Live Nation Entertainment-owned companies have been providing refunds to some music fans who now regret buying tickets to see the embattled band Hedley live in concert.
But subsidiaries of the music industry giant have also been denying refund requests for others, leaving some formerly ardent fans of the band to debate whether they should accept a loss and boycott the concert theysa国际传媒檇 paid to see.
The Vancouver pop rockers have been under fire since sexual misconduct allegations began surfacing online two weeks ago, suggesting inappropriate encounters with young fans. Hedley has called the allegations sa国际传媒渦nsubstantiatedsa国际传媒� but said in a statement that in the past they sa国际传媒渆ngaged in a lifestyle that incorporated certain rock sa国际传媒榥sa国际传媒� roll cliches.sa国际传媒�
Ruqayyah Bobat said she was pleased to receive a refund for a ticket to an Ottawa concert last week after starting an online petition calling on the venue to give customers the option of getting their money back.
sa国际传媒淗ow could I attend a concert in good conscience knowing that these stories could be true?sa国际传媒� said the 24-year-old psychology student, who had been a Hedley fan since she was a teenager.
sa国际传媒淚 would not want to put my hard-worked money into a band thatsa国际传媒檚 being scrutinized for such horrible allegations.sa国际传媒�
Ticketmaster Canada did not respond to a request for comment when asked to clarify its refund policy for concerts on Hedleysa国际传媒檚 cross-Canada tour.
Online correspondence between Ticketmaster and ticket buyers reviewed by The Canadian Press reveals differing responses to refund requests.
One customer who asked Ticketmaster for their money back on Twitter was directly messaged by the companysa国际传媒檚 fan support account and told they would receive a full refund within a few business days, according to screen-captured exchanges.
Meanwhile, a customer who asked for a refund over email for Hedleysa国际传媒檚 show in Summerside, P.E.I., was told her request had been denied because the band sa国际传媒渋s still scheduled to perform and refunds are not available.sa国际传媒�
A Ticketmaster representative also emailed another person inquiring about a refund for a Kingston, Ont., concert to say that sa国际传媒渟adly, there are no refundssa国际传媒� and directed the consumer to a ticket reseller website. But a refund was offered sa国际传媒� within an hour sa国际传媒� after the consumer publicly called out Ticketmaster on Twitter asking why the company would force them to financially support the band under the circumstances.
Ticketmaster Canadasa国际传媒檚 typical sa国际传媒渇an guaranteesa国际传媒� policy states that tickets purchased for events at participating venues are fully refundable within three days of purchase, up until one week before the event. Exceptions include VIP tickets and other premium packages.
Lise Touchette said it took a lot of effort, but she was relieved to receive a refund for expensive VIP tickets for her daughter and friends to attend Hedleysa国际传媒檚 Ottawa concert.
Although her receipt clearly stated sa国际传媒渘o refunds,sa国际传媒� a determined Touchette sent several emails trying to get her money back and waited a few days for news. She was told on the morning of the concert that her refund had been approved.
A spokesperson for the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, which operates TD Place, where the Hedley show was staged, said in an email that sa国际传媒渁ll refunds were at the discretion of Live Nation.sa国际传媒�
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