Viagogo customers are struggling to get refunds for cancelled and postponed events

Online ticket seller Viagogo has come under fire for refusing to refund customers for events that have been cancelled or postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is everything you need to know - including how you can try to get your money back. ‘Fighting for refunds’ Consumer watchdog Which? has reported that ticket holders are “fighting for refunds from secondary ticketing seller Viagogo for events cancelled or postponed by coronavirus.” While Viagogo states that it will refund customers for events that have been cancelled, Which? has found that the ticketing company is refusing to follow through. Viagogo argues that the events have been postponed, despite event organisers confirming that they have indeed been cancelled. Which? also found that Viagogo is refusing to refund customers for cancelled events where the tickets can be transferred to 2021 events. Why isn’t Viagogo refunding tickets? The Viagogo website explains that if an event hasn’t been cancelled outright, customers will not be offered a refund. The difference between ‘cancelled’ and ‘postponed’ events is clarified by Viagogo, stating that ‘postponed’ or ‘rescheduled’ means “the event will still happen but on a different day than originally planned.” ‘Cancelled’ means “the event will no longer happen and will not be reschedule, or it will happen but behind ‘closed doors’ without fans or supporters in attendance.” When events get postponed or rescheduled, some customers will no longer be able to attend the new date. In the ‘help’ section of the Viagogo website, it states that if a customer cannot attend an event due to coronavirus, that customer can relist the ticket to “give someone else the chance to go.” Relisting the tickets on Viagogo allows the company to take a repeat commission of up to 25 per cent on every new sale. What should I do if I want a refund? First, you should try getting in touch with Viagogo, but be prepared to spend a few hours on the phone with them. A concert goer told Which? that he was able to get a refund from Viagogo but only after spending hours on hold, and contacting the organiser personally. He said, “Eventually Viagogo offered me a refund but I don’t think many people have the tenacity to hound them like we did.” Even customers who are entitled to a refund face having to wait several months for their money. While Viagogo is refusing to refund tickets for customers, there are other steps you can take to try and get your money back. You could get in touch with your bank or credit card company - Which? states that they’ve heard from a few Viagogo customers who were able to get refunds by contacting their banks. If you paid by credit card, and paid more than £100 and less than £30,000, you have additional protections if something goes wrong and you could claim your money back directly. If you paid by debit card, then you could make a chargeback claim - chargeback is particularly useful if the cost of tickets was under £100. What has Viagogo said? A Viagogo spokesperson said, “This is an unprecedented time for the live events industry, and we understand that customers might be left disappointed by the fact that thousands of events globally are being rescheduled or cancelled. Tickets for these particular events carry over and are valid for the event in 2021, so as per our terms and conditions the customer is not entitled to a refund in this situation. “We contact customers to update them on the status of events but they are always welcome to get in touch if they have further queries. Also, the customer always has the option of listing their tickets on the platform if they can no longer attend the new date.”

Viagogo customers are struggling to get refunds for cancelled and postponed events - here’s what to do if you’re affected

‘Fighting for refunds’

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