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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think I should be entitled to my money back?

114 replies

hooveringhamabeads · 09/12/2018 22:25

I took my daughter and her friend to an event yesterday. A couple of days before the event I decided that I would go with her as she was anxious about going without me. By this point tickets had sold out, so I bought one on a site for buying and selling event tickets.

I was a bit worried about this, as the system is that the seller uploads their emailed ticket, and then upon payment the buyer is emailed the ticket by site (not the seller directly). It did occur to me that there was nothing to stop people from doing this, but still attending the event themselves, but just making sure they got there really early so they were still likely to be the first one to use the ticket. Tickets are scanned when you get there and obviously each barcode can only be used once.

We got to the front of the queue yesterday at the event, and I gave the security man the three tickets. He scanned the one I’d recently bought first, and the scanner made a no sound. At the moment, the man got distracted by something his colleague said to him, and then he turned back to the scanner and looked confused and said “have you already been in and come out again”. I said no and he said “oh, I must have done something wrong there”, then scanned my other tickets and let us in.

I could tell from the noise the scanner made that the first ticket had already been used. I got an email today from the site I bought it from asking if everything had been ok with it, and I chose the ‘no’ option. I then had to fill out a form where I honestly said what had happened, but that we still got into the event.

The seller messaged me back to say he was sorry, but he had uploaded the wrong ticket to the site, and used the one he’d uploaded by mistake. Now this is possible, but on the other hand he could have been planning to scam me all along.

AIBU to think I should be entitled to get my money back, as what I bought was a valid ticket to the event, but that’s not what I received? I’m not sure how far I’ll get as I’ve already told the site I still got in, but that was a complete fluke.

Sorry that was long 😂

OP posts:
greathat · 09/12/2018 22:59

Maybe you shouldn't get a refund but the scammer shouldn't get to keep it. If you were to get it back donate to kids mental health. Support kids with anxiety

itswinetime · 09/12/2018 23:00

If anyone is owed money it's the venue surely? You paid for a ticket you got in with that ticket I don't see how it's you been hatbare owed money

Otterseatpuffinsdontthey · 09/12/2018 23:01

Q

BrokenWing · 09/12/2018 23:02

You got in, so no you shouldn't get a refund.

SoupDragon · 09/12/2018 23:02

But it seems unfair that the seller gets £50 for not selling a valid ticket!

Equally, it is unfair if the seller loses out on £50 for a mistake that cost no one anything.

StoppinBy · 09/12/2018 23:03

Well the two options here are
A/ Seller gets to keep the money and in effect got in to the event for free by potentially scamming someone if they sold then used the same ticket

or

B/ Seller refunds the amount that you paid for the ticket in good faith.

I know which one sounds more logical to me. I know that you got in but you very easily could have not got in and been out of pocket for the even paying for some scammy person to attend instead of yourself.

What you choose to do with the refund should you get one is up to you. Next time the seller will either be more careful should it have really been an accident or hopefully not try it again if it was purposeful.

Iloveautumnleaves · 09/12/2018 23:06

You should get a refund. What he sold you was a scam, you didn’t get in on his ticket, you got in because the guy got distracted. Good fortune.

If you had bought the ticket for your own enjoyment I’d second the idea to donate the money, but as you went in due to DD’s anxiety I’d offset it against the cost of the trip. It’s hard work & expensive having kids with additional needs.

Original poster
hooveringhamabeads · 09/12/2018 23:12

Yes trust me there was no enjoyment at all from me at the event, it was awful. She loved it though. I really couldn’t afford to buy the extra ticket, especially this side of Christmas, but I didn’t have a choice, it meant so much to her to go.

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 09/12/2018 23:14

Only one person knows if it was a scam or a mistake and it isn't anyone here.

ReanimatedSGB · 09/12/2018 23:16

You got in, therefore your ticket was valid. You don't even know that it wasn't - by the sound of it, there might just have been a glitch with the gadget.
Demanding your money back would be spiteful, greedy and officious, so don't do it.

notmenope · 09/12/2018 23:20

Was it Viagogo? Never ever buy from them.

You bought a ticket. You got in. (And if it was for Viagogo, you were lucky). So you got what you paid for. You shouldn't get a refund.

My issue with this, apart from sellers like this who overinflate ticket prices and add in extortionate fees, is that numbers inside a venue are breached which could cause a safety issue.

Original poster
hooveringhamabeads · 09/12/2018 23:21

The ticket definitely was invalid, the seller has now admitted that they did not upload the correct one.

OP posts:
DishingOutDone · 09/12/2018 23:21

I've sold tickets on a similar site before and I didn't get paid until after the event; so that is to say if there was any problem at all, even if it wasn't my fault, then tough. The buyer must confirm that they got in with no issues before I would get paid.

Sounds like you had less protection on this site OP? I think he was trying to scam you and as you say had you not got in this would have been a nightmare. My DD has similar issues and I have to buy tickets to go with her sometimes too (hate it!)

I'd raise a complaint with the selling site, bit like you do on eBay. See how far you get, if nothing comes of it well you are back where you started, if you get money back then the charity idea is nice.

Original poster
hooveringhamabeads · 09/12/2018 23:22

No it was from Ticketswap.

OP posts:
Johnnycomelately1 · 09/12/2018 23:27

I'm in the refund camp because the seller was in breach of contract. How the venue responded to it is basically irrelevant.

Also, it wasn't a mistake. I suspect he probably sold that ticket several times.

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 09/12/2018 23:36

YABU. You paid to get in, you got in.

If you don’t like the thought of being scammed, perhaps you shouldn’t be wrongfully (and knowingly) buying dodgy tickets from dodgy websites.

Original poster
hooveringhamabeads · 09/12/2018 23:38

Wow! Where to start with that last comment! It was the first time I’d ever bought a ticket on that site, and spent a long time reading through everything on there to make sure I was buying a legitimate ticket, which the site assured me I was. Thanks for the input though.

OP posts:
AllTakenSoRubbishUsername · 09/12/2018 23:39

Why would you need to have money back since you got in? Someone has lost money, but not you - the venue probably.

araiwa · 10/12/2018 00:04

Nobody has lost any money!

The venue sold 2 tickets. 2 people went , possibly using the same ticket meaning there is an unused ticket presuming all was above board

m0therofdragons · 10/12/2018 01:00

nobody lost any money

No, but the seller got paid for something they didn't provide so random seller gets to profit and lots of people are fine with that? This thread is bizarre.

Alfie190 · 10/12/2018 01:16

No why on gods earth do you think you should get your money back? I am truly baffled. You are just being grabby.

DangerMouse17 · 10/12/2018 01:26

But you have no way of knowing if the seller made a mistake or set out to scam you. You therefore need to chalk it up to experience and give him/her the benefit of the doubt.

Sounds to me like you didnt want to spend the cash as it wasn't an event you would enjoy....and now you are looking for an excuse and people to validate your decision to claim it back. Really grabby/malicious and maybe the seller made an innocent mistake.

Whyarealltheusernamestaken · 10/12/2018 01:30

Just no, you got what you paid for. Learn from it and never do it again

PyongyangKipperbang · 10/12/2018 02:14

I agree with going for the refund and donating it.

Yes you got what you paid for, but only through sheer luck. How many poor buggers got left outside, £50 down?

The refund isnt to get you your money back but to make the seller suffer in some small way as they have clearly done to others. Get your money back and give it to a homeless charity.

You therefore need to chalk it up to experience and give him/her the benefit of the doubt.

Bollocks. Tell that to everyone who has ever spent all day trying to get tickets to a big event and failed, only to see them being sold on for 10X the face value by touts. The chance of this person being genuine is vanishingly small.

SoupDragon · 10/12/2018 07:06

you have no way of knowing if the seller made a mistake or set out to scam you.

This.

You have no idea whether the seller needs that money, no idea if they are a scammer. The only thing that is certain is that you got into the event you paid for.

Why would you potentially rip someone off by demanding a refund?