Requires ticket distributors to refund the purchase price of tickets within forty-five days after a cancelled or rescheduled event.
Summary
Bill A00579 amends the arts and cultural affairs law to require ticket distributors in New York to refund the full purchase price of tickets within forty-five days after a cancelled or rescheduled event. The bill mandates that ticket distributors deposit advance ticket payments into an escrow account and ensures that ticket purchasers retain a property interest in their advance payments until the event occurs. If an event is cancelled or rescheduled, the ticket distributor is obligated to issue a refund within the specified timeframe.
Impact
The bill impacts ticket distributors by imposing a requirement to maintain escrow accounts for advance ticket sales, thereby enhancing consumer protection for ticket purchasers in New York. It modifies existing laws to ensure that ticket buyers are entitled to timely refunds, which may lead to increased accountability among ticket distributors and potentially affect their cash flow management.
Sentiment
The sentiment surrounding Bill A00579 appears to be generally supportive, as it aims to protect consumers' rights in the ticket purchasing process. However, there may be concerns from ticket distributors regarding the financial implications of maintaining escrow accounts and the operational challenges of processing refunds within the mandated timeframe.
Contention
Notable points of contention may arise from ticket distributors who argue that the escrow requirement could complicate their financial operations and cash flow. Additionally, there may be concerns about the feasibility of processing refunds within the forty-five-day limit, especially for large-scale events or during high-demand periods.
Enacts into law components of legislation that relate to live event ticket sales; establishes an annual professional reseller renewal fee; requires professional ticket resellers to provide their New York state ticket reseller license number as a condition of utilizing an online resale marketplace to resell tickets (Part A); provides criteria for when a purchaser may obtain a full refund of the amount paid for a ticket (Part B); relates to resale requirements for tickets; requires that if a licensee or other ticket reseller doesn't have possession of the ticket, then they shall have a written contract to obtain the offered ticket at a certain price from a person or entity in possession of the ticket or from a person or entity who has a contractual right to obtain such ticket, and tickets to the event have been placed on sale by the venue or entity hosting the event or its authorized agent before the licensee or reseller can advertise the sale of the tickets (Part C); relates to unlawful charges in connection with tickets; permits reasonable charges for costs actually rendered or otherwise in connection to customer support, technological and software infrastructure, and actual operational costs for sales away from the box office; defines terms (Part D); relates to the availability of tickets for sale to the general public; defines a term (Part E); relates to paperless ticketing systems options (Part F); extends the effectiveness of certain provisions relating to tickets to places of entertainment (Part G).
Enacts into law components of legislation that relate to live event ticket sales; establishes an annual professional reseller renewal fee; requires professional ticket resellers to provide their New York state ticket reseller license number as a condition of utilizing an online resale marketplace to resell tickets (Part A); provides criteria for when a purchaser may obtain a full refund of the amount paid for a ticket (Part B); relates to resale requirements for tickets; requires that if a licensee or other ticket reseller doesn't have possession of the ticket, then they shall have a written contract to obtain the offered ticket at a certain price from a person or entity in possession of the ticket or from a person or entity who has a contractual right to obtain such ticket, and tickets to the event have been placed on sale by the venue or entity hosting the event or its authorized agent before the licensee or reseller can advertise the sale of the tickets (Part C); relates to unlawful charges in connection with tickets; permits reasonable charges for costs actually rendered or otherwise in connection to customer support, technological and software infrastructure, and actual operational costs for sales away from the box office; defines terms (Part D); relates to the availability of tickets for sale to the general public; defines a term (Part E); relates to the resale of tickets included in a subscription or season ticket package (Part F); extends the effectiveness of certain provisions relating to tickets to places of entertainment (Part G).