Don't Let Love For Blackhawks Blind You to Risk of Ripoff

If you plan to catch the Blackhawks when they make it back to town Sunday — or at any point along their marching to the Stanley Cup — be careful buying tickets over the Internet.

The Better Business Bureau serving northern Illinois has warned fans purchasing tickets to the upcoming Blackhawks playoff series to be cautious when buying tickets online.

According to StubHub.com the secondary-ticket market is a $10 billion a year industry which includes professional brokers, speculators and season ticket holders. Because many of these sellers are not licensed or bonded, and are often found on unregulated online auctions, online classifieds, and bulletin boards using person-to-person sales, sports fans need to be more skeptical and on the alert.

"Chicago Blackhawks fans need to do their research before spending large sums of money on NHL playoff tickets," said Steve J. Bernas, the president and chief executive officer of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and northern Illinois. "Sports fans are often blinded by their devotion to their team and run the risk of putting their trust in a seller that doesn't deserve it."

In the past 12 months alone, there have been 154 complaints filed and more than 20,000 inquiries to the Better Business Bureau about companies involved in the sale of event tickets.

If you are considering buying tickets on the secondary market, the Better Business Bureau offers the following tips to help ensure a successful transaction:

• Check to make sure the broker is licensed as required in the state of Illinois.
• In case the tickets may be counterfeit, avoid paying cash for tickets in person from a stranger.
• Never wire funds for payment.
• Deal only with brokers that provide clear details concerning the terms of the transaction.  For instance, make sure you know up-front the amount of the surcharge for each purchase, whether the tickets are guaranteed, how they will be sent to you and the timeframe for delivery, and the broker's refund, rescheduling and cancellation policies.
• Check if the ticket broker is a member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers and review their rating with the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org.
• Visit several Web sites to compare prices and ticket availability for the event you're interested in attending.
• Do not buy tickets from Internet sites that are not secure or lack a privacy policy, fail to disclose their refund, rescheduling and cancellation policies, do not provide a telephone number and address, or insist on cash payment.
• Verify the location of the seats on a seating chart provided by the venue to avoid purchasing non-existent seats or seats with obstructed views.
• Pay with a credit card or another secure form of payment so you can dispute the charge with your credit card issuer or bank.

"The most common way sports fans are getting scammed online is by either paying for counterfeit tickets or tickets that never arrive," added Bernas. "Even if the tickets do surface, they are sometimes not for the seats the seller advertised —which can mean being stuck with seats that aren't next to each other, up in the nosebleed section, or with an obstructed view."

For more information on finding ticket brokers you can trust, visit www.bbb.org.