result of COVID-19 requirements/restrictions​

·         The A022 is no longer able to accommodate patrons at Melbourne Park​

·         You are prevented from travelling to Melbourne from interstate due to border closures/restrictions​

·         You or anyone in your group has COVID- 19 symptoms and is required to isolate​

·         If you test positive for COVID-19 and are required to isolate​

·         If you have been identified as a close-contact to a positive case​

·         If you are currently completing a government mandated period of self-isolation

I referenced the point 'You are prevented from travelling to Melbourne from interstate due to border closures/restrictions​'

Why has the agent said if no response and within two days of event, contact customer support again?
It states that I have to give at least 7 days notice till my event for a refund so cannot just wait till 48 hours if no response. 

ciderboy2009

You have already given more than 7 days notice and now have proof that they've received it.

Just wait until they get back to you.

bradsmith999

One order has been cancelled on my account that is the reference that the agent replied to, other ones have not been cancelled but hopefully they process them too.

Does not state about when refund is to be received, whether its as soon as possible or after the event has taken place?