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Birmingham man scammed for 'Hamilton' tickets after spending $2,000

Birmingham man scammed for 'Hamilton' tickets after spending $2,000
COMING UP, SHERRI AND GUY. ALL RIGHT, JASON, A WARNING TONIGHT WHEN IT COMES TO ONLINE TICKET PURCHASES FOR ENTERTAINMENT EVENTS. A BIRMINGHAM MAN SCAMMED OUT OF MONEY FOR TOMORROW’S SHOWING OF HAMILTON AT THE BJK WVTM 13. ERIN LLEWELLYN SPOKE WITH THE MAN WHO IS AN ATTORNEY AND SAYS TO BE CAUTIOUS WHEN BUYING TICKETS FROM A THIRD PARTY RETAILER. GUY SHERRY, JASON WHEELING AND HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS UNFORTUNATELY WON’T BE WATCHING HAMILTON IN THESE DOORS BEHIND ME TOMORROW NIGHT. NOW, REMEMBER, HE IS AN ATTORNEY, SO HE SAYS THAT THIS JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT ANYONE CAN BE SCAMMED. NOW, HE SAYS HE’S ALSO BOUGHT TICKETS FROM THIRD PARTY RETAILERS BEFORE, BUT HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF AGAIN. THIS MORNING, I GOT A CALL FROM AN 844 NUMBER AND THEY SAID THAT I DIDN’T HAVE TICKETS. TODD WHEELIES PURCHASED TICKETS FOR SATURDAY’S PRODUCTION OF THE BROADWAY SMASH HAMILTON AT THE JCC BACK IN NOVEMBER. HE SAYS HE USED A LINK FROM WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS CREDIBLE TO SCORE ONE OF THE HOTTEST TICKETS IN TOWN. I TRIED TO DO THAT BECAUSE YOU WORRY ABOUT THE SECONDARY MARKET, SO I TRIED TO BUY THE TICKETS IN THE PRIMARY MARKET FROM THE PEOPLE THAT WERE SELLING THEM AFTER BUYING TICKETS. HE SAYS HE GOT A CONFIRMATION EMAIL SAYING THE SELLER WOULD MAKE HIS TICKETS AVAILABLE AT LEAST A DAY BEFORE THE CURTAIN ROSE ON SATURDAY. $2,000 SPENT ON SIX TICKETS ONLY TO BE LEFT WITH NOTHING. I REQUESTED AN EMAIL. I REQUESTED. HEY, GUYS, SEND ME AN EMAIL EXPLAINING WHAT HAPPENED. AND I HAVEN’T GOTTEN THAT YET. I DON’T EXPECT TO GET IT. WITNESS SAYS THE COMPANY WHO CALLED TO TELL HIM HE DIDN’T HAVE TICKETS IS NOT THE SAME COMPANY HE PURCHASED THE TICKETS FROM. HE SAYS HE ALSO REACHED OUT TO EMPLOYEES AT THE JCC SEVERAL TIMES FRIDAY AND WAS TOLD THERE WASN’T ANYTHING THEY COULD DO BECAUSE THE TICKETS WEREN’T PURCHASED THROUGH THEIR TICKET PROVIDER. IN A STATEMENT TO VTM 13, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO OF THE JCC, TED SNIDER, SAYS IN PART, PLEASE BE AWARE THESE THIRD PARTY COMPANIES ARE UNOFFICIAL TICKET RESELLERS THAT HAVE NO AFFILIATION OR BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BJK OR PROMOTERS OF THE SHOWS AND EVENTS AT THE JCC. WE ARE SAD WHEN EVEN ONE INDIVIDUAL HAS SUCH A DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCE. WE LOVE, SAYS HE’S A LIVE ENTERTAINMENT FANATIC. I GO TO SPORTING EVENTS, YOU KNOW, ALL OVER AMERICA. I DO GO TO A LOT OF NFL GAMES AND STUFF. BUT HE’S NEVER BEEN SCAMMED OUT OF HIS MONEY. I BOUGHT TICKETS FROM FROM VINCE SEATS AND TICKETMASTER, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY TWO DOZEN TIMES OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS. SO WILLIS SAYS HE DOESN’T PLAN ON BUYING TICKETS FOR TOMORROW’S SHOW. HE SAYS THAT HE WAS TOLD HE WAS HE IS GOING TO RECEIVE A REFUND IN 3 TO 5 AND 3 TO 4 BUSINESS DAYS EXCUSE ME, FOR THE TICKETS THAT HE PURCHASED. NOW, REMEMBER, IF YOU DO PLAN ON BUYING TICKETS FOR AN EVENT HERE AT THE JCC, ITS OFFICIAL RETAILER IS TICKETMASTER STORE IN DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM. AARO
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Birmingham man scammed for 'Hamilton' tickets after spending $2,000
A Birmingham man has a warning when it comes to online ticket purchases for entertainment events. Todd Wheeles claims he was scammed out of money for Saturday’s showing of “Hamilton” at the BJCC.Wheeles said he and his family and friends spent more than $2,000 on tickets. He’s an attorney and said this shows that anyone can be scammed. He’s used third party retailers before, but he said he wants to make sure others aren't taken advantage of.“This morning, I got a call from an 844 number, and they said that I didn’t have tickets,” Wheeles said.Wheeles purchased tickets for Saturday’s production of the Broadway smash "Hamilton" at the BJCC back in November. He said he used a link from what he thought was credible to score one of the hottest tickets in town.“I tried to do that because you worry about the secondary market,” Wheeles said. “I tried to buy the tickets in the primary market from the people that were selling them.”After buying tickets, he said he got a confirmation email telling him the seller would make his tickets available at least a day before the curtain rose on Saturday. He spent $2,000 on six tickets only to be left with nothing. “I requested an email,” Wheeles said. “‘Hey guys, send me an email explaining what happened,’ and I haven’t gotten that yet. I don’t expect to get it.”Wheeles said the company who called to tell him he didn’t have tickets is not the same company he purchased the tickets from. He said he also reached out to employees at the BJCC several times Friday and was told there wasn’t anything they could do because the tickets weren’t purchased through their ticket provider. In a statement to WVTM 13, Executive Director and CEO of the BJCC Tad Schneider said in part, “Please be aware these third-party companies are unofficial ticket resellers that have no affiliation or business relationship with the BJCC or the promoters of shows and events at the BJCC ... We are sad when even one individual has such a disappointing experience.”Wheeles says he’s a live entertainment fanatic, but he said he’s never been scammed out of his money.“I’ll go to sporting events all over America,” Wheeles said. “I do go to a lot of NFL games and stuff. I bought tickets from Vivid Seats and Ticketmaster probably two dozen times over the last 10 years.”He hopes telling his story will keep other people from getting scammed.“I represent people who get hurt and done wrong,” Wheeles said. “When I see something like this, a lot of times it just takes one person to get some momentum going. Other people probably had the same thing happen to them. If this is a pattern in practice in this industry, something needs to be done about it.”Wheeles said he doesn’t plan to buy new tickets for Saturday night’s show. He was told he should get a refund for the tickets he bought in three or four days. The BJCC staff suggests buying tickets for any event at the BJCC to purchase tickets through their official retailer Ticketmaster.

A Birmingham man has a warning when it comes to online ticket purchases for entertainment events. Todd Wheeles claims he was scammed out of money for Saturday’s showing of “Hamilton” at the BJCC.

Wheeles said he and his family and friends spent more than $2,000 on tickets. He’s an attorney and said this shows that anyone can be scammed. He’s used third party retailers before, but he said he wants to make sure others aren't taken advantage of.

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“This morning, I got a call from an 844 number, and they said that I didn’t have tickets,” Wheeles said.

Wheeles purchased tickets for Saturday’s production of the Broadway smash "Hamilton" at the BJCC back in November. He said he used a link from what he thought was credible to score one of the hottest tickets in town.

“I tried to do that because you worry about the secondary market,” Wheeles said. “I tried to buy the tickets in the primary market from the people that were selling them.”

After buying tickets, he said he got a confirmation email telling him the seller would make his tickets available at least a day before the curtain rose on Saturday. He spent $2,000 on six tickets only to be left with nothing.

“I requested an email,” Wheeles said. “‘Hey guys, send me an email explaining what happened,’ and I haven’t gotten that yet. I don’t expect to get it.”

Wheeles said the company who called to tell him he didn’t have tickets is not the same company he purchased the tickets from. He said he also reached out to employees at the BJCC several times Friday and was told there wasn’t anything they could do because the tickets weren’t purchased through their ticket provider.

In a statement to WVTM 13, Executive Director and CEO of the BJCC Tad Schneider said in part, “Please be aware these third-party companies are unofficial ticket resellers that have no affiliation or business relationship with the BJCC or the promoters of shows and events at the BJCC ... We are sad when even one individual has such a disappointing experience.”

Wheeles says he’s a live entertainment fanatic, but he said he’s never been scammed out of his money.

“I’ll go to sporting events all over America,” Wheeles said. “I do go to a lot of NFL games and stuff. I bought tickets from Vivid Seats and Ticketmaster probably two dozen times over the last 10 years.”

He hopes telling his story will keep other people from getting scammed.

“I represent people who get hurt and done wrong,” Wheeles said. “When I see something like this, a lot of times it just takes one person to get some momentum going. Other people probably had the same thing happen to them. If this is a pattern in practice in this industry, something needs to be done about it.”

Wheeles said he doesn’t plan to buy new tickets for Saturday night’s show. He was told he should get a refund for the tickets he bought in three or four days. The BJCC staff suggests buying tickets for any event at the BJCC to purchase tickets through their official retailer Ticketmaster.