What happens when you purchase tickets to a theater
performance, sporting event, or concert months in advance, only to later have
the event canceled or rescheduled?
Under Wisconsin law, consumers are protected from losing
most prepaid admissions fees.
Wis. Stat. s. 100.173 requires promoters to refund the
admission price for many entertainment and sporting events that are canceled or
rescheduled. However, this law DOES NOT cover competitive sports activities
between school teams or within established sports leagues.
Always read the small print on any ticket you purchase for
an entertainment or sporting event to know what part of the purchase price is
refundable.
By law, promoters must:
Inform
purchasers at the time of the ticket sale about any handling or service charges
that may be deducted from the refund (the law allows 20 percent of the purchase
price, up to a maximum of $5).
Inform
purchasers in advance when charges for other services, such as parking, are
non-refundable.
Include a
disclosure on the ticket when a portion of the ticket price is considered a
nonrefundable charitable donation.
How to obtain refunds
The steps for obtaining a refund depend upon whether the
event was canceled or rescheduled.
Refunds for canceled events
In order to obtain refunds for canceled events, ticket
purchasers must present their tickets to the promoter no later than 90 days
after the event is canceled. The promoter may be different from the person or
company from whom you purchased the ticket, or the owner of the premises where
the event was scheduled to be held.
Under current law, a promoter must make a refund no later
than 60 days after you present your ticket.
Refunds for rescheduled events
Events that are rescheduled due to inclement weather are not
covered by the law.
When events are rescheduled for other reasons, ticket
holders must present tickets to the promoter no later than 30 days after the
date on which the event was originally scheduled to be held.
Under the law, a promoter must provide a refund no later
than 60 days after you present your ticket.