Ticketmaster and concert promoter OCESA face a significant class action lawsuit spearheaded by Mexico’s Office of the Federal Prosecutor for the Consumer, PROFECO.
Mexico’s federal agency PROFECO has announced that a Mexico City judge admitted a class action lawsuit against Ticketmaster and concert promoter OCESA. The collective action stems from multiple breaches, including unilateral cancellation of tickets and refusal to refund the total amount paid by customers.
On April 26, Guillermo Campos Osorio, the Ninth District Judge in Civil Matters of Mexico City, declared the lawsuit filed by PROFECO as apropos and recognized the class action for consideration. So far, the number of customers represented in the suit is 521, and it will only increase — PROFECO has called on consumers to reach out if they were affected by the cancellation of tickets, refusal of access, or refund for the cancellation of any cultural, entertainment, or sports event from 2021 to the present.
“The class action resulted from multiple consumer complaints that have accumulated since 2021 and through to the present,” PROFECO said in an official statement.
Thousands of fans were denied entry to Bad Bunny’s December performance at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, making vast portions of the venue appear empty. Ticketmaster Mexico, acquired by Live Nation in 2021 as part of the concert juggernaut’s purchase of OCESA, tried to shift the blame on fake tickets. Still, regulators have revealed that the company oversold the performance, leading to chaos at the gate.
Several months later, PROFECO said it had already received more than 1,600 complaints from fans who were denied entry to the stadium. PROFECO head Ricardo Sheffield expressed his doubts publicly that the issues were related to fake tickets, as the agency had received numerous similar complaints in the past about Ticketmaster entry denials.
The Attorney General’s Office filed a class action lawsuit in December, according to PROFECO, initially on behalf of 434 consumers, against Ticketmaster and OCESA. Between them, the two entities control 64.5 percent of entertainment services in Mexico.
“These situations reflect a widespread non-compliance in the provision of the entertainment service with respect to various musical, cultural, sports, artistic and recreational events, violating the rights of consumers,” says PROFECO.
Multiple consumer claims led to the lawsuit’s filing, including unilateral cancellation of tickets, violation of the conditions initially offered by suppliers, and a refusal to fully reimburse the amount paid by consumers, among other concerns.
Ticketmaster apologized in December after an “unprecedented” number of fans were sold “fake tickets” and denied entry to the stadium for Bad Bunny’s 2022 concert. The company promised full refunds to those who purchased legitimate tickets but were also denied access to the venue.