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Board hears staff concerns over ticket resellers after patrons face unpaid refunds
Summary
Staff told the Jasper Arts Center board the organization has encountered several cases where tickets resold on third-party sites led to patrons paying far above face value and to refund problems when shows are canceled; staff will draft a reseller policy and buyer-beware communications.
Staff warned the Jasper Arts Center board about recurring problems involving third-party ticket resellers, including inflated resale prices and cases where the reseller did not possess the tickets sold, leaving patrons unable to obtain refunds after a cancellation.
"If you buy a ticket on StubHub, SeatGeek, Vivid Seats ... you're buying it from another person," the Presenter told the board, summarizing staff contact with patrons who paid more than face value and then struggled to receive refunds. The Presenter gave one example of a patron who paid more than $500 on a reseller site for four tickets while the theater's records showed the sale was $210.
The Presenter said the center discovered mismatched purchaser contact information in several problematic orders: "the ticket that they're listing for sale is still available on our ticketing site," the Presenter said, and in some disputed transactions an email bounced or a phone number was disconnected, complicating refund efforts. Staff also noted merchant-processor restrictions that prevent refunds to the original credit card after 180 days, forcing refunds by mailed check or in-person pick-up when contact information can be verified.
Board members discussed technical and market constraints. One member noted StubHub has begun offering venues an option to provide inventory through the platform, but staff said the platform does not visibly distinguish venue-provided inventory from resale listings to customers. The board considered operational mitigations such as capping per-customer purchases, delaying digital ticket distribution until 24 hours before events, and including buyer-caution language in season guides and the ticketing flow.
"We don't have a policy right now," the Presenter told the board, adding that staff would work with counsel (Renee) to draft language for the ticket-sale process and accompanying communications and return with recommendations.
The board did not take formal action on the matter at the meeting; staff said they will prepare draft policy language and communication materials for a future meeting.
