The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Cavs, Monsters offer refunds amid outbreak
The Cavaliers and Monsters are offering refunds as one of three options to fans holding tickets for games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse not being played because of the novel coronavirus.
Commissioner Adam Silver suspended the NBA season indefinitely March 11 because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The NHL quickly followed his lead, and then the AHL took its cue from both leagues.
Two Cavaliers home games have been affected, with three more home games remaining on the 2019-20 schedule.
Only one Monsters’ home game has so far been affected, with six more home games remaining.
No games in the NBA, NHL or AHL have been canceled.
Instead, they are indefinitely postponed, but the Cavs and Monsters are offering refunds in certain situations nonetheless.
The Cavaliers and Monsters offer three options for
fans with tickets to games not played if the tickets were purchased through the team websites or at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse:
• Hold onto tickets for the potential rescheduled date.
• Apply the purchase price for credit to a future game or games.
• Get a refund by emailing Cavstix@cavs.com or by calling the RMFH main line at 216-420-2000 and speaking to a representative or leaving a message. The message will be returned.
The policy established by the Cavaliers and Monsters applies to season ticket holders and holders of individual tickets.
It does not cover tickets sold through secondary marketplaces such as Flashseats and Stubhub. The Cavs suggest fans in
that situation contact those outlets directly.
A Stubhub spokesperson contacted by March 27 by The News-Herald said tickets purchased through Stubhub can be used or resold if a game is rescheduled, but those tickets will not be refunded. A refund will be offered if the game is canceled, plus one other option is described on Stubhub.com:
“If you buy tickets on StubHub to an event that is canceled, you are covered by our FanProtect Guarantee. When an event is canceled, you will receive a StubHub coupon worth 120% of your original order. For your convenience, we will directly add it to your StubHub account once the event is canceled.”
A Flashseats spokesperson said refunds would be
mailed within 30 days of an event being canceled, but there are no refunds available if a game is rescheduled. The ticket could be used on the rescheduled date or resold on Flashseats.com.
Major League Baseball on March 12 suspended spring training and announced the start of the season, scheduled to begin March 26, would be pushed back at least two weeks. The most optimistic target date is now mid-May.
The Indians were scheduled to open their season March 26 at Progressive Field in a game with the Tigers, but it was postponed indefinitely along with every other opening day game.
No one knows whether baseball will play a full 162-game schedule. The Indians
will make a determination on their ticket policy for missed games when that decision is reached.
“We will have an announcement when MLB formally cancels games,” team spokesman Bart Swain said in a text response.
Both the Cavaliers and Monsters were on extended road trips when play in their respective leagues was suspended. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was to hold the MAC basketball tournament, and then the first two rounds of the NCAA March Madness tournament. Both events were canceled because of COVID-19.
A home game with Sacramento on March 24 was the sixth scheduled game not played by the Cavaliers and the first set for the FieldHouse since Silver suspended the NBA season.
The Cavs on March 26 were scheduled to host the Lakers. It would have been LeBron James’ and the Lakers’ only visit to Cleveland this season.
Three scheduled home games remain – the Suns on March 30, the Bucks on April 11 and the Nets on April 13.
A Monsters game against Rochester on March 15 at one point was going to be played with no fans in the stands before the AHL decided to suspend play completely. Five straight scheduled road games have been missed since then.
The Monsters are scheduled to host Laval on March 28 and 29, Hershey on March 31 and April 2 and then Toronto on April 4 and 5. None of those games will be played when scheduled, if they are played at all.