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StubHub issued a full refund to Portlander Amy Hoffman after WW reported on her class action lawsuit against the ticket reselling platform.
Hoffman sought a refund Oct. 30 immediately after being informed that tickets she purchased to see Wicked at Keller Auditorium had already been scanned by other patrons. Though she was initially promised one, Hoffman described a frustrating situation in which her credit card company and the Oregon Department of Justice hadn’t been able to get a refund of $446.79 after having to buy new tickets for the show.
Michael Fuller, Hoffman’s attorney, says he received a call from a “high-powered East Coast attorney” after WW’s article was published, but before StubHub had been formally served with his client’s lawsuit. Though he says the attorney tried to chalk up Hoffman’s predicament as a one-off due to “a dropped ball,” Fuller says the attorney implied that StubHub has a system to flag fraud claims as fraudulent themselves. In essence, Fuller tells WW he was told that Hoffman’s claim of bogus tickets may have been flagged as bogus, which seemingly contradicted the claim of simple human error.
The class action lawsuit is not yet resolved simply because Hoffman’s refund was processed. Though he said StubHub’s attorney indicated that interest and attorney fees are likely forthcoming, Fuller requires that the ticket reselling platform swear under oath that no other Oregon customers are awaiting fraud refunds. He said this could come at any time from days to months. Meanwhile, state Rep. Pam Marsh’s bill to regulate ticket reselling in Oregon awaits a hearing in Salem.
Hoffman’s refund came in time for her birthday, which she said was “a good gift.” She thanked Fuller and his team for their work, and also believes that WW’s reporting resulted in her refund. Hoffman says her cousin is still monitoring the Book of Mormon tickets she purchased through StubHub.
“My hope is that people will see this and feel like they can speak up for themselves,” Hoffman says. “Knowledge is power, so definitely do your research before you purchase tickets for anything, ever. Don’t be afraid to speak up if you feel like you are against all the odds. [Fuller’s team] were my little guardian angels through all this, and if I didn’t reach out to them, I probably just would have been dismissed like I assume other people have, even though [StubHub] said I was a one-off.”