DATCP, DOJ reach settlement with StubHub
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a settlement reached with California-based StubHub, Inc. regarding the company’s refusal to pay refunds to Wisconsin consumers for concerts, sports and other events that were canceled as a result of the COVID- 19 pandemic. Wisconsin is joined by nine other states and the District of Columbia in a multi-state resolution with the company.
Under its “FanProtect Guarantee,” StubHub offered consumers full refunds of the purchase price and fees they paid for tickets if their events were canceled. In March 2020, following the mass-cancellation of entertainment events, Stub-Hub stopped honoring its refund guarantee and instead told its customers that they would receive account credits equal to 120% of their purchases to be used for future events and denied their requests for refunds.
After an extensive investigation by DATCP’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, DOJ, and coordinated investigations with other participating states, StubHub reversed its decision in May 2021. Customers who purchased tickets before the March 25, 2020 policy change, and had their events canceled can receive full refunds of the amounts they paid for their tickets, or they can elect to retain their account credits.
More than 8,663 Wisconsin event-goers who purchased tickets on StubHub’s marketplace under terms that included the FanProtect Guarantee are impacted. Consumers who have not been contacted by StubHub and believe they are entitled to a refund should contact StubHub at (866) 788-2482 or DATCP’s Consumer Protection Hotline at (800) 422-7128.
