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World Cup super fan Yoshua Quinones snagged a ticket to the final game. At least that’s what his $10,767 receipt from StubHub said. But three months later, with the big event quickly approaching, his FIFA account was still empty.
All Quinones had was a giant charge on his credit card and repeated assurances from StubHub not to worry. His seller would transfer the ticket soon, customer service representatives promised. And if that didn’t happen, he would get a refund.
But he didn’t want a refund. He wanted to go to the game.
Becoming increasingly fearful that he didn’t actually have a World Cup Final ticket, Quinones asked Consumer Rescue for help. He hoped I could convince StubHub to force the seller to transfer the ticket immediately or secure a replacement.
So will Quinones be watching the World Cup Final from inside the stadium or at home on his couch?
Let’s find out.
Spending $10,767 on a World Cup Final ticket
In early April, Quinones was determined to attend the World Cup Final. Unfortunately for him, by then FIFA’s official marketplace reported that the event was sold out. In retrospect, this sold-out announcement appears to have been part of a marketing scheme, with additional tickets suddenly being released by FIFA just days later.
However, Quinones and thousands of other soccer enthusiasts hoping to attend the games didn’t know this. So prices for the much sought after tickets began to skyrocket. When Quinones saw one Category 3 seat for the final match on July 19, he was elated.
Although the price for the ticket was astounding — $10,767.22 — he quickly bought it anyway.
Quinones wasn’t particularly concerned that the ticket didn’t immediately appear in his FIFA account. After all, the game was still months away, and StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee promised that his purchase was protected.
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Then the World Cup began — and so did the problems.
Reports began appearing from fans who said their StubHub World Cup tickets had been canceled or had never arrived. Some buyers discovered the problem only shortly before their game date.
Suddenly, Quinones’ empty FIFA account looked quite alarming.
That’s when his battle with StubHub began.
When will StubHub transfer my World Cup ticket?
Quinones called StubHub and explained that the World Cup Final was rapidly approaching, but his ticket was nowhere to be found. Customer service representatives assured him that everything was fine.
That’s when he learned something that might have caused him to think twice about the purchase. The seller had until 9 a.m. Pacific Time on July 19 to transfer the ticket. That would be noon in New Jersey — just three hours before kickoff at MetLife Stadium.
If the ticket didn’t arrive, the agent explained, StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee would provide Quinones with a refund or possibly a comparable replacement.
Possibly.
There was an obvious problem with that plan.
A refund could make Quinones financially whole, but it would not put him inside the stadium where he desperately wanted to be. By the time he became eligible for the refund, getting a replacement ticket to the World Cup Final seemed highly unlikely.
Quinones asked StubHub to locate a replacement ticket ASAP. But StubHub told him to be patient.
So Quinones waited patiently. And then waited some more. But two months later the ticket was still MIA.
He was done waiting.
Confusing answers from StubHub
As the World Cup Final drew closer, Quinones’ calls to StubHub became more persistent.
Various agents told him the seller had uploaded the ticket but was experiencing “technical issues.”
One representative said the seller had been guided “multiple times” through the process of transferring the ticket. No one seemed to know why the transfer was not happening.
“I asked to speak to a supervisor,” Quinones recalled. “After a 26-minute hold, the call was disconnected, and no one called me back. It was very frustrating.”
By then, Quinones had called and chatted with StubHub dozens of times. He had also tried emailing several company executives.
Still, there was no ticket in his FIFA account.
That’s when he sent his request for help to Consumer Rescue.
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Join thousands of smart travelers and savvy consumers who already subscribe to Tales from Consumer Advocacy Land — the friendly weekly newsletter from Michelle Couch-Friedman, Chief Fiasco Fixer and founder of Consumer Rescue. It's filled with helpful consumer guidance, insider tips, and links to all of our latest articles.
Did this $10,767 ticket actually exist?
When Quinones’ complaint hit my inbox, it was less than three weeks before the World Cup Final. Nearly three months after paying for his ticket in full, his FIFA account was still empty.
Although he understood that StubHub or his credit card company would make sure he would get his money back if it turned out that this seller didn’t have a ticket to transfer, a refund wasn’t the resolution he wanted.
Quinones desperately wanted to go to the game.
That’s something I suspected wasn’t going to happen if he relied on this seller’s ticket being legitimate.
It was time to ask our helpful executive contacts at StubHub what was going on here.
Related: Walmart promised me a $1,297 refund, but I only received a $10 coupon. Help!
StubHub investigates the missing ticket
I hoped StubHub’s executive team could quickly straighten out whatever was preventing the transfer of Quinones’ ticket. Or, in the worse case scenario, determine that this was a fraudulent transaction and refund their customer.
In April, Yoshua Quinones (Ticket #: ****) bought a ticket on StubHub for the World Cup Final scheduled for July 19. He paid StubHub a total of $10,767.22 using his Robinhood credit card. As of today, July 2, the seller has not sent the ticket. Yoshua has contacted StubHub repeatedly about this problem, and agents have told him to be patient because the seller has until July 19 at 9 am (Pacific Time) to hand over the ticket. That would be noon in New Jersey, where the Final is scheduled to begin at 3 PM. I’m not sure if that advice came from an AI agent, but obviously, Quinones should not be required to wait until just hours before the game begins to know for sure if he actually has a ticket for his $10,767. There has been no explanation as to why the seller has not sent the ticket. Yoshua paid in full on April 16. It would seem that possibly the seller is waiting to see if they can get more money for the ticket. Or in the worst-case scenario, the seller doesn’t even have a ticket.
Could your team look into this situation and either force the seller to produce the ticket or ensure Yoshua receives a refund, unless there is a reasonable, official explanation for the delay in transferring the ticket. Thank you for your help!
Michelle Couch-Friedman, consumer advocate
The StubHub team assured me that they were investigating Quinones’ situation and would get back to me shortly.
“Shortly” morphed into two weeks, but finally, just days before the World Cup Final, StubHub had an answer.
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Good news! You’re going to the World Cup Final
World Cup ticket prices had shifted since Quinones’ original purchase. Category 3 tickets were now selling for less. When the seller of his ticket was unable to transfer it, StubHub provided him with one in a better section at approximately the same price.
After nearly three months, Quinones finally had a real World Cup Final ticket. And it was an upgrade.
I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes when everything finally came together. I opened the FIFA app, and there was my ticket. Thank you for taking my concerns seriously and for helping bring this issue to a positive resolution. I truly appreciate all of your efforts and your willingness to assist me.
Yoshua Quinones
You’re very welcome, Yoshua. Enjoy the game! ⚽
How to avoid a ticket fiasco of your own
StubHub ultimately honored its FanProtect Guarantee and provided Quinones with an upgraded replacement at no additional cost. But nearly three months of uncertainty is a lot to endure when you’ve spent almost $11,000 on a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Here are a few ways ticket buyers can protect themselves.
Know who is actually issuing the ticket
StubHub is a resale marketplace. For the World Cup, FIFA controls the official digital ticket and the system used to transfer it.
Before buying from any resale platform, find out how the event organizer delivers its tickets and whether there are special restrictions on transfers.
FIFA advises ticket holders to use its official transfer and resale systems. It also warns that transfers involving third-party platforms or accounts may cause problems. Ticket buyers should always read through the terms and conditions of both the resale platform and the issuer of the tickets to understand any potential dangers of buying from an unapproved reseller.
Read the delivery deadline before paying
A ticket listing may allow the seller to wait until shortly before the event to transfer it.
That might be acceptable for an inexpensive local event. It’s a much bigger risk if you’re spending thousands of dollars, buying airfare, reserving a hotel or traveling internationally for a special event.
If the promised delivery date is uncomfortably close to the event, consider whether the platform’s refund guarantee will truly protect the experience you’re buying.
Understand what the guarantee covers
StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee promises that tickets will arrive in time and be valid for entry. If something goes wrong, the company says it will try to provide comparable or better replacements or issue a refund.
That protection ultimately saved Quinones’ trip to the World Cup Final.
But replacement tickets depend on availability. A full refund after an event has started won’t replace a unique experience, so begin escalating early if an expensive ticket remains missing.
Save your entire paper trail and stay off the phone
Quinones spent countless hours on the phone attempting to resolve his ticket fiasco on his own. That left him with very little documentation of his efforts. It also made each phone call function as essentially a new complaint. To save yourself hours of frustrating circular conversations that get you no closer to fixing your problem, stay off the phone and use email instead. Document all your correspondence and create a clear paper trail of what has been promised and recommended.
Here’s a list of things you should keep in your folder as you self-advocate. These are also the same types of things our advocacy team at Consumer Rescue will ask you for if you need our (free) mediation assistance.
- Purchase confirmation
- Credit card statement
- Ticket listing
- Promised delivery date
- Customer service chats
- Emails
- Screenshots of your ticket account
- Notes from phone calls, including dates and agent names
Don’t wait until game day to ask for help
If customer service keeps repeating the same answer and the event is approaching, you’ll want to escalate your complaint to the executive customer service level. Of course, in this age of AI customer service, it may be difficult to find a real person. If you need help finding someone to escalate your complaint to, send your request to Consumer Rescue’s Research Valet. Tell us the name of the company that you’re struggling with and we’ll give you the name and contact information of a real person we know who has a history of helping customers there.
When you reach out to that person, explain what you bought, how much you paid, when the ticket was promised and exactly what resolution you want. Avoid sending a giant emotional manifesto. The goal is to make it easy for someone with authority to understand and fix the problem. And most importantly you want to keep your complaint cordial.
Remember, you want to make the person on the receiving end of your letter want to help you.
Related: 7 simple ways to fix any consumer problem
And if your reasonable attempts go nowhere, you have one more tool in your problem-solving toolbox: the Consumer Rescue advocacy team. Our assistance is always fast, friendly, and, best of all, free of charge. (Michelle Couch-Friedman, Chief Fiasco Fixer and founder of Consumer Rescue)
