Ticketmaster sold me “great seats” that turned out to be obstructed. Where’s my refund?

When you pay nearly $1,000 for concert tickets, you expect a perfect view, not a VIP tent blocking one-third of the stage. But that’s exactly what happens to Vincent Manierre when he buys tickets to an Oasis show at the Rose Bowl. Ticketmaster sold him “premium” seats without marking them as obstructed. Can he get a refund?

Question

I bought two second-row tickets for the Oasis concert at the Rose Bowl. They were $475 each, and I paid that much because I wanted a great view. When I got there, a VIP tent blocked one-third of the stage. The tickets weren’t labeled “obstructed view.”

I contacted Ticketmaster for a refund, but they said the event organizer controls refunds and won’t allow one. They won’t even tell me who the organizer is. Ticketmaster’s own policy says obstructed seats should be labeled, but they won’t admit any wrongdoing. 

All I wanted was an acknowledgment and a small refund. Now I think I deserve all my money back. Can you help? —Vincent Manierre, Los Angeles

Answer

If you pay nearly $1,000 for concert seats, you should expect a clear view of the stage. Ticketmaster’s stated policy is that obstructed seats are flagged during the purchase process. That didn’t happen here.

Your email correspondence with Ticketmaster shows that you pressed them repeatedly on this point, but each time the response was the same: The organizer calls the shots. Ticketmaster told you it simply passed along the information they’re given, and if a stage setup changed after tickets were sold, it’s not responsible for updating the listings. That leaves you paying for premium seats that aren’t premium at all. And that’s unacceptable.

Under U.S. federal law, consumer protection statutes, especially rules enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), ban companies from engaging in “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” in commerce. If a company sells tickets without disclosing obstructed views, and its own policy promises labeling of obstructed-view seats, nondisclosure can be a deceptive practice.

California’s consumer protection and false advertising laws also forbid misrepresenting goods or services. Some states have gone further with so-called “Taylor Swift bills,” requiring ticket sellers to clearly disclose all fees and restrictions. Ticketmaster’s failure to disclose the obstruction may well cross into deceptive trade practices.

Your case is an important reminder to always look carefully for any “limited” or “obstructed view” warnings before buying tickets. Also, take screenshots of the seat listing for your records. If the view is obstructed at the show, document it with photos immediately and report it to a supervisor at the venue. That creates a paper trail you can use in your refund claim later.

Ticketmaster should do better at disclosing obstructions and taking responsibility when seats don’t match the listing. At the very least, it could have provided a contact for the organizer so you could argue your case with the people responsible for placing the VIP tent between you and the stage. (I’m tempted to call the tent a wonderwall, but I’ve promised to avoid quoting song titles in these ticket stories.)

In your case, persistence paid off. I reached out to Ticketmaster on your behalf and it agreed to refund you $191, the amount of its service fees. It wasn’t the full refund you wanted, but it was a partial acknowledgment that something went wrong.