Consumers have new rights as of this morning in Virginia. A new law protecting ticket resale rights passed earlier this year went into effect with the calendar flipping to July.
Championed by a self-described “metalhead” Republican delegate, the law prevents primary sellers like Ticketmaster from barring the resale of tickets. It also protects those who purchase valid tickets in the secondary market from being denied entry to an event simply because their tickets were resold. It was one of several positive steps taken by lawmakers in 2017 in the ticket resale world.
Republican Delegate David Albo is a lawyer, but also a fan of English rockers Iron Maiden. After buying tickets to see them at Jiffy Lube Live, his wife informed him that the date conflicted with a family vacation. Because the concert was not a sellout, Ticketmaster, did not allow his ticket to be re-sold. His ticket required the credit card of the original buyer at the gate.
The lack of freedom to try to recover his investment or even give the tickets away incensed the Fairfax-based delegate. He brought his frustration to the legislature, and helped produce the bill. It passed with bipartisan support, and was signed into law in March by Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe.
It was one of over 1,800 new laws that went into effect today in Virginia. A similar law in Connecticut goes into effect on January 1, 2018.
(main photo credit: Richmond Times Dispatch)