When the Rolling Stones had to cancel dates on their North American tour in March because of Mick Jagger’s heart surgery, it threw a wrench into the plans of one Ontario resident.
Keswick resident Gary Copp spent about $1,700 buying eight tickets and two parking passes for the concert event at Burl’s Creek, northeast of Barrie, for friends he invited from across the country.
“We set it up in February and received a notice that the concert had been postponed and a new date would be determined in the future. So we figured that's the end of that day” said Copp.
With the concert called off for the Canada Day long weekend, he says his friends in western Canada made commitments to attend weddings and friends in Ottawa changed their plans to go to another event.
Then Copp got another notice saying the concert was back on for the same day. He felt that since it was not scheduled for a later date, he deserved a refund. He contacted Ticketmaster, but was told he couldn’t get his money back.
“They said there are no refunds plain and simple," said Copp.
The general admission tickets were $200 each and the parking passes $50 each. Copp said he has tried to sell his tickets, but no one has expressed interest.
Most ticket sellers will offer refunds if a concert is canceled, but not if it's postponed.
The Rolling Stones fan says he won’t see the British rock and roll legends without his friends and still feels he deserves a refund.
Two days after Copp spoke with CTV News Toronto about his intention to try and sell his tickets online, Ticketmaster provided him with a refund.
On Ticketmaster’s website, the refund policy says that if a concert-goer is unable to make a new event date, a refund must be approved by the artist, venue or promoter. If they don’t approve, then the tickets are valid for the new date, even if it's the same day.
