StubHub Ticket Advice
Tossing this one out there for the group as I am slated to bring my kiddos (10/8) to the opener in 12 days.
Long story short, wanted to get them close to the band and cheerleaders as they love aspect of the game so I purchased tickets on StubHub a little over six weeks ago.
Section 37.
Bought and paid for the tickets and they were to be delivered electronically within an hour.
Checked last week and they are still not there though it says the order is confirmed and guaranteed.
Called customer service twice and they assured me that there was just an issue uploading the barcodes and that things would be fine in time for my event.
StubHub has always been reliable to me but at what point do I simply pull the plug and cancel through my credit card company?
Is it a StubHub issue or an issue with the seller? Does anyone have experience with this?
We are going to the game regardless and if I cut bait I wanna buy similar seats in a timely fashion.
Help?
August 22nd, 2022 at 9:12 AM ^
Long story short,
Whenever anyone says this, get prepared for a story that isn't going to be short.
August 22nd, 2022 at 9:15 AM ^
As someone who has bought tickets off stubhub a lot in the past year --- first, @#%@$^@%@%@ them and their horseshit fees.
Okay, to your question.
I've bought tickets before that were not "available" until the day of the game. Lots of anxiety there on those occasions, but never had an issue.
There was one time.. I think it was actually the UM vs UM (maryland) football game here in the DC area. .. that I had the same issue. I called multiple times and they assured me the tickets would be there. Eventually, I had the woman on the phone email it to me directly because I was tired of waiting.
the "in time for your event" shit is completely unacceptable for instant tickets. That said, I think you're probably okay, but I would try the route above. Ask them if they can see that the tickets have been uploaded by the seller, and if so, ask them to email you the tickets directly.
That said - you could probably get a good deal near game time in case you don't get these.
August 22nd, 2022 at 9:36 AM ^
Call them and ask them to email the pdf version to you. I did this last year as well. Tickets didn't show up - and they said it was some barcoding issue. I was traveling from North Carolina so I couldn't wait for the last day for them to show up. But if you call them, they will send it to you.
August 22nd, 2022 at 12:27 PM ^
i got the barcode excuse for a cub game last week. i don't understand that. you need to enter the barcode in order for the seats to properly show up and be listed, i would think. it never happened to me before. an hour before the game, still no resolution. i called and asked for refund and i bought other tix.
August 22nd, 2022 at 1:38 PM ^
At least in years past, there have been tickets posted for sale months before the AD has mailed them. The only times I sold them I already had the paper tickets (RIP) in my possession, but my guess is that they let you post based on entered section and seat number, but don't fully complete the transaction until you provide the barcode for verification (you certainly don't get your money until then).
August 22nd, 2022 at 10:26 AM ^
Their fees? How else is the business supposed to make money?
And most people selling on Stubhub aren't doing so out of the goodness of their hearts. Sellers are trying to make money!
August 22nd, 2022 at 10:37 AM ^
Does it cost stubhub more money to sell a $500 ticket than a $5 ticket? Look up what they charge / why / and how its increased.. its robbery. They're not alone, but its robbery. Not only that, but its highly deceptive on multiple levels. Your first price you see is often 70% of the final cost. If you choose "include fees", you still don't get to 100%. I just bought tickets that were 60 a piece for what ended up being close to 90 each. This is called "drip pricing".. which basically just keeps people hooked as they slowly add on as you go through the process of purchasing.
Also, the costs are highly variable based on algorithms that Stubhub puts in place around availability of tickets, time to event, etc.. and if you're going to say there's a fulfillment fee for delivery of tickets (which are PDFs and require no platform to exchange), its deceptive again. Why would fees for transactional things have to have a variable cost based on time to event, or availability of other tickets.
Charging a percentage of the ticket value is ridiculous. Sports average 20%, and concerts 30%. I paid a lot of money to see a basketball playoff game some months ago, and the fees were in the hundreds.
I'm not against companies making money, but this is gouging because these places corner the market and make their cut on both sides, and then charge fees and make money in the middle.
None of this is new - Ticketmaster paid out a 500M lawsuit based on bullshit fees they were adding. But, all this does is make them get more devious about it.
Zero transparency. Zero accountability.
August 22nd, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^
Well stated. I've never seen a defense of Stubhub and their shitty practices.
August 22nd, 2022 at 9:24 AM ^
Long story short, don't use Stubhub. Tickpick, or Vivid Seats are much better options in this economy.
August 22nd, 2022 at 10:27 AM ^
As much as i want to trust Vivid or Tick so much rides on the line for those of us traveling from out of state to Mecca.
I am taking the youngest Daughter (just turned 21) with 3 of her friends to the opener.
5 Airline tickets $1500.00
Hotel $500
Food $800
Car $150
Gas $50
With over 3K on the line the Stub Hub fee is nothing vs. there usual reliability (I have never had an issue already have my tickets) and game day customer service if needed.
August 22nd, 2022 at 10:27 AM ^
Vivid Seats was a complete disaster in my one experience of using them. I bought my daughters tickets to see Olivia Rodrigo at an unbelievably expensive price- that was a horrible good report card promise on my end. 90 minutes before the show, I'm sitting in front of the Masonic Temple with customer service, no tickets and crying kids.
That is a 5,000 seat venue and there aren't many options for backup. I would expect that when I buy tickets three months in advance that I shouldn't be sitting in a parking lot in downtown Detroit wondering if my kids are going to be able to get into the venue or not. They eventually got in...five minutes before the opening act and apparently with a different set of tickets other than the ones we purchased. And if you look at the reviews of Vivid Seats, this is a very common occurrence.
There has to be a better way, because this shouldn't happen as often as it does.
August 22nd, 2022 at 12:42 PM ^
Same day as Miggy's 3,000 hit. I was at the game and parked near Founders. We were blown away by the people waiting for that concert.
August 22nd, 2022 at 10:04 AM ^
If you don't receive the tickets, head to the box office at Crisler and the Michigan workers can assist. Michigan is partnered with StubHub and guarantee your purchase.
It's happened to me before and they were able to print tickets right at the window.
August 22nd, 2022 at 11:24 AM ^
I had this exact thing happen during the 2019-20 hockey season with Michigan hockey tickets I had purchased a few days earlier thru StubHub, and yes, the ticket window at Yost took only a few minutes and solved the problem for me.
OTOH, I was in Cleveland for a week on a job trip in the summer of 2019 and decided one morning to take in a ballgame at Progressive Field. During my lunch hour I found myself a relatively cheap single lower box ticket on StubHub and completed the order, immediately got confirmation of the transaction....and discovered hours later that when StubHub sent their ticket link there was no attachment to download.
By the time I got it sorted over the phone after first trying unsuccessfully to resolve the issue online, I missed the first 2 1/2 innings as the StubHub reps I spoke with kept passing the hot potato around until I finally reached someone with a brain.
Once home a couple days later I contacted StubHub customer to complain and request a refund. The bastards wouldn't do anything other than apologize and send me a $5 electronic voucher off my next StubHub purchase.
I now very rarely use that company unless there's no other option.
August 22nd, 2022 at 10:16 AM ^
Your tickets will be there before you need them.
August 22nd, 2022 at 12:22 PM ^
Thank you, customer service rep. I will wait on hold for the after-call survey.
August 22nd, 2022 at 3:24 PM ^
I second all the StubHub melange here - as I lost $700 in tickets to a concert last year thru (1) my error in purchasing paper tickets and (2) SH's poopy practice of not mailing the tix until the weekend before the show. Would be one thing if I didn't live in Alaska, and it wasn't a pandemic. But seriously, if they're charging 15% fees on a $700 purchase, then I should get my tickets when I purchase them - 3 months in advance!
Not sure if Seatgeek or other ticket sellers have this issue of waiting to send until 3 days before the event - haven't seen anywhere but StubFlub.
August 22nd, 2022 at 8:48 PM ^
Stubhub should be more reliable in general than other sites since Michigan provides mechanisms for ticket holders to resell there. As a season ticket holder who lives 8 hours away and can’t make it to all the games, Stubhub has been a convenient way to try to sell games I cannot attend. If you look for the seats that are “instant download” and have already been linked for sale from the Michigan account, those should be pretty safe since you do not need to rely on someone to transfer it after the sale.
August 23rd, 2022 at 4:28 PM ^
Barcodes have to be entered by Sept 1 or else your money is refunded. Seller should be getting reminders to add their barcodes. I entered a couple of my games early but I entered my barcodes last week