In the dispute over the refund of ticket prices, more than 1,500 people have joined a model declaratory lawsuit against the ticket seller Eventim. By the end of February, 1,513 consumers had entered the register of complaints, a spokesman for the Federal Association of Consumers (vzbv) told the German Press Agency in Berlin. The association submitted the model declaratory action to the Bavarian Higher Regional Court in December.
The consumer advocates complain that Eventim retains individual components of the ticket price when events are canceled. For example, buyers were left with the booking fee. Those affected have been able to join the lawsuit since February 9th.
The fact that more than 1,500 people affected supported the model lawsuit in the first two and a half weeks was rated as a success by the vzbv. “Many consumers want our help to defend themselves against the company’s actions, even if they are often only dealing with small individual amounts,” said Patrick Langer, officer for model declaratory actions at the vzbv, the dpa. “All of this shows the importance of our model declaratory lawsuit against Eventim.”
According to vzbv, those affected can join the lawsuit until the first oral hearing takes place. A date for this has not yet been set.
Eventim considers the lawsuit unfounded. “In its judgment from June 2021, the Munich Regional Court already expressly denied that ticket buyers have claims for reimbursement against CTS Eventim in the event of cancellations or relocations,” said a spokeswoman for dpa. The court had emphasized that such claims existed at best against the organizer. Judgments of the Bremen Regional Court and the Federal Court of Justice came to the same conclusion. Therefore, Eventim will apply to the court to reject the model declaratory action.
After the Corona years with lockdowns, closed clubs and canceled concerts, the event industry is still shaken in many ways. Organizers have often reported weakening demand in recent months. But the industry does not give a uniform picture. The ticket seller CTS Eventim developed much better than previously expected in 2022 thanks to a revival in business with live events. Compared to the last pre-Corona year 2019, group revenue and operating profit improved by a third in 2022.
In a model declaratory action, consumer associations can bundle the concerns of several affected parties. Consumers then do not have to sue themselves. Your claims do not expire. And the legal cost risk is borne solely by the plaintiff association. After the conclusion of the model declaratory action, the result is binding for the cases of all registered consumers. The prerequisite is that at least 50 people join the model lawsuit two months after publication.
