A music fan who caught Covid days before a concert was promised a refund by Ticketmaster - only for the ticketing firm to backtrack three hours later.
Jane, 30, from Manchester, had spent £83.30 on two tickets to see Bastille with her friend.
But after catching Covid, she informed Ticketmaster she could no longer attend the show and asked for a refund.
Jane was told the refund had been processed - only for Ticketmaster to follow up three hours later with another email saying there had been a mistake.
The email from Ticketmaster said: “Unfortunately, due to us not offering refunds for Covid-19 anymore we are unable to proceed with your refund.
“I am sorry for any confusion caused by my last email.“
Ticketmaster told Jane the reason for not allowing the refund was because “the promoter does not permit Covid refunds anymore following the changes in government advice”.
Jane was further told that she wouldn’t be eligible for a refund as she didn’t add insurance to her booking.
She was also advised to sell her tickets on the Ticketmaster buy and sell platform - but this wasn't possible either, as the gig was less than five days away.
Have you experienced a similar situation with Ticketmaster? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
Jane said: "I couldn’t believe they backtracked on their promise of a refund three hours later. I didn’t want to go to the gig and risk making others ill, but refusing to refund people will encourage fans to do so.
"It wasn’t acceptable that they provided false information on their website and on multiple emails, after asking me to provide several items of proof of a positive test, and then refusing to let me sell them either.
"£83 is a lot of money especially when self employed and taking time off work ill."
Ticketmaster, which is owned by Live Nation Entertainment, has since told The Mirror that they've refunded Jane the full amount as a "gesture of goodwill" following the error.
Here, we explain your rights when it comes to concert ticket refunds.
Concert tickets - your refund rights
You're typically only entitled to a refund for concert tickets when the event has been cancelled or moved by the promoter.
You may be able to add insurance to your purchase, which may cover you in the event of you catching coronavirus.
The amount you get back will likely only be the face value amount of the ticket, not postage or other fees attached when you purchased the ticket.
You might be able to give the tickets to family or friends, but check first. There may also be a fee involved for transferring your tickets.
Some tickets have the name of the purchaser printed on them and this means you might be asked to provide ID.
You’re unlikely to get a refund if you bought your ticket from a secondary ticketing website or a private seller.
If you can’t get your money back, check if you can get a refund from your card company.
Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act can be used for credit card spends that have gone wrong, for purchases worth between £100 and £30,000.
This is because the Consumer Credit Act dictates that your card provider is jointly liable, as well as the company you purchased from.
Debit card payments, cheques and transfers not covered by the Consumer Credit Act might qualify for the Chargeback scheme instead - but sadly this isn’t enshrined in law.
When it comes to transportation or accommodation costs if you've booked a hotel, check the terms and conditions of your booking to see if it includes free cancellation.
