When Eventbrite Requires You To Issue Refunds
If your business involves hosting live events and you’re using Eventbrite for ticketing, you might not know that yes, sometimes, you’re required to issue refunds!
But don’t worry. I read the terms of use that you “clicked to agree,” but never actually read.
And this time, we’re digging into Eventbrite’s refund requirements.
I’m Maria Spear Ollis, aka The Lunar Lawyer, and I’m going to shine some light on important refund requirements you might've missed inside of Evenbrite’s Terms and Conditions.
Where to find Eventbrite’s refund requirements
Throughout this post, I’m going to be referring to Eventbrite’s Organizer Refund Policy Requirements. By using Eventbrite’s ticketing platform to sell tickets to your retreat or other event, you agree to abide by these requirements.
When are refunds required by Eventbrite?
Refunds are required on Eventbrite in a few specific circumstances.
Even if you have a “no refunds” policy, you must issue a refund if your event is canceled or otherwise not fully performed. (So, for example, if it’s cancelled or called off part of the way through. Or, if it doesn’t live up to what was advertised.)
You also have to provide a refund via Eventbrite if your event is postponed and not rescheduled within 90 days of the postponement.
Finally, refunds are required under the following circumstances:
If Eventbrite decides there was a failure to provide the advertised goods and services, (this includes circumstances where Eventbrite decides that the main advertised experience or component of your event was not delivered);
If your event description presented at time of purchase is significantly different from the actual event;
If attendees are unable to attend the event due to your failure to adequately plan for capacity, ingress or egress, or attendance will otherwise subject the ticket-buyer to safety concerns;
If attendees are unable to access the event venue; or
A refund request is eligible for a refund, per your posted refund policy.
Oh, and if you fail to issue a required refund? Eventbrite is authorized to do it on your behalf.
(Like with all platforms, you agree to these legal terms by using Eventbrite.)
Where to display your refund policy on Eventbrite
Psst… your event ticket terms and conditions should clearly state your refund policy! You can (and should) also post your refund policy in the description of your event, and even in the F.A.Q for your event.
Under “Order Options” on the backend of your event details, you’ll see a page like this:
Here’s a screen shot of what you’ll see at the “order form” link under the “Order Options” tab of your event details.
Under “custom questions” towards the bottom of the page, you can add in your event ticket terms and conditions and refund policy, and make it a REQUIRED question. This will require buyers to acknowledge that they have read and reviewed your policy before buying a ticket.
One more refund requirement on Eventbrite
Eventbrite requires you to respond to all refund requests within five business days.
“But I can select ‘no refunds’ as an option on Eventbrite!” You say.
Yes you can have a “no refunds” policy for events on Eventbrite. But, Eventbrite makes clear that your refund policy still has to comply with state law and with Eventbrite’s policies.
“No refund” policies have to be clearly stated. You can use the “Custom Questions” feature above to double-ensure that ticket buyers view and agree to your refund policy before buying.
How do I create a “legal” refund policy and other event ticket Terms and Conditions for my Event AND comply with Eventbrite’s requirements?!
Pshhhh. I got you. 😉 ⬇️
Look no further than The Legal Apothecary Library! Filling out and customizing your Event Ticket Terms and Conditions can be as easy as answering a few yes/no and multiple choice questions.