Industry News

Skiddle director says refunds should be standard – report

Skiddle co-founder and director Ben Sebborn wants the global ticketing industry to raise ethical standards, IQ Magazine reports.

Sebborn also strongly believes refunds should be a standard and expected practice that all ticket firms should commit to.

Many major names in the industry still have a lot of work to do with customer service to be on the same level as other industries, according to Sebborn.

The Skiddle executive and his co-founder Richard Dyer point to the company’s 72 hour refund policy, in which people are given the allotted time to change their mind about an event, for its ongoing success. The Cool:Off initiative contributed to a 67 per cent increase in sales in 2016, IQ reports.

“It isn’t fair that most ticketing outlets don’t offer refunds,” Sebborn said. “If the customer demand is there, then the industry needs to adapt to reflect this demand.”

Allowing for refunds through Cool:Off, and using its ticket exchange scheme Re:Sell, both fans and promoters benefit. Fans can get their money back to an event they can no longer attend, and promoters can resell seats and fill venues.

“We introduced our Re:Sell and Cool:Off schemes for this very reason, and since their introduction they have been overwhelmingly successful, not just for customers, who want and need flexibility with their tickets, but for promoters, too,” Sebborn told IQ. “The refund option reduces the amount of no-shows at the event, increasing the amount of money taken at the bar and on merchandise.”

Sebborn attributes the company’s success to its focus on the consumer, and he added: “We like to think of ourselves as music lovers first and businesspeople second, so with every business decision we think, ‘How does this help our customers?’. If it doesn’t, we don’t implement it. It’s as simple as that.”

Sebborn highlights four areas in which the industry can improve, including secondary ticketing, technology, events, and access.

In terms of technology, he said: “Ticketing technology is extremely behind the times and needs to drastically improve. Our industry has always been slow to adapt – even in 2017, for example, a lot of outlets don’t have adequate mobile-friendly sites.

“We have always invested heavily in tech because we want the ticket-buying process to be as easy and efficient as possible. We recently introduced a swipe-to-review feature with Tinder-style technology that’s been really well received.”