In short
Buy from the venue's official seller or a known marketplace, and pay by credit card so you can dispute the charge. Since May 12, 2025, sellers of live-event tickets must show the total price, with all mandatory fees, up front. Resale marketplaces back tickets with their own guarantees, so claim through the marketplace, not the individual seller. Never pay a stranger by gift card, wire or payment app, and never accept a screenshot as a ticket.
How complaints work in this industry
- Ticket problems start with the seller's own help center. The FTC takes reports of fraud and deceptive practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and uses them to investigate and bring cases, but it cannot resolve cases for individuals. FTC: Reporting fraud 101
- On primary sellers the event organizer usually decides refunds. Ticketmaster says "The Event Organizers determine refund guidelines", and a Request Refund button appears on the order only when the organizer offers refunds; a cancelled event is refunded automatically, usually 14-21 days after Ticketmaster receives the organizer's funds. Ticketmaster: eligible for refunds, Ticketmaster: cancelled events
- AXS says refunds for a cancelled event are determined by its clients (the venue or promoter), and that AXS or the client may keep various fees even when the event is cancelled and not rescheduled. AXS Purchase Agreement v8
- Eventbrite's terms say transactions are between the organizer and the buyer, so refund requests go to the organizer first; Eventbrite steps in through its Attendee Refund Request form when an organizer refuses or does not answer for an event cancelled within the last 45 days or postponed more than 90 days without a new date. Eventbrite: Can I get a refund?
- Resale marketplaces handle claims under their own guarantees, not through the individual seller. StubHub's FanProtect promises valid tickets in time for the event or comparable tickets or your money back, and says to report a problem as soon as possible, ideally the same day. StubHub: FanProtect explained, July 29, 2026, StubHub: ticket guarantees, August 20, 2026
- Antitrust: the DOJ filed a Notice of Settlement with Live Nation and Ticketmaster on March 9, 2026 and a Proposed Final Judgment on June 12, 2026; its case page lists no final judgment as of October 13, 2026. The states that kept trying the case won a jury verdict on April 15, 2026 that Live Nation violated the antitrust laws through monopoly power in primary ticketing. DOJ case page, NAAG case summary
- The FTC and seven states sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster on September 18, 2025 over pricing and ticket limits. The court denied the motion to dismiss on September 30, 2026, and the FTC lists the case as pending. FTC case page
- StubHub agreed on April 9, 2026 to pay $10 million to settle FTC charges that it left mandatory fees out of its first price displays after the fee rule took effect. FTC press release, April 9, 2026
- Executive Order 14254 (March 31, 2025) directs the FTC to rigorously enforce the BOTS Act with state attorneys general, to act to ensure price transparency at all stages of ticket purchase, and to take action against unfair and deceptive conduct in the resale market. White House: EO 14254
- New York's Division of Consumer Protection warned in October 2025 about event ticket scams and cited the FTC's then recent complaint against Ticketmaster and Live Nation, which alleges illegal resale tactics and deception of artists and consumers about prices and ticket limits. NY Department of State consumer alert, October 9, 2025
Your leverage
- FTC fee rule (rule
ftc-junk-fees-rule): since May 12, 2025, any business that offers, displays or advertises live-event tickets, including third-party platforms and resellers, must show the total price more prominently than other pricing. Optional add-ons may be left out of the total. FTC: Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees FAQ - The FTC FAQ says the total price includes all fees the business knows about and can calculate up front, and tells businesses to avoid vague labels like "convenience fees", "service fees" or "processing fees". A business must tell the truth about whether a fee is refundable. FTC: Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees FAQ
- Card dispute: a charge for an event that did not happen as agreed, or tickets that were not delivered, is a billing error under the Fair Credit Billing Act if the card issuer receives your written notice within 60 days after the first statement that shows it (rule
fcba-billing-error). 12 CFR 1026.13 - Eventbrite requires organizers to refund all attendees when they cancel an event. For an event postponed on or after April 1, 2023, organizers must honor refund requests during days 91-135 after the postponement, even if a new date is set. Eventbrite: Cancelled Event Policy, Eventbrite: Postponed Event Policy
- California's 2024 settlement with StubHub, over its 2020 switch from cash refunds to 120% credits for cancelled events, bars StubHub from failing to honor its existing refund policy unless a change is made with the consumer's informed consent. California AG, August 22, 2024
- The BOTS Act bars getting around a ticket issuer's online security or purchase controls and selling tickets obtained that way, for events at venues with a seating capacity of over 200. FTC: Better Online Ticket Sales Act
- New York's consumer agency says credit cards generally offer more protection than debit cards and payment apps when you dispute a charge. NY Department of State consumer alert, October 9, 2025
Traps
- Postponed or rescheduled events are usually not refunded: the tickets stay valid for the new date. StubHub's and Vivid Seats' terms exclude refunds for postponed or rescheduled events, and Ticketmaster refunds them only if the organizer allows it. StubHub: FanProtect explained, Vivid Seats Terms, Ticketmaster: postponed events
- For a cancelled event, resale marketplaces may choose a credit instead of cash. Vivid Seats' terms say it will refund or issue a credit "as determined in its sole discretion", and to qualify you must return the tickets within two weeks of its notice. Vivid Seats Terms
- Ticketmaster says refund requests are final and cannot be changed once started, and refunds for transferred tickets go only to the original purchaser. Ticketmaster: when my refund is approved, Ticketmaster: Ticket Transfer refunds
- AXS says tickets from unauthorized sources may be void and that it does not guarantee tickets from a non-authorized reseller. AXS Purchase Agreement v8
- Ticket sellers' terms require individual arbitration and waive class actions. Vivid Seats lets you opt out by certified mail within 30 days of first using the site, and Eventbrite by email to legal@eventbrite.com within 30 days. Vivid Seats Terms, Eventbrite Terms of Service
- Some resellers sell speculative tickets, which they do not have yet, and some fraudulent resellers give phony ticket codes for real ticketing websites. BBB tip, November 5, 2025
- Some resellers do not show their fees until you are almost ready to pay; the BBB says to look for sellers that show the base price and fees up front. BBB tip, November 5, 2025
- Optional add-ons, such as a VIP package, do not have to be in the advertised total price, but must be in the final amount before you pay. FTC: Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees FAQ
Scams to watch for
- The BBB reports lookalike websites with names similar to Ticketmaster that appear in search results, take personal and card details, overcharge (one buyer was charged three times the ticket price), and deliver tickets in someone else's name or none. It says to buy through the venue or its official site and check the URL closely. BBB scam alert, May 9, 2023
- The BBB says to watch for resellers who ask for gift cards or wired money, and never to accept screenshots as proof of tickets, because they are easily duplicated. BBB tip, November 5, 2025
- New York warns of fake tickets on social media, fake sites and marketplaces, with convincing screenshots, barcodes or emails, and of resellers who ask for payment outside an official ticket platform. It suggests buying resale tickets only through official platforms. NY Department of State consumer alert, October 9, 2025
- StubHub says you will never be asked on StubHub to send money through a peer-to-peer app or wire cash, and warns of emails and texts asking you to "verify your account" or "confirm a purchase" and of look-alike web addresses. StubHub safety guide, August 31, 2026