Disappointed by a concert? What to do if it’s not what you paid for

“Miguel and Busta Rhymes are the whole reason why I bought my ticket," he said. “As soon as I saw the names, I was like, ‘Yep’.”

So, Piripi jumped online and purchased a VIP ticket to Eden Festival, a one-day event being held in West Auckland on 12 October. It cost him $269.

Then the problems began.

When performers bail

In the week leading up to the festival, Piripi discovered the concert he thought he was going to had become a very different experience.

First, headliner Miguel revealed he wouldn't be able to make the trip, blaming “an urgent family matter” for his exit.

Then, just a few days before the event, Busta Rhymes dropped out, an announcement made at the same time the timetable was revealed without his name on it.

And finally, on the day of the event, the British rapper Yung Filly was scratched from the line-up.

That’s when Piripi decided he no longer wanted to go. “You spend that much money on a ticket, you want to get something out of it,” he said. “Even if they offered me the ticket for free I wouldn’t have [gone].”

With all those changes, Piripi believed he should be eligible for a refund.

Is he?

The problem with concert ticket refunds

After the festival, Piripi spent several days trying to contact event organisers, with no luck. “I’ve sent them 10 or 11 messages on Instagram [with] no reply,” he said.

With no email address or other contact details available on the Eden Fest website, Piripi hasn’t been able to find any other way to contact them.

That’s left him feeling ripped off. “I feel like it’s scammy vibes,” he said.

Consumer NZ stepped in, first approaching event partners Mai FM via Facebook. They suggested contacting Eden Fest organisers via Facebook or Instagram.

We tried both, but, like Piripi, we haven’t received a reply.

Mai FM also suggested contacting MegatTix, the Australian-based ticketing company that sold Piripi his ticket.

Megatix also hasn’t responded to our request for comment.

The Commerce Commission confirmed it had received 15 complaints about the festival.

Would event insurance have helped?

These days, many ticketing agencies – including Ticketmaster, Ticketek and Megatix – offer a range of event insurance or protection options to consumers, for a price.

This often shows up as a separate fee when buying tickets.

But what does it cover?

Ticketmaster states its ticket insurance covers sickness, accident, death, car break downs, connecting transport issues, fire, burglary, natural disasters, assault, jury duty, military orders, and redundancy, up to $1,000.

The terms and conditions state Ticketmaster will not pay “under any circumstances” if the event is cancelled, abandoned, postponed or relocated by the artist, performer, band, venue, organisers or promoters.

It also won't cover any claims arising from an endemic or pandemic, which rules out Covid-related claims. The conditions also warn ticket buyers to “read the insurance provider’s Product Disclosure Statement to determine whether the insurance product is appropriate for you”.

Ticketek doesn't offer event insurance, but it does offer refundable ticket options, for a fee. Ticket-holders need to provide evidence to support their claim, with refunds available for illness, injury, medical conditions, death, postponed or cancelled flights and weather-related events, among many other issues.

Ticketek’s policy states: “We are not an insurance provider, and this is not an insurance policy. Refunds are therefore not guaranteed”.

Megatix also offers event insurance, though Piripi said he didn't purchase it with his Eden Festival ticket as it wasn’t offered to him, and it may not have covered his situation even if he had.

On its website, Megatix states: “All ticket purchases are final and no refunds will be provided for change of mind or change in circumstances.”

At this stage, Piripi doesn't think he'll be getting back any of his $269.

But we believe a headliner dropping out of a festival is a breach of the contract between a ticket buyer and the ticket seller and is grounds for a refund under the Consumer Guarantees Act.

Steps you can take

1. If you’re unhappy with the event you’ve purchased tickets for, in the first instance, we recommend contacting the ticketing agency to ask for a refund.
2. If that doesn’t work, you can contact your bank and request for a chargeback, if you used a debit or credit card to buy your ticket.
3. If you’re considering purchasing event insurance, we recommend you read the fine print first to make sure the insurance covers you for the things you’re worried may happen.
4. Insurance won’t cover you for event changes or cancellations, but it doesn’t need to as those things are covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act and the Fair Trading Act.

We provide more information about your rights around ticket purchases in our online article Tickets and events: your rights.

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*Name changed to avoid identification.