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?
Q: 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.
A: 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.
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.
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.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at https://elliottadvocacy.org/help/