Furious customers have hit out at Ticketmaster after they appeared to update the wording of their refund policy for postponed events, potentially leaving thousands out of pocket.

Under the old policy, customers were able to obtain a refund if an event was cancelled, postponed or rescheduled.

However, it appears that the policy has now been changed by the ticketing site potentially leaving thousands of customers out of pocket. Refunds were usually available if an event was cancelled, postponed or rescheduled and you could not make the date.

An update from Ticketmaster on events impacted by the coronavirus outbreak reads: “If your event has been rescheduled, we are working with the event organiser to identify new dates, and we will contact you as soon as we have confirmation and more information this.

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“For future events that are still scheduled, you’re all set. There’s nothing you need to do. If anything changes, we will contact you with updates.

“If your event has been cancelled, there’s also nothing you need to do. We’ll get in touch with you directly with more information.”

The update comes as gigs across the world were postponed as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

According to The New York Times, a page on Ticketmaster's website used to say refunds "are available if your event is postponed, rescheduled or cancelled." Now, the policy has been edited to say refunds "are available if your event is cancelled."

The Herald: A screenshot of the refund policy of old on Ticketmaster (US site)A screenshot of the refund policy of old on Ticketmaster (US site)

Angry fans also shared pictures of the old policy on social media.

An article on the refund policy of Ticketmaster in the Evening Standard on March 16 stated “If an event is postponed though, with plans for a rearranged date in the future, you have a number of choices. Your tickets will still be valid for that future show, so keep hold of them if you want to attend that. If the show does get rescheduled and you can’t make that date, however, you are entitled to a refund at face value.”

However, this would not be the case under the new policy with many stating that their coronavirus updates delineate the differences between events that have been cancelled, postponed and rescheduled.

In a statement to USA TODAY, the company said its policy on postponed events has been consistent, though the wording online had been edited for clarity.

The statement said that the refund policy for postponed events has always been set by event organisers — not by Ticketmaster. 

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Angry fans took to social media to hit out at Ticketmaster for their apparent policy change with some stating that the ticketing agency appeared to be trying to backdate their policy. Others urged the artist they had bought tickets to see to cancel their event rather than postpone in to secure a refund. 

Ticketmaster UK has been contacted for a statement.

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