They most definitely have some BS in the fine print about how they're not responsible for their awful system, as CYA for things like this. Truly scum of the earth.
If I had to guess, it is probably in their fine print, and the ability to pay for a refund would be a further refutation in a chargeback case.
That the ticket could not be sold via their system for whatever reason, is not a 'simple' act, although TBH maybe they should write to the DOJ or whatever... given some of the other stuff they've been caught doing, it would not at all surprise me to see some `if (!ticket.HadRefundOption) throw` hidden in their sales system.
TBH OP (Not a lawyer, not legal advice) you could always try small claims, they might not even show up and then you can collect a default judgement
Isn't this where the hilarious "sheriff showed up at the office, graciously giving them 30 minutes to cut a check before he started to confiscate the chairs" stories come from?
> how they're not responsible for their awful system,
Yea, this is something that has to be protected by consumer rights laws. Otherwise companies will be like "It's unfortunate we have a monopoly, but fuck off and give us your money. Thank You. Your case has been closed".
That the ticket could not be sold via their system for whatever reason, is not a 'simple' act, although TBH maybe they should write to the DOJ or whatever... given some of the other stuff they've been caught doing, it would not at all surprise me to see some `if (!ticket.HadRefundOption) throw` hidden in their sales system.
TBH OP (Not a lawyer, not legal advice) you could always try small claims, they might not even show up and then you can collect a default judgement