The Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency (GCCA) has identified violations of the Law of Georgia on Consumer Rights Protection by LLC “Tineti” (www.tkt.ge) and LLC “El.Biletebi” (www.biletebi.ge). The violations concern the failure to provide full refunds to consumers for events that were canceled or postponed.
The investigation revealed that in the event of cancellations, consumers were refunded only the ticket price, excluding the platform’s service fee. As the full payment including the service fee is processed as a single transaction, separating the two components undermines the fairness of the business-to-consumer relationship. Since consumers are unable to purchase a ticket without paying the mandatory service fee, the fee is considered an inseparable part of accessing the event.
The GCCA emphasizes that consumers should not suffer financial loss due to event cancellations or postponements beyond their control. When an event is canceled at the organizer’s initiative, it constitutes a breach of contractual obligations. Accordingly, the GCCA mandates that consumers who purchased tickets through www.tkt.ge or www.biletebi.ge must receive a full refund, including the platform’s service fee, in the event of cancellation or postponement. This decision aligns with Georgian legislation, European Union directives, and international best practices.
Following the investigation of these two cases, the GCCA has established a binding standard requiring full refunds—including service fees—for all canceled or postponed events. The companies have been instructed to restore affected consumer rights and to bring their commercial practices into full compliance with legal requirements within one month.
As a result of investigating these two cases, the GCCA established a standard requiring full refunds, including service fees, for canceled or postponed events. The Agency has ordered the companies to restore consumer rights and align their commercial policies with legal requirements within one month.
