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Consumers who reserve tickets online for sporting events, concerts and theater performances are fuming over two online ticket brokers, the Vernon, Connecticut-based Ticket Network Direct and Las Vegas-based Event Tickets LLC, which operates the website TicketsMyWay, after buyers received less than they bargained for, at inflated prices – or nothing at all, according to complaints against the two ticket brokers.
Connecticut BBB has processed more than 120 complaints about Ticket Network Direct in the past three years, 63 of which were filed in the last year alone. Disputes in the company’s BBB Reliability Report include complaints about ticket price advertising, sales practices, delivery issues, customer service, product issues refunds, etc. BBB has given Ticket Network Direct an “unsatisfactory” rating because of unresolved complaints about the firm’s advertising practices.
Others have complained about Ticket Network Direct’s pricing claims, with one consumer asking rhetorically, “Why would I purchase $89.00 tickets when the same is available (elsewhere) for $49.00?”
Even though Ticket Network Direct’s online advertising claims it offers event tickets at the “cheapest” prices and prices “lower” than the competition, Better Business Bureau informs that tickets have been reported to cost significantly more than their actual face value when bought through a secondary market ticket broker. BBB therefore questioned Ticket Network Direct about some cases in which consumers may purchase tickets at face value directly from the venues, despite the company’s claim its tickets are less expensive than its competitors. To date the company has not resolved BBB’s advertising inquiry.
In the meantime, consumers across the nation are flooding Better Business Bureau with complaints about TicketsMyWay a website operated by Event Tickets, LLC, claiming they paid for various events but that the tickets arrived too late, received seats that were not valid or as good as advertised, and in some cases, did not receive their tickets at all.
According to Connecticut Better Business Bureau President, Paulette Hotton Scarpetti, “While there are legitimate online ticket sellers in whom consumers can trust, people using online vendors have been complaining about a wide array of questionable practices.”
BBB files reveal that some consumers did not get the tickets they ordered, and when an event was cancelled they encountered rude customer service and other difficulties when they sought refunds.
According to Scarpetti, “The number of complaints against TicketsMyWay speaks for itself: There are at least 100 complaints about tickets not being delivered, nearly another 100 involving refund and exchange problems, and on about 200 occasions, the company failed to even respond to BBB or consumers to resolve these issues. TicketsMyWay therefore has an unsatisfactory rating due to its marketplace practices.”
In their complaints, consumers who feel they were burned by TicketsMyWay documented how when they disputed a charge with their credit card company, the website’s parent company Event Tickets LLC, threatened to send a collection agency after them.
In fact the company’s web site states “If you dispute your charge with your credit card company any time after you place your order you agree to pay a litigation fee of $125 dollars, and may be responsible for the entire amount of your order plus any interest and penalty fees associated with the servicing of your account.”
How Consumers can Protect Themselves When Buying Event Tickets Online:
- Shop around to compare prices, instead of accepting an online ticket-selling web site’s assertion it sells event tickets for the cheapest and lowest price.
- Paying with a credit card or the PayPal online payment system provides protection and the opportunity for reimbursement if the company is uncooperative. Never pay with a cashier’s check or wire money directly to the vendor.
- Buyers should scrutinize any images of tickets posted online to ensure there are no inaccuracies or alterations and cross-check the seat assignment with the map on the venue’s web site before buying.
- Before shelling out money for an online event ticket, consumers must read the fine print and policies on the website and pay special attention to consumers’ protection options if they are not satisfied.
A full report on the various websites and company names under which Ticket Network Direct operates may be found in a Reliability Report at bbb.org, under “Check out a business or charity.”
Consumers who feel they have been misled when buying tickets online should file a complaint with Better Business Bureau at the BBB website, as well as the state Attorney General’s office.
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hschwartz[.]ct.bbb.org 
