Ticketmaster settles class-action lawsuit

Ticketmaster has settled a class-action lawsuit alleging it conspired to force Canadians to pay inflated prices. The settlement will see concert goers receive a refund of $36 per ticket.

The reimbursement applies to any ticket purchased in Ontario on the ticketing giant’s secondary website Ticketsnow from Feb. 9, 2007 until it ceased operating in the province.

The resolution also covers varying dates in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec.

“This is a significant victory for ticket buyers and for competitiveness in the industry,” said Toronto consultant Henryk Krajewski, whose complaint got the ball rolling after he tried to buy two tickets in September 2008 for a Smashing Pumpkins concert at Massey Hall.

Unable to purchase the tickets at a face value of $133 from Ticketmaster, Krajewski was automatically forwarded to the Ticketsnow site, where he paid $533.65.

Windsor lawyer Jay Strosberg of Sutts, Strosberg LLP and Vancouver lawyer Luciana Brasil of Branch Macmaster launched the suit five months later, about the same time outraged New Jersey residents sparked political outcry after similar experiences trying to purchase Bruce Springsteen tickets.

Ticketmaster, which has since merged with concert promoter Live Nation Inc., did not admit liability, but said they would refrain from reselling tickets for above the face value in Ontario and Manitoba, in compliance with existing legislation. (The laws are different in Alberta and Quebec.)