Buying tickets for concerts, sports events, and shows through Ticketmaster can be a frustrating experience. With high demand events selling out in seconds, many customers are left empty-handed when trying to purchase tickets. This leaves the question – what happens if you don’t receive the tickets you purchased through Ticketmaster?
Why You May Not Receive Tickets
There are a few common reasons why you may not receive tickets from Ticketmaster, even after completing the purchase:
- The event sold out – If an event is very popular, all available tickets may sell out in the time it takes you to checkout. So even if you purchased tickets, none were left to fulfill your order.
- Technical issues – Problems with the website, glitches during high traffic times, or payment processing errors could prevent your ticket order from being completed successfully.
- Suspected fraud – If there are concerns about fraudulent activity with your purchase, Ticketmaster may cancel your order and not release tickets to you.
- Billing issues – If there is an error processing your payment method or your payment is declined, you would not receive the tickets you attempted to purchase.
- Multiple orders – To prevent resellers from buying up tickets, Ticketmaster may cancel duplicate or multiple orders from the same customer.
What Ticketmaster Will Do
If you do not receive the tickets you purchased, here is what you can expect from Ticketmaster:
- Refund your money – You will receive a full refund for the tickets that were not delivered. This refund may happen automatically or you may need to contact customer service.
- Cancel the order – The ticket order will be cancelled since no tickets were sent. You will see the cancellation reflected in your Ticketmaster account.
- Email notification – Ticketmaster will send you an email notifying you that your order was cancelled and that you will receive a refund.
- Coupons or credit – For the inconvenience, you may be given a coupon code for discounts on future Ticketmaster purchases or a credit on your Ticketmaster account.
- Assistance reordering – Ticketmaster customer service can help you reorder tickets for the same event if any become available later.
How Long Does it Take to Get a Refund?
If you do not receive tickets that were purchased, how long does it take to get your money back from Ticketmaster? Here is an overview of the typical Ticketmaster refund timeframe:
| Refund Method | Timeframe |
|---|---|
| Refund to original payment method | 5-10 business days |
| Refund to Ticketmaster account credit | 1-2 business days |
| Mailed check refund | 4-6 weeks |
In most cases, expect it to take 5-10 business days after your ticket order is cancelled to see the charge reversed or refunded back to your original payment method. If you want your money back faster, opt for a credit on your Ticketmaster account which is processed within 1-2 business days.
Factors That Impact Refund Timing
While Ticketmaster tries to process all refunds within 2 weeks, there are some factors that can delay a refund:
- High volume of cancellations – Refunds may take longer after major events if thousands of orders need to be refunded.
- Payment method – Credit card refunds are generally faster than refunds to debit cards or gift cards.
- Bank processing times – The bank associated with your payment method controls when refunded money appears back in your account.
- Incomplete information – If Ticketmaster does not have all the necessary information to process the refund there may be delays.
What to Do if You Don’t Receive a Refund
If you paid for event tickets on Ticketmaster that you did not receive and more than 2 weeks has passed without a refund, there are steps you can take:
- Contact Ticketmaster – Reach out to customer support by phone or chat and inquire about the status of your refund. They can investigate why it has not been processed.
- Check your bank statements – Confirm that the refund transaction has not already been completed but is just delayed in appearing in your account due to bank processing times.
- Follow up on your claim – Continuously check in with Ticketmaster customer service until the issue has been resolved and your refund has been reissued.
- Involve your bank – You may need to raise complaints about the missing refund with your credit card company or bank to dispute the charges.
- File a complaint – If Ticketmaster is unwilling to provide a refund, submit a complaint to organizations like your local Better Business Bureau or the Federal Trade Commission.
Will Your Tickets Be Resold?
What happens to tickets you purchased but did not receive? Will Ticketmaster resell those tickets to other customers?
If Ticketmaster cancels an order because billing information was incorrect or payment failed to process, those specific tickets are not rescued and resold. The inventory is considered to be permanently reduced.
However, if an entire event sells out while you are in checkout, your specific ticket selection is not reserved. So those tickets can be purchased by other customers also vying for tickets. Once the event has sold out, there is no ticket inventory available to fulfill your original order. But those tickets you tried to buy were still sold – just not to you.
The key things to understand:
- Your tickets aren’t reserved during the checkout process – another fan might purchase them first if the event sells out while you’re entering payment details
- Ticketmaster won’t claw back tickets that were successfully sold just because your purchase didn’t go through
- There is no way to track exactly what happens to the tickets in your cancelled order
Can You Get Your Tickets Back?
What if a Ticketmaster failure or error caused you to not receive tickets you purchased? Is there any way to get those specific tickets reissued to you?
Unfortunately, there is no way to reclaim the exact ticket inventory from a failed transaction. The specifics of which tickets were in your shopping cart are not retained after checkout is completed.
Even if Ticketmaster customer service wants to make things right, the original tickets you attempted to buy have been released back into general inventory and likely sold.
The best resolution Ticketmaster can offer is:
- Refund your money for the purchase that failed
- Additional credits or discount on future purchases
- Access to any remaining tickets for the same event if additional inventory is released
But they cannot reinstate the original ticket selection you weren’t able to complete checkout for. That inventory is gone as soon as checkout fails.
Can You Dispute the Charges?
If Ticketmaster refuses to issue a refund for an order cancelled due to lack of ticket availability, do you have any recourse with your bank or credit card company?
You can certainly raise the issue and dispute the charges. Explain that you never received the tickets you paid for and Ticketmaster has not refunded the amount. Some key points:
- Note it as a billing dispute, not fraud – Fraud claims require evidence of intent to deceive
- Provide order details – Reference the order date, amount, and confirmation number
- Share correspondence – Include any emails showing Ticketmaster’s refusal to refund
- Raise it quickly – Disputes are harder to win if too much time has passed
Credit card companies have policies in place to handle disputes related to goods or services not received. So you have a valid case to make. However, it still may be an uphill battle depending on Ticketmaster’s response to the dispute. Be persistent and escalate it within your bank or card issuer if needed.
Are Third Party Tickets Valid?
When official Ticketmaster tickets are unavailable for a sold out event, customers often turn to third party ticket resellers like Stubhub. But what guarantee do you have that such third party tickets will be valid for entry?
It depends on a few key factors:
- The source of the tickets – Authorized resellers have more assurance of validity than individual scalpers
- Barcodes tied to entry – Event policies determine if tickets can be resold and re-issued.
- Reseller guarantees – Legitimate resellers will stand by tickets and refund customers if there are issues
Scalpers with no official relationship with Ticketmaster may be knowingly or unknowingly selling invalid or duplicated tickets. But larger resale marketplaces have processes in place to authenticate tickets. Still, nothing is 100% certain unless buying directly from the original ticket issuer.
Minimizing Your Risk When Buying from Resellers
Here are some tips to minimize the chance of buying invalid tickets from an unauthorized reseller:
- Vet the seller carefully – Review their ratings and history
- Use trusted marketplaces – Like Stubhub which offers guarantees
- Understand the policies – Related to cancellations, refunds, etc.
- Pay with a credit card – For better dispute options if issues arise
- Confirm right before the event – That the tickets are still valid on Ticketmaster’s system
Can Ticketmaster Cancel Your Tickets?
If you are fortunate enough to score tickets during a high demand on-sale, you want assurance that those hard-won tickets cannot be taken away later. Are there any scenarios where Ticketmaster has the right to cancel tickets that were successfully purchased?
While rare, there are a few cases where Ticketmaster tickets can be cancelled after purchase:
- Suspected fraud – Illegitimate orders may be cancelled to release tickets for general sale.
- Venue production issues – Changes in stage setup, production equipment, etc may reduce venue capacity.
- Artist or team requests – Performers/sports franchises can dictate policies or request blocks of tickets.
- Violation of policies – Extreme instances of violations around bots, bulk sales, etc.
Certainly some of these, like general venue capacity issues or layout changes, are unlikely and out of Ticketmaster’s control. But it is technically possible for reasons like fraud investigation or artist prerogative that even a 100% valid ticket order could get cancelled unexpectedly.
Short of egregious policy breaking, fans who play by the rules, use one account, and purchase event tickets honestly have little reason to fear order cancellation. Outside of major unforeseen circumstances, your Ticketmaster tickets should be honored.
Is Ticketmaster Legally Allowed to Cancel Valid Tickets?
Ticketmaster’s purchase policies do outline their right to cancel already-sold tickets in certain situations. Does this override consumer rights protections?
By completing ticket purchase and receiving confirmation, there is a reasonable expectation of fulfillment barring exceptional circumstances. While Ticketmaster reserves the right for cancellation under select conditions, frequent “taking back” of sold tickets could be argued as poor business practice.
From a legal perspective, Ticketmaster is within their rights to add safeguard clauses about potential order cancellations. But consumer advocacy groups would likely challenge systematic cancellations without sufficient justification. Ultimately Ticketmaster aims to balance consumer satisfaction, fair access, and upholding partner relationships when making order cancellation decisions.
When Are Tickets Final?
Knowing that unusual circumstances can lead to ticket order cancellation even after purchase, when can you consider your Ticketmaster tickets truly finalized and unchangeable?
Here are some milestones where Ticketmaster tickets can be considered fully secured:
- Immediately after on-sale – As long as no payment issues arise and no policy violations are detected
- After receipt of tickets – Once hard tickets are in hand or mobile tickets delivered
- After event start – Once doors have opened and admission scanning begins
The further along the timeline you get from initial on-sale to event start, the lower the chances of cancellation become. If Ticketmaster tickets remain valid days or weeks after first purchase and you receive your ticket delivery, there is very minimal risk at that point.
No ticket order is absolute until you are through the door at the event. But once the on-sale frenzy has passed and the event is approaching, you can relax knowing your tickets are secured. Focus on the countdown to the big day!
Can You Sue Ticketmaster Over Cancelled Tickets?
Legally pursuing Ticketmaster over cancelled tickets is possible but faces an uphill battle. You would need to prove:
- Your purchase was 100% valid – Not duplicitous or violating policies
- Cancellation was unjustified – No reasonable basis like fraud concerns
- Financial harm – Quantifiable damages like non-refunded money
- Contract violation – Breach of purchase terms and consumer rights
Small claims court over a single ticket order cancellation would be hard to justify. But a class action suit related to systematic unwarranted cancellations could have more teeth. Still, Ticketmaster’s legal team and resources far outweigh any individual consumer or smaller firm.
Seeking judgment against Ticketmaster requires demonstrating an obvious, documented pattern of cancellation misuse without redress. Even then, regulators provide oversight to keep cancellation powers in check vs. lengthy legal action. For most one-off cancellations, accepting the refund and other goodwill gestures is the only realistic option.
How to Prevent Ticketmaster Order Cancellations
To maximize your chances of keeping Ticketmaster tickets securely purchased, here are some tips:
- Create only 1 Ticketmaster account – Never duplicate accounts
- Read all policies carefully – And follow them strictly
- Use accurate buyer information – Matching the payment details
- Only buy what you need – Not over Ticketmaster’s posted limits
- Pay immediately – Don’t let the order expire during checkout
Follow all Ticketmaster rules around account creation, ticket limits, and checkout process. Using accurate information, legitimate payment, and avoiding duplicate orders gives them no reason to suspect fraud or revoke the tickets.
While not foolproof if cancellations happen for reasons outside your control, diligent ticket buying habits drastically reduce any chance of a dreaded order cancellation.
Conclusion
Ticketmaster order cancellations and missing tickets can happen period. Technical glitches, high demand sellouts, billing problems, or fraud review can all interfere with ticket delivery.
If your Ticketmaster ticket order ends up cancelled or unfulfilled, swift and full refunds are standard. You can also dispute the charges if needed. But the specific tickets are not recoverable, only the monetary amounts.
In very rare cases, Ticketmaster may cancel orders they deem as high risk even after purchase is completed. But outside of serious policy violations, fans who play by the rules have minimal risk of a cancellation.
As long as you follow all Ticketmaster account and purchase policies, keep payment info accurate, and avoid duplicate orders, your ticket transaction is extremely unlikely to be revoked arbitrarily. You can feel confident that the coveted tickets you successfully checkout with are locked in!
