Yekaterinburg Saburov concert canceled, service fees withheld

The concert of stand-up comedian Nurlan Saburov, scheduled for February 3 at the MTS Live Hall in Yekaterinburg, has been canceled.

Many viewers have faced difficulties in getting refunds: organizers are only refunding the face value of the ticket, withholding the service fee.

One viewer reported: «The commission (in my case 1,500 rubles, approx. $20 at current rates) was not returned to me, citing their own rule, which contradicts the consumer protection law. The support service responds with generic replies, while more than 4,000 seats were sold, meaning the company collected over 3 million rubles (approx. $40,000 at current rates) for nothing (729 rubles, approx. $10 at current rates, commission per ticket).»

Some fans are still awaiting refunds for purchased tickets.

Venue representatives stated on social media that the reason for the cancellation was «force majeure.»

Lawyer Georgy Krasnov explained that when a concert is canceled, ticket buyers have the right to demand a full refund of all amounts paid, including fees. «The service commission is part of the ticket price you paid for the service that did not take place. The basis for the commission has disappeared,» he noted.

How to get your money back: lawyer«s recommendations

To get a refund, you should:

• Send a claim to the seller, indicating the order number, ticket details, a demand for a full refund with a separate indication of the ticket amount and commission, payment details, and a 10-day deadline, attaching screenshots of the receipt and the cancellation announcement.
• If refused, file a complaint with Rospotrebnadzor (Russia«s consumer protection agency) — this is an effective and less costly way than going to court.

Nurlan Saburov is a Kazakh stand-up comedian, TV host, and showman who has worked in Russia for a long time. According to Forbes, he is one of the country«s highest-paid comedians.

The concert was originally planned for October 23 but was postponed to February 3. A new date has not been announced, and similar performances have been canceled across Russia.

In Yekaterinburg, the show «The Nutcracker on Ice with a Symphony Orchestra» was also canceled, leaving hundreds of viewers unable to get their money back.