Event Ticket Cancelled and No Refund Offered? Letter of Demand (Australia)

The concert was cancelled. The festival was rescheduled to a date that does not work. The event went ahead but the headline act dropped out. The ticket platform offered you a credit, a partial refund, or nothing at all.

The legal context

Tickets sold to Australian consumers are services under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). Section 60 (due care and skill), section 61 (fitness for purpose) and section 18 (misleading conduct) all apply. The ACCC’s published guidance on cancelled and rescheduled events is clear: where the event does not go ahead as advertised, a refund is generally the entitlement, regardless of whether the ticketing terms say otherwise.

Common pushbacks and why they fail

• “Tickets are non-refundable.” Cannot override the ACL when the event is cancelled or materially changed.
• “The promoter has gone into administration.” Where the ticket platform took your money, they may still be liable; chargebacks may also apply.
• “You can use the credit at any future event.” Not equivalent to the original service.
• “Force majeure.” Cause does not erase the refund right when the service is not supplied.

The Letter of Demand approach

The Letter of Demand identifies the ticket, the cancellation or change, the ACL sections engaged, the refund amount, and a 14-day deadline. It names the ACCC, state Fair Trading, and the relevant tribunal as the escalation path. Ticket platforms have legal teams that triage incoming demands.

What Claim Done delivers

• Event, ticket numbers, date and price paid
• The cancellation or material change
• Citation of ACL sections in play
• Refund amount and 14-day deadline
• Sent to the platform (and promoter if separate) for a flat $49

What to expect after

If they don’t, complain to the ACCC and your state Fair Trading office, then file in NCAT, VCAT, QCAT or your state’s equivalent. A credit-card chargeback can run in parallel where the purchase was on a credit card.