HOUSTON – More soccer fans have contacted 2 Helps You, saying they purchased World Cup tickets through StubHub, only to have them canceled before their game.
After 2 Helps You first reported on so-called “ghost ticketing,” others have shared nearly identical stories.
One such story came from Lisa Coulter, a Toronto school teacher who said her tickets were canceled just days before she traveled to Houston.
After 2 Helps You contacted StubHub, she received replacement seats within hours.
“You are the only one that responded to my story,” Coulter said after arriving in Houston.
Now, more fans are sharing similar experiences.
Tampa couple says their tickets disappeared
Esteban Vidal and his wife, Yesenia Arteaga, contacted 2 Helps You less than 24 hours after we first reported Coulter’s situation.
Vidal and Arteaga emailed KPRC 2’s Mario Diaz, sharing how StubHub canceled their tickets and offered a refund instead.
“We don’t have your tickets. Here is your money back,” Arteaga recalled.
Vidal believes the issue is bigger than a single transaction.
“This is a pattern. These guys need to be held accountable,” he said.
He also says StubHub did not respond until after 2 Helps You became involved.
“I don’t think we could have gotten our tickets back if it weren’t for you,” Vidal said.
The family has since received replacement tickets and plans to attend the quarterfinals in Miami.
Cypress woman files complaint with Texas Attorney General’s Office
Marilyn Gonzales of Cypress says her family’s experience was even more frustrating.
She says StubHub canceled her family’s tickets on their way to the stadium just prior to the match between Portugal and the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 17.
“They knew on June 12 there was a problem — five days before the event,” Gonzales said in a call with 2 Helps You.
Gonzales has since filed a consumer complaint with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, saying she wants StubHub to be held accountable.
“I want StubHub to understand that others and I trusted them. We paid for tickets, and our tickets were not delivered,” she said.
Gonzalez also making it clear she is considering going beyond the state’s AG’s office.
“I also have been reading up on class-action lawsuits,” she added.
In a statement emailed 2 Helps You, a StubHub spokesperson wrote that the company is “heartbroken” over Gonzales’ experience.
The company wrote that Gonzales received both a refund and an “additional credit” and added that StubHub’s priority is “finding comparable replacement tickets for customers whenever possible.”
2 Helps You asked StubHub for comment on the complaint filed with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, but the company declined to comment.
On StubHub’s website, the company boasts, “You will get your tickets in time for the event.” It didn’t happen for Gonzales, who also added that she was not contacted by StubHub officials for days after the match.
She said the refund wasn’t enough, because what she purchased was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — tickets for her family to attend a World Cup match.
“We can’t get that Portugal game back, so at least make it right,” she said.
A Potential Solution?
Canada and Morocco are scheduled to play at Houston Stadium on Saturday, and StubHub’s own website shows plenty of tickets listed for sale at the time of our reporting.
2 Helps You contacted StubHub regarding tickets possibly being provided to Gonzales for that match as a replacement for the match she missed. The company has not responded as of this writing.
As more fans continue to contact 2 Helps You with similar stories, we will continue follow the issue, holding companies accountable when consumers say they aren’t getting what they paid for.
Contact at our 2 Helps You Help Desk if you need have an issue.