Vivid Seats
4.4
6.1
Overall Score
Author: Kalicia Bateman
LAST UPDATED: April 17th, 2022
Vivid Seats is a wide-ranging ticket reselling service, with access to all kinds of concert, theater, and sporting event tickets. It offers a buyer guarantee that its tickets will work and customer service via phone and chat.
Vivid Seats formed in 2001 to provide fans with a safe and secure way to find affordable tickets to your favorite events. It has processed more than $1 billion in successful ticket transactions and successfully sends tens of thousands of fans to their favorite live events each and every day.
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The Good
- Variety of Events
- Skybox Tool for Ticket Sellers
- Respectable Partners
- Insurance & Guarantees
Variety of Events
As a resale platform, Vivid Seats has a wide range of events to choose from, including concert and theater tickets, as well as professional and college-level sports and one-time events, like monster truck rallies.
Some events that Vivid Seats specializes:
- Sporting Events- Basketball, Football, Hockey, Rugby, Baseball, and more.
- Concert Tours- Find tour dates and purchase tickets to hundreds of concerts throughout the year.
- Theater Tickets- Buy mobile tickets for you and your family for shows like Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton.
- Local Events- Buy or sell tickets to a local festival or state fair.
Skybox Tool for Ticket Sellers
Unlike scalpers who must go and stand outside of the stadium buying and selling tickets, Vivid Seats has created a quick and straightforward way to sell your unused tickets. Both buyers and sellers can set up a personalized account through Vivid Seats. Sellers have the advantage of SkyBox by Vivid Seats, a free cloud-based tool that helps manage, price and sell your tickets. The software also integrates with StubHub and TicketMaster to allow consumers to manage multiple ticket sale accounts.
It is entirely free to list your tickets on the site. When they sell, Vivid Seats will take a 10% commission. If you don't want to lose 10% from your original price, you have the freedom to set the price on your tickets and can charge that extra in the cost of your ticket.
Respectable Partners
A boost to the site’s credibility is their status as the official ticket partner for ESPN and many more fan-favorite organizations and teams. These partnerships allow for exclusive ticket and fan event programs.
Insurance, Guarantees & Promos
Although ticket insurance isn’t available on every purchase, it is available for many through a third-party ticket insurance company. Pay attention at checkout to see if your ticket is eligible for this.
Vivid Seats offers a 100 percent Buyer Guarantee to ensure order accuracy, buyer privacy, and timely delivery of your tickets. This guarantee is for any ticket including concert tickets and sporting events. If tickets aren’t delivered in time, there is a money-back guarantee offering a full refund.
Its ticket prices for its events consist of the service fees and the original price of the ticket, much like its competitors, but its buyer guarantee keeps many feeling secure with their purchase.
A Vivid Seats coupon, discount, or promo code is offered periodically through the company’s newsletter or via push notifications on the Vivid Seats app.
The Bad
- No Return or Exchange Policies
- Vivid Seats Fee
No Return or Exchange Policies
All purchases are final sale. They cannot be returned or exchanged. If you are unable to attend your event, you will want to keep in mind that this is a ticket resale platform. If you cannot use your tickets, you can always resell them through the site.
To clarify: Though tickets are final sale, the company still employs a buyer guarantee. If your event is canceled, you will be refunded.
Vivid Seats Fee
Similar to other ticket reseller websites, Vivid Seats has a service fee that ranges from 20%-40%. Although this is high, this is also expected. Many online ticket sellers must charge these fees to ensure that its company will make a profit. Compared to the industry Vivid Seats fee is a little above average, but you also get all of the added perks of a secure company rather than risking fake tickets or significant issues.
The Bottom Line
Vivid Seats offers many benefits, including official ticket partnerships, a large variety of ticket offerings, and easy-to-use software for sellers. So, if you are looking to find an Official Chicago Bears Ultimate Fan Package, or looking to resell unwanted tickets, this is a good option. The one thing to keep in mind is that all sales are final.
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Mary Beth Turlock, CA
DON'T DO IT! Paid $197.97 for a ticket with a GA6 admission to Novo Amor at the Fillmore in San Francisco on 9/17/2022. What I received was a GA2, Standing Room Only. I'm 51 years old, I really don't want to stand for 5-hours. Ticket Master processed the ticket, and told me I had to contact Vivid Seats to find out what was going on. The GA seat through Ticket Master is approximately $29.50. I just got off the phone with Vivid Seats, talked to John. Because I did not read the 10 pages of terms and conditions, I am out the $168.47 difference. This company needs to go out of business. They are thieves. And, with my bad back I now have to stand up for numerous hours, when I am unable to. They refused to cancel the ticket as well. So, essentially, I am out the entire amount because of my disability.
4 years ago
Review Source
Disappointed Ione, WA
Before I purchased some tickets today, Monday 2/28 on the phone for an event on March 5th, I asked if we had to be vaccinated or wear masks. I was told that there were no restrictions at this time. I printed my tickets within the hour and it says right on them have to be vaccinated or tested. I called vivid back to get a refund and they said they would look into it. They called back and said there was no mention of vaccination or masks during the phone call, which is not correct. I asked if we could listen to the phone call and they said we cannot. They told me they will not refund the tickets, but that I could resell the tickets through them if I wanted to try to get my money back. I let them know that I disputed the charge with my credit card company as well, so they informed me that we could not resell them since there was a dispute. Just wanted to let people know that if you have questions about an event before you purchase tickets, vivid may not give you accurate information
4 years ago
Joshua Kaplan Pasadena, CA
we purchased tickets to the Hall and Oates concert at Fantasy springs thru VIVID.
We received the tickets($750. for close to stage seating) then the concert that was scheduled for 03/20/2020 was cancelled due to COVID. the concert was rescheduled 4 times eventually taking place on 11/06/21. When we arrived at the venue we were told our tickets were invalid and were denied access to the concert. We opened a trouble ticket with VIVID and after several months of phone calls etc were told that nothing could be done; this despite the guarantees they have on the VIVID web site. We were never contacted by VIVID regarding the matter and other than talking numerous times with VIVID's customer service, rec'd nothing in writing directly from them. The customer service is a foreign call center which seem to be a buffer for the corporate office.
It's quite apparent that if there is a problem with tickets you buy, you can expect no help from VIVID. Once they have your money, they are done.
4 years ago
Kim Goccia The Bronx, NY
I was trying to purchase some last-minute tickets through the venue itself to one of my favorite artists for my 25th birthday, when I received a notification that they had suddenly sold out. I wasn't worried about placing tickets earlier, as there were still plenty of seats available - even if I didn't get the best seats in the house, I would still be able to see the show. After the hundred-something seats left in the venue suddenly sold out, the only ones now available were through VividSeats.
After paying an extra $100 in fees (Order #39711311), the ticket I ordered was never delivered in the 9 hours before the show that day. I contacted customer service twice to see why there was such a long delay to just to receive an email with tickets (had waited 5.5 hours at that point), and all they did was keep repeating that it was their goal to have all tickets available 20 minutes (!) before the show.
This means that, if you purchase tickets from VividSeats, you will not know if you are even able to attend the event until 20 minutes prior. When asked if there was an estimate for when the tickets would be delivered, the response I received was "we will deliver in time for the event and the tickets are real and authentic." That's about the most sketchy thing I've ever heard, as well as a complete lie. There was no option to save a copy of the chat with the customer service representative, so I have about a million screenshots detailing this poor experience.
In summary, if you purchase from VividSeats, you will:
1: Pay an exorbitant amount in fees alone
2: Have no guarantee that you will be able to attend the event you purchased tickets for until 20 minutes prior
3: Experience some poor customer service that will provide no information or support. To be clear, I have spent the majority of my life working in food service, so I have a lot of patience and understanding towards people dealing with the public. This especially goes for call center representatives, who spend all day every day dealing with enraged customers who take their anger out on who they are talking to
With that said, I felt like I was talking to a robot who kept copying and pasting the same lines over and over again. Asking genuine questions about when the ticket would delivered after having already waited hours for an email seemed to upset the rep. This was a very stressful experience and I just wanted information on why I hadn't received the ticket I had paid so much for, not to be told over and over again to keep checking my email and spam folder, and that it was their goal to have tickets available 20 minutes prior to the show
4: Not know if the tickets are actually genuine - the email I received the day after the event stated "Our seller indicated that they were unable to fulfill your order as the tickets you requested are no longer available," because (per the customer service rep) the resale marketplace is managed by individual sellers. In essence, I paid an extra $100 on top of the normal ticket cost to get scammed.
I did receive a full refund as well as $25 in store credit for this experience, but I will never purchase from VividSeats again and will actively dissuade anyone from making the same mistake I did.
4 years ago
Review Source
Tina Kincart Lewiston, ID
It was the worst experience of my life I would never recommend this company. There was a service fee of $20 A ticket which I wanted to buy 8 They only allowed me to buy 4 at a time which made seating separate. Anyways to make a long story short I said wait a minute never mind I do not want to go with this company at $20 a ticket service fee plus my $77 he said it was too late already did it He knew I said wait a minute and went ahead and went with it Therefore I canceled it all went with another company at $22 ticket 6.50 service fee and seating better. What was so disturbing was I said wait a minute and he still did it he did not care however my credit card company will take care of it. NEVER GO WITH VIVID TERRIBLE OVERPRICED AND RUDE.
5 years ago
Todd Brait Stephens City, VA
I purchased tickets on Vivid Seats. First, they fee was hidden and I never saw the very high fee they charged. I purchased my tickets 5 days before the event. The seller sent the tickets 1 hour after purchase on Vivid but, there was an issue accepting the eTickets. after trying to chat for 3 hours with Vivid, they said to use an alternate email. I gave them a different email. after 2 days, I called. I was on hold over an hour and got cut off after 1 hour 30 minutes. Called back and was again on hold for over an hour. They said there was noting I could do until 2 hours before the event. I told them I wanted my money back and they said I could resell the tickets... I asked how I could resell tickets that I've never received! Night before the game, I still have no tickets. Worst support ever!
5 years ago
Kelly D Long Beach, CA
In 2020, I ordered tickets to an event which was later postponed due to COVID. I emailed customer service and they told me to wait it out since the tickets will be eligible for the new rescheduled date. Well... it's been a year now and no rescheduled date. I recently sent an email to customer service saying that I just want my refund. They refuse to give it to me and advised I should sell my tickets. Who is going to buy tickets to an event that doesn't exist? Absolutely absurd. I will no longer be purchasing from Vivid Seats again. Will also be advising people to not purchase from this company as well.
5 years ago
Tasha Galloway Texarkana, TX
I’m very disappointed. I originally purchased two tickets. Called to speak with a representative to help with purchasing another seat next to the ones I had just purchased. Carlos told me he could move us to row O. When I received my confirmation it showed one seat on row O. Why on earth would I want to purchase a ticket for my sister to sit 5 rows away from me? I called back spoke to Maria. Worst customer service I’ve ever encountered. She said it was nothing she could do. She was very unconcerned and didn’t care to resolve the issue. She questioned me like it was my fault. Told me to try to sell the tickets. I ask to speak with a manager. She told me he’s not accepting calls. I asked for her supervisors name. She said he’s not taking calls and she can not give out his name. Seriously!! I chose Vivid over StubHub. Never again. Didn’t ask for a refund just simply wanted me and my sisters to sit next to each other. I didn’t care where they moved us. I offered to pay the difference. I even ask for a credit to go back to the website and purchase 3 tickets together. She said no. Never in life have I heard anyone be so rude.
5 years ago
Carleen Bailey Huntsville, AL
I was wanting to purchase 5 tickets and the representative lied to me and he transferred me to customer service. He stated that he could save me 10%, he would give me 5% and then he would have to transfer me to customer service to receive the other 5%. That was not true at all.
I was wanting to buy a total of 5 tickets for my son's 16th Birthday celebration and I was wanting to pay with 2 seperate credit cards. Then he went on to say that the tickets he was selling me were cheaper than online and that was not true.
IThe only reason I wasnt booking online was because it did not take 2 seperate transactions. So for this to be my first time it was time consuming and upsetting through the process.
5 years ago
Pamela Hoffman Alexandria, LA
Vivid Seats is an deceptive and awful ticket purchasing platform. My husband, as a Christmas present, bought 5 tickets to this past Thursdays Net Vs Knicks game at Barclays stadium for himself, a nephew, my brother in law and two son in laws. The 5 tickets cost $1180.00 ($225.00 per ticket ) with and additional $100+ for insurance. We spent 45 minutes choosing the seats on Vivid Seats which was linked to Barclays stadium. The tickets we purchased were mid level, mid court. The ticket barcodes were emailed as promised but when the guys got to the stadium, the seats were changed and they were placed in the UPPERMOST seats (last row of nosebleed section with their backs to the wall!). THESE WERE-NOT THE SEATS SELECTED!) We could have taken the guys to dinner, drinks and a movie for 1/3 of what was spent. I am furious and will next file a complaint of this company to the State of New York.
P. Hoffman
Alexandria, La
6 years ago
FRANK M VACCARO Broken Arrow, OK
I am a repeat customer and this order has been a terrible experience. I paid almost $400 for two tickets to the NC State vs Clemson basketball game in January. My granddaughter (12 years old and special needs) is a huge NC State fan picked that game. When the tickets arrived her mom told me they were for the Notre Dame game in February. While VividSeats emailed a UPS return sticker to me that I emailed to them it was to late. They are away for the holidays and a good part of January. So they could not return the tickets. I paid you (VividSeats) almost $100 for your services which should be refunded in full to my account. You should bill your client since it was their mistake. Also inform your client that tickets for the wrong game were sent and they should not appear as still 'available' on ticket websites. My daughter in law and granddaughter while disappointed decided to keep the tickets and hopefully be able to attend the February Notre Dame game. I would love to hear your response. Frank Vaccaro
6 years ago
Hiram Hialeah, FL
I will never use Vivid Seats for any purchase ever again, this has been a horrible experience!!!!!!
Unfortunately I am very limited on income and my Father wanted to go see the Miami Heat play the Warriors on November 29th at the American Airlines Arena. The tickets cost $205.00, I had $250.00 available on my card to make the purchase. They charged my card then sent me the confirmation number.
Well a few minutes later they send me an email saying that the tickets were cancelled and an issue will be refunded in 3-5 business days .
I will now not have the money in time to get the tickets at the lower price!!!!
This company has ruined me surprising my 84 year old father who really looked forward to going to the game!!!!
6 years ago
DD Winston-Salem, NC
Bait and switch - I purchased 3 tickets to a football game 5 weeks before the event for a total cost of $1280. Two days before the event, I received the email with the tickets. While they were in the same section, they were much lower (row 14 instead of 55). In row 14, you do not have a full view of the football field nor are they covered (row 55 was covered and protected from the weather). In addition - I wanted row 55 to be sitting near a friend in row 56. Vivid Seats refused to rectify the situation stating that they had a right to provide comparable or upgraded seats. They consider this an upgrade despite the fact that they are inferior seats. They would only have contacted me if the seats were in row 10 or lower. I will NOT purchase from them again nor do I recommend Vivid Seats. You are not guaranteed the tickets you purchase and are not notified of the changes.
6 years ago
Jennifer Glen Burnie, MD
If I could give it zero stars I would. We spent over $2500 on seats for the World Series game. We never received our tickets the day they were promised and now we were going to have to file a dispute with our credit card company over the amount because vivid seats did absolutely nothing about it. We would get robot answers on the live chats. The customer service agents on the phone and through email were completely worthless, unhelpful and unknowledgeable. This is the first time and last time will ever use this service. This morning we finally got an agent to correct and get us tickets for the game that starts in 5 hours!!! The amount of work we had to do to get them was outrageous! It was a sign from the beginning when they tacked on insane fee charges! I should have just went with stub hub!
7 years ago Edited September 14, 2021
Rick St. Petersburg, FL
DO NOT USE THIS SITE! Zero stars!!! Wanted To see our nfl team play ball in S. Florida. Tried Vivid Seats for first and last time. On Sept 6 they billed my credit card .for an Oct 13 game. Prices were reasonable, hubby didn’t read fine print nor prior reviews. Tix were not ready to download until 48 hrs before event, except they weren’t. After repeatedly given the run around, we finally realized we had been scammed by Vivid Seats or their seller. We tried valiantly and politely to settle this issue with CS by phone, but they all read from the same script and basically screwed us out of $90. Just lucky it wasn’t more, but am pursuing with Credit Card issuer. Go back to S—B H-B, folks. These guys are way too shady.
An unhappy former client,
7 years ago
Laurie McHenry, IL
I guess I should have read the reviews about this company before spending $700 on tickets for a concert. Purchased tickets back on 5/8/2019. Received confirmation email of ticket purchase and email stating my tickets would be available 9/15/2019 via electronic transfer, 2 days before my event. I did not receive my tickets and called the day of the event stating so. I called the first stating the problem I was having, the woman was friendly, asked for an alternate email in case that was the issue and told me they had contacted the seller and the seller was going to resend my tickets, if I had not received them 1 hour after the phone call...call again. 1 hour later, no tickets, call again and the second man I spoke to again was apologetic and told me again that the seller was resending my tickets, if I didn’t hear or receive an email call back again in 1 hour.
After waiting over 2 full hours and still no tickets we were about 3 and a half hours before the event, 2 hours before doors opened for the event. I receive a phone call from someone at Vivid stating they were issuing me different tickets....in a different section and different row. Ok sure no problem aside from the fact that the new tickets were worth $60 less EACH from the tickets we originally purchased. I was told nothing could be done and now suddenly they had proof I received my tickets on 5/30/2019 when I was looking directly at an email telling me my tickets would be available ON 9/15/2019. The man who called me was very rude and told me that now I had accepted the new tickets nothing could be done and that was the best they could do. Best they could do?! For a company who 100% guarantees customer satisfaction.
Of course I accepted the different tickets. At this point it was 45 minutes before the event was supposed to start, we traveled out of state and purchased a hotel room for the evening. I wasn’t asking to be refunded. I was simply asking to be reimbursed for the inconvenience of worse seats in a farther section. The man told me to call the next day to figure it out and that was all he could do for me and actually ended up DISCONNECTING the phone call on me. I called the day after the event as he had stated I could and was told the same twist of nothing they could do. There was proof I had them. I accepted different tickets so I should be happy, etc.
The funny thing is though when I had asked for the proof he had that I received them on this obscure date he couldn’t give me any and told me that they were accepted a few days later which NOBODY had mentioned before and said to me “don’t call a few hours before the event and expect for it to be fixed” even though when you call customer service they tell you they PRIORITIZE people with events today and tomorrow. What a bunch of disappointment and garbage. Rude people, no solution and a bogus guarantee advertised on their website. Will NEVER buy from them again.
7 years ago
Collin Cleveland, OH
We posted our seats for resell with vividseats.com. Not only did we follow their process exactly as instructed, we received a confirmation email that our tickets had “been posted for sale successfully”.
48 hours later, we went to vividseats.com to observe our tickets in the marketplace only to learn that they were not posted for sale. Upon calling customer service, we were informed that they had been delisted because we were not professional sellers and that per their FAQ they were not obligated to notify us.
We received 5 confirmation emails of our purchase, 1 confirmation email for our listing, and 0 emails notifying us of the status change. This is unacceptable business practice and a disservice to their customers.
Do yourself a favor & purchase or sell your tickets elsewhere
7 years ago
TJ Elgin, IL
Stay away from this company. After I did not receive my tickets 24 hours prior to the event I went online to look for reviews which didn't take long and knew I made a mistake. I spent 1,700 on 2 tickets, UPS tracking was stuck in transit for several days and the tracking did not give the expected delivery date which is on all UPS packages. I gave them 3 days to tell me when I would receive my tickets and not 1 answer. Could not tell me a date or time when I would receive the tickets. No business should be in business when operating in this matter along with the amount of negative reviews. just stay away.
7 years ago
Benedict Dephillips Florham Park, NJ
100% guarantee to get beat for your money. I purchased 4 tickets for a NY Yankee game. I was unable to accept the tickets from the link they sent and spent the better half of 10 hours trying to resolve this speaking to 5 different customer service representatives. Each one told me something different and nothing worked. I was forced to purchase 4 additional tickets for a significant amount as they washed their hands of it. I even said i would be fine with a credit and they still said there is nothing they can do. So basically you sell a ticket to a consumer there is a problem with the link, the consumer loses the money from the tickets and still pays a service fee. This sounds like fraud if you cant deliver the product how can you charge a fee.
7 years ago
A St Louis, MO
I spent $2849.10 on tickets for the Blues vs Bruins game 6 purchased on May 22 and today is June 8. I still don't have my tickets. I have called 3 times and live chatted twice. I have never spent this much on tickets in my life and really looking forward to the game but still don't know if I have tickets. They have given all kinds of reason of why they aren't available such as the price of the ticket and the event hasn't released the ticket. I even bought insurance. One of their customer service representatives told me that they have up until 2 hours before to give you your tickets. Imagine not knowing if you have tickets up until right before the event. Horrible site. Never ever use them
BUYER BEWARE
7 years ago
John H. Wickliffe, OH
10 days before Phantom, I searched online for (2) tickets. Of course, Vivid Seats popped up in the search results. I had not used them before so I thought maybe I’d get a deal!
I wanted decent seats based on price. Seats for $200 or more, each, were available. I chose seats located orchestra right SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ROW A AND ROW UU. Essentially the entire last section to the right. I never knew where the seats were.
I assumed they’d be good seats. My first mistake was not to use the actual venues website.
Vivid Seats made clear that they were a 3rd party resale site. I had never dealt with a site like that before (and never will again). I gave them the benefit of the doubt and continued with the sale.
I had a chance to cancel when I got an email saying that I a) would not know my seat assignment until I looked at the ticket and b) I’d have to go to Will Call to pick up the tickets because they (or the seller)were unable to provide electronic tickets or mail them in time.
When my companion and I got to the venue, we went to the box office and the teller was surprised to know the name matched but the address and the order number on the tickets didn’t match. As was I.
The kicker? After fees and taxes, I paid $619 for 2 tickets for Phantom. The tickets I received had a face value of $70 each totaling $140.00.
In my opinion, they were the worst possible seats. Row NN on the aisle. The venue WAS NOT SOLD OUT. There were only 7 rows between us and the back wall of the venue (all of the seats were empty) and there was only 2 a couple of seats between us and the wall to the right.
We could barely see the faces of the performers. The “chandelier” was out of view until it was lowered.
NEVER AGAIN.
7 years ago
Cindy Peoria, IL
HORRIBLE customer service! Sold me tickets, I went to venue, was able to get in with the ticket - however THERE WAS NO SEAT that matched what was on my ticket - Seciton B, Row 39. Section B only had 36 rows. I contacted Venue who confirmed there was a problem with that area - and Vivid SAID they did an investigation - which they did not - and offered me 1/2 off store credit! That equaled NOTHING to me as I will never use them again. Every communication with them to resolve this issue was with rude, uncaring individuals who could have cared less. They promise 100% Satisfaction Guarantee but do not stand behind it.
7 years ago
Doug Sarasota, FL
Horrid customer service. Looked up spring training baseball game and they listed it as a 6:35pm game which I purchased 2 seats for my son and I for a Friday night for $71. My son looks at the schedule and said there was no game at 6:35pm on the team website. We notified them of the problem, they changed the time to 1:05pm and sent me a "re-schedule" notice. Neither one of us could go to the game as it's a work day. They said too bad, we don't issue refunds. I was told I can re-sell the tickets myself or get a $20 store credit!! So I get stuck with having to re-sell tickets that they made the mistake of listing the wrong time? Talked to the managing supervisor Dago and he said it was not his problem and I would not be speaking with anyone else but him. DON'T USE THESE SCAMMERS!!!!
7 years ago
Dennie Teer League City, TX
I will start by saying that I have used this co. and had good results and that's why I tried it again. But last Friday 2/1/19 I called Vivids hotline and talked to an agent about tickets for a concert they had listed. He told me that their credit card system was down and if I needed the tics immediately, which I did as the concert was that evening, that I could pay with a google cash card which I did for $550. And then nothing I never recd my tics or any explanation. I can only assumed that they were hacked and I then purchased my tics from Stub Hub with no problems. So I have contacted Vivid (4) times since last Fri. and basically they said get screwed we are not helping you. So here I am telling everyone to shop Stub Hub Or ANY other site. Tks for viewing Dennie T
7 years ago
avidinternet Titusville, FL
Purchased 2 tickets to Hamilton through Vivid Seats in the orchestra section. No mention of obstructed view upon purchase of tickets and there was mention of it on many other tickets that's why I chose these. Upon arrival we are seated behind and to the left, about 10 feet to the left, of a huge tower from floor to ceiling of speakers with the addition of a huge tower of lights sticking out past the huge tower of speakers from the floor to the ceiling as well. Needless to say seeing 10% of the stage was not what anyone has in mind after spending $1200.00 on 2 tickets. At the theater the manager there said that had I purchased the tickets through them they would have listed these as "obstructed view" but unfortunately the event was sold out and there was no where for us to move. I have called in and complained to Vivid seats and am now waiting on them to "investigate the situation". I asked who sold these tickets and why was obstructed view not on the listing wasn't the seller required to disclose this and they informed me that, "They, Vivid seats sold these tickets to me directly." Nice, really upstanding way to do business.
7 years ago
MB Cupertino, CA
I purchased six tickets to a show for 5-12 year olds (JoJo Siwa). The tickets were $108 each. The company claims that an itemized bill was displayed before the purchase was final, but I saw no such bill. My card was charged $846, $200 more than I was expecting. I emailed the sales office and, to their credit, they replied promptly. They informed me that I had paid $24 in "delivery fees" (for downloaded tickets) and $174 (!!!!) in "service fees"! I understand the company has to make money somehow and would have been happy to pay a reasonable fee. If there was an itemized page and I (a fairly meticulous person) overlooked it, then chances are other do, too, and an unexpected $200 charge would break a lot of people! The fees and tickets are non-refundable, of course. If you are looking for resale tickets, look elsewhere (markstickets.com maybe?) This company exploits people looking for tickets to popular shows.
7 years ago
Brian Bolton Sykesville, MD
My wife and I thought it would be nice for my son and I to go to a Phillies' game together as a Xmas gift. So i went online to ESPN.com to look at the schedule and found a game that worked with our summer schedule. Conveniently every scheduled game had a hyperlink to available seat through, you guessed it, Vivid Seats.
At first it was great. The link was right there, their site was easy to navigate, and checkout was a breeze, which is when the fun, err nightmare, began. First, you know how most sites show you your total purchase cost including fees like shipping & handling? Not Vivid! No, they hide it away in fine print so that the tickets you thought were a great deal and an all-in price are actually 50% or more expensive than advertised once you see your receipt and realize they've tacked on a huge transaction fee.
Bummer, but I was ready to take it in the shorts, because it's a Xmas present, he's my son, and frankly I'm desperate to convert him from an O's fan to a Sillies fan. But the tix never came? Weeks went by. Turns out they're not going to send them to me until 4 days before the game! So nothing to put in my son's stocking, and bonus, they had no problem charging my credit card IMMEDIATELY so they get to invest my money for 6 months before actually EARNING their ridiculous fees.
But that's not the best part! No refunds! So after you've realized you've been scammed you have to dispute the charge with your credit card company or hope and pray that this horrible company actually delivers at some point in the distant future.
There's more to the story, but I'm getting more and more upset as I type so I'll leave you with the bottom line: NEVER USE THIS AWEFUL SITE TO PURCHASE TICKETS!!! Use Stubhub, which incidentally is a great site I've had nothing but positive experiences with.
7 years ago
Mr. Revenge Davison, MI
As others have said DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. They mislead you on the price, the site is rigged to charge you without confirming the outrageous fees. Their employees are trained to deny any refunds or cancellations. They point the finger back at you and say you clicked on the OK tab right next to no refunds statement. WRONG! They sent me a screen shot of something else claiming it was my purchase, WRONG. Waiting on credit card company's decision on the FRAUD that was committed. If I get money back it will be a lesson for me and only time wasted. If I do not get refunded it will be very, very bad news for the owner of this company.
7 years ago
JACQUALINE N HAVEL Nyack, NY
This is a terrible website. They allow their sellers to charge whatever they want for the tickets even if it's much higher than the original ticket price, BUT they don't show the original ticket price to the buyers before they buy! This is robbery!
Customer service is very unhelpful. My sister made a purchase using my credit card and than immediately contacted them before the transaction even went through, to tell them it was a mistake and they still refused to void the transaction. We ended up with two $65 dollar tickets that we couldn't use, that she paid $125 each for after the up-charge, fees, and ticket insurance. By the way the ticket insurance is also a scam. After we found out we couldn't void the transaction, we tried using the ticket insurance to do a return and they said we were not eligible. Vivid seats need to be shut down.
7 years ago
JJ Weber La Crescenta, CA
ONCE IN A LIFETIME TREAT FOR FAMILY IS DISASTER BECAUSE OF vivid tickets. Purchased $400 ticket x 6 in April 2018 to take my family to football game in Los Angeles in Oct 2018. We did not receive tickets until we called customer service the day before the game. Well, guess what the tickets were in the $100 section!! What a horrible unethical company this is-VIVID TICKETS IS HORRIBLE. Do not under any circumstances purchase your tickets with vivid seats. Why didn't they just say we resold your tickets (for more money) and we have to offer you other seats?? NOOO fellow best company readers... they have to take the money, money, money. If anyone is interested in the claim I have AMX bill and ticket numbers to show you.
7 years ago
Kevin Harrison Mansfield, TX
I purchased two tickets for a friend to the OU-TCU football game in Fort Worth for 10.20.18. When they arrived, they couldn't get in because they were holding duplicate tickets with another person stand in line next to them. (BTW, this is the second time Vivid Seats has done this to me. The first time was at a MLB playoff game)
My friend couldn't get in, so I called Vivid Seats Customer Service. I was on hold for over 40 minutes in two calls and then had to call back a third time. MY EVENT WAS HAPPENING AT THAT MOMENT, BUT I HAD BEEN SOLD DUPLICATE SEATS!!!! WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE "BEING PRIORITIZED WHO HAVE EVENTS THAT DAY?!?" While I was on hold, no one EVER came back to me and told me they were still trying to reach a department.
The “customer service agents" (and I use that phrase lightly) were Omar, Chris, and Cecelia, in that order. After failing to get an answer after 20 minutes of being on hold the first time, I called backed and asked to speak with a manager on my next two calls. The first time Chris told me he was transferring me to one, but no one ever answered. The second time Cecelia said it was impossible and refused my request outright. AWFUL JOB!!! Bottom line: I was transferred two times to a specific department that NEVER ANSWERED. When I asked for a direct line to that department, I was told there is no direct line they can give out. What a scam!!!
Vivid Seats is great if you enjoy the excitement of never knowing if your tickets are going to work or not. I've never had this issue with other ticket brokers, so I'm cancelling my account with Vivid. What a joke! Almost an hour of hold time and still no resolution or person on the other end of transferred line!
Remember: My tickets were for today!!!
8 years ago
Kenny Athol, ID
I purchased some really expensive tickets to a Godsmack concert in Spokane WA. I was guaranteed the row and section. They never shipped my tickets and waited until the last minute to send me an email and let me know those seats weren't available. If I would have known this up front I could have bought bought different seats (actually better) and downloaded the tickets. Now since they waited until the last minute there is nothing but crap seats left.
They did offer me some other seats in a different section further from the stage. In their ad they say better or comparable seats. That didn't happen.
This will be the first and last time I use Vivid Seats. What a joke. I haven't been to a concert in over 30 years, I wanted really good seats. Thanks for ruining my concert experience Vivid Seats.
8 years ago
Cami Jones Little Rock, AR
This was my first experience using Vivid Seats and my absolute last time. I have never been more frustrated by a customer service “team.”
Let me start by saying, I purchased tickets on Thursday, September 27th to be overnighted to my mom’s house and arrive on Friday, September 28th. Vivid Seats specifically says on their website and via text “All tickets are guaranteed to be delivered in time for your event, and you will receive a tracking number via email once the order has shipped.”
I checked the UPS tracking number on Friday around 11:00am and no update was given. It wasn’t until I checked around 1:00pm that it said “delivery attempted at 9:24am.” No email, no phone call, no text, nothing. UPS ALWAYS leaves a note saying they attempted delivery. Nothing. So, I call UPS Customer Service to track down the package. I’m told they have no idea where the package is!!! I arrive in town and go to the UPS Customer Center to speak with someone directly. They take my phone number and let me know they will call if they find it during unloading trucks.
I called Vivid Seats Customer to explain the situation. After explaining myself 10 times to 10 different people, I am offered zero help. The event was today, Saturday, September 29th. I was beyond frustrated at the lack of customer service. Each “agent” acted like a robot and kept saying “I’m looking into this for you.” I told them that UPS lost my package which is exactly what happened.
I receive a call this morning from a UPS representative saying my package was accidentally shipped an HOUR AND A HALF AWAY and was on a 50 foot trailer sitting, waiting to be unloaded on Monday. I call Vivid Seats, again. I ask for the tickets to be reissued and sent via email. They tell me this isn’t possible and that I will not be receiving a refund. I was hung up on once by a man. I get through to a “senior customer service representative” who ended up arguing with me over the whole situation.
Do not use Vivid Seats. The “agents” are real people but trained to be robots. They were no help in resolving my issue. You better believe I will be pursuing legal action to get my money back. The combination of Vivid Seats customer service and UPS losing my package (of tickets) pushed me over the edge. THEN, to say that a reissue of the tickets sent to my email was not possible and that I would NOT be receiving a refund brought me here to writing this review.
I went ahead and purchased more tickets so that I could take my family to this event today. I used a different provider for the tickets. I always give people the benefit of the doubt. After frantically attempting to figure out this dilemma, I feel the need to share my experience and warn others away from this “company.” There are NUMEROUS similar reviews on all websites regarding Vivid Seats. They sent me an email each time I called asking to complete a customer satisfaction survey. At the end it states, “you are acknowledging that we may edit your review or choose not to post to our website.” There you have it. No business would ever let the customers know that they will edit the reviews they receive. I hope you have read this review and hear my please to not use this “business.”
8 years ago
Cristi Stafford Amory, MS
Today was the expected delivery date to receive my tickets for the event tomorrow. I've yet to receive them. I have chatted with them 4 times today and each time they said " we have a 100% guarantee, so you'll get them". Finally 20 mins ago I chatted with them yet again and they said they would send out an alert to my seller TOMORROW. The day of my event. We need to leave for this event at 7am. They dont open until 7 am. I'm not pleased at all. Each time I've talked to them they have not cared at all that I have yet to receive my tickets that I paid $227 for back in may. Why haven't they already sent out a dang alert to whomever i purchased the tickets from instead of waiting until the day of my event so either I'm gonna have to be late for the event or go ahead and drive almost 2 hours away in hopes i receive my tickets. I would not use vivid seats. Use stub hub
8 years ago
Consumer1234 Seattle, WA
I purchased theater tickets the day of the performance and never received them! I had to call customer service 4 separate times over the course of the 4 hours leading up to the play and was continually told that my tickets should arrive within the next 30 minutes - 1 hour. Finally, 1 hour before the start time I was told that I should have just received my tickets as it showed up as sent on the company's end. Well I never received anything! To make matters worse it has been 2 weeks and now the company is refusing to issue me a refund. Horrible horrible customer service and a downright scam. Do yourself a favor and steer clear.
8 years ago
Aaron New York, NY
I recently purchased seats for the Nutcracker at the David Koch theatre, third ring, section a-e. When the tickets arrived they where for the third ring but section AA. This section is a cheaper section to buy on vivid seats and the theatre itself values them at a discount from what I originally purchased. The service agent said they can upgrade you and this was considered an upgrade although it was a side view and two sections from the middle of the theatre which I purchased. When I explained these tickets were a downgrade she said it was an upgrade and they reserve the right to upgrade. After going around in circles she couldn’t grasp basics of ticket pricing, better seats cost more and she said she was dealing with industry stadards in mind. She then ended the phone call. Vivid seats are con artists and I would not purchase anything from them again.
8 years ago
smillwood Ohatchee, AL
I purchased tickets for a concert and they charged me $113 in service fees. I immediately contacted them and requested to cancel the transaction after the representative could not tell me how the fees are determined. She repeatedly told me it was determined by a number of factors. There is no clear rhyme or reason for the service fees, which I feel is deceiving. I learned a valuable lesson but will not ever do business with this company again. I will either purchase from Ticketmaster or Stubhub. I could have purchased the same tickets from Stubhub for much less. Vivid seats had the same tickets listed "lower" than Stubhub but the final price was much higher.
8 years ago
Julie Baker Jacksonville, FL
I have never experienced the bad customer service that I did with this company, ever before with any other company! I tried calling and could not get through to anyone, I tried the online chat and was told that I would be emailed and someone would get back to me and no one did. The cost of the tickets were 3x the price of the actual tickets and higher than sold anywhere else. Then they said they responded to me and I never once received a response and I never got the tickets before the concert and they still did not refund me my money!! The worst ticket sales company ever, beware and do not use, look at BBB they don't have an accredited account and tons of bad reviews :)
8 years ago
Patrick Mastroianni Patchogue, NY
I placed and paid for an order for Miss Saigon tickets in NYC for April 7 through Vivid Seats. Then AFTER I placed the order I received a notification that the seller would be ready to send the tickets on April 6, THE DAY BEFORE THE EVENT!!!! This, of course is unacceptable from any reasonable point of view. I then IMEDIATEDLY called Vivid seats requesting that they either change the delivery date or method or refund my payment. The representative, Jessie, who claimed to be a manager, refused to help in ANY way at all. I then went on line and was shocked to see that I am by no means alone in the experience I've had! In fact the reviews were so bad (at SEVERAL different review sites), that I'm wondering whether I should ask my state's Attorney General's office to take a good look at Vivid Seats, as it would appear from their website, that they do a fair amount of business in my state, and they have MANY MANY complaints. I am VERY dissatisfied not only with their operating policies, but with their utter disregard for client satisfaction. I will never purchase so much as a movie ticket from this company!
9 years ago
Unhappy Former Customer Fort Lauderdale, FL
I purchased 2 tickets in November 2015 to a Garth Brookes concert on January, 15 2016 for $223. The tickets themselves cost $68.75, the rest of the costs were fees that I was not aware of until after the tickets were purchased. I didn't receive (via email) the tickets until the night before the event.
A friend and I went to the concert and were told that one of the tickets was invalid and the other would not even scan. Both my friend and I tried to contact Vivid Seats via their (800) number. We were routed to an automated message that asked you to email support@vividseats.com, it did not give any other options, i.e. to talk with a representative or to leave a voicemail.
My friend and I had to purchase 2 new tickets in order to see the show.
I called Pay Pal (how I paid for the tickets) the next morning and they put me in touch Vivid Seats.
I filed a dispute with Vivid Seats the next morning claiming that the tickets were not valid. I them a copy of the tickets and offered to send in the receipts from purchasing the new tickets.
It took 2 weeks to get any kind of answer. The "supervisor" I spoke with at Vivid Seats was not only rude, but said the following; that I could not prove that the tickets were invalid, or that I purchased new tickets (even though I had receipts to prove this) and that they would not refund me any money for the purchase of the tickets. He then argued with me when I tried to explain that I did have proof and he kept repeating that I should have tried to call the day of the event. Again, I tried to explain that I did call the day of the event, but was unable to get a hold of an actual person. I also tried to explain that I called first thing the next morning. I ended the call at that point, as the "supervisor" continued arguing and raising his voice at me.
Vivid Seats sells fraudulent tickets, inflates the prices of tickets, charges service fees that are outrageous, lacks professionalism and any type of customer service, and does not stand behind what they say.
10 years ago
Review Source
Cassidy Warr Salt Lake City, UT
Awful! I placed an order online and after my cc info was entered the system glitched. So I called to order tickets. I needed 6. They assured me the online order didn't go through. Then proceeded to charge me for each individual ticket so 6 charges. I open my credit card statement and I have a charge for all 6 tickets then charges for each individual ticket. When I called to sort it out, they said the would investigate it. Still waiting for them to refund me.
4 years ago
David Luberda Willowbrook, IL
You will be better off buying tickets in DARK ALLEY!
I purchased tickets for event several months in advance.
Ended up that I will not be able to attend due to health reasons they told me that they cannot cancel tickets or refund even thou event will happen in several months. No support whatsoever the only help they told me that when I will get the tickets 3 days before event I can resell them trough them. Waste of time Please Beware and never work with them.
4 years ago
Neama Rahmani
THEY SENT THE WRONG TICKETS! Do NOT use Vivid under any circumstances!
I bought tickets to a football game, they sent the wrong tickets, I contacted Vivid immediately (within minutes) and they said they could not cancel the order and send me the correct tickets because they are merely a third party intermediary between buyer and seller.
So much for their worthless "100% Buyer Guarantee." I recommend using a more reputable company like Ticketmaster.
4 years ago
Christopher Demiglio Denton, TX
Terrible. Literally, the only think positive was your customer service rep “Mike”. Every other process was crap. Was on hold for several hours over a span of a few days - and even got disconnected once after holding for 62 minutes and was not called back. I will never buy from Vivid again and I am letting everybody that I know what a horrible experience I had with Vivid. It is, without a doubt, the worst ticket buying experience I have ever had.
5 years ago
Tom Carroll ,
Purchased tickets from velvet to Notre Dame game they sent me a link to seat geek cyt gig in for me they were understaffed and they could not send me a password reset before the game started I waited 20 minutes after the game started and did not receive a password reset so I went home when it states 100% Guarantee I requested a refund they told me know I requested a supervisor or manager they told me no and hung up on me twice
5 years ago
Kim Ballwin, MO
Vivid Seats is horrible to do business with. We purchased VERY expensive tickets and a show that is now postponed due to the Covid19 virus, which is fine and good to be safe. We asked for the refund option instead of waiting for the new date to appear because what if we can not make the new date? Well, too bad. We were instructed that we would have to SELL OUR TICKETS instead via social media. It is very poor customer service to NOT give their $ back if requested, especially due to a situation that was beyond our control.
6 years ago
Kimberly Putnam Asheville, NC
Due to the Covid-19 virus, our concert was reschedule for one year later. I purchased the tickets for my daughter's 30th birthday. I do know if I can go a year from now. At this point, I do not want to be in a crowd that large anymore. I contacted them for a refund. They refused to refund the tickets under any circumstances. They advertise 100% customer satisfaction which is a joke. They take the money and run. They said I could resell my ticket, that is their business they can resell them a lot easier than I could.
6 years ago
Angela Milwaukee, WI
Vivid seats will NOT refund me my money for the tickets I purchased for the Manitoba Moose at Milwaukee Admirals game held at the UW Milwaukee Panther Arena. The game was scheduled for March 14, 2020. The game did not happen and they said the game was "postponed" not "cancelled" so I cannot get a refund. They indicated, "At this time, the only way to get some money back would be to resell the tickets." LOL! Yeah who is going to buy tickets right now?
6 years ago
Tkhalaska Wasilla, AK
We bought 4 premium tickets to a Boston Red Sox game that has been postponed due to Coronovirus precautions by the MLB. Vividseats will give refunds for cancelled events, but not for postponed events that may eventually be rescheduled. We are from 4000 miles away and will be in Boston for only one specific weekend. People should be given the option of reissued tickets or a full refund if an event needs to be rescheduled because not everyone can change their work schedule and fly thousands of miles to attend an event on a date it was not originally scheduled. Customer service was not helpful.
6 years ago
Chris Mahoney Minneapolis, MN
Rep was fine but because the 10% discount wasnt working i had to call in ONLY TO LOSE EVERY SINGLE BEST DEAL ON THE SITE
This absolutely ruined my day and Im beyond pissed. I dont care if “all the sites are like this” because YOUR false 10% wasnt working I lost more than I wanted. I will out of spite not purchase for you in the future and you probably already know Ill tell more about my bad experience than if I had a good one
6 years ago
