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The organisers of Michael Jackson's hotly anticipated comeback concerts at the O2 Arena have confirmed that full refunds will be made available to those who booked tickets for the gigs through authorised vendors.

Following the King of Pop's untimely death on Friday (June 26th), AEG Live - organiser of the This is It comeback concerts - has announced that it will be offering full refunds, including booking fees, to all fans who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster, Viagogo, See or Ticketline.

Randy Phillips, president and chief executive officer of AEG, said that the world had lost "a kind soul who just happened to be the greatest entertainer the world has ever known".

"Since he loved his fans in life, it is incumbent upon us to treat them with the same reverence and respect after his death," he added.

Fans are able to seek guidance on claiming refunds from today (July 1st) by accessing the official tour site michaeljacksonlive.com. For those who wish to keep hold of the tickets as a memento of the singer's life, AEG Live has also announced that it will be offering to send out the original passes in lieu of the full refund.

Many people may have an interest in doing so as the tickets were inspired and designed by Michael himself. Fans will be able to view the tickets on the official website and have until midnight on August 14th to decide whether they would rather be reimbursed or take ownership of this piece of covetable memorabilia.

No protection for third-party sales

While the announcement will likely come as a welcome relief for many people, fans who purchased tickets through third-party vendors or privately through auction sites may be realising the importance of buying passes directly all too keenly, particularly with tickets changing hands for thousands of pounds on auction sites prior to the singer's death.

Under UK law, consumers are protected against events such as cancellation when buying from a reputable UK-based ticket vendor online, just as they would be if they were buying them from a ticket office.

However, when purchasing tickets privately these rights are diminished and while an online auction site may offer a degree of protection against fraudulent ticket sales, the seller is under no obligation to offer a refund.

Therefore, consumers should always be aware of the risk that they could be left out of pocket when buying tickets privately, while those who buy directly online should also be sure to check out that it is a reputable licensed ticket vendors.

The importance of doing this was highlighted last week as it emerged that thousands of fans may have been caught out by an online ticket scam using legitimate-looking websites to sell non-existent tickets for the upcoming gigs in Hyde Park.

According to the Guardian, ticket buyers such as Hilary Collins and Charlie Wilson fear that they may have been duped after buying passes from hydeparkboxoffice.com and hydeparktickets.com which are yet to appear in the post.

Reg Walker, head of anti-counterfeiting operations at several major events and is head of the commercial protection unit at London's O2 Arena, warned that this is a classic example of online ticket fraud.

He explained that while the site appears to be a legitimate UK-based company, it is actually hosted overseas, possibly in Hungary or the US, making it impossible to call the company to account for failing to deliver the tickets.

Hungary was identified as a "safe haven" for scammers as government authorities have thus far refused to clamp down on internet fraud and other web-based crimes.

For those who are looking to buy tickets online, it is always worth checking for the physical address at which the company is based, as all online retailers are required to provide this.

Consumer support group Online Shopping Rights urges buyers to be extremely cautious of any websites that do not display this information, as it would suggest that the company is based overseas and as such, not bound to the same consumer laws that protect shoppers in the UK.

By taking steps such as these, consumers can ensure that when a tragic or unexpected event such as the untimely death of a performer occurs, the grief felt is not made more acute by the realisation that there is no recourse for a full refund.

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