LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Friends Pam Rincones and Nancy Klein have always wanted to travel to Louisville to see the Kentucky Derby in person. They had hoped 2020 would be the year it happened.

What You Need To Know

  • Fans who bought tickets through Churchill Downs get full refunds

  • Fans who bought tickets through third-party vendors aren't so lucky

  • One group is only returning 70% of the purchase price

  • Spectrum News 1 working to find out how many complaints have been filed with the state

 

“It’s been a lifelong dream, a bucket list item, “ Klein said.

When 2020 Kentucky Derby tickets first went on sale, they tried to purchase from Churchill Downs directly. However, Klein said it sold out before they were able to snag seats. That’s when they started looking into other places they could buy tickets from.

“We purchased tickets through the DerbyBox based on their 20 plus year reputation and their Better Business Bureau rating as well,” Klein said.

When the pandemic hit, questions swirled around what it could mean for the Kentucky Derby. The first big change came when Churchill Downs pushed it back from May to September. Klein said they received notice from DerbyBox that the tickets would carry over to the new date. 

In July Churchill Downs said there could be 23,000 fans in attendance. Klein said, at that point, DerbyBox told them their tickets would be valid even under the limited attendance. Then, just two weeks before the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs announced it would run without spectators this year. 

Everyone who purchased tickets directly from Churchill Downs can get a full refund. Some, but not all, third party ticket vendors are offering a full refund. 

After that announcement, DerbyBox offered to roll over tickets to the 2021 Kentucky Derby at no additional cost. Owner Doug Dearen said it has always been company policy that all sales are final. That term is also listed on the website.

“It’s been our terms and conditions ever since we began. There was the possibility that the Kentucky Derby might not run,” Dearen said.

 Klein and Rincones, however, didn’t want to roll over their tickets to next year considering they don’t know if COVID-19 will still be a concern next spring. They asked DerbyBox if they could get a refund. DerbyBox offered to give them 70 percent back. 

Since tickets were $950 each, that means Klein and Rincones are both still paying $285 for an event they won’t be attending. 

Spectrum News 1 asked DebyBox why the company is only refunding a portion of what the customers originally paid. Dearen said, since DerbyBox buys from secondary sources instead of Churchill Downs, the company also is not getting a full refund on some of these tickets.

“We tried to offer a situation where we would give a percentage back. Again, we don’t get our tickets directly from Churchill Downs. We get them from secondary sources. In a lot of different cases, we weren’t going to get back the money we paid for those tickets many many months ago,” Dearen said.

Rincones said going to the Kentucky Derby was a big decision for her considering her almost $1,000 ticket is around the same amount she spends on a weeklong vacation for the whole family. She said not getting the money back doesn’t feel right.

“We are paying this huge astronomical fee, gouge, to them and they say they don’t have the funds to reimburse us this way for what we spent. It’s like they are taking the cost on the consumer, the spectator, versus the other available options there are for PPP loans,” Rincones said.

Dearen said DerbyBox depends on the Kentucky Derby to stay afloat, as it is the sole focus of the business. He also said historically Kentucky Derby tickets go up in price each year. If that is the case for 2020, his business will lose money by rolling over 2020 tickets at no additional cost.

Klein and Rincones said they are disappointed about the ticket situation, but will try to make the most of it by watching at home.

“While we are disappointed in what is occurring with the tickets and not being able to attend, our hearts are with Louisville right now and the state of Kentucky with all the much larger issues that are going on,” Klein said.

She said she hopes to come to the Kentucky Derby sometime in the future when she feels it is safe to do so.

The Better Business Bureau said Churchill Downs is the primary seller. Then, there are second-party sites like Ticketmaster and StubHub. The BBB said Ticketmaster is working closely with Churchill Downs to offer customers a full refund. The BBB said StubHub is still trying to work on issuing refunds.

The BBB said most third-party vendors, like DerbyBox, are offering some sort of compensation to customers despite having a "non-refundable" policy customers agree to before purchase. DerbyBox has an A rating with the BBB. It is recommended that customer inquire about refund  policies before buying tickets to events.

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