By Christopher Elliot | Problem Solved
Shira Newman buys one ticket to a Ms. Pat show but ends up with three. Why can’t she get a full refund for the two unwanted tickets? And why isn’t Eventbrite helping her?
Q: I recently bought a ticket through Eventbrite, a ticket platform, for a series of comedy shows featuring my favorite comedian, Ms. Pat. The ticket includes access to three events over a single weekend.
When I checked my credit card statement, I was shocked to discover that I had been charged three times for the same ticket! I immediately contacted the event organizer, who agreed to refund the duplicate tickets. However, they informed me that they couldn’t refund the Eventbrite fees, which amounted to $15 per ticket. They explained that if I disputed the charges with my credit card company, Eventbrite would still charge them the fees.
When I tried to contact Eventbrite to ask about its customer service, I was only able to interact with an unhelpful AI bot. It feels like a scam that I’m being forced to pay these fees for duplicate tickets that I never intended to purchase.
I’ve tried everything, and I’m running out of options. Is there anything you can do to help me get a full refund? — Shira Newman, Portland, Ore.
A: While duplicate orders are rare, they do happen — and the organizer is required to issue a refund. Eventbrite’s Organizer Refund Policy Requirements dictate that organizers are responsible for refunding your money. So when an error like this occurs, they’re expected to issue full refunds, no matter what Eventbrite does or which fees are refundable to the organizer.
I can only imagine what Ms. Pat might have to say about this double charge. Actually, she probably wouldn’t say anything. She would just give you the look. You know what I’m talking about. It’s that look of disbelief.
You might have prevented this from happening by being extra careful when booking your tickets. Sometimes, when a sale doesn’t go through right away, you’re tempted to click the “buy” button again. That can lead to double or triple purchases. It’s unclear what happened in your case. Eventbrite wouldn’t say if you pushed the button three times or if it suffered from some kind of glitch. But I think we can all agree that you were stuck with two tickets you didn’t want.
You did the right thing by contacting the organizer and Eventbrite directly. You also did a great job of keeping a paper trail of all communication. In cases like this, documentation can be invaluable. It shows you trying to work through the system and giving the system a chance to work for you.
Remember, you can always escalate a complaint to a company executive. I publish executive contacts for many companies on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. Here are the appropriate contacts for Eventbrite.
I contacted Eventbrite on your behalf to investigate this issue. A representative acknowledged the duplicate orders and explained that the organizer was instructed to process a full refund, including fees. “When a duplicate order happens, organizers can refund them, including our fees, through our platform,” he explained. Apparently, the organizer wasn’t aware of this capability.
Eventbrite didn’t want to make you wait, so it stepped in and issued you a full refund for the duplicate tickets, including the fees.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at https://elliottadvocacy.org/help/