More than $1B in consumer capital is tied up in tickets to games that are stuck in limbo because of the pandemicNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
NBA, NHL and MLB teams instead of giving cash refunds for tickets have "operated under their normal ticket policies for postponed or rained-out games -- holding the money as credit to be used whenever their games resume," but ticket holders "want their money back in cash, even if those games haven't yet been officially canceled," according to Brent Schrotenboer of USA TODAY. More than $1B in consumer capital is "tied up in tickets to games that are stuck in limbo because of the pandemic." Many fans have "shared their complaints on social media." Ticket holders also are "banging on the virtual doors of Ticketmaster and StubHub, which has a policy of not refunding games that haven't been officially canceled." StubHub said that if an event has been canceled, it "will provide a full refund." The problem for ticket holders is these events have been postponed indefinitely, not canceled. Refund policies can "vary by team, but many team websites and messages essentially tell fans to 'hold onto your tickets' for possible future use" (USA TODAY, 3/25).
WAIT IT OUT: In Denver, Kyle Fredrickson noted Avalanche and Nuggets season-ticket holders "received emails shortly after their respective league suspensions that essentially told fans to wait out a fluid situation for more details." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on the league website wrote, "If games are not played or played in an empty arena, teams will work with fans on a credit for a future game or refund" (DENVER POST, 3/25).
