r/germany • u/fotidim • 1d ago
Culture Eventim is a joke
So I bought tickets for a concert in Berlin on September 5. The concert was supposed to take place on November 12.
Four days later, on September 9, the concert was cancelled.
Annoying, but shit happens. I figured I'd just get my money back and move on.
Well, not with Eventim apparently.
I paid €51.12. They refunded me €42.09.
I contacted customer support (which was also not easy but that's for another post) asking where the rest of my money was. They explained that they don't refund fees because, according to them, those cover services they've already provided.
Seriously? The concert was cancelled. Why should I be paying anything?
After pushing back and mentioning a court ruling against Eventim regarding these fees, they suddenly agreed to refund another €2.91. Of course, they called it a "gesture of goodwill" and made sure to mention they weren't acknowledging any legal obligation.
I checked again. Still missing €6.12.
So I emailed them AGAIN.
And guess what? They agreed to refund another fee. Again, out of the kindness of their hearts, apparently.
At this point, I've exchanged more emails with Eventim than I have with some of my relatives this year.
And I'm still not getting the full amount back.
Look, I know it's only a few euros. I really don't care about the amount. It's the principle.
Why do I have to chase a company for MY money when the event THEY sold me tickets for gets cancelled?
And why does every single fee magically become refundable the moment you complain enough?
I can't help wondering how much money Eventim makes from people who just accept the first partial refund and don't bother fighting over a few euros.
The whole thing feels deliberately exhausting.
And one thing is certain: I'm never buying tickets through Eventim again. I'd rather miss a concert than deal with this nonsense again. They've managed to turn a simple refund into a customer service nightmare, all over a few euros.
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u/mulderone 1d ago
You can get the full amount.
Just put this in your mail:
Ich beziehe mich auf das Urteil des Landgerichts München I vom 09.06.2021 (Az. 37 O 5667/20, n.rkr.). In meinem Fall handelt es sich um ein Kommissionsgeschäft, da Sie in eigenem Namen und auf fremde Rechnung gehandelt haben. Zudem haben Sie mir gegenüber angegeben, dass Sie vom Veranstalter mit der Rückabwicklung beauftragt worden sind.
I always got every fee back with this:
Example full mail:
"am xxx habe ich eine Eintrittskarte für die Veranstaltung xxx - Bestellnummer xxx in xxx für den xxx gekauft. Am xxx haben Sie mir auf den Kaufpreis in Höhe von xxx einen Teilbetrag in Höhe von xxx erstattet.
Ich beziehe mich auf das Urteil des Landgerichts München I vom 09.06.2021 (Az. 37 O 5667/20, n.rkr.). In meinem Fall handelt es sich um ein Kommissionsgeschäft, da Sie in eigenem Namen und auf fremde Rechnung gehandelt haben. Zudem haben Sie mir gegenüber angegeben, dass Sie vom Veranstalter mit der Rückabwicklung beauftragt worden sind.
Ich fordere Sie daher auf, mir den ausstehenden Restbetrag des Kaufpreises von xxx zu erstatten oder diesen auf mein Konto xxx zu überweisen. Die Rückzahlung erwarte ich bis zum xxx."
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u/erik_7581 1d ago
There are multiple court cases where it was made clear that eventim has to do a full refund.
Next time just use the credit card chargeback or PayPal buyer protection if eventim tries to screw you over.
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u/RelativeAd9148 1d ago
I had the same Problem with eventim and the chargeback Option with Paypal was Invalid. The Button was grey, as if they knew eventim was doing Foul Play.
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u/JudgementMaker123 Nordrhein-Westfalen 1d ago
And one thing is certain: I'm never buying tickets through Eventim again. I'd rather miss a concert than deal with this nonsense again.
Then be prepared to miss a lot of concerts, because Eventim is the biggest and most use either them or Ticketmaster. I don't remember the last time I bought tickets that wasn't through Eventim or Ticketmaster.
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u/N33W 1d ago
At least in Munich there are still alternatives. First the venues websites or local providers like muenchenticket. But sometimes they sell exclusively on Eventim.
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u/hi3r0fant 1d ago
Eventing owns since a couple of years München Ticket but München Ticket still has it s own policy
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u/cuttlefishtech 1d ago
What? München Ticket is (still) owned by the city for now, though it is for sale.
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u/apenguinwitch 1d ago
You can still buy tickets through local options (such as muenchenticket like someone else mentioned) almost everywhere. The fact that you haven't doesn't mean it's not possible.
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u/infinitesimalarkey 1d ago
At least in Berlin you have tons of options besides Eventim and Ticketmaster unless you only follow mainstream artists.
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u/popinskipro 1d ago
After living in Germany for a while I discovered that “deliberately exhausting” is apparently a business model here. I feel you mate, and I’m also fighting this nonsense on pure principle.
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u/Delicious-Ad-5576 13h ago
That's a very valid observation!
I also think "deliberately exhausting" or "unnecessarly complex" are concepts to keep bureaucracy alive.
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u/Koellefornia4711 1d ago
I had the same thing happening.
Report it to Verbraucherzentrale so they have numbers to make the case an sooner or later this will become unlawful- it’s just a matter of time.
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u/Fluffy-Fix-5827 1d ago
That is illegal (they got sued in the past for exactly that), if you want to, you can sue them
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u/Kusko25 1d ago
I hate that companies can just violate existing law as long as their customers aren't willing to sue over small amounts. Should be a way to report them immediately, some state checks all records regarding the case and imposes a large fine if they find the company at fault and if the company doesn't like it they can spend their money and energy contesting it in court.
Anyway good on you for not just shrugging it off and continuing to bug them, they need to pay someone to read and reply to complaints so every time you send another email it's like you are imposing your own small fine on them.
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u/filipomar 1d ago
Just get the credit card charge back explaining that you talked to the seller, they denied service or money back, and say you want the full ammount.
They usually will give you the money back and do the arbitrage on their end.
Heck, if the system is being obtuse you can go so far as state that with the CC company
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u/Recent_Maize5108 1d ago
And that's how you get into a world of pain in Germany. Might work in the US, but here, chargebacks will come with a payable invoice in your physical mailbox, a 14 days deadline, and your ass handed to a collections company once the deadline has lapsed. Their fees are in the 60-100 EUR range, plus interest and subsequent court fees.
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u/filipomar 1d ago
I do not know what you are talking about, I have done chargebacks 5+ times in the last years.
Double charges, scams, services with dark patterns.If the company knows they are being defrauded, they will act, eventim knows they are the fraudulent ones.
Even then, you can pay the original payment if they do show up once they do show up.
If you are not in the wrong, you have nothing to lose.1
u/iflugi 1d ago
Don't confuse direct debit and credit card chargebacks, these are two completely different things.
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u/Recent_Maize5108 17h ago
I'm aware. Either one will attract legal consequences if reversed while the recipient of the payment is legit.
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u/iflugi 9h ago
With direct debit chargeback you're initiating payment reversal yourself, and bear the legal consequences. For credit card chargebacks you initiate a dispute handled by a middleman payment card services company (Visa/Mastercard/AMEX) which has a contractual agreement with the merchant's bank (and the merchant abide by the rules imposed by these companies via the contract with their bank). The company acts as an arbiter, reviews the evidences and initiate the payment reversal if the merchant broke the rules they agreed to (e.g. if the goods or services were not delivered, they were not as described or defective, or the merchant failed to issue the refund). So, in theory, there should never be an approved CC chargeback if the merchant has fully fulfilled its contractual obligations.
Can the merchant still take a legal actions against you? Sure, it's a free country in the end, and everyone can do that (you can sue me over my comments here if you wish). Will they have a chance to win it? Nah, not really. A letter from Inkasso might look scary to many, but it is not a court document with an obligation to pay within the 14-day deadline. Would you need to send a Widerspruch? Sure, but that's about it. The goods or services were not delivered, and the refund was not received in full. Good luck with taking that to the court. And if the merchant is stupid enough to do that, you have your Rechtsschutzversicherung, don't you?
https://hilfe-rechtsanwalt.de/en/blog/debt-collection-in-germany-your-rights
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u/MetalNerdGuy 1d ago
If bands cancel the concert, they should be the the ones reimbursing Eventin. Because the truth is, they really do provide the service and have service fees, but it wasn’t me that cancelled, it was the band.
The 14 day rule applies just to goods or also to online services?
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u/JMask4994 1d ago
Same thing happened with the Taylor Swift show in Vienna that got cancelled. It was only 2.50€ per ticket but still. It was OE Ticket not Eventim but same thing. And it was apparently perfectly legal. So frustrating.
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u/treskaan 1d ago
Google the "Pearl Jam Ticketmaster Story" either you buy from those racketeers, or you don't go ... that easy it is ....
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u/perfectlycleansliced 1d ago
I'm also sick of their fees. Wherever possible I buy tickets now at the box office in my city.
Most concerts that are in that venue are on Eventim, but without fees if brought at the box office.
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u/nightlyobsession 1d ago
I've been to quite a few and for around 98% tickets were only sold on Eventim
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u/Ceyhunes 1d ago
The same with Airbnb. The moment you book something, you never get the Airbnb fee back after cancellation. This is their rule/way of earning money.
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u/MidnightSun77 Ireland living in Germany 1d ago
It might be a long shot but you could contact the verbraucherzentrale. At the very least it is reported on their statistics