Chicago – Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan urged consumers purchasing tickets for the Broadway hits “Hamilton,” “Aladdin” and other upcoming theater productions to be wary of websites selling speculative theater tickets that have not yet gone on sale to the general public.
Speculative tickets are being offered for sale on ticket sales websites, even though the sellers or resellers do not possess the tickets. Sellers anticipate they will get the tickets in the future, which they then sell to consumers oftentimes at a high mark-up. As a result, consumers can find themselves paying higher prices for what turn out to be undesirable seats or even counterfeit tickets.
“The best way for consumers to be in the audience for popular shows is to make sure they purchase tickets from a reputable seller,” said Madigan. “Websites claiming to offer advance tickets before they are available to the public should stand out as a red flag.”
With tickets for Broadway hits such as “Hamilton” expected to go on sale and quickly sell out, Madigan’s office has sent letters to more than a dozen online ticket sites requesting more information about speculative tickets being sold for “Hamilton” and “Aladdin.”
Madigan also offered the following advice:
Find out when tickets for the show or event will “officially” go on sale;
Be sure you are purchasing from a legitimate ticket sales website and not an imitation of a legitimate site;
Research a website’s reputation using a trustworthy source such as the Better Business Bureau;
Review the website’s FAQs and policies to learn what customers are guaranteed, how to obtain refunds and what to do if you somehow end up with a counterfeit ticket; and
Understand any fees included in the ticket’s purchase price.
Consumers who have complaints or believe they have been defrauded are encouraged to call the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Hotline:
Alicja Otap
