Quote:
Originally Posted by GenoJLaw
(Post 612111)
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Everyone loves to blame and hate StubHub, and I do think they might have done more for the guy in this situation just in the name of good customer service, but the real bad guy in this scenario is the original seller. StubHub DOES NOT sell tickets. They are the the facilitator of the sales, and for this they charge a fee. They also offer their "Fan Protect" Guarantee, which people really need to understand. The most StubHub is really obligated to do is refund your money, which in this case, they did (plus gave him $250 in coupons).
I can understand the buyer being pissed- I would be too. However, one needs to understand how the secondary market works. Unless you buy tickets from the original issuer (Ticketmaster, etc.), nothing is ever truly guaranteed.
My guess of what happened in this situation is that the seller was speculating on the tickets, meaning that they didn't truly have them in hand, but listed and "sold" them, believing that they could supply the tickets later, presumably after they purchased them elsewhere for a lower price. Professional brokers usually have a good idea beforehand of what they can get. While this is technically against StubHub's policies, they can't realistically verify if every single seller has tickets in hand, and probably wouldn't anyway. You need to watch Stubhub listings, to see if they mention a specific seat number, or just a row; also, listings that state tickets will be delivered at a later date indicate that some speculation might be happening. Or, perhaps the seller changed their mind after prices went up. But in either case, Stubhub's policy is that the tickets that are delivered have to be as listed, and if not, the buyer can either keep the tickets or request a refund. Since the the seller hadn't actually delivered the tickets to the buyer yet, I'll bet they used that policy as an out (stating they made a mistake in the listing and couldn't deliver the tickets) to renege on the deal. Stubhub could have "bought" comparable seats for the buyer and eaten the money, but they are not obligated to do so. Sucks for the buyer, but that's the reality of it.
I'll admit to buying tickets on StubHub, and sometimes I've gotten really good deals, while other times I've paid over face. It works both ways. But you have to understand the market and how it works. I do think their fees are pretty high, but I also like knowing that if there's a show that I really want to go to and get shut-out, I still have an option to get in where I know that the worst that could happen is I don't get into the show, but at least I will get my money back if that happens. Scalpers have always existed and will continue to exist. It's easy to say don't buy from them, but somebody always will,* and I'm not selfless enough to take one for the team if I want to see a show that badly (sorry, not sorry). StubHub is the big boy on the block (and technically not brokers/scalpers themselves) so they get all the bad press, but it's a much safer way to go than any of the hundreds (or thousands) of brokers and scam artists that are out there.
My guess is that this buyer is going so public with this story in the hopes of getting some attention and possibly getting seats from Lakers or some other sympathetic individuals for his trouble.
*I have heard that there was a verified sale of two tickets to a Springsteen show at MSG selling for $3,000 each- clearly, some people have so much money that they just don't care.
