A Madonna fan hoping to see the Material Girl play in Vancouver found himself caught in a frustrating ticket flap after paying for unique pre-sale ticket codes only to be left without a seat to the show.

Guy Provencher, 55, saw Madonna play live in 1990 in Toronto, and was willing to pay up to $400 for a seat to see her play this fall at Rogers Arena as part of her 2012 world tour.

Provencher paid $18.95 for an Icon Live Pass through Ticketmaster's website to get in on the pre-sales before tickets were offered to the general public.

The message on the website reads: "Simply register for a free Icon member account and purchase the Icon Live Pass, where you'll receive...access to Icon ticket pre-sales (4-ticket limit)."

But Provencher said he was shocked when he was unable to get any pre-sale tickets using the codes he paid for.

"We got a computer message that says, ‘sorry, no tickets available.' I was sort of [thinking] what?"

Provencher emailed for technical assistance and received a message back saying that "pre-sale passwords do not guarantee access to tickets -- only the opportunity to buy them."

He felt like he was ripped off, and asked for his money back.

"It's misleading at the end of the day. That's misleading," he said.

There's no law in B.C. that businesses have to accept returns and refunds, so consumers need to be sure they know exactly what they're purchasing.

"Often we go online to buy something and we click that 'I agree' button without even looking at the fine print," said Tatiana Chabeaux-Smith of Consumer Protection BC.

Provencher had no luck receiving a refund from either the Madonna fan site or Ticketmaster until he called CTV's Steele on Your Side.

After several emails and phone calls, Live Nation's Liz Morentin emailed to say the "Icon fan club had spoken to Guy and issued a refund."

Provencher was doubtful about receiving his refund but said the money was credited back to his credit card.

"I still don't think they were very honest about things," he said. "But I'm happy I got the money back. It wouldn't have happened without you."

Consumer protection officials said he did the right thing by complaining, because if enough people voice their concerns the business may change its practices.

Provencher said he's spending the $400 he had set aside for Madonna tickets to take a two-day ski trip to Whistler instead.

Watch CTV tonight for a full report from Lynda Steele…