--- company: ticketmaster title: Ticketmaster — how complaints actually go last_verified: 2026-10-13 --- ## In short Ticketmaster refunds a cancelled event automatically, but the Event Organizer decides whether a postponed, rescheduled or moved event gets refunds at all; if it does not, the tickets simply stay valid for the new date. Watch for the event-change email and the Request Refund button in your account, and check a request before you submit it, because refund requests cannot be changed. If a cancelled event is not refunded, a card dispute is the strongest next step. Buy only on ticketmaster.com or the venue's own site; the BBB has warned about lookalike sites. ## How complaints actually go - Fan Support answers by phone at 1-800-653-8000 (Monday to Friday 9 a.m.–11:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.–10 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m.–9 p.m., EST as the page states). Chat opens only from an order in My Tickets after you sign in; people who cannot sign in use the Email Us option or a form. [Ticketmaster: How to get help or contact us](https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9605825450129-How-to-get-help-or-contact-us) - Ticketmaster says "The Event Organizers determine refund guidelines." A Request Refund button appears on the order only when the organizer offers refunds, and the refund should appear within 5-7 business days. [Ticketmaster: Is my order eligible for refunds?](https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9672063923345-How-do-I-know-if-my-order-is-eligible-for-refunds) - For a cancelled event no action is needed; the refund goes to the original payment method once Ticketmaster receives the organizer's funds and should appear within 14-21 days. MLB games, the Masters and the US Open Tennis Championships are listed as exceptions. [Ticketmaster: What happens if my event is canceled?](https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9784845658641-What-happens-if-my-event-is-canceled) - For a postponed event the tickets stay valid while the organizer decides whether to reschedule or cancel; refunds depend on the organizer's policy for that event. [Ticketmaster: What happens if my event is postponed?](https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9784866185745-What-happens-if-my-event-is-postponed) - The DOJ's antitrust case (S.D.N.Y. 1:24-cv-03973, filed May 23, 2024) ended for the DOJ in a settlement: a Notice of Settlement on March 9, 2026 and a Proposed Final Judgment on June 12, 2026. The DOJ case page lists no final judgment as of October 13, 2026. [DOJ case page](https://www.justice.gov/atr/case/us-and-plaintiff-states-v-live-nation-entertainment-inc-and-ticketmaster-llc) - The states that continued the trial won a jury verdict on April 15, 2026 that Live Nation violated the antitrust laws through monopoly power in primary ticketing; the court must still decide remedies. [NAAG case summary](https://www.naag.org/multistate-case/united-states-and-plaintiff-states-v-live-nation-entertainment-et-al-s-d-n-y-124-cv-03973-as/), [Thompson Coburn, April 28, 2026](https://www.thompsoncoburn.com/insights/live-nation-and-ticketmaster-found-liable-for-antitrust-violations-by-federal-jury/) - The FTC and seven states sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster on September 18, 2025 in the Central District of California over prices and ticket limits. The FTC's case page lists an Order Denying Motion to Dismiss and shows the case as pending (page last updated September 30, 2026). [FTC case page](https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/ticketmaster) ## What tends to work - For a rescheduled or moved event, read the event-change email and look for a Request Refund button on the order; the organizer may offer refunds "In some instances", and the page gives no deadline, so act when the option appears. [Ticketmaster: Rescheduled or moved events](https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9784889055889-What-happens-if-my-event-is-rescheduled-or-moved) - If you got tickets through Ticket Transfer, transfer them back to the original purchaser; Ticketmaster refunds only the person who bought from it. [Ticketmaster: Refunds for transferred tickets](https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9715611361425-Can-I-get-a-refund-if-I-receive-a-ticket-through-Ticket-Transfer) - Compare the advertised price with the checkout total. Since May 12, 2025 the FTC fee rule (rule `ftc-junk-fees-rule`) requires the total price with all mandatory fees to be shown more prominently than other prices. [16 CFR 464.2](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-464/section-464.2) - If a cancelled event is not refunded, send the card issuer a written billing-error dispute within 60 days after the first statement that shows the charge (rule `fcba-billing-error`). [12 CFR 1026.13](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1026/13/) ## Traps and fine print - "All requests for refunds are final and cannot be changed once initiated." [Ticketmaster: When my refund is approved](https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9785043299601-What-happens-when-my-refund-is-approved) - Organizer-approved refunds cover the whole order; partial refunds are not offered. Fan Club memberships and merchandise already shipped or delivered are not refunded. [Ticketmaster: How do I request a refund?](https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9672441081105-How-do-I-request-a-refund) - Sellers on Ticketmaster resale pay for the buyer's refund: for a cancelled event Ticketmaster charges the seller's card on file. [Ticketmaster: Sold tickets and event changes](https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9715663040785-What-happens-if-I-ve-sold-my-tickets-and-the-event-is-canceled-postponed-or-rescheduled) - Third-party resale tickets on Ticketmaster are final unless the event is cancelled; hard-stock tickets must be mailed back before a cancelled-event refund. [Ticketmaster: Third-party resale tickets](https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9781090147985-Third-Party-Resale-Tickets-Everything-You-Need-to-Know) - The help articles on cancelled events do not say whether service, order processing or delivery fees are refunded; they point to the Purchase Policy (effective August 12, 2025), which loads only with a script. [Ticketmaster Purchase Policy](https://legal.ticketmaster.com/purchase-policy/) ## By the numbers - The FTC alleges that mandatory fees can reach 44% of a ticket's cost, that fees totaled $16.4 billion from 2019 to 2024, and that consumers spent more than $82.6 billion on Ticketmaster tickets in that period. These are allegations in a pending case. [FTC press release, September 18, 2025](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/09/ftc-sues-live-nation-ticketmaster-engaging-illegal-ticket-resale-tactics-deceiving-artists-consumers) - The April 2026 verdict form found that the conduct overcharged fans in 22 states by $1.72 per ticket. [Thompson Coburn, April 28, 2026](https://www.thompsoncoburn.com/insights/live-nation-and-ticketmaster-found-liable-for-antitrust-violations-by-federal-jury/) ## Scams that target customers - The BBB reports lookalike websites with names similar to Ticketmaster in search results that take card details, overcharge (one buyer was charged three times the ticket price), and send tickets in someone else's name or none. Type the address yourself and pay by credit card. [BBB scam alert, May 9, 2023](https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/27410-bbb-scam-alert-how-to-avoid-ticketmaster-lookalike-scams) - After its data security incident, Ticketmaster told customers to be cautious of unsolicited emails from unknown senders and of phone requests for personal information. It notifies affected customers by email or first-class mail and offers them 12 months of free identity monitoring. [Ticketmaster: Data Security Incident](https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/26110487861137-Ticketmaster-Data-Security-Incident) - Fan Support's own number is 1-800-653-8000, listed in Ticketmaster's help center; use it rather than a number from a search ad or social media. [Ticketmaster: How to get help or contact us](https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9605825450129-How-to-get-help-or-contact-us)