In this case: Ticketmaster fraud problem

in this case

A customer buys $702 worth of tickets to a Braves game, but her Ticketmaster account vanishes two days before the event.
Find out what happens when Ticketmaster’s fraud team becomes unresponsive, leaving a customer locked out and unable to attend the game.
A look at who is responsible when an online account is hacked and whether a company’s customer service failures warrant a full refund.

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Toni Bowick buys tickets to an Atlanta Braves game through Ticketmaster but then can’t access them before the event. Ticketmaster claims she doesn’t have an account. And then it keeps her money. Can Ticketmaster do that?

Question

I bought 7 tickets to an Atlanta Braves game through Ticketmaster for $702. Two days before the game, I tried to sign in to my account to retrieve the tickets, but I received a message that there was no account for my email.

I called customer service, and they could not find my account either. I sent an email with that information and received a case number, but I missed the game.

I called again, and a Ticketmaster representative said the fraud team was investigating the IP address where the tickets were transferred and that they would escalate the case. I have left multiple messages with the fraud team but have not received a response.

I have talked with customer fan support several times, but no one has any updates and they promise the fraud team will call me. I have been dealing with this for weeks. I would like Ticketmaster to refund the $702 for the tickets I couldn’t retrieve. — Toni Bowick, Ninety Six, S.C.

Answer

Ticketmaster should have helped you find your tickets before the game. But it looks like Ticketmaster’s customer service representatives couldn’t find your account.

I see that Ticketmaster said it tried to send you a password reset link, but even that didn’t resolve your problem. The tickets were lost.

So what happened? It looks like someone hacked your Ticketmaster account, intercepting your game tickets and then disabling your account. Although Ticketmaster eventually found your account and sent an email to reset your password, the damage had already been done. (Related: Ticketmaster on hidden fees: “We get it” — is the travel industry next?)

Travel Leaders Group is transforming travel through its progressive approach toward each unique travel experience. Travel Leaders Group assists millions of travelers through its leisure, business and network travel operations under a variety of diversified divisions and brands, including All Aboard Travel, Andrew Harper Travel, Colletts Travel, Corporate Travel Services, CruCon Cruise Outlet, Cruise Specialists, Nexion, Protravel International, SinglesCruise.com, Travel Leaders Corporate, Travel Leaders Network and Tzell Travel Group, and its merger with ALTOUR. With more than 7,000 agency locations and 52,000 travel advisors, Travel Leaders Group ranks as one of the industry’s largest retail travel agency companies.

But why didn’t Ticketmaster refund the $702? Probably because Ticketmaster is simply an agent for your game tickets — the intermediary between the venue and you. If something happened to your Braves tickets between here and there, it may or may not be Ticketmaster’s fault. Also, if you got hacked, the blame doesn’t necessarily fall on Ticketmaster. It’s possible that you unwittingly gave your passwords to a third party. Your voice matters

🖐️ Your voice matters

Have you ever had an online account hacked, losing access to something you paid for? How long is a reasonable amount of time to wait for a company’s “fraud team” to respond?

And should a company be responsible for a full refund if its system fails to protect you, even if you might have been hacked?

Let us know in the comments.

💬 Read more comments | Talk about this in our Facebook group | Discuss this on r/elliottadvocacy

I see a few things you might have tried to resolve this. First, you had a paper receipt for your ticket purchase. You might have tried to gain entrance to the ballgame with that receipt. It might have worked, although it would have been a risk. Also, looking back, I would have checked on the tickets a little earlier — that way, if something went wrong, you would have had more time to fix it.

When your event is about to happen and customer support is dragging its feet on a resolution, you can always reach out to an executive. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the customer service managers at Ticketmaster on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

Still, I don’t see how any of this is your fault. You bought tickets through Ticketmaster. You had a reasonable expectation that the tickets would be ready when you needed them. And you called the company two days before the game to try to resolve this.

I contacted Ticketmaster on your behalf, and it agreed to refund the $702 you spent on your tickets. Your pre-event digital ticket checklist

Your pre-event digital ticket checklist

Avoid a last-minute lockout with this simple timeline

One week before: Confirm and secure

Log in to your ticketing account (like Ticketmaster) to confirm the tickets are there. This is the best time to reset your password to something strong and unique.

48 hours before: Transfer and save

If you’re going with a group, transfer tickets to them now. Add your own ticket to your phone’s digital wallet (like Apple Wallet or Google Pay). This saves it directly to your device.

Day of the event: Charge up and check

Make sure your phone is fully charged before you leave. Open your digital wallet to confirm the ticket is still there and accessible without an internet connection.