StubHub to issue Ohioans refunds for tickets

Fan complaints lead to investigation

Ticket reseller StubHub is issuing refunds to Ohioans who purchased tickets to events that were later canceled due to the novel coronavirus.

An agreement was reached after an investigation by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and nine other states and Washington, D.C. The investigation was started after numerous complaints were received from customers that StubHub was violating its own policy under the “FanProtect Guarantee,” according to a news release from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office.

StubHub’s policy stated that consumers would receive full refunds on ticket purchases, including fees, if events were cancelled.

StubHub suspended that policy in March 2020, following the mass-cancellation of events caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the release stated.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office stated that StubHub began denying refund requests. The company instead told customers they would receive credits equal to 120 percent of their purchases for future events.

That policy change affected more than 12,000 customers who bought tickets to events in Ohio through StubHub before March 25, 2020.

The compnay agreed to settle a complaint filed by Yost in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, according to the release.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office stated the consent agreement includes an injunction requiring StubHub

to honor its refund policies; not change its refund policies for purchased tickets unless the purchasing consumer consents to the change; and promptly process any refund requests it receives going forward for the events at issue.

The agreement also includes a $654,100 civil penalty, which is suspended as long as StubHub pays the refunds owed to Ohio consumers and does not violate the other terms of the agreement, according to the news release.