Ticketmaster customers to get small fee credits

[December 06, 2011]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Concertgoers who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster are being notified that they'll soon receive credits for fees they were charged over the past decade.

Emails are being sent to customers who are entitled to the credits as part of a class-action lawsuit filed in 2003 that alleged the company overcharged them. A pair of men had sued in Los Angeles over fees they were charged for purchasing tickets to Wilco and Bruce Springsteen concerts.

A settlement, which received preliminary approval from a judge in October, will give customers a $1.50 credit on up to 17 tickets they purchased between specific dates in 1999 and 2011 that they can use on future purchases. It will also credit purchasers who received tickets via UPS up $5 for up to 17 transactions. The settlement is scheduled to be finalized in May.

The credits are for an "Order Processing Fee" that Ticketmaster assessed on purchases.

The credits come with several restrictions: Customers can only use two credits at a time and cannot use them for events scheduled at venues owned by concert giant AEG Live.

Customers who were charged the fees are receiving emails announcing the settlement and will receive messages after the settlement is finalized with details on how to redeem the credits. A website has also been established explaining the case and the settlement.

Matthew Cameron, a Massachusetts lawyer, is objecting to the settlement, claiming its credits are "virtually useless" and do not fully compensate customers.

He wrote in a statement to the judge handling the case that the credits have no cash value and are "plainly designed to directly profit defendants at the further expense of the class."

Cameron purchased 18 tickets between 2006 and 2010, according to his filing.

Ticketmaster is owned by Live Nation Inc. The company did not immediately return an email message seeking comment.

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Online:

Settlement details:
http://www.ticketfeelitigation.com/

[Associated Press]

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