MARBLEHEAD — The me&thee coffeehouse has filed a formal complaint against Brown Paper Tickets with the Attorney General’s Office in Seattle, over unpaid ticket refunds and sales.
Anthony Silva, founder of the me&thee, which is celebrating its 50th year as an all-volunteer organization that presents acoustic music in the Unitarian Universalist Church on Mugford Street, said the “fair trade” online ticketing agency has been processing thousands of tickets for concerts at the me&thee for more than a decade. Hundreds of other small nonprofits throughout the country use the Washington company’s services; many have also filed formal complaints with the Attorney General’s Office
Silva said Brown Paper Ticket checks from ticket sales for completed concerts have bounced, and expected payments have ceased. The coffeehouse has repeatedly reached out to the company on the other coast for clarification about when ticket proceeds and refunds will be forthcoming, to no avail, Silva added.
The me&thee and its customers are owed tens of thousands of dollars in payments and refunds.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, Brown Paper Tickets saw a virtual collapse of its business. Thousands of events were canceled nationwide within days, and the company said refund requests overloaded its small staff of 35 employees. Company president Steve Butcher said he was forced to lay off workers while facing an avalanche of refund and payment requests.
The me&thee’s board voted unanimously to file a formal complaint with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office Consumer Resource Center. In a formal letter to Brown Paper Tickets, the board wrote, “Our patience is strained. Our customers are furious. We have lost faith in your company with which we have been doing business for a decade. These events in February and March were held. We paid our talent. Our customers paid you. And you have failed to follow through on our long-standing agreement. We have built our reputation on trust and integrity. Where does this leave you?”
In a statement, Brown Paper Tickets said, “We are going to get every single event organizer paid but it’s taking longer to get through the backlog than we anticipated.”
The music venue “paused” operations on March 13th in the midst of its record-setting 50th anniversary season of music. Up to that point, the season was the most successful in decades with full houses almost every week with such nationally known talents as Suzanne Vega, Chris Smither, New Black Eagle Jazz Band, Cheryl Wheeler, John Gorka and a host of others.
Even with this financial hit, Silva said the me&thee staff is determined to re-open as soon as it is again safe for crowds to gather for intimate indoor concerts. Some virtual events are planned and will be announced soon.