Ticket Rocket Fiasco - Email Addresses To Be Used To Contact Potential Gift Card Recipients

By Robert Thomas

It is the question many concert goers and hockey fans are asking and that is how do they get their gift certificates for cancelled events at Mosaic Place they could not get refunds to in the wake of the Ticket Rocket fiasco?

The answer is it all has to deal with your email.

In a response to how people are going to be notified it will be through Spectra Events Management who are contracted as the management of Mosaic Place.

“Customers do not need to contact Spectra. Spectra will contact customers using the email information provided with their ticket purchase,” Craig Hemmingway communications manager for the City of Moose Jaw said in a reply to an email enquiry from MJ Independent. No date was given as to when customers might expect to be contacted.

“Ticket purchasers are encouraged to explore the potential of a refund through their respective credit card companies, if they haven’t already,” a news release from the City states. Those who have already received refunds are ineligible for the gift certificates.

The email address is the only information which has been retained by Mosaic Place after the remainder provided earlier (identification and credit card information) in an attempt to assist Ticket Rocket with speedier refunds was destroyed due to privacy laws.

The need for the gift certificates arose after the now in receivership Ticket Rocket failed to make promised refunds by August 22nd for two concerts and three Moose Jaw Warriors hockey games which were cancelled due to restrictions under the Province’s declared State Of Emergency to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID - 19.

The refunds were suppose to be made for the cancelled May 10th ZZ Top concert, the cancelled May 28th High Valley concert as well as the cancelled March 14, 17 and 21st Moose Jaw Warriors games.

ALSO SEE - Ticket Rocket Welches On Refund Date Promise

In order to receive gift cards ticket purchasers will have to provide some type of proof they purchased the tickets and sign an affidavit they have not been able to secure a refund by other means such as the dispute mechanism with their credit card company.

The cancelled ZZ Top concert scheduled for May 10, 2020 was one of the concerts Ticket Rocket did not provide refunds for

The need to issue gift cards to Mosaic Place patrons was decided at the September 8th regular Council meeting where the majority of elected officials felt the city had a “moral” obligation to give something to those who could not get a refund either through their credit card company or had purchased their tickets using a debit card or cash. Those paying with cash or debit card would have done so at the Mosaic Place ticket office.

The gift cards will be in dollar amounts equivalent to the amount customers spent on concert or hockey tickets. The gift cards can be used to purchase tickets to future events.

Mayor Fraser Tolmie at that meeting said the gift cards were necessary to protect the reputation of the City with more events happening in the future after the provincial COVID - 19 pandemic restrictions are lifted.

The estimated cost of the gift cards could be up to $200,000 ultimately paid for by Moose Jaw taxpayers.

A number of ticket purchasers have voiced complaints on-line or contacted the media, including MJ Independent, saying they prefer a refund over top of a gift certificate.

With its’ headquarters based in Dunedin, New Zealand Ticket Rocket was operated by Canadian born entrepreneur Matt Davey who has been reported to police there by at least two of his New Zealand clients for failing to pay for events which preceded COVID - 19 cancellations. Potentially tens of thousands of New Zealand ticket purchasers at hundreds of events are out money for cancelled events with no compensation from venues. Globally the dollar amounts lost by ticket purchasers and venues is expected to be in the tens of millions of dollars.