A football fan from New York bought two tickets on StubHub to see Tottenham Hotspur FC play against Liverpool. But after flying to England for the game, he only made it as far as the stadium gate.
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Daniel Kaiser, a lawyer from Brooklyn, sued StubHub on Nov 22, accusing the company of fraud and breach of contract for selling and promoting fraudulent tickets. In the weeks leading up to the soccer game, Kaiser alleged StubHub contacted him multiple times to confirm his ticket purchase was 100% guaranteed.
“We just wanted to remind you that Tottenham Hotspur will release the tickets a few days before the event,” one email from StubHub read, according to the lawsuit. “We’ll send you an email when yours are ready. Remember, our 100% Guarantee ensures you’ll have your tickets in hand in time for the event.”
When Kaiser arrived in London on Sept 28, StubHub sent him the tickets, but at the gate two days later they didn’t scan, according to the lawsuit. Kaiser claims a stadium employee told him the tickets were not valid and that StubHub was not authorised to act as a broker for the stadium.
StubHub didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit comes as StubHub, a ticket exchange and resale company, and other ticketing platforms face increasing criticism over their handling of ticket prices and anticompetitive practices. Live Nation Entertainment Inc and Ticketmaster Entertainment were subpoenaed by the US Senate this week over their ticket pricing, fees and resale practices.
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Kaiser is seeking class action status for his lawsuit, looking to represent any other soccer fans or customers who have encountered similar problems while buying tickets at StubHub. The stadium employee that turned Kaiser away said that previous StubHub customers had identical experiences, according to the complaint, and offered him a preprinted flyer with information about fraudulent tickets.
StubHub International is currently selling tickets to this Sunday’s game between Aston Villa FC and the home team at Tottenham Stadium. The prices range from US$126 (RM590) to US$1,365 (RM6,397).
– Bloomberg
– TheStar