PROBLEM SOLVED - Dec. 2

After the Schitt's Creek reunion tour is canceled, Lori Glazer wants a refund for her tickets. But Tickets-Center.com is only offering a credit. Can it do that?

In March 2020, I bought two tickets to the Schitt's Creek reunion tour from Tickets-Center.com. The event was postponed, and I heard nothing until today when they said they were giving us a credit of 110 percent. That's not acceptable.

The Tickets-Center.com site has a "100 percent guarantee," and I think they should refund my money. There are no events I would like to go to right now.

I love your column and read it every week. I am hoping you can help me get my $359 back. -

Lori Glazer, Newburyport, Mass.

Thank you for your kind comments about my column. If your event was canceled, you should receive a full refund.

But let's have a look at the terms of your purchase. According to Tickets-Center.com's Terms & Privacy Policy, you don't automatically get your money back if an event is canceled and not rescheduled. Instead, it says you will be eligible for a credit "or, in our sole discretion, a cash refund." The default appears to be a credit. "If an event is postponed or rescheduled, your order will not qualify for a credit, and your tickets will be valid for the rescheduled date unless otherwise required by applicable law," it says.

Next time you order tickets, please review the fine print. It could save you a lot of trouble later on.

Interestingly, the same contract gives Tickets-Center.com the right to cancel your tickets with no penalty. This is known as an adhesion contract -- a contract that applies to you, but not the company -- and it is as frustrating as it is unfair.

How about that 100 percent guarantee? It's not what you think it is. By "guarantee," Tickets-Center.com means your transaction will be safe and secure, and the tickets will be delivered on time. It's not one of those blanket, "satisfaction guaranteed or your money back" things. If only!

When I reviewed your case, I recommended that you write to Tickets-Center.com, politely requesting a refund. You did, but the company just reiterated its offer of a 110 percent credit. Maybe a bot responded to you. That's been happening a lot lately.

I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the executives at Tickets-Center.com on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. You could have appealed to one of them, too.

I reached out to the company and asked if it could exercise its discretion and return your money. It did.

Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer for Elliott Advocacy. Email him at [email protected] or get help with any consumer problem by contacting him at http://www.elliott.org/help

© 2021 Christopher Elliott.