Paul Avron's daughter buys Coldplay tickets nine months before their show, but when the tickets don't appear on the day of the event, a StubHub representative advises her to spend an additional $3,000 for replacement tickets. Can she get a refund?

Q: My daughter bought three tickets to see Coldplay at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for $1,027 nine months before the event. This was a birthday gift for her best friend and the friend's dad. They had been looking forward to it for months.

On the day of the show, the StubHub app said the tickets were being released. But when the show started and the tickets still hadn't appeared, we called StubHub in a panic. We asked for the tickets or replacement tickets so they could get into the concert.

The last representative we spoke to refused to provide replacement tickets. He said we had to buy new ones and that StubHub would refund the $1,027 my daughter had already paid. The rep told us he saw three tickets for just $1 more than we had originally paid. He sent us a link, which we opened and paid for using my credit card.

Here's where it gets bad: It turns out the tickets were $1,000 per ticket, not $1 more total. StubHub charged my credit card $3,000. 

I immediately called my credit card company to dispute the charge. Separately, I called StubHub directly. Both representatives I spoke with said they would not credit my account.

Look, if StubHub had simply provided the tickets my daughter purchased or given us replacement tickets like they should have, I wouldn't be in this situation. And for the record, we did not accept those expensive tickets or use them. We never even went to the concert.

Can you help us get a refund for the full amount charged to my credit card? — Paul Avron, Parkland, Fla.

A: StubHub should have delivered your daughter's tickets. Period. When a seller doesn't deliver, StubHub's FanProtect Guarantee is supposed to kick in. The guarantee promises valid tickets or your money back. But it also says StubHub will find you comparable replacement tickets when possible.

The real problem here is what happened during that support call. You were scrambling to get into a concert that was already starting. The representative told you the replacement tickets cost "$1 more" than your original purchase. But you ended up buying tickets for $1,000 each — a total of $3,000.

That's not a small miscommunication. That's a communication catastrophe.

Your case is a reminder to read the purchase screen carefully — even if a representative gives you the price on the phone. Talk is cheap. It's the price on the checkout screen that counts.

You did several things right. You kept all your documentation, including both order numbers and the details of your conversations with StubHub. You contacted your credit card company right away. You followed up with StubHub directly. Those are exactly the right moves.

You could have also escalated your case in writing to one of the StubHub executives. (I publish them on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.) A brief, polite email that outlines the facts and includes your paper trail often gets results when regular customer service hasn't helped.

Here's something else worth mentioning: I've covered several StubHub cases where tickets didn't arrive as promised. In a recent column about nonexistent seats, I noted that StubHub's FanProtect Guarantee looks appealing on paper, but enforcement often depends on persistence and proper escalation. Your case shows the same pattern.

After you contacted me, my advocacy team reached out to StubHub. The company investigated your claim.

"We're truly sorry this customer missed an event that was so meaningful to them," a StubHub spokesperson told me. "When their original tickets were not delivered, we issued a full refund under our FanProtect Guarantee."

StubHub says it refunded your second purchase even though it didn't qualify under its standard policy to make things right. 

"We know how important live experiences are and remain committed to supporting fans when things don't go as planned," the StubHub representative added.

You're getting everything back, in other words. Your daughter gets her original $1,027 back, and you get the $3,000 refunded to your credit card.

Ticket resale platforms walk a tightrope. They're not the primary seller, so they rely on third parties to deliver. But when you make a promise to protect fans, you have to keep it. And when a customer service representative gives pricing information during a high-stress moment, that information needs to be crystal clear.

 Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at https://elliottadvocacy.org/help/