Vincent D.

I am a former employee of Viagogo and I would like my experience to reach the highest number of people possible; especially those who think of Viagogo as a serious, honest and reliable business.
When I first started to work for Viagogo, I recieved the standard training, where a nice and friendly coach tells you just how important your customer service role is. You don't deal with product after all; in theory, you are dealing with people's emotions.
I would find out some weeks later how the story truly goes.
I am unable to forget the story of Katherine. She was a frequent caller for more than three weeks. I am unable to forget what it was that she told me when I answered her countless calls. It was her life story: She was a single mother, struggling to pay her mortgage and monthly bills. There was just one important thing in her life and that was to bring a smile to her daughter's face. She has been waiting for a chance to give her daughter an unforgettable birthday present, and that chance was to see Demi Lovato in concert in Manchester. Unfortunately, one week before the concert, she had been told that no tickets were available. However, this news came after purchasing tickets for the concert, booking flights and also a hotel room for her and her daughter.
For the single mother, the sky was falling. There was suddenly no chance for the unforgettable birthday gift for the shining light in her life. During these never endeing phone calls, in which Katherine repeated her frustrations, cried, shouted and threatened, the words of my old trainer persistently haunted me. "We are dealing with emotions." I was told that my reaction had to be strict and firm, just as we had been trained. As I had been trained, I told her "You are covered by the Viagogo guarantee, so if you do not recieve the tickets in time for the event, you will be refunded the cost of the tickets". ONLY the tickets. What about the flights? The hotel? The disappointment of disappointing her daughter? Each time she started calm, and then dissolved into tears like a child.
I have a heart, and I suffered alongside her. And I mostly suffered because I was in a position of utter powerlessness. I knew she would not receive her tickets. It was impossible, there were no tickets left. We didn't have any tickets; we were just the intermediary between some invisible seller who had sold them to a higher bidder on some other channel. In this kind of situation, we have no choice but to stick to the procedure; remind the client about the Viagogo guarantee, "Blah, blah blah."
The concert came. Did Katherine stop calling? No. She continued to call, now asking to speak to a manager, who had to explain to her daughter why she had not received her tickets. Again and again, I was powerless. I was not allowed to transfer her call or her tears to anybody. Follow procedure: remind about the Viagogo guarantee.
For a few weeks after the concert, I continued to deal with the emotions of this customer. It doesn't take long to realise that at Viagogo, they don't deal with people's emotions at all. They deal in profit. Nothing more, nothing else, the sole pushing factor that drives this business.
I faced many cases like Katherine's, but this is the one that stuck with me the most.
I am not very confident that Eric Baker, John Whelan or the other greedy b******s will ever get their comeuppance by going to prosen, as their tricky business is somehow orchestrated on the right side of the law. It is my hope that justice will crush them like a ton of bricks, to prevent honest people being cheated and scammed in this way in future.
For more info about my experience, anyone can contact me: *******@yahoo.com