ALBANY, NY (CelebrityAccess) — Tickets for Bruce Springsteen's upcoming tour already listed on ticket resale sites such as StubHub — often offered for thousands of dollars — even though tickets for the tour don't go on sale until Friday. The ticket sales have attracted the attention of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
According to the New York Times, Mr. Schneiderman's office sent letters to StubHub, TicketNetwork and Vivid Seats, inquiring about speculative ticket listings – IE ticket listings where the seller does not actually posses the advertised tickets. While such speculative offers appear to be a common practice on the secondary market, Attorney General Schneiderman believes such sales may constitute deceptive advertising.
“Speculative tickets harm both consumers and the ticket industry,” says the letter, signed by Jordan Adler, an assistant attorney general in the office’s Internet bureau. “In many cases, consumers who purchase a speculative ticket do not receive the seats that were advertised and paid for. In some cases, consumers receive no tickets at all. Speculative ticket sales also drive up prices for consumers, and often cause widespread confusion and frustration among consumers, who wonder how tickets can appear on the resale market before tickets are released to the public.”
In a statement to the New York Times, StubHub said they are reviewing the Attorney General's letter, but said they had no reason to believe that speculative sales were taking place on its website. Moreover, the company said they offer refunds or replacements for invalid tickets.
TicketNetwork told the Times that the company had "voluntarily" removed any inventory for Bruce Springsteen until the official on-sale date for the tour.
New York State requires that any person or company engaged in the business of ticket resales maintain a license issued by the state. – Staff Writers
