Fans filed a multimillion-dollar class action lawsuit against StubHub, alleging that the company “lied” to them about World Cup tickets they purchased but never received.
According to plaintiffs Julie Reeker Moghal and Reuben Renteria, StubHub allegedly sold World Cup tickets that it did not have or could not supply.
Moghal paid almost $2,000 for three tickets to watch Switzerland play Bosnia and Herzegovina at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, but StubHub neither delivered the tickets nor issued a refund, according to the lawsuit. Renteria paid around $2,300 for two tickets and claims that after traveling to Mexico City for a game, he was unable to attend because his tickets never arrived. Eventually, he received reimbursement for the tickets after he complained numerous times. The company covered none of his travel costs.
The plaintiffs allege that StubHub violated the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, California’s Unfair Competition Law, the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, and the False Advertising Law.
The lawsuit claims StubHub’s “FanProtect Guarantee” assured customers that their tickets would be valid. However, numerous fans reported being denied tickets, having their tickets revoked, or experiencing issues with ticket transfers.
“Plaintiffs and class members are among the hundreds (if not more) World Cup fans who did not get what they paid for on the resale market due to StubHub’s violations of the federal, state and common laws,” the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit claims that StubHub sold World Cup tickets without authorization
Moghal and Renteria contend that StubHub misrepresents its ability to sell World Cup tickets, noting that FIFA’s terms and conditions state that only the FIFA marketplace is authorized to sell them.
“StubHub misrepresents its authority to sell World Cup Tickets, then, when Plaintiffs and Class members travel thousands of miles to attend World Cup matches, there are no tickets to be found despite having paid for them,” the lawsuit claims.
“[Fans] were lied to and purchased World Cup Tickets for large sums of money – only to incur tremendous financial losses. This is a new low for a sports ticketing industry that has been rampant with consumer protection issues time and time again to the detriment of the fans who make sports special.”
According to FIFA’s resale regulations, only FIFA’s official platform may transfer or resell World Cup tickets. It has complete control over the supply of tickets on both the primary market and its own resale marketplace. Tickets bought elsewhere “may be invalid and are purchased at your risk,” according to FIFA.
“Had plaintiffs and class members known that StubHub was either unable to deliver or not authorized to deliver her World Cup Tickets to them, they never would have purchased them,” the lawsuit added.
Damages from the lawsuit could exceed $5 million
In addition to other losses resulting from the failure to deliver World Cup tickets, such as travel costs, the class action lawsuit seeks reimbursement for the cost of tickets StubHub failed to deliver. Additionally, the plaintiffs are requesting an injunction to stop StubHub from selling World Cup tickets. According to the lawsuit, overall damages could exceed $5 million.
“Our singular goal is to get fans into events, and if anything goes wrong, our FanProtect Guarantee provides replacement tickets or a full refund,” StubHub said in a statement to Inc. “The World Cup is no different, and the issues fans have experienced are largely driven by problems with the event organizer’s own ticketing infrastructure.”