JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Buyer beware for sports fans: a Jacksonville woman said she was scammed out of hundreds of dollars when she went to buy Jaguars tickets for her son’s birthday.
Action News Jax looked into the website she bought from, and found that nearly 700 other people also paid for tickets they never received.
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Dorothy Hill said she was looking to make her son Corey’s birthday special. She went online to buy tickets to a November Jaguars game for herself, her son and her daughter.
“I wanted to experience this with him and go to this game with him,” Hill said. “I purchased tickets in September for this November game.”
The money was taken out of her account the next day. She never got a confirmation email, so Hill called the Jaguars ticket office. A representative told her it could take a little while to get her tickets since the game was two months away, according to Hill.
“I tried to wait. I tried to wait. I tried to be patient,” Hill said. “When I realized I didn’t get them, I started calling people, and start reaching out, and trying to find out where are my tickets.”
The Jaguars had no record of her purchase. All she had to was her bank statement showing the money was taken out.
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“I looked up the company that actually took the money out of my account. I tried to call them. Nothing,” Hill said. She purchased from a third-party website called “Ticket Fulfillment Service LP,” also referred to as “Secure Tix.”
Hill had to break the news to her kids — no game for Corey’s birthday.
“When I told him, he’s like, ‘Oh, that’s OK.’ You know he gave me that kind of sad look, but ‘It’s OK mom. It’s all right. I know you tried,’” Hill said. “He was heartbroken, but he was OK.”
Action News Jax reporter Meghan Moriarty showed Hill where to file a complaint on the Florida Attorney General’s website. Click here for the direct link.
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The Jaguars said they’re going to work with Hill to help her get to a future game.
A spokesperson sent us this statement regarding buying tickets:
“The Jaguars strongly encourage fans to purchase tickets ONLY from verified providers including our Jaguars ticket sales office (904-633-2000), Ticketmaster (via Jaguars.com or Ticketmaster.com) and NFL Ticket Exchange. Those are the only outlets that can guarantee your tickets are real. We always do our best to accommodate guests, but cannot guarantee accommodations for tickets purchased on unofficial sites. We encourage fans to make smart, savvy choices by seeking out tickets for in-demand games via verified outlets that provide guarantees.”