Last week, I posted a letter demanding a refund for UFC 187 due to the fact that Jon Jones was pulled from the main event. This letter was sent to industry insiders, MMA fans/bloggers, and even Dana White and Lorenzo Ferititta themselves. That letter can be found here: https://clydeaidoo.com/2015/05/11/how-in-the-world-has-the-ufc-not-offered-a-refund-for-ufc-187-2/
As of late Monday, I was able to successfully receive a full refund for the event in spite of the fact that the UFC did not offer refunds to the public even though they changed the main event by their choice. This post is an informational item that discloses how to attain a refund from the UFC or any similar promoter if they are not offering refunds even though it is obvious that they have to. I am once again reaching out to MMA industry insiders as well because I want them to use their voice to educate the MMA fans around the world.
Let’s begin with a timeline of events leading to the refund, shall we?
February 13th, 2015: It is announced that pound for pound king Jon Jones would defend his championship against Anthony Rumble Johnson.
March 25th, 2015: Excited to see this epic clash, I purchase my ticket to see this fight which is complemented by the most stacked card in recent memory.
April 27th, 2015: Jon Jones turns himself in to Albuquerque police after being named the lead suspect in a felony hit-and-run where a pregnant woman suffered a broken arm.
April 28, 2015: Soon after meeting with Jon Jones, UFC officials make the decision to strip Jones of the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship and remove him from the UFC 187 main event.
April 28, 2015: I understand the decision, but continue to check search engines to find out when the UFC will offer a refund after changing the main event.
April 30, 2015 – Tired of waiting, I write to Ticketmaster, asking them for a refund. They state that there has been no word from the promoter offering refunds, therefore, they could not help me.
May 11, 2015 – After reaching out to the UFC multiple times about providing me with a refund and receiving no reply, I post the aforementioned letter demanding a refund not only on behalf of myself, but of all consumers who paid to see Jon Jones.
May 14, 2015 – With the event now a week away, I write Ticketmaster once again. I demand a refund and tell them that if they cannot give me the refund, they need to contact the promoter and get one for me. They responded saying they would send a “request for clarification” to the promoter and get back to me. They never got back to me.
May 16th, 2015: I send yet another e-mail to Ticketmaster. This time I reminded them of the Nevada Administrative Code 467.255 which states that if there is a change in the main event, “the promoter must refund the patron’s money if the patron presents the ticket or the ticket stub at the box office before the opening contest or exhibition of the program is scheduled to begin. The box office must remain open a reasonable length of time to redeem such tickets.”
Then, during a routine check of my checking account yesterday, I discover I have an extra $400 bucks in my account. And sure enough, that is the cost of my refunded UFC 187 ticket. I have not received an e-mail from Ticketmaster or the UFC acknowledging they have given me a refund. It’s almost as if they begrudgingly gave me the refund as if to say, “There, now go the fuck away.” It feels almost like hush money. Who gives a refund and does not send an e-mail acknowledging the consumer of it? Or at least a generic, “Your issue has been resolved” e-mail? Nothing at all. I don’t know if it was Ticketmaster who didn’t want to get pulled into this any further so just decided to give me the money, or if the UFC granted it themselves after realizing that I wasn’t going away. If I had to guess, I’d say that the UFC decided to give me the refund because they knew they had no choice when the ticket vender themselves pressed them on the matter.
UFC 187 is a great, great card. Hell, I’m going to order the Pay Per View and I have every intention of enjoying every fight from the prelims all the way down to the altered main event. So for all ticket holders to this event, enjoy the show! But this post is for two people: Those who paid to see Jon Jones and just gave up, thinking they can’t get a refund, and those who need to know that as a consumer YOU DO HAVE RIGHTS, and if a main event is changed in the future, you need to follow the steps that I did: Write the ticket vender, write the UFC, if you get no response, THREATEN the UFC, and remind them that the law is on your side. Fortunately, the state of Nevada’s laws made it easier for me, but chances are, this law or similar laws will work in your favor if you find yourself in the position I did. And for those who paid to see Jones, IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO GET YOUR REFUND IF YOU WANT ONE! WRITE YOUR TICKET VENDER! REMIND THEM OF NEVADA ADMINISTRATIVE CODE 467.255, and as long as you purchased your ticket before they changed the main event, they MUST refund your money. The UFC knows that by not making this information public, not many people will ask for a refund or fight for a refund. I hope that by making THIS post public, MMA fans and sporting events consumers around the world will learn that even in the face of the daunting “Card is Subject to Change” bill, promoters cannot abuse this and we, the consumer, still have rights. And the reason why I continue to reach out to MMA sites and insiders on this matter is because I feel they have a responsibility to educate the consumer and MMA fans on matters like this for the simple fact that we all know the UFC won’t. We know that promoters won’t make this information public because they want to keep as much of the profit they can. But for those who report on MMA, I am sending this to you because the right thing to do is to use YOUR voice to educate YOUR followers and YOUR fans about matters like this. My voice may reach a few hundred if I’m lucky, but your voice can reach thousands. They say that with power comes responsibility. I say with A VOICE comes responsibility. A responsibility to do right by those who take the time to listen to that voice and support you. UFC and MMA fans CAN get a refund if the main event is changed, even if the cause of the change is the car wreck that is Jon Jones’s life.
Original Clyde Aidoo 