Anyone that’s ever used Ticketmaster, and let’s face it, that’s almost everyone, has been annoyed by the “processing fees” that drive up the cost of tickets for no discernible reason. Well, two customers did something about it by filing a class action lawsuit claiming that those fees were excessive , and they won, which means you win! Anyone that bought tickets between October 21, 1999 and October 19, 2011 is eligible to GET PAID! Don’t get so excited, though. The settlement is $1.50 per transaction, up to 17 orders, and it’s not a payout, just credit to your Ticketmaster account. If you used UPS for expedited delivery on those purchases, you’re entitled to an additional $5 credit per ticket. All you’ll need to do to redeem your credit is wait for an e-mail to come to the address associated with your Ticketmaster account.
Don’t get it in your head that Ticketmaster learned from their misdeed, though. It’s not like they’re going to cut the shit and stop needlessly tacking on “convenience” and “processing” fees. In fact, the settlement states they can keep doing the same thing they’ve been doing, except now they legally have to state it in small print on their site somewhere. They will pay for their misdeed though – if in any given year over the four years that ticket buyers have to redeem their codes, less than $11.25 million is redeemed, Ticketmaster will donate the remainder to charity. If you’re entitled to credits, you’re going to have to wait a bit – they won’t be issued before April 15th, 2012 and will probably come within 20 days after the final approval of the settlement, which is currently scheduled for May 29, 2012. Check out the settlement here.
[via Business Insider]
