This is how the scams work. Scammers tempt festival-goers into buying tickets for events, promising all-you-can-eat food, live music and much more, usually through a social media link. The festival goer can click a link, and it takes you to a website to buy tickets. But in reality, the event and tickets are not real, leaving many out of hundreds of dollars and a great summer experience.
When looking for summer festival tickets and making purchases at festivals, your BBB offers these tips:
• Do your research. Search online for the name of the festival and make sure it matches the name advertised on its website. Many of them change their names year to year as a way of disguising poor track records.
• Look for festival contact information. Be sure the festival website has an e-mail address and phone number.
• Avoid tickets sold on Craigslist and other free online listings.
• Consider a vendor’s reputation and years of service.
• Check with family and friends. If they’re happy with a vendor, most likely you’ll be too.
• Be sure to check the vendor’s refund and exchange policies. Get them in writing. Always keep your receipts.
• Be sure to obtain the vendor’s physical location and telephone number in case you need to return or exchange an item after the event.
• Watch out for too-good-to-be-true deals. Don’t be pressured to buy on the spot. Do some comparison shopping before making a purchasing decision.
• Check out the vendor’s website if it has one. Look for a website with the padlock on the page and “https” in the URL web address box. Also, look for trustmarks on websites like your BBB’s seal.
• Pay by credit card. If something goes wrong, you may be able to dispute the charges with your credit card company.
Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Always check out a company with your BBB to make sure you're dealing with a trustworthy one before purchasing tickets for festivals and/or concerts. Visit www.bbb.org or call (937) 222-5825 or (800) 776-5301.
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