1. Do I get my money back for the ticket?
It varies from case to case. The organizers decide whether to refund the tickets to the consumers. At the Engadine Ski Marathon, for example, the regulations stipulate that the participants get back at least CHF 16 from the CHF 100 to CHF 140 entry fee. Managing director Menduri Kasper is currently investigating whether more money can be reimbursed.
Even in the case of ice hockey games, which take place in front of empty ranks on Friday and Saturday, each club decides how to deal with the situation. At EHC Biel, tickets that have already been purchased can be exchanged for a ticket of the same price category for the next season, as the club reports via Twitter. HC Lugano gives its fans the choice: either they request a refund of the ticket price within 30 days – or they donate the amount voluntarily to the youth section of the club, which collects for a new team bus.
At Ticketcorner, it is said that most events will be postponed, not canceled entirely. If a concert or a sports event is postponed to a new date, the ticket remains valid. It is still unclear whether customers will get their money back if they do not have time on the alternative date.
2. What do consumer advocates say?
The Swiss Foundation for Consumer Protection asks the organizers of events to be accommodating: “Organizers have to offer solutions that are not exclusively at the expense of consumers. It cannot be that they have to answer for the damage alone, »says managing director Sara Stalder.
3. Does the federal government compensate the organizers?
No. Anyone who remains on a worthless ticket after the ban on events will not be compensated by the federal government. Interior Minister Alain Berset said this at a media conference this morning. The epidemic law does not provide for any liability regulation, only a hardship clause. The authorities cannot estimate how great the damage is for organizers and companies.
SVP National Councilor Diana Gutjahr does not want to leave it at that. She wants to ensure that the federal government compensates the organizers for the financial consequences of the ban, as she writes on Twitter. The Thurgau resident rhetorically asks: “The ban leads committed organizers into financial collapse. Is the federal government aware of this responsibility? »?
4. Can I insure myself against something like this?
Many ticket providers offer cancellation cost insurance. Consumer advocate Sara Stalder advises against taking out such ticket insurances because often not all scenarios are covered in the small print. In fact, Ticketcorner’s cancellation insurance only comes into play if the insured person falls ill or has an accident, for example. If the organizer cancels the event, however, a refund is not possible.
5. Can I defend myself if everything is not refunded to me?
Consumer protection calls on those affected to report by email if they fall on deaf ears with the organizers.
Created: 02-28-2020, 04:02 PM
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