FIFA World Cup Tickets and Your Consumer Rights

In BC, businesses that sell or resell tickets to live events must follow the rules in the Ticket Sales Act. The goal of this law is to help give you clear information about tickets before you buy, so you understand what you’re paying for.  

Here are some important definitions. 

• Primary ticket seller : a venue owner, promoter or agent of either. For example, Rogers Arena or Ticketmaster  

• Secondary ticket seller: a person who engages in the business of selling tickets that were originally sold by a primary ticket seller  

• Secondary ticketing platform: a website or online service that facilitates the sale of tickets by ticket sellers (other than primary ticket sellers) 

If you bought your ticket from a secondary seller or secondary ticketing platform, they must guarantee a refund in certain situations, such as:  

• The event is cancelled before the ticket can be used 

• The ticket you bought doesn’t give you admission to the event (this does not apply if the secondary ticketing platform notified you that your ticket was cancelled prior to an event or the tickets never actually arrived) 

• Your ticket was counterfeit 

• The ticket doesn’t match the description as was advertised or represented 

We understand the disappointment of not being able to attend the match. If you are experiencing challenges receiving a refund, here’s information about your consumer rights and the options available to you. 

Your first step is to follow up with the resale site

Most major ticket sellers have their own refund process, but it’s important to know that it could take a while to get a refund, depending on your bank or financial institution.  

Go to your credit card company

If you still haven’t received a refund from the resale site, you can contact your credit card company to request a reversal of charges.  

If you live in BC, you may have additional rights under different laws. For example, if you purchased the tickets online. Learn more about your rights for online purchases.  

There are limits to what we can and cannot help you with, but if you have followed the above steps and have not received a refund you can submit a complaint to us.  

Submit a ticket sales complaint to our office.

If the issue does not fall under our authority, we will try our best to guide you in the right direction. We look at each complaint to decide if we should open a case based on the facts, the law and the level of risk. In some cases, we may refer you to another agency or court. 

If you’ve experienced any other issue with the sale of a ticket to an event in BC:

• First, follow up with the ticket seller to try and resolve the issue
• Keep copies of all your purchase documents and correspondence 
• Submit a complaint form to us and attach all relevant documents

If the issue does not fall under our authority, we will try our best to guide you in the right direction. 

Learn more about ticket sales and the law in BC.

We look at each complaint to decide if we should open a case based on the facts, the law and the level of risk. In some cases, we may refer it to another agency or court.