Ticketmaster refusing a refund

SLY24

We bought tickets to see Tommy Fury fight in January at the Co-op Arena, in total we spent over £500. It has recently been announced that Tommy Fury has pulled out but as the event will still go ahead with replacement boxers that we've never heard of, Ticketmaster are refusing a refund.

Surely this cant be legal, if I book tickets to see Elton John and he's ill they wouldn't put a stand in, in his place and expect people to pay for it, right?

Does anyone have any advice?

elsien

What do the terms and conditions say about any changes? Is his original opponent not still boxing?

Aylesbury_Duck

SLY24 said:

We bought tickets to see Tommy Fury fight in January at the Co-op Arena, in total we spent over £500. It has recently been announced that Tommy Fury has pulled out but as the event will still go ahead with replacement boxers that we've never heard of, Ticketmaster are refusing a refund.

Surely this cant be legal, if I book tickets to see Elton John and he's ill they wouldn't put a stand in, in his place and expect people to pay for it, right?

Does anyone have any advice?

No one will know without seeing the terms and conditions of your ticket.

MeteredOut

Was this advertised as a Tommy Fury fight, or was it an event that Tommy Fury was mentioned as a fighter?

I recall a similar thread before, and in that case, the TicketMaster T&Cs were written in such a way that you were not buying a ticket to see a specific fighter (or in that case, band), but a ticket to attend an event, with no guarantee of who would be performing.

EDIT: here's a post that refers to the previous thread - in that case, it was the supporting act that was changed, so perhaps different to this case.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6528005/ticketmaster-event-ticket-refund-change-of-support-act

elsien

Is it this one?
TOMMY FURY VS DARREN TILL | Co-op Live
No clear terms and conditions although they may be in the app/further in the buying process. Ticketmaster as still advertising it as Fury - maybe they are hoping he will stop stropping and agree to fight - it is a month away yet. 

mr_stripey

I believe it is down to the promoter or venue classing it as a "material change". I would say that Tommy Fury not being at a Tommy Fury fight (which is how it is billed) is a material change to the event and therefore TM should refund.

Minor changes to band lineups/support acts etc or in this case, the undercard, would not be a "material change"

https://www.cooplive.com/events/133//tommy-fury-vs-darren-till

cw8825

OP is almost definitely buying tickets to the event. regardless of who is on the card
the fight could have changed anytime due to injury/money

this is different to going to see elton john/ a musician, this is like going to  festival where artists can be changed

Okell

I'm sure this sort of problem has cropped up before but I can't remember the answer with any certainty(!).

I'm sure the T&Cs will contain something about Ticketmaster (or the promoters?) reserving the right to change the card if necessary, but I'd have thought that if the replacement card didn't have fighters equivalent to Fury and his original opponent in terms of reputation and ranking, then such a term would be unfair and unenforceable, and you'd be entitled to a refund.

It will probably depend on who the replacements are.  If you're paying £500 to see class "A" fighters you don't want to see a "B-" card.

But see what others think.  @the_lunatic_is_in_my_head might know the answer...

[Edit:  @mr_stripey and @elsien are correct I think - it depends on whether the change would be considered "material" or not, and I'd have thought that was a question of fact]

elsien

Found this in their general terms and conditions. This is going to hinge on whether the event has materially altered or not. Hence whether Darren Till is still fighting and who the new opponent is. Can you confirm those details please?

Ticketmaster - Legal Guide

• 11.4 Material Alteration: If an event for which you have purchased Tickets or Packages is "materially altered" (as defined in clause 11.5 below), Tickets and Packages will usually be valid for the altered event (or you will be offered Tickets or Packages of a value corresponding with your original Tickets or Packages for the altered event, subject to availability). If you notify us within the specified deadline that you do not wish to attend the altered event, you will be able to cancel your order and obtain a refund of the Sale Price of your Tickets or Packages (Service Charges and Order Processing Fees are non-refundable). Failure to notify us within any specified deadline that you do not wish to attend the altered event will be deemed to be a reconfirmation of your order for Tickets or Packages for the altered event, and you will not be able to claim a refund.
• 11.5 For the purposes of this Purchase Policy, a “material alteration” is a change (other than a rescheduling) which, in our and the relevant Event Partner's reasonable opinion, makes the event materially different to the event that purchasers of Tickets, taken generally, could reasonably expect. In particular, please note that the following are not deemed to be “material alterations”: the use of understudies in theatre performances; adverse weather conditions; changes of any supporting act; changes to individual members of a band; changes to the line-up of any multi-performer event (such as a festival); curtailment of the event where the majority of an event is performed in full; and delays to the starting of the performance of an event.
• 11.6 To claim a refund under clause 11.2, 11.3 or 11.4, please follow the instructions we provide to you or apply in writing to: Ticketmaster Customer Services, PO Box 798, Manchester, M60 1WU (or such other address as notified to you by us). Where we instruct you to do so, you must enclose or return to us your unused Tickets and comply with any other instructions from us. For accounting purposes in relation to cancelled events, your unused Tickets must be received by us within 28 days from the date of the cancelled event. Please note, if you sell any Tickets using our Ticket Exchange, your right to a refund will be subject to our Ticket Exchange Policy and any payments you have received pursuant to such sale will be taken into account in relation to any refunds you may be entitled to under this Purchase Policy.

SLY24

Thank everyone, that’s been really helpful 

Okell

cw8825 said:

OP is almost definitely buying tickets to the event. regardless of who is on the card
the fight could have changed anytime due to injury/money

this is different to going to see elton john/ a musician, this is like going to  festival where artists can be changed

But the promoters are just as aware as the consumer that the card might change because of injury (or money?*), so why shouldn't the risk lie with the promoter rather than the consumer?

*  Not sure what you mean by "money", but surely that's a risk for the promoter as they are certainly better able to protect themselves than the consumer