Consumer Affairs: Watch Out for Phony Bruins Tickets

The following is a press release from the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs:

Fans thinking of getting tickets through the secondary market to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals should be careful about buying seats through unreliable sources, or they face the prospect of being turned away at the turnstiles as quick as a Tim Thomas kick save.

Game 6 tickets are starting at $890 through reputable online sources, but in other cases tickets are being offered on Craigslist, eBay and other Internet sites where buyers have no idea how legitimate the seller might be.

“In this era of print-at-home tickets, someone could resell the same ticket 10 or 20 times, leaving fans out of the arena and out hundreds of dollars,” said Barbara Anthony, the Undersecretary of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. “The thrill of being in the Garden to watch the Bruins skate around the ice with the Stanley Cup is tough to pass up for fans, but caution is key when going into the secondary market.”

On Thursday, thousands of tickets were available on the Internet through multiple outlets. Craigslist had dozens of ads from dealers and private ticketholders, with prices ranging from about $400 per seat to $3,000 for loge seats. On eBay, there were also dozens of ads for tickets to the game, including two seats for $9,996 that were touted as, “Ultimate experience – high five the Boston Bruins players.”

At StubHub, which guarantees the validity of its tickets, on Thursday morning there were a total of 1,759 tickets available for Game 6, ranging from $889 to $10,000 per seat. Ace Tickets had 106 tickets available, ranging from $959 to $4,250.

Fans thinking about hitting the secondary market should keep the following tips in mind as they search for tickets:

• Try to stay away from advertisements from unlicensed entities or ads from people who are trying to unload tickets;
• Scout out the market. If the price is significantly under the general going price, be wary;
• If the tickets “print at home” that can be emailed to you and produced on your printer, make sure you are going through a reputable seller;
• If possible pay by credit card, which will offer you some possible protections if the tickets are bogus. Do not pay by money wire transfer, this is a sign of a possible scam.