ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Annual Report – Year 3 – 1 June 2019 – 31 May 2020
The report below represents those disputes that have come to STAR to be dealt with under the ADR process.
The report below is provided in line with the requirements and guidelines for reporting provided by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.
| NUMBER OF DISPUTES RECEIVED | |||
| Number received | Domestic | Cross-border | |
| a) Total | *1,482 | 1,471 | 11 |
| b) Types of Dispute | |||
| Advertising | 33 | 32 | 1 |
| Booking and Processing Fees | 55 | 55 | 0 |
| Call Charges | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Cancellation | 273 | 273 | 0 |
| Customer Care | 37 | 37 | 0 |
| Customer Error | 125 | 123 | 2 |
| Delivery Issues | 80 | 77 | 3 |
| Double Booking | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Event Issue | 156 | 154 | 2 |
| Exchange | 13 | 12 | 1 |
| General Inquiry | 150 | 150 | 0 |
| Gift Card | 16 | 16 | 0 |
| Lost Tickets | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Mailing List | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Membership | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Non-Ticketing Issue | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Other | 21 | 21 | 0 |
| Paperless Ticketing | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Pricing | 19 | 19 | 0 |
| Refund and Exchange Policy | 205 | 203 | 2 |
| Reselling | 70 | 70 | 0 |
| Restricted view | 78 | 78 | 0 |
| Scams | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Seating | 62 | 62 | 0 |
| Ticket Error | 26 | 26 | 0 |
| Tickets Selling Out | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Website Error | 37 | 37 | 0 |
| c) & d) SYSTEMIC OR SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS OCCURRING FREQUENTLY | |||
| No such problems have been identified through ADR and therefore no recommendations. | |||
| e) DISPUTES THAT HAVE BEEN REFUSED OR DISCONTINUED | |||
| Reason for Refusal | Number | % of Total | |
| A – Not yet raised with trader | 85 | 10% | |
| B – Frivolous, vexatious or malicious | 38 | 4% | |
| C – Previously considered by this or another ADR | 1 | 0% | |
| STAR – E – Event delivery (beyond STAR scope) | 74 | 9% | |
| STAR – G – Non-STAR member (beyond the scope of STAR) | 60 | 7% | |
| Non ADR (such as no purchase of tickets) | 589 | 70% | |
| Total | 847 | 100% | |
| Disputes Discontinued by Complainant | Number | ||
| Complaint taken elsewhere | 13 | ||
| Withdrawn by customer | 25 | ||
| Withdrawn by default (no response from complainant) | 213 | ||
| Total | 251 | ||
| TOTAL COMPLAINTS REFUSED OR DISCONTINUED | 1073 | ||
| f) DISPUTES DISCONTINUED FOR OPERATIONAL REASONS | Number discontinued | % of total initiated | |
| Impair STAR operation | 0 | 0% | |
| Conflict of Interest | 0 | 0% | |
| g) AVERAGE TIME TAKEN TO RESOLVE DISPUTES | Average time taken* (days) | ||
| *Some disputes reached resolution prior to complete complaints file. In these cases, the opening date of the dispute has been used as the start date. | 49 | ||
| h) RATE OF COMPLIANCE | 100% | ||
| i) RESOLUTIONS | Number | ||
| Resolved in STAR Member’s Favour | 214 | ||
| Resolved in Customer’s Favour | 57 | ||
| Resolved Through Mutual Agreement | 113 | ||
| Total | 384 |
* It should be noted that the Covid-19 pandemic affected all live events from 16 March 2020 to the end of this report period, and continuing into what will form next year’s report. Of the total number of disputes recorded above, 398 of these were directly attributable to the cancellation of all live events as a result of lockdown in the UK.