Linda L.

I bought 2 tickets, Box 102, Row M, Seats 1 & 2, for the Paribas tennis tournament. Purchase was confirmed, shipping was confirmed. A week later I received the tickets, but they are for Box 108, Row M, Seats 7 & 8. The included receipt shows the original tickets. I called Customer Service immediately. First thing they say when they hear you have a problem is: "Don't worry, we guarantee to upgrade your ticket if there is a problem, or give you a full refund."

I told her the problem. She put me on hold forever. She came back on the phone and said she'd contacted the seller and they told her that they had contacted me directly and told me that the original tickets we no longer available and I had agreed to accept these alternate tickets. Total lie, total baloney. I told her so. She put me on hold again for a very long time. She came back and said no comparable seats were available (they were, but at triple the price now because the event was just days away) and they could offer me a refund only. Well, we had vacation days planned and a hotel room booked. I told her that wasn't acceptable, that they needed to provide other tickets comparable to what I had originally purchased.

She put me on hold again (waiting for me to go away?) and finally came back and said she was sorry, but all she could do was a refund or I could accept these tickets. At this point, because of our plans already being made, I agreed to accept these tickets because I felt I had no choice unless I wanted to cancel the whole trip. I then laid into her about what a scam they had going, what a rip-off, what a bogus business. I said, "You probably do this to people all the time." Anyway, I gave her the what-for and she finally agreed to give me a $40 discount if I accepted these tickets. So now we'll wait and see if I actually get a credit or an actual refund.

Bottom line is the seller can say whatever they want and sell you tickets they don't have and send you anything instead (or none at all) and you are just out of luck. By the time you know you've been ripped off and lied to, it's too late to go back and get the tickets you could have gotten from someone else earlier, without paying triple the price by this time.