Canadians get cheques in Ticketmaster class action

Canadians who bought tickets for concerts or other events on Ticketmasters TicketsNow resale site are getting cheques in the mail as a result of a class action lawsuit.

A court order in 2012 demanded Ticketmaster pay an $850,000 settlement.

In 2009, lawyers in four provinces Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of consumers who had bought tickets on the TicketsNow site.

The suit claimed Ticketmaster diverted tickets to popular events away from its lower-priced portal to its ticket brokering website TicketsNow, which demanded a premium price for the same tickets.

The settlement, completed late last year, provides $36, less some deductions for legal costs, for each ticket boughton the site over a period of two to five years, depending whereconsumers bought their tickets.

Canadianswho are receiving refunds bought tickets:

• Between Feb. 19, 2006 and Sept. 25, 2012, for events in Quebec.
• Between Feb. 9, 2007 and Sept. 25, 2012, for events in Ontario.
• Between Feb. 17, 2007 and Oct. 31, 2009, for events in Alberta.
• Between Feb. 17, 2007 and Sept. 25, 2012, for events in Manitoba.

Cheques were mailed between Dec. 28, 2012 and Jan. 25 of this year. But anyone who has moved since buying a TicketsNow ticket has to get their new address to the settlement agency.

In addition, Ontario and Manitoba have enacted anti-scalping legislation that makes it illegal to divert regularly priced tickets to a site that demandsa premium price.