Buying concert tickets from resale sites can save money, and get you better seats, especially when the best seats on Ticketmaster are gone in minutes. But getting refunds when events are canceled may take longer than purchasing from primary sellers.
Joe Singer experienced this firsthand when he bought $330 tickets to see the band Weezer from Vivid Seats, after the show sold out on the primary market.
When the concert was canceled, Singer's friends who bought tickets directly from festival organizers received refunds within days, but Singer had to wait well over a month.
"I reached out to Vivid Seats after a week and a half of waiting, and they said they hadn't received confirmation that the concert was canceled," Singer said.
Watch a concertgoer's frustration when he has to wait weeks for a refund:
Vivid Seats told us refunds typically take just three to five business days, but that wasn't Singer's experience. (See Vivid Seats' full refund policy below.)
"I'm pretty disappointed by the pace, for sure," Singer said.
Alex Warner, CEO and co-founder of the ticket resale platform Winventory, explains the delay may stem from how the secondary market operates.
"Ultimately, it's a trickle-down effect," Warner said. "The secondary isn't going to refund until the primary is refunded."
Melanie McGovern with the Better Business Bureau advises consumers to understand the terms and conditions before purchasing from secondary markets. She warns that on some platforms, a refund policy may not be transferable from the original buyer.
"You want to make sure before you buy that ticket that you know if you have the same protections," McGovern said.
Resale sites can offer good options for sold-out events, but consumers should expect refunds to take longer after delays or cancellations.
"It could be done faster on both the primary side and the secondary side. But there's just a sort of method to the madness," Warner said.
After six weeks, Singer says Vivid Seats refunded all his money. In the future, though, he'll try to buy from primary sellers like Ticketmaster first.
"I'll consider it, but I'll know the risk a little better," Singer said.
Vivid Seats responded to our inquiry with these details about its refund policy:
Cancellations for events are decided by the team, venue, performer, or promoter. Once an event has been officially cancelled, Vivid Seats issues compensation to the buyer within 30 minutes to 1 hour (within business hours) of that confirmation. Refunds typically take 3-5 business days, on average, to return to a bank account once the refund is processed. If an event is canceled with no rescheduled date, the buyer will receive 110% in loyalty credit of the original purchase price, or that credit will be converted to a refund if preferred by the buyer.
At Vivid Seats we believe you should get more than just the tickets you purchase. You deserve hassle-free assistance from start to finish. We are proud to be a full-service provider, with our very own customer service team [vividseats.com], reachable by phone or online during extended business hours. We offer a trustworthy, reliable, and safe experience through our award-winning customer service and a Buyer Guarantee [vividseats.com]. Vivid Seats is a member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers [natb.org] (NATB), a partner of the Better Business Bureau that works to ensure safe, ethical ticket buying and selling.
As always, don't waste your money.
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