HARRISBURG, PA — Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced that his office this week entered into a settlement agreement with online ticket seller RYADD, Inc., for alleged violations of Pennsylvania’s consumer protection laws. RYADD sells tickets through the websites TicketsOnSale and OnlineCityTickets for events in and outside of Pennsylvania. Early on in the pandemic, when most if not all concerts and events in Pennsylvania were canceled, RYADD changed their refund policy without notice and against Pennsylvania law.
“RYADD thought they could pocket money for shows that never went on,” said AG Shapiro. “Even though Pennsylvanians purchased tickets with the understanding they could qualify for a refund in the event of cancellation. RYADD took advantage of an unprecedented pandemic to go back on its agreement to provide refunds, in violation of the law. This week’s settlement puts all ticket resellers on notice: if you deceive consumers to protect your own bottom line, you’ll have to answer to my office.”
According to the Office of Attorney General’s investigation, while RYADD previously guaranteed consumers a full and immediate refund for a canceled event, during the pandemic RYADD changed its refund policy to a mandatory store credit and refused to provide refunds for canceled shows.
As part of this week’s settlement, RYADD has agreed to fully refund any Pennsylvania consumer who purchased a ticket before September 8, 2022 to a show that was canceled and who hasn’t yet received a refund. RYADD also agreed to make changes to confusing language on its website and to modify its checkout process so consumers immediately know the final price they’re paying prior to completing the sale.
Pennsylvanians who purchased tickets before September 8, 2022, through either OnlineCityTickets or TicketsOnSale for a show that was canceled and has not received a monetary refund should file a complaint with the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection online, by calling 800-441-2555 or emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov, no later than December 7, 2022.
The settlement was filed in the Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas by Senior Deputy Attorney General Paul D. Edger.
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