Consumer Watch with Cheryle Dennis: What to know about event refunds and how to avoid ticketing blues

You’ve got your outfit picked and you know all the words to your favourite band’s songs – then they cancel as a headlining act. There are other bands to see but you’re still disappointed and assume you’re not entitled to a refund. Well, that’s not entirely true. You have rights under Australian Consumer Law (ACL) when things go wrong and an event is cancelled or has a major change (such as the date, the location or the headliner doesn’t perform). It’s worth noting these rights don’t just apply to music festivals and live concerts. You have the same rights if the event is a food or arts festival, expo, sporting event, convention or other large event. If the event is cancelled, you may be entitled to a full refund from the company that sold you the ticket. If you lost extra money due to the cancellation, such as from cancelling flights or accommodation, contact the ticketing agent first. The ACL says a business must provide the goods or services it advertised. If the event goes ahead but is significantly different from what was advertised, you may also have a right to a refund on the grounds you were misled, or because you would otherwise not have bought a ticket in the first place had you known the line-up, venue, date or any other important feature, would change so much. What happens if a support act cancels, or traffic delays mean you missed the first few songs of the headliner? We recently saw this with the Robbie Williams concert in the Swan Valley. In these types of cases there may be grounds to receive a partial refund. With any of these issues, in the first instance, you should contact the ticketing agent to attempt to negotiate a solution. If you have issues obtaining a refund or the ticket is refused at the gate, the event is cancelled or your ticket doesn’t arrive, then we recommend seeking a chargeback from your bank. If this fails, Consumer Protection may be able to assist in finding a reasonable solution. And just like any other purchase, hold on to your receipts and purchase details. If issues can’t be resolved, lodge a formal complaint on the Consumer Protection website consumerprotection.wa.gov.au. For more information on your rights when it comes to festivals and events, check out our fact sheet on the website: comsumerprotection.wa.gov.au/consumer-protection/music-festivals-and-outdoor-event. Cheryle Dennis is acting senior regional officer for Consumer Protection in the Mid West