Ticketmaster charged postage for a worthless gig

I booked a ticket through Ticketmaster to see a band called Dio. It cost £30 which included a £3.25 booking fee and £2.25 postage. Due to Ronnie Dio suffering a serious illness, the concert was cancelled and Ticketmaster refunded­ £27.75. Why can't I get the full £30 back? AB, New Barnet Ticketmaster was quick to point out that if an event is cancelled, it issues a full refund of the face value of the ticket and subsequent charges. However, if the ticket has been printed and posted before the cancellation is announced, the fee attributed to this cost cannot be refunded. Ticketmaster subscribes to the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers' (STAR) code of practice which does not specifically cover this point. Keeping hold of the postage cost for sending a worthless ticket for a cancelled concert is not fair but Ticketmaster was not prepared to change its position. It's not worth pursuing this but STAR has now been asked to look at this issue and to clarify the code. Steve Playle is team leader at Surrey Trading Standards Service. We welcome letters but regret we cannot answer individually. Email: [email protected] Please include a daytime phone number