OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (WDAF) — A Kansas woman is warning other concertgoers about purchasing tickets after her family couldn’t get in to see country star Luke Combs at Arrowhead Stadium.
“It was very disappointing,” Kristi Swarthout said.
Swarthout and her daughter had been planning to see Luke Combs in concert in Kansas City for months.
She said they bought two general admission tickets on StubHub in April and paid about $540. Swarthout received a QR code for tickets through StubHub, and they were set – or so she thought.
They were stopped at the entrance.
“She said, ‘Oh not you guys, too,'” Swarthout recounted to NewsNation affiliate WDAF in Kansas City. “And I was like, ‘What do you mean “not us guys, too?”‘ and she pointed to the grass and she goes, ‘All those people, they were scammed by, on StubHub.'”
Swarthout said there was a swarm of more than 200 people with similar stories. They were told their tickets were fake and weren’t allowed inside.
A spokesperson with Arrowhead Stadium told WDAF someone was selling a fake ticket on StubHub. He also said fans were showing tickets with static QR codes, which are not generated through their ticketing system nor were they valid tickets to the event.
An example of a static QR code could be a screenshot, or a code that doesn’t change, while the dynamic code automatically refreshes periodically and is tied to the ticket holder’s mobile device.
“Some types of mobile tickets have a rotating barcode,” StubHub explains on its support site. “This means the barcode changes regularly. Venues won’t accept screenshots of these tickets at the gate.”
One family celebrating their daughter’s graduation drove five hours to see Combs’ concert.
“People had left like upset, crying, but there was nothing that could be done,” Swarthout said.
She waited three and a half hours for the issue to get resolved but never got inside.
“We all had receipts showing that we had paid,” Swarthout said.
Although she received a full refund, Swarthout didn’t get to see Combs.
“If there’s something that’s going on at the stadium, you need to buy directly from them,” Swarthout warned.
Claire Rosenzweig, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau Metropolitan New York, echoed Swarthout.
“Look for ticket sellers that are going to protect you,” Rosenzweig advised.
If you have to get tickets from a reseller, she said it’s smart to use a credit card and make sure the business offers full refunds for tickets.
“Also, buying from a reseller selling primary tickets adds a layer of protection,” Rosenzweig said.
Rosenzweig said in the last three years, people have filed more than 4,070 complaints with the Better Business Bureau about Stubhub. In the last 12 months alone, they’ve had more than 1,500 complaints roll in.
Rosenzweig said some of those cases have been resolved; some have not.
“StubHub is not an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau,” Rosenzweig said.
She said not all businesses are accredited with the BBB. They have to first apply. StubHub currently has a B+ rating, according to Rosenzweig.
Swarthout has received a full refund for the tickets. She said she was also promised an extra payment for the trouble but she has yet to see that money.
“I just hope it doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Swarthout said.
StubHub did not respond to multiple calls and emails from WDAF.
Swarthout and those left outside Comb’s concert are just the latest to be impacted by fake StubHub tickets.
A Chicago-area family told NewsNation affiliate WGN they spent six months trying to secure tickets they purchased via StubHub for a Taylor Swift concert. Despite receiving a confirmation email, the Finnegan family said they never received the actual tickets.
The fine print of StubHub’s “Fan Protect Guarantee” says the company promises to get buyers the tickets they ordered, comparable or better tickets, or a refund. Comparable tickets are usually only offered if they can be secured for up to 150% of the customer’s purchase price, a representative said, but the company did eventually get the family of four their tickets.
The replacement tickets were valued at $13,592, far more than the $1,270 the family initially spent.