Many concert and event goers are familiar with Ticketmaster, the largest primary ticket outlet in the United States. With exclusive partnerships in place, Ticketmaster sells tickets for the majority of major concerts, sports games, theater shows, and other events. This gives Ticketmaster significant control over the primary ticket market.
While Ticketmaster provides a useful service by aggregating tickets in one marketplace, they have also received criticism over the years for high fees and other unpopular policies. The company has a virtual monopoly in many markets, leading some consumers to feel frustrated yet powerless.
Ticketmaster’s Fees and Order Review Period
One common complaint against Ticketmaster is their fees, which can add more than 20% to the base price of a ticket. The company draws the ire of consumers by separating out the fees from the initial price listing, making the total cost unclear until later in the checkout process. This non-transparent pricing angers many users.
The good news is Ticketmaster provides a short 24 hour cancellation period from the initial time of purchase. Within this 24 hour window, consumers can review their entire Ticketmaster order and associated fees. If unhappy with the total cost, Ticketmaster allows a no-questions-asked full refund within 24 hours.
How to Cancel a Ticketmaster Order Within 24 Hours
Cancelling a Ticketmaster order within 24 hours of purchase is fortunately a straightforward process:
Step 1: Log in to Your Ticketmaster Account
First, log in to your Ticketmaster account online or via the mobile app. Access your account that contains the order you wish to cancel.
Step 2: Select Your Order History
From the My Account section, choose the My Orders & Tickets option. This brings up your full order history.
Step 3: Choose Cancel Order
Select the order you wish to cancel from your order history. You should see a Cancel Order button or link near the top. Click this to initiate your 24 hour cancellation request.
Step 4: Confirm Your Cancellation
You will be asked to confirm that you indeed want to cancel your Ticketmaster order. Carefully review all details before confirming your request. Once confirmed, your 24 hour cancellation will be processed.
Step 5: Wait for Your Refund
Per Ticketmaster’s policy, you will receive a full refund equal to your order amount including all fees. Refunds are generally issued back to your original payment method within 3-5 business days after a 24 hour cancellation. Monitor your payment account to ensure your refund processes as expected.
Important Tips for Cancelling Within 24 Hours
To effectively cancel your Ticketmaster order within the 24 hour window, keep the following tips in mind:
– Act fast! Start your cancellation immediately to avoid missing the 24 hour cutoff. Do not wait to decide, as even a short delay can move you past the 24 hour policy.
– Double check your order details including the exact time of purchase. Know how much time is left to cancel under the 24 hours.
– Power through Ticketmaster’s attempts to change your mind. Expect confirmations like “Are you sure?” when cancelling.
– Avoid any refund delays by cancelling directly through Ticketmaster, not your bank. Going through Ticketmaster ensures fastest processing.
– Watch out for partial refunds on multi-ticket orders. If you bought multiple tickets, be sure the full order amount is refunded after cancellation.
Reasons to Cancel a Ticketmaster Order
Why might you need to utilize Ticketmaster’s 24 hour cancellation policy? There are a few common reasons including:
Unexpected Schedule Conflict
The date of the event you purchased tickets for may no longer work with your schedule. For example, an unforeseen work commitment or family obligation could arise after buying tickets. If the event is no longer feasible for you to attend, cancelling is appropriate.
Found a Better Ticket
While finalizing other plans surrounding the event, you may discover better ticket options that were not available when you first purchased. If you locate preferred seats with a better view or price, you may want to cancel your original order and upgrade.
Changed Your Mind
Upon further consideration, you may simply decide the event you purchased tickets for is no longer of interest. Maybe a friend can no longer attend with you or reviews led you to reconsider. Either way, changing your mind is valid grounds for cancellation.
Unreasonable Fees
The primary reason consumers cancel Ticketmaster orders is unreasonable fees. After proceeding to checkout, you may encounter venue fees, service fees, and other charges bringing the total cost to an unacceptable level. If the total far exceeds the upfront ticket price, cancelling is often the right move. Don’t be afraid to stand up against excessive fees.
Event Postponed or Cancelled
In some cases, the event organizer may postpone or outright cancel the event shortly after you purchased tickets. If this occurs within 24 hours, cancellation allows you to get an immediate refund versus waiting on the organizer to issue one later. Always cancel as soon as possible when an event is postponed or cancelled.
Downsides of Cancelling a Ticketmaster Order
While cancelling a Ticketmaster order within 24 hours is easy and gives buyers flexibility, there are some potential downsides including:
– Higher prices if buying replacement tickets later. Ticket prices can trend upward over time leading up to an event. If you cancel then have to repurchase tickets, you may end up paying more overall.
– Lost ability to attend a sold out event. Popular high demand events with limited tickets can sell out completely. If you cancel but later change your mind, you may lose your spot if no more tickets are available.
– Missed opportunity for better seats. As an event draws closer, last minute prime seats may open up through cancellations. If you already cancelled your order, you won’t have the chance at these upgraded seats.
– Wasted time rebooking travel. Cancelling tickets may mean you have to redo travel plans including flights, hotels, and other bookings if attending from out of town. This can ultimately cost additional money through change fees.
– Disappointment or inconvenience for your group. Cancelling group tickets affects everyone you planned to attend with. They may be disappointed or logistically inconvenienced by your cancellations.
How Strict is the 24 Hour Policy?
Ticketmaster does provide exceptions or flexibility beyond 24 hours in select scenarios. But in general, their 24 hour cancellation policy is quite strict. Some key things to keep in mind:
– Eligible orders can only be cancelled in the first 24 hours from time of purchase. Even a few minutes past the deadline and your ability to cancel expires.
– The 24 hour window excludes holidays and weekends. So a ticket purchased at 5pm on Friday would have to be cancelled by 5pm Saturday at the latest.
– Changing your mind later for any reason does not allow cancellation. Unless due to a postponed or cancelled event, you cannot cancel after 24 hours no matter what.
– If an event is postponed or cancelled after the 24 hour window, you cannot get a refund through cancellation at that point.
– Unlike ticket resale sites like Stubhub, Ticketmaster offers no cancellation option after 24 hours elapses. No exceptions are made.
– Using your own credit card protections to force a refund after 24 hours may get your Ticketmaster account banned.
Contact Ticketmaster Customer Service For Help
For any issues cancelling a Ticketmaster order within 24 hours, you can contact their customer service department for assistance.
Some situations where you may need help include:
– You did not receive an order confirmation email containing your cancellation window.
– You cannot find the Cancel Order button or option online or in the app.
– It has been over 5 business days and your refund has not processed.
– Only a partial refund processed on a cancelled multi-ticket order.
– Your event was postponed or cancelled but your cancellation request was denied.
– You missed the 24 hour window by a few minutes and want an exception.
For reliable assistance, contact Ticketmaster customer service by phone, email, live online chat, or social media:
Ticketmaster Customer Service Contact
| Phone Number | 1-800-653-8000 |
| [email protected] | |
| Live Online Chat | support.ticketmaster.com |
| @Ticketmaster | |
| @Ticketmaster |
When contacting Ticketmaster with an issue cancelling your order, have your order confirmation number ready for reference. Calmly explain your situation and what resolution you are seeking.
Alternatives to Cancelling Within 24 Hours
Rather than cancelling your Ticketmaster order and missing out on the event entirely, you may want to consider these alternate options:
Gift or Sell Your Tickets
If you can no longer attend, you could gift your tickets to someone else to enjoy. You can also resell your tickets through an approved resale site, likely recouping most of your costs. Popular resale sites include StubHub, VividSeats, SeatGeek, and TicketNetwork. Double check Ticketmaster’s transfer policies first.
Attend Solo Instead of With a Group
If some members of your group have to back out, don’t let that stop you from utilizing the tickets. Attend the concert or event solo and make new friends there. You may end up having more fun without having to accommodate a group.
Book Partial Refunds or Exchanges
Within 24 hours, you may be able to get a partial refund or exchange your ticket for another event. Contact Ticketmaster to see if they can accommodate this. Some refund or value is better than cancelling entirely.
Negotiate with Venue for Credit
If you want to attend a future event at the same venue, you can contact them directly to negotiate a credit for your paid tickets towards a future show. This bypasses Ticketmaster completely.
Is Ticketmaster’s Refund Policy Fair?
Ticketmaster’s 24 hour order cancellation window provides a reasonable buffer for consumers to review their ticket purchase. However, there are fair criticisms of their approach:
– Extremely short window – 24 hours is a very brief cancellation period compared to most online retailers.
– Weekends and holidays excluded – This significantly shortens the practical cancellation window for many purchases.
– Lack of transparency on total fees – Breaking out fees after price selection prevents informed decision making.
– No exceptions for common issues – Changing life circumstances should warrant refunds despite the window.
– Lightning fast captures of funds – Bank accounts are debited instantly but refunds take days by comparison.
– Logistics burden on consumers – Those cancelling must absorb all costs related to changed travel plans.
– Absence of cancellation option for postponed events – Other businesses offer flexibility for postponed or rescheduled events.
While the 24 hour window provides a minimal level of consumer protections, Ticketmaster’s overall refund policy remains less accommodating compared to many other industries.
How Can Ticketmaster Improve Its Refund Policy?
Here are some ways Ticketmaster could enhance their cancellation and refund policies to better serve customers:
– Increase cancellation window to 72 hours or longer. A 24-48 hour window would be more consumer friendly.
– Allow cancellations anytime for postponed or cancelled events. Unique circumstances merit exceptions.
– Introduce options for partial refunds and direct venue credits after 24 hours. Added flexibility reduces waste.
– Provide full transparency on itemized fees and total costs before order completion. Consumers can make informed purchase decisions.
– Allow cancellation anytime if unable to honor seat selections or requirements. Customers should get what they paid for.
– Let gift recipients cancel unwanted gifted tickets without account bans or restrictions. Recipients cannot control gifted purchases.
– Refund convenience fees if an order is cancelled within 24 hours. Those providing the service should absorb some costs.
– Loosen restrictions on exchanges for other events if cancelled quickly. Encourage reuse over cancellation.
Will Ticketmaster Ever Change Its Refund Policy?
Unfortunately, Ticketmaster has shown little willingness to revise its cancellation and refund policies to be more consumer friendly over the years. The likely reasons include:
– Massive market share – Ticketmaster’s dominance in primary ticket sales reduces pressure to accommodate consumers.
– Captive audience – Big artists and sports leagues grant Ticketmaster exclusive ticketing deals. This leaves fans with little choice but to accept their policies.
– Highly profitable – Ticketmaster likely views its strict window and no-refund policy as supporting significant revenue and profit growth.
– Lack of competitive pressure – StubHub and other secondary marketplaces have different business models and cannot pressure changes.
– Complex ecosystem – Venues, teams, and artists likely resist changes that could hurt their own bottom lines.
– Regulatory inaction – Despite past objections, the FTC and other bodies have taken limited actions forcing Ticketmaster’s hand.
While customers have complained for years, Ticketmaster seems unmotivated to adopt a more flexible refund policy. Unless compelled through regulatory action, nothing will likely change anytime soon.
Complain to Your Elected Officials
If you strongly oppose Ticketmaster’s policies, consider reaching out to your elected officials on the federal and state level. Petition them to pressure Ticketmaster towards a more equitable refund policy through legislation and regulation.
As constituents, your opinions may influence political action when significant voter sentiment exists. Raise your voice to attract wider public and regulatory scrutiny. While Ticketmaster may not respond to individuals, they will have a harder time ignoring regulatory action.
Avoid Ticketmaster When Possible
When you do have a choice, avoid purchasing through Ticketmaster entirely. Instead, look to buy tickets directly through venues or utilize alternatives like AXS or Eventbrite. In-person box office purchases also sidestep Ticketmaster.
If you must purchase tickets where Ticketmaster is the exclusive option, minimize order sizes and avoid unnecessary bundled offerings. Opt for the least expensive tickets in the best location you can enjoy. Consider foregoing major concerts or events that only utilize Ticketmaster to send a message through your wallet.
Conclusion
Ticketmaster’s 24 hour cancellation window provides an important but minimal protection for consumers making ticket purchases. While the ability to get a full refund within 24 hours offers peace of mind, the policy remains strict with little flexibility for common issues.
Unfortunately, Ticketmaster seems unlikely to revise its policies unless compelled through regulatory measures. For now, beneficiaries of the limited 24 hour window should remember to act extremely quickly after purchase. Set a reminder if needed to cancel unsatisfactory orders before time expires.
As consumers, we must demand more leeway and fairer policies from ticket providers like Ticketmaster who control so much of the primary marketplace. Until meaningful changes arrive, utilizing the 24 hour window wisely, exploring alternatives, and avoiding Ticketmaster where possible are your best options.