NBC 5 Responds looks into what you should know before buying tickets to an event.
Fresh out of college, Christina Shelton and her family went to an inspirational concert put on by the group women of faith.
“I remember thinking this is so cool, I want to be a part of it,” said Shelton.
Shelton applied for a job and moved from Chicago to Plano where she was in charge of selling group tickets often times to local church groups across the country. Suzanne Bottoms belonged to one such group in Virginia.
“There are other women that were just like us, excited about this,” said Bottoms.
In 2016, the company launched something new, The Belong Tour, aimed specifically at younger women.
“It was brand new, it wasn't women of faith we had a lot of work to do to grow and become this live events company we had been,” said Shelton.
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That never happened though. The Belong Tour was cancelled after its first year.
The company was bought by GJ and Alita Reynolds and before long there were moving trucks outside the Plano headquarters.
“I walked into the office and he said, 'We’re taking the company in a different direction' and he let the whole team go,” said Shelton.
Plans had been made, tickets already sold. Remember Suzanne Bottoms?
She and her church group had bought ten tickets totaling $790.
“They didn’t tell us it was cancelled. Susan kept on saying “Where are our tickets?”
The tickets were sold as non-refundable, but GJ and Alita Reynolds promised in a video posted on the tour’s website that they would still pay everyone back.
“Soon after purchasing the company we quickly realized the company had huge holes and financially it was a sinking ship we felt that it is the right thing to do, to provide refunds,” said GJ Reynolds.
The Reynolds blame the cancellation on low ticket sales and high venue costs.
“The entire video is an excuse as to why he is not responsible and i think that’s probably the biggest issue at hand is that he does not believe that he is responsible for any of this,” said Shelton.
Reynolds told NBC Responds that refunds are still being issued but he didn’t have a timeline for when that will happen.
“We continue to ask for your Christ-like patience and understanding in this process,” said Reynolds.
Patience has run low for women like Suzanne Bottoms and that’s what stings the most for Chrissy Shelton.
“We put so much energy, our ideas, our heart," said Shelton. “I just want him to put together a plan and figure it out, and I’ll help him do it if he wants to call me.”
If you bought the tickets with a credit card, you can try to reach out to your credit card company for a refund.
Many companies only give those if reported within the first few months, so it may be too late, but some customers have had luck getting money back.
When buying any tickets make sure you read the fine print.
If the tickets say "final sale" or "non-refundable" you may be out of luck if the event is cancelled.
Also, buy from a site that has a guaranteed. Stubhub's web site says it will refund customers if an event is called off.
