An Edinburgh student has been left out of pocket after purchasing two tickets for this year's Royal Military Tattoo performance that turned out to be screenshots of someone else's.
With a friend visiting Edinburgh from Miami, Lewis Haig purchased two tickets for the show from Viagogo, not knowing the Tattoo had its own box office for the event. With the tickets booked for the late show on Saturday, August 20, Lewis noticed that the two virtual tickets were stating the wrong time they selected and also had someone else's name on them.
Lewis then visited the Tattoo box office and was reportedly informed by a member of staff that they too were having trouble reaching Viagogo regarding 'ticket resale claims' and the company had gone as far as blocking their number. Lewis, who paid over £300 for two tickets, was forced to purchase two more to still attend Saturday's show.
Viagogo is a third-party ticket resale sight that offers customers a platform to both buy and sell tickets for sporting events, concerts, and several other types of shows. After chatting with multiple representatives from the company on an online chat, Lewis advised the seller that sent him his tickets should be banned from using the site.
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Messages, seen by Edinburgh Live, from a Viagogo representative, say that the company was trying to get in touch with the bogus seller. A spokesperson for the company has since confirmed that they are processing a full refund for Lewis, and the matter will soon be resolved.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, the 28-year-old media student, said: "It's incredibly irritating, I couldn't believe it. I used Viagogo because I was familiar with the name and trusted that they were legitimate, but I wish I had gone on Trustpilot before making the purchase because I noticed several other bad reviews from people in similar positions.
"I ordered the two tickets on August 15 (Monday) because my friend is coming from Miami and we had different stuff booked for the week. I actually had no idea there was a box office which is annoying as I usually do my research. I knew Viagogo was a big name so I just bought the tickets from there.
"When I got sent the tickets, they were for the earlier performance, but on the same day. I replied to Viagogo saying I couldn't make that time and they said I could just use them for the later 9pm performance. When I went to the box office, they said that they do not permit the resale of Tattoo tickets, and had already tried contacting Viagogo due to this issue, but they blocked their number.
"There was another man's name on the tickets as well. Viagogo then stopped replying and I tried to do everything I could think of to get a response. I said I'd go to the press and stage a protest outside their building in London, then they eventually replied offering me a £64 refund even though I paid over £300 for them. I think they just plucked that number out of thin air."
Lewis provided screenshots of his conversation with Viagogo after they reportedly gave him three options, which included the £64 refund, a voucher for the same amount, or accept that the tickets would be passed on to someone else. He then replied saying there's only one option and that's giving him a full refund.
He said he had looked up reviews on the site and other people said they had similar issues with turning up to shows and their seats weren't free. Instead of letting the whole situation ruin his plans, Lewis forked out more money for two legitimate tickets and has several other visits planned with his mate.
He added that as a student, and considering the cost of living crisis, being so much out of pocket and having no means of being reimbursed, the whole situation has been a nightmare. Lewis concluded by saying: "I would like a chance to tell my story to prevent other people from being victims of fraud like I have been." He also still plans to stage a protest outside Viagogo's head office in London if a full refund is not granted.
A spokesperson from The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo said: "The Tattoo only sells tickets through its official website, Box Office, Ticketmaster, and authorised travel partners. We work hard to ensure the event is affordable and it's always disappointing to find tickets being sold at inflated prices. We do receive returns and tickets will often be available on the morning of a performance so we would always urge visitors looking for a ticket for this year’s event to contact the Tattoo’s official box office in the first instance.”
As mentioned, a spokesperson for Viagogo confirmed a full refund is being processed and the matter has been dealt with.
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