Nothing's more exciting here in the First Coast than going to a Jags game this time of year, but imagine buying tickets to the season opener and never getting them?
UPDATE: Ticketmaster admits technical glitch; awards buyer with 2 free tickets
That's what happened to an employee at First Coast News, Taylor Foote in our promotions department. He started worrying when his tickets weren't showing up a few days after his purchase on Ticketmaster.
"I'm looking at my Ticketmaster app, and I can't see my tickets," he said. "I called them up, and the lady was like, 'It's fine, it just takes a bit of time to process.'"
Foote bought two tickets for $424 in section 121. "They said it's under fraud investigation. I'm confused that it's under fraud investigation because my bank account clearly had $424 out of it," said Foote.
A spokesperson with the Jags, Amanda Holt, said the best way to prevent ticket fraud is to always buy through a verified outlet such as the NFL Ticket Exchange, in partnership with Ticketmaster.
"There's no way to buy paper tickets, so you're stuck with mobile only if you're going to the Jags game," said Foote.
Holt said fraud has been down, and that they've actually had fewer complaints since they've switched to mobile ticketing. "It's a good thing there's less fraud but there's also electronic issues," she said.
Some tips Holt gave:
- Never screenshot your tickets.
- Transfer them by download.
- Use the app.
Foote still went to the game. He bought tickets off of someone he knew at the last minute, so he was there to watch the infamous catch by Keelan Cole. "Best game I ever saw, go Jags!" he said.
Ticketmaster responded with an email on Monday after the game:
"Hi Taylor, there's no easy way to say this. You don't have tickets to the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots like you thought you did. We know this is frustrating and we're truly sorry something has prevented us from completing this order. Rest assured you were not charged."
"Yet, the $400 is not in my account. And it's not back," said Foote.
The spokesperson from the Jags tells me the ticketing department will be looking into Taylor's specific issue. As of now, they haven't heard of this happening to anybody else.