Why did StubHub sell this fan’s Sabrina Carpenter tickets?

Recognized by Forbes as one of the leading ticket resale companies, StubHub is considered the place to go online when it comes to getting last-minute tickets. But recently there has been a lot of talk about them on social media from dissatisfied customers.

Recommended video

One content creator called on the company to refund a Taylor Swift ticket she purchased without her consent. Another woman criticized the brand for not refunding her money for a mistake she made while selling tickets.

And now, another TikTok user has shared his own negative experience using the platform.

What’s going on with StubHub?

In a video posted on September 30 that has already racked up over 65,000 views, TikTok user @bigyellowbean shares his recent experience using the resale site.

She was stressed when she found out that the Sabrina Carpenter tickets she had purchased on StubHub were not available digitally before the show.

After being informed by the studio that her tickets were still in good condition, she arrived at Madison Square Garden dressed and ready to perform.

@bigyellowbean found out the hard way, just before the concert started, that her tickets were invalid and that the venue could not issue her tickets because the concert was sold out.

“I have never experienced such fraud and unhelpful customer service,” she wrote in the caption of the post.

When tickets first became available, the TikToker explains that she purchased her ticket to the Madison Square Garden show through StubHub. She says she paid $200 for the ticket at the time, but tickets have since skyrocketed to almost $1,000.

Although StubHub refunded her initial costs, @bigyellowbean was unable to purchase valid new tickets at this higher price.

One commenter, who claims to have previously worked at Madison Square Garden, shared her two cents on the situation.

“This place uses Ticketmaster exclusively. If it is not transferred to your TM account, you will not get in,” he advises. “They don’t print tickets here either.”

The MSG website only provides instructions for viewers on how to use the Ticketmaster app to access the venue.

@bigyellowbean Actually @StubHub. I have never experienced such fraud and unhelpful customer service. #stubhubscam #sabrinacarpenter ♬ original sound – bigyellowbean

How does StubHub deal with ticket scammers?

When it comes to resale fraud in general, the Aura 2023 report revealed that approximately 12% of ticket buyers, or nearly 11 million Americans, are scammed on these online ticketing sites each year.

StubHub has a legal page on its official website where the company denies full responsibility for any fake tickets that consumers might purchase on its site.

“We have no control over and do not guarantee the existence, quality, safety or legality of Tickets,” the statement reads.

However, the brand also has a satisfaction policy with every purchase, called the FanProtect Guarantee.

As stated in the guarantee, the company will honor such situations with a full refund or replacement of tickets to the same event, if possible.

In @bigyellowbean’s case, even though she received a refund for her tickets, the last-minute concert tickets were more than three times the original price she paid, leaving her financially intact but still unable to tour.

StubHub lists only one consequence for sellers caught cheating on the site: temporary or permanent suspension if an investigation shows the seller is violating its valid ticketing policies.

At the time of publication, no class action lawsuit has been filed against StubHub.

The Daily Dot reached out to StubHub via email and @bigyellowbean via TikTok chat with comment.

Updated at 12:33 ET, October 3: In an email to the Daily Dot, a StubHub representative noted that StubHub sellers have no incentive to list invalid tickets because they don’t get paid until the ticket buyer shows up at the show.

The representative also said the company gave @bigyellowbean a $487.14 credit in addition to the startup cost reimbursement. However, in a comment on her first video, @bigyellowbean stated that in addition to a refund, StubHub only offered a $140 credit.

“I have no way of securing new tickets as they are 5 times the price I originally purchased them at and StubHub has not offered enough compensation to afford the new price for my seats,” @bigyellowbean wrote in a direct message to the Daily Dot. “I would probably want StubHub to do a better job of vetting its sellers or to compensate me better if something like this happened.”

Internet culture is messy – but we’ll explain it in one daily email. Sign up for the web_crawlr Daily Dot newsletter Here. Get the best (and worst) news from the internet straight to your inbox.