Requires issuance of refund or credit for tickets purchased through reseller or ticket resale website for events that get postponed.
Impact
By amending the existing New Jersey law, specifically P.L.1983, c.135, the bill holds resellers accountable for ensuring that consumers are not left without recourse when events are postponed. This legislative change is expected to enhance consumer confidence in the ticket resale market, promoting fair practices and transparency in ticket pricing and refund policies. It also seeks to mitigate the complications consumers face when events change unexpectedly, requiring resellers to be more responsible in their dealings with customers.
Summary
Assembly Bill A4861 aims to enhance consumer protection regarding ticket purchases made through resellers or ticket resale websites. The bill stipulates that if an event is postponed, resellers or ticket resale websites must provide a refund or credit to the ticket purchaser. This refund policy primarily applies to the purchase price of the tickets, excluding any handling or delivery fees, provided that such exclusions are clearly disclosed to the consumer at the time of the transaction.
Contention
While the bill appears to support consumers, it has raised concerns among some in the ticket resale industry. Critics argue that mandating refunds could strain resellers’ operations, particularly smaller businesses that may struggle to maintain liquidity when refunding numerous transactions. Additionally, opponents warn that enforcing such stringent policies might lead to increased ticket prices as resellers adjust their business models to accommodate the potential financial risks introduced by the bill.
Requires certain notice when redirecting consumers to website for ticket resale and establishes certain requirements for websites offering tickets for resale.
Requires certain notice when redirecting consumers to website for ticket resale and establishes certain requirements for websites offering tickets for resale.
Requires certain notice when redirecting consumers to website for ticket resale and establishes certain requirements for websites offering tickets for resale.
Enacts into law components of legislation that relate to live event ticket sales; establishes an annual professional reseller renewal fee; requires professional ticket resellers to provide their New York state ticket reseller license number as a condition of utilizing an online resale marketplace to resell tickets (Part A); provides criteria for when a purchaser may obtain a full refund of the amount paid for a ticket (Part B); relates to resale requirements for tickets; requires that if a licensee or other ticket reseller doesn't have possession of the ticket, then they shall have a written contract to obtain the offered ticket at a certain price from a person or entity in possession of the ticket or from a person or entity who has a contractual right to obtain such ticket, and tickets to the event have been placed on sale by the venue or entity hosting the event or its authorized agent before the licensee or reseller can advertise the sale of the tickets (Part C); relates to unlawful charges in connection with tickets; permits reasonable charges for costs actually rendered or otherwise in connection to customer support, technological and software infrastructure, and actual operational costs for sales away from the box office; defines terms (Part D); relates to the availability of tickets for sale to the general public; defines a term (Part E); relates to the resale of tickets included in a subscription or season ticket package (Part F); extends the effectiveness of certain provisions relating to tickets to places of entertainment (Part G).