Tweet
Hello Legal Beagles. Wonderful forum. Exactly what was needed for a very odd problem I am experiencing with Ticketmaster in the UK.
I was given a £250 gift card as compensation from Ticketmaster just over a year ago. Used it to buy a ticket, and went to the gig only to find the ticket purchased was not valid.
Complained, yet they refused to do anything about it, apart from refund the ticket, which they told me was not available on the day of the gig due to an employee error internally. I asked for my travel expenses to London to be covered which totalled £300, including accommodation. They refused.
I threatened legal action, then took them to Court. In the meantime, waiting for the trial, I purchased another ticket, to see David Gilmour, not using my gift card as it would not work on their site, for some reason. Similar issue - got to the gig, was told the ticket I had printed out was invalid.
Complained to them, was directed to their solicitor who told me all correspondence to Ticketmaster must go through them. Made complaints to them, and also a Subject Access Request to find out what the hell is going on.
Well, a month later, after the man at the solicitors told me he would be forwarding the requests to Ticketmaster, I was told there was no response to my questions. Hmmh...
The trial day came. I was awarded my expenses and filing/hearing fees, and interest. I won the case.
Afterwards, I emailed the solicitor and asked to be put in touch with someone at Ticketmaster regarding my other outstanding ticketing issue.
I then tried to use my gift card again, this time to buy a ticket to a football match. The gift card balance was showing as zero, There had been no order at the hearing regarding my gift card balance, so I figured they were being clever, deleting the balance on the card.
Called Ticketmaster, couldn't get hold of anyone. By this point I was abroad, in the USA, where I currently work.
Complained to the solicitor again. And again. Was ignored repeatedly. Called them. They told me they would contact Ticketmaster and respond. Sent me a link to the contact us part of Ticketmaster's website. Hmmh...sent a message on their online form. No response.
Contacted the solicitor again, by email, and then phone. Eventually told them I would litigate again if they continued to ignore me. Two months after trying to contact someone high up at Ticketmaster to deal with my other issues, I litigated for a second time.
Claim is for the £250 balance of the gift card, £50 for the second unused ticket to see David Gilmour, and then of course the filing fee of £25. I mentioned that the football ticket I ended up buying as I could not use the gift card was from a tout, and cost me £170 more than it would have otherwise on Ticketmaster, when there were still tickets available with them. I was not asking for this to be covered.
They sent me a WITHOUT PREJUDICE SAVES AS TO COSTS offer to settle for £250. No explanation a to what had happened to the gift card balance. Or the David Gilmour ticket. And "both parties to pay their own costs." They told me if I refused the offer they would have me pay their costs for defending the claim at trial.
Hmmh. You're REALLY going to quibble over £75? Told them to "f&*$ off".
They filed a Defence. They reckon the gift card balance had an expiry date that I was not informed of. they also state I did not send a "notice before action" email/letter to Ticketmaster, and finally, it was my fault I could not get into the David Gilmour gig for not printing the e-ticket in advance. They also state I have not "co-operated with them when they tried to settle, i.e. bad conduct" which I assume refers to the swearing.
I emailed them back, reminded them of the 11 times I tried to sort out these issues before this second legal claim, and also corrected their assumption that I did not have a ticket in hand when I turned up for the Gilmour gig.
Finally, told them that as I work abroad, I will have to travel back from wherever I am for a hearing, and those flight costs will be passed on to them at trial.
Made a WITHOUT PREJUDICE OFFER SAVE AS TO COSTS to settle for £330, which is the £300, £25 filing fee, and £5 interest.
Having heard nothing since, I have now told them I will be complaining about their clients failure in producing a DSAR, more than a year after having asked them five times, and requested it again.
So, thoughts? I cannot for the life of me figure out what they are doing here. It makes little sense.
Thanks all!
Jack Knowles
I was given a £250 gift card as compensation from Ticketmaster just over a year ago. Used it to buy a ticket, and went to the gig only to find the ticket purchased was not valid.
Complained, yet they refused to do anything about it, apart from refund the ticket, which they told me was not available on the day of the gig due to an employee error internally. I asked for my travel expenses to London to be covered which totalled £300, including accommodation. They refused.
I threatened legal action, then took them to Court. In the meantime, waiting for the trial, I purchased another ticket, to see David Gilmour, not using my gift card as it would not work on their site, for some reason. Similar issue - got to the gig, was told the ticket I had printed out was invalid.
Complained to them, was directed to their solicitor who told me all correspondence to Ticketmaster must go through them. Made complaints to them, and also a Subject Access Request to find out what the hell is going on.
Well, a month later, after the man at the solicitors told me he would be forwarding the requests to Ticketmaster, I was told there was no response to my questions. Hmmh...
The trial day came. I was awarded my expenses and filing/hearing fees, and interest. I won the case.
Afterwards, I emailed the solicitor and asked to be put in touch with someone at Ticketmaster regarding my other outstanding ticketing issue.
I then tried to use my gift card again, this time to buy a ticket to a football match. The gift card balance was showing as zero, There had been no order at the hearing regarding my gift card balance, so I figured they were being clever, deleting the balance on the card.
Called Ticketmaster, couldn't get hold of anyone. By this point I was abroad, in the USA, where I currently work.
Complained to the solicitor again. And again. Was ignored repeatedly. Called them. They told me they would contact Ticketmaster and respond. Sent me a link to the contact us part of Ticketmaster's website. Hmmh...sent a message on their online form. No response.
Contacted the solicitor again, by email, and then phone. Eventually told them I would litigate again if they continued to ignore me. Two months after trying to contact someone high up at Ticketmaster to deal with my other issues, I litigated for a second time.
Claim is for the £250 balance of the gift card, £50 for the second unused ticket to see David Gilmour, and then of course the filing fee of £25. I mentioned that the football ticket I ended up buying as I could not use the gift card was from a tout, and cost me £170 more than it would have otherwise on Ticketmaster, when there were still tickets available with them. I was not asking for this to be covered.
They sent me a WITHOUT PREJUDICE SAVES AS TO COSTS offer to settle for £250. No explanation a to what had happened to the gift card balance. Or the David Gilmour ticket. And "both parties to pay their own costs." They told me if I refused the offer they would have me pay their costs for defending the claim at trial.
Hmmh. You're REALLY going to quibble over £75? Told them to "f&*$ off".
They filed a Defence. They reckon the gift card balance had an expiry date that I was not informed of. they also state I did not send a "notice before action" email/letter to Ticketmaster, and finally, it was my fault I could not get into the David Gilmour gig for not printing the e-ticket in advance. They also state I have not "co-operated with them when they tried to settle, i.e. bad conduct" which I assume refers to the swearing.
I emailed them back, reminded them of the 11 times I tried to sort out these issues before this second legal claim, and also corrected their assumption that I did not have a ticket in hand when I turned up for the Gilmour gig.
Finally, told them that as I work abroad, I will have to travel back from wherever I am for a hearing, and those flight costs will be passed on to them at trial.
Made a WITHOUT PREJUDICE OFFER SAVE AS TO COSTS to settle for £330, which is the £300, £25 filing fee, and £5 interest.
Having heard nothing since, I have now told them I will be complaining about their clients failure in producing a DSAR, more than a year after having asked them five times, and requested it again.
So, thoughts? I cannot for the life of me figure out what they are doing here. It makes little sense.
Thanks all!
Jack Knowles
Comment