Why can’t I get a refund from Ticketmaster for this rescheduled show?

Diane Dukes can’t make it to comedian Ron White’s show after she receives a cancer diagnosis. Is there a way to get a refund for the event?

Q: My husband and I have tickets to see a Ron White show in Minneapolis. We bought the tickets through Ticketmaster. The event has been rescheduled twice because of COVID-19. When we bought the tickets in early 2020, the event was in April 2020, then due to COVID, it was postponed to fall 2020 and again to this spring. All along, we were planning to keep our tickets and go to the rescheduled event.

However, in the meantime, I have been diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. We were still planning on going to the May event until March, when my surgeons scheduled my double mastectomy for May 10. I get my COVID test on May 7, the day of the concert, and have to quarantine until surgery on Monday, May 10. Therefore, I can’t attend this event.

Ticketmaster will not allow me to re-sell my tickets online. I am only allowed to transfer my tickets online to friends or family. However, my friends and family are not available or interested in attending.

I tried contacting Ticketmaster several times via their chat and email. There is no phone for customer support. The answer is always the same: The organizer is not accepting cancellations at this time. We are past the window of acceptance for that. Well, when they offered refunds, I was still planning on going. I asked Ticketmaster in my email if they would connect me with the promoter directly and, of course, they did not respond to that request.

If there is any way you could help, it would be appreciated. It’s not like we are losing a ton of money, but all funds count now when our medical bills are rising. — Diane Dukes, Lakeville, Minn.

A: I’m so sorry to hear about your illness. At a time like this, Ticketmaster and the event organizer should be understanding — particularly since you were so understanding after they rescheduled the Ron White show twice before. This is like a bad joke.

Ticketmaster does, in fact, have managers with phone numbers. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of all the Ticketmaster executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. I think you could have also taken this directly to Ron White. You can get in touch with him directly through his website.

I realize that event tickets come with significant restrictions. But when the organizers don’t hold up their end of the bargain by canceling the show, then you should expect some flexibility on the other end. You don’t expect them to read you the rules and refuse to help you.

I contacted Ticketmaster on your behalf. The company reviewed your request and offered a courtesy refund from the event organizer “given the extenuating circumstances.” I hope that your surgery is successful and that you make a quick recovery.

Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer for Elliott Advocacy. Email him at [email protected] or get help with any consumer problem by contacting him at http://www.elliott.org/help