When Buying Tickets Becomes a Trap: Our $985 StubHub Mistake
- Christianne Klein
- Sep 12
- 5 min read
Buying event tickets online should be simple: find the show, select your seats, and enjoy the experience. But our purchase through StubHub turned into a frustrating lesson in how vulnerable consumers can be- even on platforms that promise protection through their “FanProtect Guarantee.”
We bought four tickets to the National Tour of the Broadway hit & Juliet, listed as a 1:00 PM Saturday matinee. As the event neared and no tickets arrived, we checked the official schedule- and discovered that a 1:00 PM show doesn’t exist. & Juliet has always started at 2:00 PM.
Even more troubling, StubHub showed four listings for the same day: two for real showtimes (2:00 PM and 7:30 PM) and two for nonexistent ones (1:00 PM and 6:30 PM), both missing specific seat numbers. Cybersecurity expert Nic Adams, CEO of Orcus, says this is a major red flag: “Be wary of listings without specific seat numbers.” And beware if the selling platform doesn’t allow any information about the seller or doesn’t allow direct contact. He says it’s a red flag if you’re not able to communicate with the seller or if there’s “a refusal to provide details about the original purchase.”
When I contacted StubHub, a polite representative acknowledged the discrepancy but offered no fix- except to resell the tickets on StubHub. I asked how listings are verified and was told that sellers can provide tickets up to a few hours before the event, meaning buyers might not discover issues until it’s too late.
A spokesperson later clarified that StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee ensures the customer receives either equivalent tickets or a full refund. But if a show is sold out, that refund may come too late to attend. As McAfee’s online safety advocate Amy Bunn explains, “Oftentimes, the vetting process for third-party sellers focuses more on accountability and guarantees rather than a direct pre-verification for every ticket. This can put consumers in a tough spot.” Yet McAfee research shows that 59% of Americans still trust third-party ticket sites as much as official ones.
Until now, I was one of them.
StubHub has more than 7,972 BBB complaints, an “F” rating, and is not BBB-accredited. Recent complaints cite “alleged counterfeit items”, delivery delays, and events missed because tickets never arrived.
In our case, I received a 6:30 AM email on event day claiming my tickets had been sent. They hadn’t. A StubHub agent later shared a “ticket download” that turned out to be just the venue’s general website- no tickets, no barcodes. After confirming I had received nothing, StubHub promised a refund… but then emailed asking me to return the nonexistent tickets.
Even worse, the incorrect listings remained live on StubHub’s site through the day of the event, despite multiple reports. How many others unknowingly bought tickets to shows that never existed?
When I reached out to StubHub corporate for comment, they stated:
“StubHub is committed to transparency, fan protection, and providing world-class customer support. Our investigation confirms the incident involving & Juliet tickets was due to a technical mapping error in our system, resulting in incorrect showtimes being displayed. There was no fraudulent activity. We immediately addressed the issue and provided a full refund to the impacted customer.”
However, my experience raises additional questions not addressed by StubHub’s statement, including why I was told tickets had been transferred, why I received a download link that led only to the venue’s general website, with no tickets or barcodes, or why the listings stayed live. Experts say in cases described involving technical mapping errors, tickets would still exist and be available to the purchaser, and the only change would be the time of the event.
According to experts, if a company allows deceptive or misleading listings to remain live after being reported, it could be subject to consumer protection laws.
StubHub says it uses automation, manual reviews, and Trust & Safety teams to flag risky listings, and that entrance-day ticket issues affect fewer than 1 in 500 orders. But experts caution that many problems- like misleading listings and delayed delivery- happen well before buyers reach the venue.
We live in Las Vegas, a city where people come as a destination to see live shows. I shudder to think about the implications this type of situation would have on a family that traveled here to see a show, only to find out when they were at the venue that their tickets weren’t valid.
For us, this was a wake-up call. Always confirm showtimes with the venue. Document everything. And don’t assume that big platforms mean big protection.
I’m a consumer reporter- and it still took direct outreach to corporate PR to resolve this. That shouldn’t be the price of peace of mind.
Steps to Protect Yourself and Hold Companies Accountable
1. Double-Check with the Venue Before purchasing tickets from any resale platform, always verify showtimes and ticket availability directly with the theater or event venue.
2. Use a Credit Card Pay with a credit card whenever possible. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you can dispute unauthorized or fraudulent charges- especially if services aren’t delivered as promised.
3. Save Everything Keep screenshots of your order, the original listing, chat transcripts, and emails. Thorough documentation is crucial if you need to dispute charges or file complaints.
4. Report Fraud to These Agencies If the ticket platform won’t cooperate, you still have options:
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Files complaints on deceptive business practices, including fake ticket scams. Submit your report at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): If your credit card company won’t reverse a charge, file a complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.
Nevada Attorney General’s Office: For Nevada residents, file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection at ag.nv.gov. Advertising or selling tickets to nonexistent events likely violates state law.
Better Business Bureau (BBB): While they don’t enforce legal action, BBB complaints add public accountability and warn other consumers. File at bbb.org.
Nevada Consumer Affairs Division: Offers guidance and can refer complaints to proper agencies. Visit consumeraffairs.nv.gov.
5. Initiate a Credit Card Dispute (Chargeback) Contact your credit card company immediately to dispute charges. Explain that the tickets were for a nonexistent event time. You generally have 60 days to file, but the sooner, the better.
Final Thought
Platforms like StubHub thrive on the idea of trust- but when something goes wrong, it’s clear the burden falls on the consumer. Now, we’re hoping to help others avoid similar experiences.
Because while tickets might be digital, the disappointment, frustration, time wasted, and anger are very, very real.
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