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SEATTLE - Thousands of fans packed into Seattle Stadium on Monday for the Belgium-Egypt international soccer match, but some ticket holders say they never made it through the gates.
Tacoma resident, Lara Herrmann said she spent hundreds of dollars on tickets she purchased on StubHub as a Christmas gift for her family, only to find they never appeared in her account before kickoff.
"We purchased them in December of last year and so when we weren’t getting the tickets. We finally had to call and go, ‘Hey, we're not getting our tickets,’" explained Herrmann.
Hours spent calling customer service
Herrmann said she became concerned the day before the match when the tickets still had not been transferred. She spent hours trying to get answers from customer service.
"Two hours last night. Three hours today, and they were never transferred to us," she said.
When phone calls failed to resolve the issue, Hermann said she also tried contacting customer service by email.
Despite repeated attempts to get help, she said the problem remained unresolved as kickoff approached.
Email exchange between a Tacoma mom and StubHub customer service.
Last-minute decision at the stadium
Hermann traveled to Seattle with another family to attend the match. With time running out, the group was forced to decide who would be able to attend. The parents ultimately decided to let the kids go into Seattle Stadium, and they opted to go watch at a nearby bar.
"The guarantee was, if we did not receive our tickets an hour before the game, we would get a refund. No refund, nothing — it's been silent," said Herrmann. "Every time we called, about six or seven times, they said they’re going to elevate it up."
StubHub points to event technology issues
FOX 13 reached out to StubHub seeking answers about Herrmann's experience.
The resale marketplace did not answer specific questions about her situation but provided a statement blaming a combination of technology and ticket-transfer issues.
"Many of the issues fans are facing trace back to the event organizer’s poor technology infrastructure, newly-announced transfer restrictions, and a new app that was launched just a month ago ahead of such a major event," the statement read in part. "All of these decisions by the event organizer have created significant confusion and delays for fans."
It remains unclear how many fans were affected by similar ticket issues during Monday's match.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Lauren Donovan.