Illustration by Dustin Elliott

By Christopher Elliott
Guest Columnist

Craig McAllister can’t see most of his baseball game in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Does he deserve a refund from SeatGeek?

Christopher Elliott

I paid SeatGeek $524 for front-row tickets for a spring training game between the Mets and Yankees in Port St. Lucie, Fla. When I got to my seat, I was extremely disappointed. The view was almost completely obstructed by a large ESPN cameraman directly in front of me. He blocked 80% of my view. (I have a photo.)

The game was completely sold out. We tried watching the game from these seats for a couple of innings, but it was such an annoying situation that we opted to stand until people started leaving about the sixth inning, at which point we found some empty seats.

I know I would have been better off buying the cheapest ticket at Clover Stadium than paying for what I got, and I think I should be reimbursed for all of the cost of my tickets.

I contacted SeatGeek about the obstructed seats. They completely blew me off. A representative told me the venue does not consider a cameraman to be an obstruction that must be noted on the listing. It refused to offer a refund.

I believe SeatGeek should refund my tickets. Can you help me? — Craig McAllister, Vero Beach, Fla.

SeatGeek, a platform that allows you to buy and sell tickets, should have sold you a seat with an unobstructed view.

Why? Because it says so. Specifically, SeatGeek’s published policy is that any ticket sold with an obstructed view “must be labeled as such on our site.” Your tickets weren’t. In fact, you did some sleuthing and found out that ESPN decided to broadcast the game after you bought your tickets. You also learned that if you were a Mets season ticket holder, that kind of obstruction would have entitled you to partial compensation.

Before I get to the resolution of this case, allow me to take a stroll down memory lane. As a former resident of Port St. Lucie, I remember many happy evenings spent at Clover Park, where the St. Lucie Mets, the farm team for the New York Mets, play. I remember Dan the Pretzel Man and Thirsty Thursdays and one time, after a long drive to Lake Okeechobee during lovebug season, I remember winning the “dirtiest car on the lot” game (the prize was a trip to the local car wash). Not being able to see the Mets play — after paying $524 for tickets — well, that didn’t sit well with this fan.

So what could you have done? There was no way you could have known there would be a camera in front of you. In reviewing your notes, it looks like you spoke to the ushers, who said the game was sold out. I might have taken it a step further and gone to the main office to complain, maybe between innings. They might have been able to find a way to accommodate an unhappy guest.

It looked like SeatGeek wasn’t going to budge for you. You could have appealed this to one of the executives at SeatGeek. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the SeatGeek executives on my consumer advocacy site.

I contacted SeatGeek on your behalf and asked it to review your complaint. SeatGeek reached out to you and offered you a $150 credit as compensation for your obstructed view, which you accepted.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at [email protected] or get help by contacting him.