Via iStockphoto / @joyce.rezk3 TikTok / Ahmed Khawaja Adobe Stock

A FIFA World Cup attendee is calling out StubHub after buying tickets to a game using their service—and getting a significant downgrade.

In a video with over 388,000 views, TikTok user Joyce (@joyce.rezk3) recounts how a StubHub purchase nearly ended in disaster.

According to Joyce, she purchased two Category 1 tickets for the Belgium v. Egypt match in Seattle, Washington. Per the FIFA website, Category 1 tickets are the highest-priced seats owing to the fact that they are as close as possible to the pitch. Joyce claims she bought the tickets two months prior to the game.

After arriving in Seattle on Saturday, she says she received an email that her tickets were finally available. When she opened them, however, she realized something was amiss.

What Was Wrong With These FIFA Tickets?

Upon opening her StubHub account, Joyce discovered that she was given not Category 1 tickets. Instead, she received Category 3—the second cheapest seating tier.

“OK, must have been an error. Benefit of the doubt, whatever, whatever,” Joyce starts.

At this point, Joyce tries the site’s chat function, which she describes as “not helpful whatsoever.”

From there, she calls. After four hours of phone calls, she says the company “hung up on us.”

Eventually, Joyce is informed that she has two options, neither of which she finds satisfactory.

“The only options we’re getting is either ‘Get a full refund of whatever you paid’ or ‘You accept our accommodation of Category 3 tickets,’” she explains. “We don’t understand why we’re getting Category 3 tickets. Eventually…they explain it to us and they’re like, ‘Oh, the seller that you bought these tickets from, I guess, went back on his word about the tickets or whatever so that those tickets are no longer available. But, what we can offer you are Category 3 tickets, because now what you paid is only enough for Category 3 tickets.’”

“Pause,” Joyce interjects. “So, I bought these tickets two months ago on a good deal…Now you’re not able to accommodate me because a seller that you’re responsible for went back on his word? How is that my own fault?”

She Doesn’t Get An Answer

From here, Joyce voices her confusion that StubHub seemed to “accommodate” her with tickets that she did not want and did not inform her of the change.

“I’ve taken time off of work. I’ve booked a plane ticket. I booked a hotel. My friends and I are here to watch. We have a certain expectation of what we’re going in with—and now, you threw our entire trip off, and it’s completely unfair,” she states.

To make matters worse, she says the treatment she received from StubHub was “extremely rude,” calling their tone “dismissive” and claiming she was hung up on multiple times, even after being connected to supervisors.

Finally, Joyce says she was connected with a man named John. Joyce describes John as “super sweet” and “really helpful.” John allegedly opened up a support ticket and told Joyce that she would get a response by the following day.

There’s No Response

After a day went by without a response, Joyce decided to simply purchase new Category 1 tickets. She says she believed the cost of these tickets could be offset from the refund she was told she’d receive from StubHub.

But, when she called StubHub again to confirm the refund, she says the customer service worker seemed confused by the idea. She also adds that she was, again, repeatedly hung up on.

“[We] came here a couple days early to enjoy the city, to do whatever. Instead of being able to do all these things and like, the stuff that we plan to do, we are on the phone three, four hours every single day trying to figure out this problem,” she concludes. “So kindly, StubHub, give me my refund. And for anybody who’s going to any game, any concert, anything that you are buying tickets off of StubHub, do not, because it’s giving scam.”

What She’s Entitled To

Per StubHub’s own FanProtect® Guarantee, tickets provided via the site are guaranteed to be “the same as or comparable to those you ordered.”

If this is not the case, the company says it will “find you comparable or better tickets to the event, or offer you a refund of what you paid for your purchase or credit of the same amount for use on a future purchase.”

In cases where a customer is not happy with the offered replacement tickets, StubHub will provide a full refund. That said, it’s unclear why she was provided with Category 3 tickets, as these would not appear to be “the same as or comparable” to the tickets she ordered.

Joyce isn’t the only person reporting difficulties with their tickets. Some ticket buyers say they were scammed, while others allege that FIFA canceled their tickets without warning.

She Gets Her Refund

Joyce later posted an update video saying that she was eventually able to get a refund.

According to Joyce, StubHub reached out via direct message. She attributes this to the virality of the video.

From there, the company confirmed details about her order and asked how she would like to be compensated. She said that she would like a refund and the price difference for the new tickets. Joyce says that StubHub confirmed they would send that to her.

“It’s gonna take, obviously, a couple of business days for us to get a refund. But, at least they were able to do that,” Joyce says.

Not only that, but Joyce says she was able to attend the game, which she describes as “awesome.”

Did StubHub Address The Issue?

In an email, a StubHub spokesperson offered the following explanation.

“When Joyce’s original seller couldn’t fulfill her Category 1 tickets, our team sourced replacement tickets as required under FanProtect. The replacement tickets offered were the most comparable price point to when she bought—we understand why that was frustrating and why she declined them,” the spokesperson wrote. “Under our FanProtect Guarantee, buyers are not required to accept a replacement they don’t want.”

The spokesperson also elaborated on the company’s replacement policy.

“When a seller can’t fulfill, our first step is sourcing a comparable replacement. If the buyer doesn’t accept the replacement, we issue a full refund. In Joyce’s case, she declined the replacement, purchased her own tickets, and we refunded her the difference in price,” the company spokesperson explained.

“We take reports of poor customer service interactions seriously and are actively retraining agents specifically for World Cup-related issues,” the spokesperson stated.

When asked about the TikToker’s belief that she got a response because the video went viral, the spokesperson wrote, “On the broader question of whether this outcome required public escalation: it shouldn’t have. The resolution Joyce received, a refund for the price difference, is available through our normal support channels and doesn’t require a viral TikTok to access. We’re truly sorry about that experience.”

Commenters Don’t Like It

In the comments section, users offered their thoughts on resale and the issues FIFA World Cup attendees seem to be having with tickets.

“This is why tickets should only be purchased on the official fifa site,” a user wrote.

“Stubhub owes a lot of people a refund! This is like the 4th video I have watched on this happening!” exclaimed another.

“I just found out I have no ticket for a game tomorrow,” a third shared.

@joyce.rezk3 @StubHub I want my refund and my tickets #worldcup #scammed #seattle ♬ original sound – Joycee

BroBible reached out to Joyce via TikTok comment and direct message.

Source: BroBible