Tickets and Cancelled Events
Events cancelled or rescheduled, tickets that never arrived, and resale platforms that will not refund.
Event date
When the chargeback clock starts
Face value
Disclosure required on resale listings
Fees included
Booking fees form part of the claim
What this service is, and what it is not
Ticketing splits into primary sales from the official seller and secondary resale between individuals through a platform. Your rights differ substantially, and knowing which you bought through determines the route.
Where an event is cancelled, the standard position from primary sellers is a refund of the face value, with booking fees sometimes contested. Where an event is rescheduled, sellers commonly offer only a transfer to the new date. If the new date is one you genuinely cannot attend, a refund is arguable, particularly where the change is substantial and the original terms did not clearly exclude it.
Secondary platforms are where most disputes arise. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires specific disclosure on resale listings: the face value, the seat or standing area, and any restriction on use. Where a listing omitted that information, or the tickets turned out to be invalid or never arrived, both the platform's own guarantee and a card claim are available.
Chargeback timing for events runs from the event date rather than the purchase date, which is a significant help for tickets bought many months ahead. A ticket bought in January for a November concert has a window that opens in November, not one that closed in May.
Business challenges this addresses
Rescheduled rather than cancelled
Sellers treat a new date as performance of the contract. Where the change is substantial and you cannot attend, that is contestable.
Booking fees withheld from a refund
Where the event did not happen, retaining a fee for arranging it is challengeable as an unfair term.
Invalid tickets from a resale platform
Platform guarantees are often narrower in practice than in marketing. A card claim runs alongside rather than after it.
Waiting for the rescheduled date to pass
People wait, then find the window has closed. The clock generally runs from the original event date.
How we deliver it
Every stage has a named owner on our side and a defined output. You always know what is happening and what comes next.
Typical duration: Most cases resolve in 6–10 weeks
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Free assessment
We establish who sold you the ticket, what the terms said, and what the strongest route is.
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Claim to the seller or platform
A formal claim under the contract and, where relevant, the resale disclosure requirements.
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Card claim
Chargeback timed from the event date, with Section 75 in parallel where the purchase qualifies.
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Fees and consequential loss
Booking fees, and in some cases travel and accommodation booked around the event, form part of the claim.
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Escalation
Refusals go to the Financial Ombudsman with a full submission.
What you receive
- Identification of whether you bought primary or resale, and what follows from that
- A formal claim to the seller or platform
- Chargeback timed correctly from the event date
- A Section 75 claim where the purchase qualifies
- Recovery of booking fees and, where arguable, associated travel costs
- Ombudsman referral if a provider refuses
What changes afterwards
The clock starts at the event
Tickets bought far in advance are not out of time. The window generally opens on the event date.
Fees are part of the claim
Booking and delivery fees for an event that did not happen are recoverable, not a sunk cost.
Resale disclosure is a legal duty
Where a listing omitted the face value, seat or restrictions, that is a statutory failure and not just poor practice.
Frequently asked
Often arguable, particularly where the change is substantial. It depends on the original terms and how significant the change is. Send us the booking and we will give you an honest view.
A platform guarantee is a contractual promise, not the limit of your rights. Chargeback and Section 75 run independently of it.
Chargeback generally runs from the event date rather than the purchase date, which is usually much later than people expect.
Sometimes, under Section 75, as a consequential loss flowing from the breach. It is fact-specific and worth asking about.
Services that pair with this one
Cancelled Flights and Holidays
Flights cancelled, holidays that did not happen, and providers that offered a voucher when you were entitled to cash.
Goods Not Received
You paid, the order never arrived, and the seller has stopped replying. Your card provider can reverse the payment.
Section 75 Claims
On credit card purchases between $100 and $30,000, your card provider is equally liable with the retailer. That is statute, not a scheme rule.