PSA - Avoid Stubhub if you care about attending the ticketed event

[Anonymous]

We bought expensive tickets to a concert that had various VIP clubs. The day before, when they released the tix to us, they were just regular tickets going for about $400/ticket less than what we bought. Stubhub said, oh sorry for the trouble, we'll give you 25% off the next tickets you buy. Which would still probably not make up for the lost $800. And it was for a milestone wedding anniversary. My husband threw a complete fit and they offered us various options to remedy the issue. One of the options was for tix going for 3k each (which is great but didn't meet our preferences). We ended up in the most elite VIP lounge they offered. So, if you do have trouble, and protest enough, it can work out. But it was a lot of stress for us-- we had purchased airline tix, hotel, etc and at first it all seemed like we were getting scammed.

[Anonymous]

We purchased on stubhub and was sent the wrong tickets. Of course by the time you get them, you have no time to make it right. We have multiple tickets in same section since we can't be together, this out kidd and parents in different sections. There is no accountability and a refund is not consolidation when you buy tickets for an event. A CLASS ACTION lawsuit needs to change practices for online platforms. When you buy, you get immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We purchased on stubhub and was sent the wrong tickets. Of course by the time you get them, you have no time to make it right. We have multiple tickets in same section since we can't be together, this out kidd and parents in different sections. There is no accountability and a refund is not consolidation when you buy tickets for an event. A CLASS ACTION lawsuit needs to change practices for online platforms. When you buy, you get immediately.

I'm sorry that happened to you.

I was the OP, and since my bad experience, I have been reading everything I can about the ticketing industry. From what I understand, primary sellers, like Ticketmaster, or the event organizers, play a role in creating these situations. Ticketmaster claims that they use "delayed delivery" to "prevent tickets from being accessed until we can confirm everyone has adhered to the event ticket limit and didn't use unfair ticket technology to buy in bulk." That reason is BS. Delayed releases aren't stopping bots from purchasing tickets, but they hurt regular consumers.

Delayed delivery means that if you purchase a resale ticket through a non-preferred platform, you can't access the ticket until after the ticket is "released," which may be very close to the event date and long after you made the purchase. That means that the original purchaser can't transfer the ticket until it is released. I keep reading that the delivery delays usually prevent access to tickets until 48-72 hours before the show, which doesn't explain why so many people still have issues with StubHub purchases hours before the show. I suspect that StubHub wants to wait as long as possible before letting purchasers know that tickets aren't available so that they have the opportunity to offer replacement tickets (on which they made additional fees). At a minimum, the delivery window should be disclosed for any transaction before the purchase is made, and transactions should be able to be canceled if tickets aren't transferred to purchasers soon after the release by the primary seller.

Delayed delivery not only hurts regular buyers and sellers, but it also protects and enhances Ticketmaster's market share. Ticketmaster offers resale tickets through its own platform and makes more money off of those resales on top of the exorbitant fees imposed on the original purchase. They want you to buy resale tickets on their platform and not use third-party sites, and delayed releases drive consumers to Ticketmaster.

If you are like me and wound up disappointed about missing an event because the StubHub reseller didn't come through at the last minute, you resolve that you will buy through Ticketmaster directly next time. Or, when the purchase from StubHub or another resale platform doesn't come through at the last minute, you go to the Ticketmaster site and buy whatever is available, which is usually the most expensive ticket. It's absolute genius! The "safety" mechanism keeps good faith buyers in limbo until the eleventh hour, and if their purchases fall through or if they are unwilling to take the risk of the seller not coming through for an event that requires travel, they have no choice but to use Ticketmaster for all purchases. It's a lose-lose proposition all around for consumers and a win-win for ticket sellers.

I have also learned that selling on StubHub can be as frustrating as buying. Part of this is due to late releases and the need to transfer the tickets quickly. Sellers frequently complain that they weren't given the opportunity to transfer the tickets and then are penalized by StubHub for the busted transaction. As a PP mentioned, purchasing through StubHub is a gamble unless you are buying last-minute tickets that are available for immediate transfer. The entire industry is a mess and in need of closer regulation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We purchased on stubhub and was sent the wrong tickets. Of course by the time you get them, you have no time to make it right. We have multiple tickets in same section since we can't be together, this out kidd and parents in different sections. There is no accountability and a refund is not consolidation when you buy tickets for an event. A CLASS ACTION lawsuit needs to change practices for online platforms. When you buy, you get immediately.

Same issue with Stubhub - sent tickets for the wrong date. Fortunately immediate transfer, so I knew right away. Stubhub sent the link for replacement/refund, and there are tickets available for (supposedly) the right date on their site, but they are none available via the link. Taking the refund and running away from Stubhub.

[Anonymous]

Same thing happened to me buying NFL tickets. I bought the tickets a month in advance and on the day of the game I still did not get the tickets and was offers a different section. Those never came either. I was told by Stub Hub they would be there by game time. I went to the venue hoping the ticket would be sent. Wrong. I will never use Stub Hub. That is a promise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We bought expensive tickets to a concert that had various VIP clubs. The day before, when they released the tix to us, they were just regular tickets going for about $400/ticket less than what we bought. Stubhub said, oh sorry for the trouble, we'll give you 25% off the next tickets you buy. Which would still probably not make up for the lost $800. And it was for a milestone wedding anniversary. My husband threw a complete fit and they offered us various options to remedy the issue. One of the options was for tix going for 3k each (which is great but didn't meet our preferences). We ended up in the most elite VIP lounge they offered. So, if you do have trouble, and protest enough, it can work out. But it was a lot of stress for us-- we had purchased airline tix, hotel, etc and at first it all seemed like we were getting scammed.

Good outcome. What steps did you take to make it happen?

[Anonymous]

Wow, I am so sorry this happened to you OP!

What a nightmare!!

I do appreciate your post…thank you so much for sharing your horrible experience so that hopefully this doesn’t happen to anyone else!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would never purchase tickets from a third party seller to begin with. It’s like using Expedia to book a flight. Always book directly with the airline!

This. Desperate people are the ones who need up getting screwed.

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand why StubHub doesn’t take control of the tickets as soon as the seller makes the listing. They should go into some sort of escrow account controlled by StubHub. The seller should not be able to hold the tickets hostage until the last minute.

Ticketmaster has a good reselling platform, where Ticketmaster controls access to the tickets and directly releases the ticket to the buyer.

[Anonymous]

I’m currently in this boat. I purchased swift tickets 4 months ago for a show this fall and am being told the seller has until day of the show. I will NEVER use stubhub again. I have already spent money on non refundable travel and am pretty sure I will not get tickets. This is a rip off. I will never put myself through this ever again.

[Anonymous]

Stubhub is violating the ADA as well. They will allow sellers to resell accessible seats without marking them as such.

If anyone wants to do the work to make bank in a ADA class action lawsuit, this might be a good avenue. It’s so egregious.

[Anonymous]

I sell a lot on stubhub around 50-60 tickets a year last 20 years. So maybe 1,000 tickets I sold.

I hate the fees. My biggest seller last year I have row 1 sideline Jets tickets. Arron Rodgers opening day and the Chiefs game with Taylor Swift. I got like $1,000 a ticket

[Anonymous]

Was this for the Sphere?

[Anonymous]

What is stubhubs motivation for allowing sellers to wait after payment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Since I complained about StubHub, I wanted to come back and share a positive detail. StubHub refunded the cost of my ticket order immediately. It's already been credited to my account, so I appreciate that quick action. As I mentioned in earlier posts, their guarantee has multiple parts, and I take issue with some of the promises that are part of the guarantee, including their alleged commitment to provide tickets on time and to offer alternative seats and no additional charge if your order falls through (the options offered are at their sole discretion). However, StubHub absolutely came through on its promise to give a refund if the order was not fulfilled, and they did it quickly.

The refund is the easy part. When this happened to me, I bought last minute seats from stub hub when it was obvious they were going to come through with replacement seats. I contacted them and asked for a refund for the second purchase. The declined and I filed for arbitration. Two days after receiving the notice, they refunded the second set.