Vivid Seats Review
This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and purchase an item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.
My Experience with Vivid Seats
I buy and sell tickets professionally, so when I say that I know the ins and outs of ticket sites, I mean it. So many ticket sites have a lot they like to hide, while others put transparency at the forefront of their platform. Vivid Seats, in particular, has a lot to offer but at what cost?
Vivid Seats is undoubtedly easy to use.
From the homepage, Vivid Seats gives you a number of things to click on whether it be trending events, local events, or simply top events. From the homepage, there are also a large number of “guarantees” displayed. “Full Peace of Mind,” “100% Buyer Guarantee,” “Valid Ticket Guarantee,” are all words splayed across the page which at first makes me comfortable, but my brain does go to “why are they trying to reassure me so many times?” I wrote it off as them knowing other ticket sites can be notoriously unreliable and continued with my purchase.
I noticed as soon as I clicked on the website that they had tickets from one of the newer venues near me for a stand-up show I had been considering going to. I know this particular venue does not sell their own tickets, rather they go through Ticketmaster. I went ahead and drew a price comparison between tickets from the source and tickets from Vivid Seats. The same tickets via Ticketmaster would cost me $30 compared to Vivid Seats's $43. $13 isn't a huge difference, but it's enough to stick with Ticketmaster.
I did give Vivid Seats a second chance at finding me a ticket at a good price. I chose to look at a more popular event like Ariana Grande (an artist I buy and sell tickets for often) to see if they could give me a deal I couldn't find anywhere else. The first ticket I chose was the cheapest ticket Vivid Seats could offer me. It was still about $50 more than a ticket was being sold for on average. I will give Vivid Seats a big thumbs up, however, for letting me know immediately upon picking that ticket that it would be an obstructed view.
The next tickets I looked at were floor seats. Vivid Seats immediately let me know they were aisle seats and that a mobile device would be absolutely necessary for gaining access to the event. I love my technology undoubtedly, but I'm also the type who likes a back-up plan. The fact that these tickets genuinely were not printable was disappointing, to say the least.
The last tickets I viewed were close to the floor seats I had previously viewed, except these would be delivered via e-mail. The seller of these tickets also had a “preferred seller” rating which I hadn't realized Vivid Seats kept track of until then. I did like this feature and felt confident in my decision to purchase these tickets. Thus, I proceeded straight to billing information.
At billing, Vivid Seats didn't give me my full total before I checked out. In fact, on the page where I would input my credit card information, there were no numbers. Not my “before fees” cost, not my “after fees” cost…nothing. At checkout, Vivid Seats did let me know once again that my transaction was absolutely, positively secure, but without giving me my total until the very end of the checkout process (post-credit card info), I once again felt like Vivid Seats could be trying to convince me to go just far enough while leaving me short.
Something about Vivid Seats, especially the checkout process, felt off. Their prices are decent for the resale market, but not knowing what I'll be paying until the very, very end isn't something I want any part of.
What Are Vivid Seats' Service Fees?
Vivid Seats tends to have fairly high fees which is one of the reasons why it's not one of our recommended ticketing sites.
How Does Vivid Seats Work?
In the words of Vivid Seats: “Vivid Seats is a full-service marketplace that facilitates transactions between fans looking to buy or resell tickets to their favorite sports, concerts, and theater events. We were founded on a passion for live events and a mission to improve and simplify the ticket-purchasing experience, which means we’re committed to helping you find tickets quickly and safely, so you can focus on what matters: enjoying your event.”
VividSeats Popularity
Vivid Seats is currently the 9,628 most visited website in the world according to Alexa.com. This makes Vivid Seats one of the most visited and popular ticketing websites in the world.
VividSeats Refund Policy (Security, Trust & Reliability)
The 100% Buyer Guarantee promises that your transaction will be secure, that your tickets will be delivered before your event, and that those tickets will be valid and authentic. Your trust is our top priority, and this Guarantee is part of our commitment to ensuring the security of your purchase as well as your satisfaction and peace of mind. Click here to read more about the protection offered by our Buyer Guarantee!
Vivid Seats Customer Service Contact Info
Well for starters I typically do not leave reviews as I understand everyone has their own opinions and others may not agree. However after my experience with this company I feel the need to warn others before they put themselves through the trouble I went through.
For starters I do plenty of shopping around before I buy any tickets for the event we attend once a year, this year Vivid seats happened to have the Broncos tickets for about 60$ cheaper than any other ticket provider (even with their processing fees), so on August 24, 2018 I purchased 2 tickets to the Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks in Denver for Sunday September 9, 2018 game, paid in full that day, money came out immediately. I was sent an email almost right after with the confirmation and it stated that the tickets would be electronically delivered by September 7, 2018 (Friday before the game). Great, no stress they will be here before we travel to the event city, also on the email it stated the tickets will be shipped by the seller Thursday September 6, 2018. So when Friday morning (9/7) rolls around I still have no email stating my tickets were shipped (transferred), so at 9:13 am on 9/7/2018 I called their customer service line (incorrect number provided on their site, I came to BBB to get the correct phone number) spoke to CSR George, who was very polite, he explained the NFL was monitoring the electronic tickets so duplicates cannot be created and as soon as my tickets were verified as authentic they could be transferred and he assured me that this would happen by the end of business the same day (9/7/2018), I accepted his explanation and waited. Still nothing by evening so at 3:53 PM (MST) so this would be end of Business in Illinois where this company is located, I called again, waited for about 10 minutes on hold and got a CSR whom I could not understand at all, foreign accent and couldn’t catch her name or really understand what she said, after asking excuse me and what a few times, she said that they are open until 12 pacific time and to call back in the morning if my tickets had not been transferred. Okay so now we’re 2 days from the date my tickets were scheduled to be sent and one day in for unclear reasons why I still do not have my already paid for tickets, please keep in mind that we were traveling to this event city on Saturday 9/8/2018, at 7:47 AM I called customer service again, got CSR Morgan, again very polite, she said she was contacting the seller of said tickets as she put me on hold, she came back with no answers and said I will offer you a store credit for 50$ for the inconvenience you are going through (thanks, but I will not be using this company again), hung up with no explanation or expected time when to expect my tickets. Beginning to panic I log on to my laptop and begin start a live chat with Vivid Seats (8:02 am after waiting for a few minutes to be attended to it said I was connect to James via live chat, he asked how I was doing and as I was typing he ended the chat), 8:11 I logged into live chat again, connected to Ashley this time, while at first she was polite, she stated a team was handling my case, I explained that I would be traveling to the event city and away from a desktop computer (as they claim you have to accept the tickets from a desktop computer)she was rude and said “well go to the library, a fed ex store or a staples to use the computer,” excuse me, I am traveling to a city I am unfamiliar with and purchased tickets through this company which assured me I would have them by the Friday before I left for Denver. I left the live chat before I would turn rude myself. We left for Denver and hoped it was for not. At 2:15 after checking into our hotel (307$ for the weekend of this event) I called customer service again as I had yet to receive my tickets still. Adam is the CSR I got this time, again very polite. stated there was a delay for NFL tickets due to the increase of fraudulent tickets they will not release tickets until 6 hours prior to the games kick off (sounded actually possible at this point), he said call back at 5 hours prior if I still had not received my tickets. I thanked him as his explanation sounded realistic as this is the first year that the NFL is using Mobile tickets at this venue they are just being safe. (Please keep in mind this is the afternoon before the game about 24 hours at this point).
Sunday morning 9/9/2018 (day of the game, 5 hours before kickoff) 8:48 am I called customer service yet again, because as you guessed it still not tickets. I got CSR Peter, again polite, he looked at my account and said it appears they called the seller of the tickets 4 minutes ago to demand they be transferred immediately, well that puts their call to the seller at 8:44 am according to them. He said call back in one hour if I still haven’t received them as the seller was transferring them now (his words) and that there were several calls reported about this seller for that section. Okay so I waited another hour, I called customer service again and got CSR Jeff whom I couldn’t understand due to his accent, he transferred me to a different department as he said there was an issue and this different department is the only one that could handle it, I sat on hold for over 30 minutes(30 mins. and 56 sec) before I had to hang up to use a different phone, I called back and sat on hold for 19 minutes before it was answered by the first person, Archer (I believe again could hardly understand due to thick accent) he said there is a ticket alert on my account and they cannot get a hold of the seller (whoa wait a minute a few CSR from before said they did get a hold of the seller and they were transferring them) and that he would have to send me to a different department to deal with the situation as it was the only department that could handle this situation as the NFL and the venue was holding all mobile tickets to prevent duplicates (heard that before but we are now less than 3 hours before the game and we have to leave for the stadium, now will be leaving my laptop and can’t accept tickets if they come in) I am in full panic mode now, this representative said just stay on the line and do not hang up and I can accept them from the email on my phone and I should be okay to leave for the game (wait what, a few CSR earlier said I had to use a desktop computer and had to go to library etc… to accept my tickets and now I can do it all from my phone) so now I am furious as I keep getting several different stories and no answer where my tickets are and I have to leave to go to a game I have no tickets for, I now sit on hold, I am on hold for 42 minutes at this point and I get a hold of the Venue itself (used hotel phone)to see if there is a delay in sending/receiving mobile tickets) they stated no all systems are up and running correctly. Within 2 minutes of my call to the team venue I got an email from Vivid that my tickets were transferred and to accept them and down load the app for the venue to display the tickets. (Good thing i didn’t leave the hotel just yet as you have to have internet to download the app needed to display the tickets), So we great finally got the tickets at just about 2 and a half hours before the game. We could not enjoy the tailgating or outside events for this game as by the time we got to the stadium and parked and got to our gate it was time to enter and find seats. While I did get my tickets (very last minute) I should not have had to go to the stress of this because of Vivid seats, most of the customer service reps were very polite and offered reasonable explanations, however they were all different and none the truth according to the venue they were blaming. This could have been on the seller as well but when a company represents the seller and then blames everything else this is poor business practice. I should have been given different seats the minute the seller did not transfer the tickets by the date provided (9/7/2018) so that myself as a customer did not have to waste my time calling customer service over and over and over to get nothing but different stories. Please future customers or potential customers of Vivid seats, go somewhere else. There was only about a 60$ difference in the price on more reputable sites (Stub Hub, Ticket master and Ticket City I have used and NEVER had any issue with). This company needs better understanding of people traveling and assurance policies, this trip was a nightmare and only because of this company, and I was offered a 50$ store credit, because that is supposed to undo the stress that they caused with lies and deception. Please use other companies.
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 received 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 plead to not use this “business.”
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.
Do not use Vivid Seats .
There is NO excuse for hidden 25 percent service fees.
It’s unethical, and I plan to have them investigated by authorities.
The only reason I was even on their site was the Elton John venue ( Thompson Bowling) TOOK a ticket OUT of my cart, because I was going alone, Leaving me without a ticket at all- and they would not make good.
I invested so many hours and FINALLY found a ticket for 3 times the purchase price- which I agreed to. Then vivid added about $100. Plus the delivery fee – something like $12. , the latter I expected.
No Concert is worth supporting unethical businesses. Not even Elton John.
Further, Thomson bowling arena played impotent. They should have found me a ticket and apologized… even if they had to pull a favor or pay a premium. I will not go to anything else there, either, without an apology.
I’ll stick with the Bijou, Tn Theatre etc
Vivid Seats is simply the most awful ticket reseller in an awful, over-priced industry ( used Craigslist if you can). Very high service fees not disclosed UNTIL the very last screen. Customer service basically exists to tell you what errors you made and why they will do nothing for you you. The 100% Buyer Guarantee is 100% bogus. Stay away from this company.
In January 2020, I bought 4 tickets to a show that was supposed to occur in May 2020. The event has been postponed twice, and is now supposed to occur in February 2022. I have tried multiple times to get a refund for the tickets I purchased. Trying to get hold of Vivid Seats to talk to someone is always next to impossible. I was on hold for approximately 45 minutes the first time I called. As expected, they have a no refund policy. I don’t know how companies can get away with these policies. I bought 4 tickets to a show that was supposed to happen in May 2020, not February 2022. It is a kid oriented show, and my two kids don’t even like the performer anymore. I reached out to my local state attorney general’s office for consumer protection for help. They reached out to Vivid Seats, but all Vivid Seats does is ignore their requests for communication. In doing so, my only option is to now hire a lawyer to try and get compensated. I plan on never buying tickets from Vivid Seats again and recommend no one else buy tickets from them.