A Rockville, Maryland, mother and daughter, almost had their dreams of seeing Taylor Swift in concert in Philadelphia dashed after StubHub said their tickets would not be delivered.
Instead, the ordeal Katie and Lyla Mahoney faced days before Swift performed three shows at Lincoln Financial Field ended with their money being refunded and paying more for new tickets.
Problems began for the duo six months ago, after Katie Mahoney and her husband purchased tickets for Sunday night’s show through the ticketing service company as a Hanukkah and birthday gift.
For Lyla Mahoney, the gift fulfilled a dream of attending a Taylor Swift show, stating that she didn’t think it would happen because tickets are expensive.
The tickets were $700, a deal the family was excited to find. Yet, the duo’s excitement soon turned into anxiety when they did not receive their tickets via email on Friday, the day the order was scheduled to be fulfilled. Lyla’s dad began calling StubHub for answers.
“I wanted Taylor Swift to be my first concert,” said Lyla, who was watching Swift’s pervious concert tour on TV when she learned of the ticketing issues. “….I was so excited. I had everything packed.”
The family was told by StubHub not to worry and that the tickets would be delivered by midnight. Instead, the family received an email that stated they wouldn’t be getting those tickets.
“For my 15-year-old daughter to want to go to her first concert with me is pretty lovely and amazing,” Katie Mahoney said before the shows. “And I just can’t believe that we’re having this difficulty, it seems criminal.”
She added, “The idea that somehow you would buy a ticket six months ago for a certain price and that now it’s evaporated, because whoever was going to sell it to me decided to cash in for a higher rate.”
In an email shared with WTOP, StubHub wrote Saturday, “We apologise, (sic) but unfortunately, your seller is not able to provide the tickets that you originally purchased. Don’t worry! You are covered by our guarantee, and we want to ensure that you receive tickets for this event.”
They were directed to choose alternative tickets, but there were none available. At the same time, on StubHub’s website, nearly 600 tickets were for sale, some in the very same section the family bought their original tickets — but at a higher price.
The pair stayed optimistic, took their cowgirl hats and boots to Philadelphia and hoped their ticket would meet them before the show.
WTOP learned StubHub refunded the family for their order. The Mahoney family ended up buying new tickets for $3,000, more than four times their original order.
WTOP reached out to StubHub for more information, but has not received a response.
