Brown Paper Tickets

My dance company, TriptheDark Dance Company in Portland, OR, performed a show in Feb/March 2020 and sold our tickets through Brown Paper Tickets. They are blaming covid-19 for not paying out what they owe to event producers, but this is money that we earned through our production that they are holding on to, not informing us of when or if they will be able to pay it, and as of today, have not received our payout.

I ordered tickets to a dueling piano show in Celeron New York on February 26th. The show was scheduled on April 3, 2020. The show was cancelled on March 16th due to COVID-19. I immediately requested a refund as instructed and received a general response back that said it would be 2 weeks to get a refund. It is now been 9 weeks and I still have not received the $518.40 that I am owed. I have sent four emails asking for my refund of which I have never even received a response.

I ordered tickets for an event on April 2, 2020. On March 19, 2020, I received an email stating that I would receive a refund of $35.58 within 2 -6 weeks. I never received that email and now there is no response from the company when I contact them.

I purchased tickets for a concert in on Feb 27, 2020 for a concert.

I have sent them several emails and attempted to call multiple times - to no avail.

Here is the timeline:

March 23 – I emailed requesting a refund. At first they couldn’t find my information, which seemed strange because I was the purchaser and they should have been able to look up my name or the concert name and date. Lots of emails back and forth and I found the specific confirmation number. I then got a generic (“Due to the impact of COVID-19 on events around the globe, we are currently experiencing a high number of inbound calls and emails. We are working through requests as quickly as we can, but please note that it may take some time for us to get back to you.”) email.

March 28 - I sent a follow up email. Generic response.

April 9 - I sent a strong worded follow up email with the confirmation number indicating that I had been waiting several weeks. Generic response.

April 9 - At this point I attempted to call several times and after waiting on hold for 20 minutes, the call would abruptly hang up. I was not able to leave a message. I was not able to get through.

April 20 - I sent a more strong worded follow up email with the confirmation number to their support staff. I indicated that I have been waiting for over a month. Generic response.

April 30 – I get an email from the Executive Director of the concern stating that we should have received a refund he has also tried to contact this company without success.

It is now MAY 17. Almost TWO MONTHS since I have tried to contact them. At this point the concert date has well passed. They have received numerous emails.

There is no excuse. Had the concert not been cancelled – this money would have been forwarded to the organization who runs the concert. I don’t believe this has happened. I believe they are holding my money illegally. This is absurd.

My theater company is owed two payments from Brown Paper Tickets - One check is for $1650 and one is $1812 our ID number for this is ***. They are in a lot of hot water from what I see in national press. The payments were promised and due the week of March 21. Our other address is *** They will NOT answer the phone or return ANY of my refund requests emails.... as we were told to do. We are a not for profit volunteer arts organization, and this debt is ruining our great reputation that we have built for 18 years. Please help us get these due funds. These amounts were for shows that they took all ticket money for and promised to send us back our cut the following week. That was in mid march...

I purchased tickets to the Toronto showing of the Banff Mountain Film Festival (BMFF). This show was cancelled as a result of COVID-19. I purchased three tickets ($25 each) to the March 21st show. I received an email from Brown Paper Tickets saying that I would receive my refund within 2 or 3 weeks (email received Saturday March 21st). That has not happen. I contacted Brown Paper Tickets twice, no response. I also contacted the organizers of the BMFF and they pushed their responsibility back onto Brown Paper Tickets. This is pathetic.

we purchased tickets for a brewer game that got canceled because of the Corona virus. It has been over 2 months and still no refund. I was told it could be upto 4-6 weeks in the first response that was automated. It's now over 8 weeks and still nothing. Tried to call them but no response then I emailed them again and got no response at all. All I'm trying to do is get a refund. I understand they don't have the staff to handle this but don't lie and say a certain amount of time you will get the tickets refunded but not even close to that date they say.

I bought tickets for the Colton Underwood @ Anderson's Bookshop event for 4/6/20 and received an email on 3/16/20 the event was cancelled. It advised I would receive a refund/credit within 3-10 days. I allowed about 3 weeks and called on 4/11/20 regarding the status of the refund. Lorelei advised don't worry they're running behind and you will receive your credit within 5-10 business days. Being patient I waited a month and tried calling on 5/11/20 to check status and no live person on the phone - message advised to email. I emailed again on 5/11/20 and received an auto email response saying a staff member will be in touch as soon as possible. As it has been 2 months since the event was cancelled my patience has run out. My confirmation # *** was for a total of $69.18 and would appreciate my refund/credit to my account.

We at the *** (***) held a fundraiser event that was called “A Night of Culinary Delights: A Four-Chef Cooperative Dinner to Benefit the ***” that was held on March 2, 2020 from 6 PM to 8:30 PM at a local Whidbey Island restaurant in Freeland. As we had done for past fundraiser events, we used Brown Paper Tickets (BPT) to handle the pre-purchase ticket sales.

Our complaint is that we have not received a check from BPT to date for the $7,105.77 owed to us from this event, and we have learned that many other people who used BPT during this time period are in the same predicament.

It shows on their website (Which is still up and running) that for this event there were 45 sales for a total value of $7,105.77. I generated a detailed financial report of the 3/02 event from their data and attached it here to this complaint.

Under our Account Journal on their website, they approved payment for this event on 3/08/2020, created a Check #*** for the $7,105.77 amount owed to us on 3/09/2020 (One week after our fundraiser), but then voided the check on 4/06/2020 with a (C19) note after the check indicating it was cancelled. The *** never did receive a check from them in our PO Box. After my initial concern about not getting the check in a timely manner, we made contact with BPT via phone call in mid-April and they said a check would be mailed to the *** by May 1st. When that did not happen, we attempted to reach out to them again but this last effort has failed. Apparently they no longer are taking phone calls and they are not responding to e-mail correspondence.

The good news is that the BPT website is still up and running and it does still show a balance due to the *** of $7,105.77.

Any help you can provide in regard to this complaint is highly appreciated, as we are a small non-profit group trying to support our local schools and kids.

On March 6,2020 at 11:03 AM PST, I purchased two tickets to the ***. The amount I paid was $180.48. The event was cancelled due to Covid19. I am entitled to a full refund! I’ve sent numerous emails requesting a refund and still I have not received the funds I paid for this event. I was contacted back requesting for me to provide necessary information needed to process my refund in which I did including the confirmation number for the tickets purchased, yet still no refund.
I was informed on April 13, 2020 at 3:05 PM PST via email that refunds would be issued in full, processed through the Brown Paper Tickets credit card processor. The email stated Brown Paper Tickets were processing all refunds for cancelled events, rather than providing “credits” or flat out denying refunds. Please process my REFUND ASAP!

I made 2 separate purchases through Brown Bag Tickets For the Love Of Lily (Exciter) show on Jan 24, 2020 Confirmation #: *** ($218.34); and on January 23, 2020 Confirmation #: *** ($727.80) for tickets to a show on March 21, 2020 @ the Overflow Brewing Company in Ottawa. I requested a refund after the show was deemed cancelled due to Corona-19, on March 19, 2020. I rec'd acknowledgement that I would hear from them w/in 2-6 weeks. I have had not response and have sent 3 inquiries since. Can you please help me obtain a refund. Thank you. ***
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BPT contracted to handle ticket sales for our March 2020 Production of "Iolanthe". We had performances planned for March 6, 7, 8, 12, 13 and 14, 2020. We successfully performed the first four shows but we had to cancel the shows on the 13 and 14 of March due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We are owed a total of $CAN 18,837.40 for the ticket sales which BPT had processed. In spite of many phone calls and emails, we have not received anything. They say that they have had to reduce manpower and thus service levels due to the outbreak.

On February 10, 2020, I purchased two tickets to the Ten Thousand Things theater performance of "Thunder Knocking on the Door" which was to occur on April 5, 2020. Because of COVID-19, the performance was canceled. I paid $75.48 for the two tickets. I have received several email assurances from Brown Paper Tickets that a refund was forthcoming. The most recent email came on April 24, 2020. I still haven't received a refund. The reference number listed in that email is ***.

I ordered tickets on March 1 for an event which was supposed to be on March 22. I paid $151.95 I was notified that the event had been cancelled and immediately asked for a refund March 13. I received an automated reply. On March 16 I received an email saying I had to formally ask for a refund before March 30. I did that on March 16. I did not receive a refund so contacted them again April 14. They said refunds were delayed due to high volume. It is now May 14 and still no refund.

I am a Board director at Elin Pelin Foundation, Houston, Texas. We are a non-profit educational and cultural organization to support our Bulgarian community in Houston, Texas, which entirely depends on volunteering and donations. We hosted an event on 02/14/2020 and used Brown Paper Tickets services for our guests to purchase online tickets. Brown Paper Tickets sent us a check for $1916.19 which was returned as unpaid and the bank charged us additional $12.00 fee. Since then I have been trying to get in touch with Brown Paper Tickets support without any success – emails sent on 03/23/2020, 04/13/2020, 05/04/2020. Our request for support is under Case ID #***. This is not a refund request, these are our funds which Brown Paper Tickets have been holding for 3 months already. These funds are extremely important to keep our organization active in these unprecedented times we are living in.

We purchased tickets on 3/1/20 for the Fort Bragg Chowder Tasting on March 21 for $22.98. Refund requested 3/12/20 because event was canceled due to COVID-19. Email replies are stock forms saying they are still working on it. They are no longer answering the phone. It has been over two months now and I question if they have any intention of making the refund.

On March 1, 2020 we booked four tickets to the Tahoe City Food & Wine Classic ( Confirmation #***) ($213.93).. On 04/17/2020 we received a notice from Brown Paper tickets, that the event was cancelled due to COVID19.

On 04/24/2020 I sent an email to Brown Paper Tickets as instructed in their email. I also followed that up with an email on 05/05/20. No response.

Feeling a little frustrated. Can't get through to anyone that will answer a phone call, or respond stating that they are processing my refund...

No refund has been issued for my cancelled Yakima show, West Coast Feed. I am owed $64.98 for 2 tickets to this show that was cancelled. They told me via email refund was coming, and it hasn't arrived.

I am the owner of a small theater company in Los Angeles called *** I have used Brown Paper Tickets for over a decade for multiple shows.

I had one of my shows, *** LIVE on Feb. 29th and another one of my shows *** LIVE the following week on March 7th. This was BEFORE the Coronavirus shutdown. These two shows went off with no issues and everyone that purchased tickets attended. Between the two shows I was supposed be getting $6,757 from BPT.

About a month after the shows were performed I called BPT to see why I hadn't received my checks yet for the completed shows. They told me that because of the Coronavirus they were behind and that my checks should be mailed in the next 7-10 days. After a couple of weeks and still nothing, I emailed them and they said that they were putting me on the "Priority List" and the checks should arrive in 7-10 days (maybe that is a scripted timeline?).

Two more weeks pass and no checks. I emailed BPT asking what was going on, and now they tell me to send them a copy of a check because they will be delivering the funds via Direct Deposit. So I send them a check and tell them to please confirm that they have what they need to deposit my money. I get no response.

I called back a couple of days later to confirm that they had received my direct deposit info and see when the payments will be deposited. I am put on hold while the rep says they are going to go ask "the people in charge". After a few minutes on hold the rep comes back and says "They couldn't find the people in charge at the moment." Huh? Is anyone in charge? Can you not find them because they have spent my money?

I ask AGAIN,"When will my money be deposited?" and let them know that my livelihood is at stake as these shows are my sole income. The guys says he can't answer that but it should be between 2-6 more weeks now!

A couple of days later BPT shutdown their phones and won't respond to emails! I need answers and my $$$!

Brown Paper tickets collected ticket sales from our non-profit group. We received an email that a check was being issued. Then later received a check do not cash because it would bounce. As I read many articles I see that BPT used our funds for other purchases and do not have enough funds to pay out our ticket sales.