ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Michelle and Dave Bartlett couldn't wait for Sunday's Buffalo Bills game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The couple usually makes the trip to Orchard Park for a game once a year from their home in Old Forge, N.Y.
"I figured once a year I could get good seats and splurge," said Dave Bartlett.
He purchased tickets in August for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers in the fourth row of Section 113. The total was just more than $1,000. Weeks went by, and Bartlett still had no digital tickets.
"[StubHub] promised you'll have them by game time or day of the game," explained Bartlett.
Bartlett said he trusted the company, and even though they didn't have the tickets early Sunday morning, they still got up and drove to Orchard Park at 5 a.m.
WATCH: Buffalo Bills fans paid $1,000 for tickets but never received them from StubHub
Bartlett called customer service when they still hadn't received their tickets an hour before kickoff.
"He informs me that I'm not getting my tickets," said Bartlett.
According to StubHub's FanProtect Guarantee, if the seller fails to deliver tickets on time, the company will find replacement tickets of equal or better value, or refund the order.
Bartlett said the tickets he was offered were not equal to or better than the value of his original seats.
"I said I'm not paying $1,000 to sit in section 310," said Barlett, who opted for the refund. By Sunday night, StubHub refunded him the full order.
So how could this happen?
I wrote to the company on behalf of Bartlett to find out more.
A StubHub rep told me that the company has a deadline to fulfill on every order, but she wasn’t sure of the deadline for these tickets, as it’s different for every purchase.
In a statement, a StubHub spokesperson said:
"StubHub is committed to ensuring every fan can buy and sell tickets with confidence. In this case, the seller failed to deliver the tickets as promised. We offered alternative options under our FanProtect Guarantee, but the available seats did not meet the original ticket quality, and the customer chose a full refund. We understand how frustrating this was—especially after a long trip—and we’re sincerely sorry for the experience they had. We’ve since reached out directly to apologize and have offered complimentary tickets to a future event of their choice."
The spokesperson added that StubHub’s ability to enforce ticket delivery is sometimes constrained by primary ticket platforms. Remember, StubHub is just a ticket marketplace to sell and buy tickets.
These delays have been brought up in the ongoing DOJ lawsuit filed last year against Ticketmaster and Live Nation.
In this case, the seller "failed to deliver and did not respond to multiple StubHub fulfillment outreach attempts." Sellers who violate delivery terms may face financial penalties and can be permanently removed from StubHub altogether.
Consumers should know that if you don't have your tickets days or weeks leading up to the event, call the company so it can be straightened out. When you do get digital tickets sent to you, accept them immediately.
According to StubHub, less than 0.2% of StubHub orders experience issues at the door.
