Usyk v Dubois fight: Boxing fans complain heavyweight title clash was plagued with 'buffering issues' on DAZN

Sky News

3 days ago

Boxing fans are demanding refunds after their DAZN stream of the heavyweight world title fight was ruined by "constant buffering" issues.
Oleksandr Usyk stopped Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of Saturday night's fight, delivering a vicious punch that knocked his rival's gum shield out of his mouth.
The epic moment secured the Ukrainian the undisputed world heavyweight champion title, but some fans missed it due to problems with the stream.
'They're denying anything was wrong'
"£25 to watch the boxing and all I got was constant buffering! Even missed the knockout punch. How do I get a refund for a service not received?" one customer wrote on X.
"This will definitely be the first and last fight I watch on DAZN. The buffering and quality makes it unwatchable. What a shite service," said another.
Some even called for fans to complain to the media regulator, Ofcom, about the poor service.
"They're [DAZN] refusing refunds and denying anything was wrong at their end (despite hundreds of complaints on Twitter with the exact same issues). We have complained to Ofcom. Only takes a few minutes," one customer said.
The Money team spoke to several others who had suffered similar issues and had been refused refunds.
John, 38, from Essex told us: "The stream for the pay-per-view event was really poor, constantly buffering, sound cutting out and the picture being cut off completely. It was literally unwatchable.
"I raised the issue with DAZN yesterday and their response was an abrupt 'you're not entitled to a refund'. The best they could offer was to cancel my free 7-day trial, which I could do with a click of a button.
"This was the first time I have ever used DAZN and will not be doing it again. I think it's disgusting, to be honest, as the stream was virtually unwatchable. I am sympathetic when things go wrong but the right thing to do is refund me if I wasn't provided the service I was promised."
Some customers said DAZN told them there was no issue with its stream, implying the problem was with the customer's own internet or TV services.
On X, the company told people to follow five steps to try to get it fixed.
"Please follow the below-mentioned steps without skipping.
"1. Force restart the device. 2. Uninstall the app. 3. Update and Restart the device. 4. Reinstall the app. 5. Internet speed, try to stream on another device. If the issue persists, please DM us."
'Unable to process refunds'
Some fans did follow up with a direct message, but were told that DAZN's policy means it is "unable to process refunds for streaming issues even when evidence is provided".
"I truly appreciate you sharing your experience and feedback. We will improve the service in the future," a company representative replied.
We have contacted DAZN for comment.
The streaming platform, which is the broadcast partner of boxing promoter Eddie Hearn's Matchroom, allows people to pay for a subscription to its services or a one-off fee for a particular event.
It costs £14.99 a month for a 12-month deal, £24.99 a month to cancel anytime or £119.99 for an annual pass, with the Usyk v Dubois fight setting people back £24.99.
This isn't the first time customers have complained about DAZN's poor service. It has received bad publicity for similar issues in the past, particularly during the highly anticipated Fury v Usyk fight last year.
What should you do next if you want money back?
Consumer champion Scott Dixon, AKA the Complaints Resolver, said customers should raise a chargeback to get their money back if DAZN refuses to issue refunds.
"With so many people affected, this was clearly a widespread issue and DAZN cannot rely on a standard fob off citing there were no issues and blaming customers' internet when it's been widely reported that tens of thousands of viewers had issues," he told Money.
He said the issue wasn't a minor glitch and instead was a "failure to deliver the service viewers have paid for".
"Evidence is crucial on these types of complaints. Provide links to media articles that evidence it was a widespread issue, screenshots of social media posts and time-stamped screen recordings if you have them," he said.
"Push hard and cite it's a clear 'breach of contract' under Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, as the provider failed to perform the service with reasonable care and skill."