Some StubHub Customers Getting Cash Refunds

Event ticket reseller StubHub has reversed its no-refunds policy and will pay back some customers in cash for events canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Associated Press reported.

To the chagrin of ticketholders, StubHub instituted a no-refunds policy in March 2020, just as the pandemic was taking hold in the U.S. The company originally intended to give customers a StubHub credit for a future event rather than a cash refund. Ticketholders brought a lawsuit against the company, demanding that they get cash refunds for events that were canceled because of the pandemic. Fourteen states have local laws allowing cash refunds to people who call customer service.

Daron Fowlks, StubHub customer experience vice president, told the AP that people who purchased tickets on or before March 25, 2020 will now get cash refunds. Ticket holders of canceled events were originally issued a StubHub credit and have the option to keep that instead of getting their money back, he said. The credits are valid through the end of 2022. He also said that people requesting cash refunds should get their money by the end of this month, per the report.

Postponed and rescheduled events are not eligible for refunds, Fowlks told the AP. Ticketholders who are unable to attend a rescheduled event can resell their tickets on StubHub without incurring any selling fees.

U.K. ticket reseller Viagogo was ordered by the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to reduce its stake in StubHub outside of North America. The watchdog agency said that a merger of the two companies would stifle competition in the secondary ticketing market. eBay had been looking to sell StubHub to U.K. rival Viagogo for $4 billion. 

Fanfare Alliance encouraged the CMA to investigate the proposed merger. Regulators were already keeping a closer eye on ticket reselling services over their inflated prices.