I had purchased tickets on April 1st 2008 to a concert in the San Diego area held on May 2nd plenty of time to place the order, have it shipped and plan for an eventful night. That eventful night turned out to be with the ticketsmyway.com customer service.
When purchasing the tickets they tell you that "In many cases tickets do not ship until days prior to the event" so I was unable to take action until the day of the event. Without tickets in hand, I called their customer service number provided on the website and talked to an agent, requesting a tracking number to the FedEx package that shipped my tickets in order to pick it up at the local shipping office prior to the concert. The agent informed me my wife canceled the tickets. I explained to the agent that I'm not married and I don't have a wife and only I knew about the tickets as it was supposed to be a surprise for my date.
That agent wanted to look into the matter further and placed me on hold for 15 minutes, then picking up the phone as if I never talked to him before. So, patiently I explained the situation again and was placed on hold for another 10 minutes before getting hung up on. Ok, all I want was the tickets and so I called back, having to speak to another customer service agent and explain my situation. Again, I was placed on hold and hung up on.
This is the best part. Realizing that I wasn't going to get any tickets I called back and now just want my money (over $400). I explained to the agent my situation and requested to speak to a manager or supervisor. After being informed that a manager or supervisor is not available I then proceeded to get some more information by trying to determine when I can call back and who the managers are so I can fix the situation. The agent responded my saying that there are no managers or supervisors. Ha, ha, sure. Still being patient I asked how I can get a refund. Send a cancellation request online by going to myticketsway.com. Wait... Isn't your website ticketsmyway.com? Since I have you on the phone can't you help me out? The agent then proceeded to tell me that no one was in the office (at 3pm pacific time) as I heard other agents int he background talking on the phone. I informed him as I laughed and told him that I hear people in the background. "Oh yeah, they're actually getting ready to leave and go home" was his response. I have to call back on Monday. With no hope I proceed to submit a cancellation request online and wait over the weekend to talk to someone.
Not pushing the issue and now understanding that I'm working with a bunch of clowns I patiently wait to call back on Monday, May 6th to speak to another 'customer service agent'. After giving my information and order number I was informed that I have to submit a request online to cancel my order, which I already did prior to the weekend. Again I asked to speak to a manager and was refused. The agent indicated that they will submit a request to 'another department' (refused to let me know which one) and that they will get back to me. After asking for a timeframe, I was told a couple of days and I wouldn't accept that.
The next day I received the following email:
"We are trying to contact you to cancell your order, We have no current phone # to contact you at. You are required per Terms and Conditions to provide a way to communicate with you in a timely manner. IF your order isnt cancelled our system will automatically cancel it at a 45% charge. We are trying to have you cancel it yourself so you can avoid that."
First, I made the purchase through Google checkout, which requires your name, billing/shipping address, phone number, and email. Second, that email makes absolutely no sense. They are trying to cancel my order but they want me to cancel my order and if they don't cancel my order they will charge me 45%?
Wait! What about the issue where I never received my tickets and it was not at any fault of my own?
So I decided to do some research on my own and after reviewing numerous complaints and 'fraud' statements submitted to the BBB and FBI (don't know the accuracy of those statements) by other customers, it turns out that the Nevada Secretary of State shows the status of the company, Event Tickets, LLC, in default and that they are a foreign business originating from the state of Delaware. I can't find any record of that company registered as a business in the State of Delaware. Furthermore, since this is an online company and I'm very familiar with the Internet and online world, I now have names and contacts of the owners of the business.
Everything thus far has been extremely 'fishy' and I believe that this is a very good case for online fraud. I have requested proof that the company had possession of the tickets I ordered and any records pertaining to the cancellation of my order. As far as the next step, I'm a military service member and will seek legal counsel to take further action.
Summary:
I strongly believe that this company lures consumers in by offering tickets that are hard to get or sold out for a very low price when the company never had those tickets in the first place. Once the consumer makes the purchase they never ship the item or replace it with another that is no where near comparable to what the customer ordered. Then, with ridiculous policies and outrageous fees, they make it impossible for a customer to recoup or refund what was lost. They take money from the consumers immediately then have a delay strategy when it comes to getting a refund after not receiving the purchased item and charge a 45% refund fee.
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