When Major League Baseball was required to take swift action last month in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, commissioner Rob Manfred announced the cancellation of remaining Spring Training games and two-week delay to the start of the 2020 regular season.
That tentatively pushed Opening Day back from March 26 to April 9, however, a second delay — this one indefinite — has a start date for the season unclear. Furthermore, it’s widely believed if and when MLB resumes play, fans will not immediately be permitted to attend games.
Despite those factors, ticket refunds for regular-season games have yet to be granted. Much of that stems from a technicality of MLB designating games as being postponed, rather than cancelled.
Nevertheless, two fans have filed a lawsuit against all MLB teams, as well as ticket partners such as StubHub and Ticketmaster, and seek for their case to become class-action, according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times:
Major League Baseball, its teams and its official ticket resale partner were sued Monday in federal court by two fans who have tried and failed to get refunds for games called off because of the coronavirus crisis.
The suit, which seeks the class-action certification that would enable all fans to join, demands a refund of ticket costs and ancillary fees for games that have not been played.
The defendants are MLB, each of the 30 teams and four ticket companies, including StubHub — the league’s official resale partner — Ticketmaster, Live Nation and Last Minute Transactions.
One week after Spring Training was shut down, an announcement came that all tickets purchased through Camelback Ranch, or through Dodgers.com, WhiteSox.com or Tickets.com, were to be automatically refunded to the credit card originally used.
Customers who purchased tickets purchased at Camelback Ranch with cash were asked to complete a “Refund Form for Cash Payments” document, available for download here. The completed form must be submitted, along with the physical game tickets, and mailed to Camelback Ranch Tickets via U.S. mail to receive a refund check.
However, Camelback Ranch also announced tickets purchased through other sources and third-party vendors (StubHub, Vivid Seats, etc.) should have refund requests directed through the original point of purchase.
In a statement last month, the Dodgers in part said, “In coordination with MLB, we will provide more information about our plans, including our ticket policy for impacted games, as soon as it is available.
“We appreciate your patience as we work with MLB and local health and government agencies towards a resolution that is best for the continued safety of the entire extended Dodger family.”
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