Elton John Concerts cancelled without a real chance for Refunds. A letter addressed to Elton John
“Dear Elton John,
Since you withheld the ticket money from so many fans, through ‘postponed’ events all over the world, and for an indefinite period of time, at the very least your advisors should have prompted you toward a wiser decision. You could have asked the ticket holders about the best use of their withheld money, prior to your donation. This would have validated, perhaps, your commitment to help marginalized communities.
The story: Please read our story and why I think it is all his fault:
We bought tickets for Elton John’s ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City, scheduled for Monday, Apr 06 — Tuesday, Apr 07 2020. The event was cancelled indefinitely due to the COVID-19 restrictions. We are having trouble getting a refund from Ticketmaster despite Elton John’s reassurance about the opposite.
We planned to travel from Athens, Greece first to California and then to New York from late March to early April 2020. The Elton John concert on April 6, 2020, fit perfectly with our plans to visit the Big Apple. We were happy at the coincidence, and we bought two tickets as early as November 25, 2019. ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ was to be his final tour with more than 300 concerts worldwide.
A few days before our trip, on March 22, 2020, President Trump announced a travel ban on 26 European nations. Our whole trip was cancelled.
On June 2, 2020, we received this from Elton John through Ticketmaster. >
A Special Message from Elton John
Ticketmaster Fan Support <Notification@email.ticketmaster.com>
Fotini Maltezou fimaltezou@gmail.com June 2, 2020
We have been working diligently on rescheduled plans for 2021 in North America but wish to go on the road when we feel more assured it’s fully safe for all parties including my fans, my tour crew and the building staff. As you can imagine, touring is a huge undertaking and requires enormous time to sort through all the details, not to mention the team it requires to travel the country and set up each night.
My hope was to announce rescheduled dates this month; however, without a vaccine and more proper testing and tracing, we don’t want to find ourselves in a position to have to re-announce concert dates once again later on. We will follow the science and medical experts and the progression of vaccine capabilities closely this year and announce new dates at an appropriate time with everyone’s best interest in mind.
In the meantime, I fully understand the hardships many are feeling during these unprecedented times and we are providing a 30-day window for refunds starting Wednesday, June 3rd for those in need. Otherwise, hold onto your tickets as new dates will be announced at a later time this year, in which case, a new refund window will open should you not be able to make the new date.
Thank you for your patience. I promise to continue the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour and look forward to seeing you by my side once again as you have for so many years throughout my blessed career.
Stay safe and healthy Everyone.
Elton John
Note from Ticketmaster: On the morning of June 3rd, we will send a follow up email with further instructions, after which time, you will be able to request a refund, if needed.
///
The next day we received this follow up message from Ticketmaster Fan Support …
Important Alert about your Elton John event
Ticketmaster Fan Support <Notification@email.ticketmaster.com>
Wed June 3 >> FIMALTEZOU
Your Event Has Been Postponed
This is to inform you your tickets are still valid.
Hi Elton John fan,
The event organizer is still planning to reschedule your event and your tickets will remain good for the rescheduled date.
Hang on to your tickets — we’ll email you as soon as the new date is announced.
If you do not wish to wait for the new date announcement, you also have the option to request a refund beginning Wednesday, June 3rd at 10am ET for 30 days through July 2nd.
If you decide to hold on to your tickets, we will notify you when the event organizer either cancels or reschedules the event. In the event of a cancellation, we will automatically issue you a refund.
Request a Refund
If you prefer a refund, you may request one HERE starting on June 3rd at 10am ET. We will process your refund in as soon as 30 days.
Request Refund
Please Note: If the tickets were transferred to you, the refund will go to the fan who originally purchased the tickets from Ticketmaster.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. We look forward to gathering and celebrating the live experience together again.
Ticketmaster Fan Support
///
But … when we requested a refund, on June 10, 2020, we received the following message!
RE: Elton John concert refund (#31120093)
support@vividseats.com WED June 10
Hello Fotini,
Thank you for contacting us about your order #31120093. We’re glad to assist you!
While we recognize that the circumstances may not be ideal, we are unable to offer any refunds or modifications at this time. Once a purchase is made, we enter into an agreement with the independent seller. Sellers do not offer cancellations or refunds, which is why we are not able to extend this option to our customers. The only situation in which we can issue a refund is if the event is officially cancelled by the venue.
However, options are still available! If you do not wish to keep these tickets, you may be able to resell your tickets to recoup the cost! Many customers interested in selling have success with searching the internet for “sell my tickets”. This search will yield many results to get you started. Many sites will allow you to set your own price and easily list your tickets.
Please feel free to reply to this e-mail if you have any additional questions or immediate concerns.
Thank you! Giseiry P. Customer Support
///
Our thoughts beyond the dishonest behavior regarding the event:
Coincidently, on April 4, 2020 (two days ahead of the event in Madison Square Garden), Elton John announced through his FB page that he was proud of “the Elton John AIDS Foundation launching a $1million COVID-19 Emergency Fund to make sure that our frontline partners can respond to the effects of COVID-19 on HIV care for the most marginalized communities around the world. Now and always, I’m committed to not leave anyone affected by HIV behind. Visit https://www.ejaf.org/covid19/ for more info. Sending love to all of our Foundation’s partners, grantees, supporters, frontline workers and members of our community during this time. Elton x “
After all, I wonder who are the real donors of this Fund… and if I should consider myself (as a ticket holder — withholder) being one of them.
Based on the above I want to address some of my thoughts to him:
Dear Elton John,
Since you withheld the ticket money from so many fans, through ‘postponed’ events all over the world, and for an indefinite period of time, at the very least your advisors should have prompted you toward a wiser decision. You could have asked the ticket holders about the best use of their withheld money, prior to your decision. This would have validated, perhaps, your commitment to help marginalized communities.
According to the New York Times:
“Fans have drawn attention to the fact that Ticketmaster recently adjusted the language on its website. Whereas a few weeks ago, it said that people can get refunds “if your event is postponed, rescheduled or canceled,” now it only lists cancellation as a basis for getting your money back, though it suggests there may be other circumstances in which refunds might be considered.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/arts/music/ticketmaster-refunds-coronavirus.html
According to the Madison Square Garden’s official website, the event is still postponed…