Comedian's Yekaterinburg Concert Canceled, Fans Denied Full Refunds
In Yekaterinburg, a concert by famous stand-up comedian Nurlan Saburov has been canceled. It was supposed to take place at MTS Live Hall on February 3. Now many fans cannot get their money back. According to E1.RU readers, organizers are only refunding the ticket price, but not the service fee.
«The commission (in my case 1500 rubles (about $20 at current rates)) was not refunded to me, citing their rule which contradicts the consumer protection law. The support service responds with generic replies, meanwhile over 4000 seats were sold, meaning over 3 million rubles (about $40,000 at current rates) collected by the company for nothing (729 rubles (about $10 at current rates) commission per ticket),» shared a reader.
And some of the comedian«s fans are still waiting for refunds for their tickets.
The venue where the stand-up comedian«s concert was supposed to take place posted on social media that the reason for the cancellation was »force majeure circumstances«.
Lawyer Georgy Krasnov explained to E1.RU that when a concert is canceled, viewers have the right to a full refund of all funds paid for the ticket, including any service and additional fees:
«The service commission is part of the ticket price that you paid for the unrealized service. The basis for the commission has disappeared. The service received a commission for organizing the ticket sale for a specific event. Since the event has been canceled, and the service did not provide you with the promised service (attending the concert), it has no legal grounds to retain this reward.»
How to Get Your Money Back: Lawyer«s Recommendations
1. Contact the seller (service where you bought the ticket). Write a claim to their support service, clearly stating:
Order number and ticket details;
Demand for a full refund of the amount paid on the receipt (specifying the ticket price and commission amount separately);
Basis — cancellation of the concert by the organizer;
Payment details for transferring the money;
Deadline for voluntary satisfaction of the demand (usually 10 days);
Attach screenshots of the receipt, purchase confirmation, and official cancellation announcement.
2. If the service refuses to refund the commission, do not agree with arguments that «the commission is our service, and it is non-refundable.» This is illegal.
Send a written claim to the service«s management;
File a complaint with Rospotrebnadzor (the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing) through their website or in person. This is a very effective way and less costly in terms of time and money than going to court.
Nurlan Saburov is a stand-up comedian, TV host, and showman from Kazakhstan. He has been working in Russia for a long time and appears in many projects. According to Forbes, the humorist is among the highest-paid comedians in Russia.
Initially, the concert was supposed to take place on October 23, but due to reasons beyond the organizers« control, the show was postponed to February 3. Currently, there is no information about a new date. Performances have also been canceled across Russia.
Earlier we wrote that hundreds of Yekaterinburg residents cannot get their money back for tickets to the canceled show «The Nutcracker on Ice with a Symphony Orchestra,» which was supposed to take place on December 23 at «UGMK Arena».
