Washington AG sues company that owes refunds to Savor Idaho wine event ticketholders
Washington state’s attorney general has sued a Seattle virtual box office company, alleging that it owes nearly $7 million to artists and ticket buyers, including a group of Idaho wine lovers and a bird conservation group.
In the suit filed Wednesday, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Brown Paper Tickets owes more than $6 million to event producers and $760,000 in refunds to people who bought tickets to events that were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. He asked the court to order restitution and to fine Brown Paper Tickets up to $2,000 per infraction of the state’s consumer protection law.
The Idaho Wine Commission filed a complaint two weeks ago with the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, after the company failed to issue refunds to 107 people who bought tickets to the commission’s canceled Savor Idaho event. It’s billed as Idaho’s top food and wine event.
The Idaho AG’s office acknowledged it received the complaint on Sept. 22, but declined further comment.
The Idaho Chukar Foundation filed a complaint with the Washington Attorney General’s Office, after Brown Paper Tickets failed to refund $75 each to 31 people who signed up for a dog-training class to avoid rattlesnakes in the wild, Drew Wahlin, president of the group, said in an email. The group also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
“Our reputation has been greatly blemished,” Wahlin said.
One hundred and seven people of the 519 who bought tickets to the Idaho Wine Commission’s canceled Savor Idaho event are owed refunds for tickets that cost $73 apiece, event coordinator Kathryn Westlund said by phone. The wine gathering was originally scheduled to take place June 14 at the Idaho Botanical Garden. It was postponed to Aug. 2 before being canceled in mid-May.
Westlund said she left weekly messages for Brown Paper Tickets. She got one reply in early June, saying the company was working to issue refunds.
“In August, 400 tickets were refunded in like a day,” Westlund said. “We were super excited, and it looked like they were able to refund all of the tickets.”
A few more refunds got issued, then nothing.
“It got down to 107 tickets, and nothing has happened in the last six weeks,” she said.
Meridian resident Drew Lobner said he’s tired of waiting for a refund. He heads a meetup group with 10 members who paid to attend Savor Idaho. None has received a refund.
“I understand in light of the ongoing pandemic they delay, yet the length of time, multiple delays and confusion about the refund process has been very frustrating,” he wrote in an email. “I wish there was better communication about what is going on and a more expedited way to get a refund versus another apology email.”
The Wine Commission is still trying to arrange for Brown Paper Tickets to issue the refunds. If that doesn’t happen, the commission has insurance that would cover the losses, Westlund said.
“We want to make it right, one way or the other,” she said. “We’ve notified our insurance company about what’s going on, but we haven’t put together a game plan.”
The Idaho Chukar Foundation, which provides public awareness programs on issues impacting the conservation, preservation and sustainability of Idaho’s upland bird populations and their habitats, has used Brown Paper Tickets for three years, Wahlin said. There had been no problems until this year.
The group canceled its May 16 workshop after the Boise Parks and Recreation Department suspended park events because of the pandemic. The foundation later conducted a workshop in June, but Brown said Brown Paper Tickets failed to turn over money collected from that event.
“I am personally in the hole for almost $2,000 in funding up-front costs for the workshop, including park rental and marketing expenses,” Whalin said.
Brown Paper Tickets took down all of the data for the May 16th workshop, so Wahlin is unsure who signed up and is owed a refund.
As a small group, he said the foundation doesn’t carry business insurance that would cover refunds.
The Washington lawsuit was filed after 16 event producers and multiple ticket buyers filed separate lawsuits earlier this month.
“The state alleges that Brown Paper Tickets engaged in unfair or deceptive acts or practices in violation of the Consumer Protection Act,” the complaint says. “Brown Paper Tickets had failed to remit payment to event organizers for events that took place and has failed to provide refunds to ticket buyers who purchased tickets for canceled or rescheduled events.”
Representatives for Brown Paper Tickets could not be immediately reached by the Seattle Times.
Washington state said it has received nearly 600 consumer complaints from around the country about the company.
Brown Paper Tickets President William Jordan said in March that the company had lost control of its cash flow and had to shut down outgoing payments to everyone.
“We lost control over which payments were able to clear and which weren’t,” Jordan said. “And we managed to piss off everybody.”
Founded in 2000, Brown Paper Tickets was once one of the Seattle area’s most popular ticket brokers for small- to mid-sized theaters and community organizations because of its lower service fees, the Times reported.
This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 1:41 PM.
