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 Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson accuses New
York-based SBTickets.com LLC of deceptive sales practices ahead of
the Feb. 1 game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England
Patriots, saying the company sold tickets it did not have to
consumers who paid up to $3,500 per seat.
"For many people, a trip to the Super Bowl is a once-in-a-lifetime
event," Ferguson said in a statement. "Because of SBTickets’
deception about its ‘guaranteed’ tickets, people spent their savings
on a trip only to wind up watching the game at restaurants and
hotels nearby," he said.
The attorney general's office has received 24 complaints regarding
60 tickets sold to Washington state customers. Prices ranged from
$1,875 to $3,500 per ticket, and totaled at least $149,000 for
tickets promised to be "100 percent guaranteed," the attorney
general's statement said.
In the lawsuit, Ferguson describes SBTickets as a short-seller who
"sold tickets it did not have, hoping to fulfill its orders by
buying tickets at a later date for a lower price."
But tickets for the game increased in value as the Super Bowl
approached, with some entry fees reaching $10,000, the statement
said.
"Rather than honoring its contracts and suffering a loss, SBTickets
notified numerous Washington consumers they would not be receiving a
ticket," Ferguson said, adding that the tickets SBTickets obtained
went to those who had paid the most for their seats.
Though many customers have received a refund, others are still
waiting for their money to be returned, the attorney general's
office said.
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The lawsuit also seeks damages for individuals who spent money on
flights and hotels in Phoenix but did not get to go to the game.
It also asks for penalties of up to $2,000 per violation and an
injunction preventing the company from engaging in deceptive
practices in the future.
SBTickets referred questions about the lawsuit to the company's
attorney, Mark Heller, who was not immediately available for
comment.
The Seattle Seahawks fell 28-24 to the New England Patriots in the
National Football League's championship game.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and
Eric Walsh)
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