Signs an event organizer could scam you

After not being able to run a single speed dating event for over a year, and reading reviews of competitors, we believe some people are unknowingly falling for scams and losing money.

Before buying your next ticket online to any event, consider avoiding organizers if they do any of the following:

1. Reject credit cards as payment. If you pay by credit card, the event cancels, the organizer denies your refund request, and no signed contract exists, then file a chargeback (or dispute) with your credit card company to receive a refund. This is not possible with other payment methods.

2. Provide no real customer service. Any organizer that cannot answer a direct question about the event itself or about your purchase or refund inquiry is one to stay away from.

3. Put little to no effort put into the event. Anyone can post hundreds of event listings with the same image and nearly identical text on websites like Eventbrite. If that's where your organizer's effort stops, then its probably a scam operation.

4. Offer vague or no terms of sale. An organizer that makes a detailed terms of sale (terms and conditions) available to the public aims to hide surprises and to be honest. Lacking such information suggests the organizer may want a quick buck and may attempt to scam you at time of refund.

5. Setup events in places they have no permission to run events at. It has been reported on Trustpilot that some people bought tickets to various events on Eventbrite then upon arriving at the location in the ad, the venue owners or management stated that no such event exists. If the organizer has NO permission to run events at the venue, then save yourself money and DO NOT buy a ticket for the event.

6. Leave their website unoptimized. This doesn't mean an organizer must use fancy graphics, giant images, or moving text. This means creating a positive experience from beginning to end everytime. Reports state that people give up using a webpage if it takes 3 or more seconds to completely load.

Here's some links that might surprise you:

Eventbrite's website performance: https://pagespeed.web.dev/analysis/https-www-eventbrite-ca/jmxeu6q7vq?form_factor=mobile

News report suggests people should buy tickets from event organizer's OWN website: https://www.youtube.com/embed/_00eLIsv6Os

In late 2024, North Americans bought Taylor Swift tickets from a woman they all trusted. The transactions occurred through texts and social media and payments were made by Interac E-transfer. Days before the show, everyone was scammed over $140,000 in total. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/embed/_gz-VNwwJH0

Eventbrite scored over 1,500 negative reviews on Trustpilot and several complaints through Google Maps, and the Better Business Bureau. The point: Do your research before picking the first place to buy tickets.

https://trustpilot.com/review/www.eventbrite.com
https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/san-francisco/profile/online-event-registration/eventbrite-inc-1116-76754