FanShield / Protecht / Markel aka TicketGuardian is like many insurance companies: you're basically paying for the right to argue with them for a refund in the event of a misfortune. They're not in the business of protecting the consumer, they're in the business of taking your money to give you a vessel to argue for refunds and they do all they can to circumvent this.
My wife suffers from Meniere's Disease and though her episodes are rare and have fortunately diminished, she had one on the evening of a concert we wanted to attend. We had both looked forward to this event so it was with great disappointment that we had to accept the fact that she would not be able to attend the show (the disease results in intense dizziness, hearing issues - sometimes permanent - and other symptoms that basically paralyze you until treatment can stabilize you back).
When we reached out to FanShield and explained the reason she couldn't attend, providing receipts and documentation of the medical treatment and follow-up that unfolded as a result of her health incident, these people asked for "proof" the doctor told her not to attend the event. *Given all the documentation provided and their flagrant push-back to save $43.00, this is enough for any of you considering the service to know it is NOT worth it and is just another 'insurance' swindle.*
The super hero behind this concept is Bryan Derbyshire who has this to say about his entrepreneurial endeavor: "We have a couple of flags we fly under. TicketGuardian is the core name and really the name of our B2B side as far as technology goes... That said, because it's an insurance product, we have to have a fully-insured entity that is wholly-owned by TicketGuardian, which is FanShield. FanShield is the brand that you as the consumer would see inside of the checkout flow when you go to buy your ticket because it's a FanShield policy... It is one and the same." (Just an FYI for those who might see marketing under a number of guises).
It's truly unbelievable this company has an A+ rating at BBB and this can only be attributed to its short existence and the fact that many people who face emergencies will likely decide not to waste time fighting for refunds on concert tickets - likely one of the reasons Bryan felt this was a great idea for a business. Bryan's and TicketGuardian's ambitions are getting more exotic: "The company now employs 33 individuals and recently completed an $8M funding round that will help it expand internationally." That was two years ago.
The live music industry was already milking people in the most abusive ways and Bryan found a way to hop on that bandwagon. Given all the issues that have impacted that industry under recent, tragic, health challenges, it's possible companies like this will have time to mull their practices over... but I wouldn't hold my breath and neither should you. Don't wait to experience what we did to complain about this stuff. Simply avoid giving them business and over time the free market will correct this. Don't buy the insurance. That's all you need to do.