While excitement for the World Cup is reaching a fever pitch as matches commence, some soccer fans who paid for FIFA tickets are frustrated and turning to NBC Responds for help.
Soccer fans like Jose Flores and Joe Mello should be amped up for the World Cup, but instead they're frustrated with FIFA.
Ticket Woes: Missing Orders and Wrong Seats
Joe Mello from Downey, California, bought four tickets to the Belgium-Iran match at SoFi Stadium, but only one appeared in his FIFA app. That was alarming, considering he paid $1,600 and the game is right around the corner, on Father's Day.
“The frustration was not knowing where I was sitting, not knowing if they were going to get it fixed in time and not being able to talk to anyone who seemed to know what they were doing,” said Mello.
He shared his issue with NBC Responds. Just before the team stepped in, FIFA fixed it, after Mello spent a full week calling and emailing them.
“I really feel if I wasn't diligent in doing it, that it probably would have been a disaster when I got to the stadium,” said Mello.
Jose Flores, on the other hand, has his tickets and knows exactly where he's assigned to sit.
“We're all the way at the top, practically nosebleeds,” said Flores.
That is the problem — he and his wife were headed to LA's first World Cup match on Friday, U.S. versus Paraguay. They dropped $3,800 on two tickets early on, when FIFA was only selling four broad categories.
“So we're purchasing, you know, the second-most expensive category,” said Flores.
FIFA’s website describes Category 2 as positioned outside of Category 1 areas available in both lower and upper tiers. At SoFi, sections closest to the field are labeled 100s, farthest away 500s.
“We're thinking, okay, middle of the stadium, nothing too far, nothing too close. Obviously, you know, middle,” said Flores.
FIFA assigned Jose and his wife, Tier 2 ticket holders, Section 512, at the top. The view from Section 512 on SoFi Stadium's virtual seat view website is about as far away from the field as you can get.
They say they complained to FIFA, but it declined to reassign their seats, even though Flores says he sees on FIFA’s own site that it's now selling seats closer to the action at a lower price than they paid.
“Those same Category 2 tickets you can find in the lower sections for, you know, $800 cheaper, and that part is extremely frustrating,” said Flores.
His wife sent their complaint to NBC Responds. Our teams contacted FIFA multiple times. No one's responded.
News reports around the country detail fans voicing similar concerns. People saying FIFA did not deliver the seats they expected and paid for.
Legal Recourse and Attorney General Involvement
“There are really two avenues here,” said trial attorney Derek Howard, who teaches sports law at the University of San Francisco. Upset ticket holders could consult a consumer attorney, but he said it's unlikely a case could move fast enough to get the fans the seats they expect.
Instead, he suggests complaining to the attorney general.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office says he is stepping in. Bonta sent a letter to FIFA noting that California gives consumers legal protections and has "strict prohibitions on marketing practices that are likely to mislead them." Bonta also requested detailed information about FIFA’s ticketing practices.
California is not alone focusing on FIFA. New York and New Jersey's attorneys general announced a formal investigation.
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office said they are aware of the investigation and closely monitoring for any issues that arise in Massachusetts. The office has received 10 complaints related to the World Cup generally, three of which are related to tickets at Gillette/Boston Stadium. They encourage residents who experience issues related to the World Cup to file a consumer complaint with the office online.
Howard recommends ticket holders be persistent and demand a seat change, because the number of available seats is fluctuating.
Comments
Join Our Community
Sign up to share your thoughts, engage with others, and become part of our growing community.
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts and start the conversation!