What is the deal with SOS Masterticket? Any actual evidence of tickets not turning up?

Question

Hi

I recently bought a pair of tickets for an England Rugby match at twickenham through www.sosticketmaster.com. They were £75 a piece where other outlets were selling at over £200.Now I'm normally pretty canny about these sort of things, but it seemed like a legit website and I was in a hurry!

It wasn't until after I'd made the purchase that I went back and checked them out. There's a lot of horror stories about them being touts and dodgy but I can't really find any evidence of tickets not turning up. I've rung the bank and it's too late to stop the payment but we paid with Visa so hopefully we'll be covered if the tickets fail to materialise. But can someone actually confirm that they've not received genuine tickets from these vendors. There's a couple of people who say they have received tickets no problem but surely they could just be from the operation themselves. What I want to know is if there is genuine evidence of tickets not turning up. They might be a bit of a backstreet operation but they've been operating since the beginning of the year. Surely a genuine online scam would have been shut down by now and surely there'd be more accounts online.

Can anyone please shed any more light!

Thanks

M

Answer 1

Hi everyone



I bought two Sunday tickets for Reading festival from Sosmasterticket back in June. Everywhere else was sold out and I kept getting outbidded on Ebay, I desperately wanted to go so I foolishly bought some off this site without doing some research first. When I purchased them I got a conformation email... it looked a little plain and my order number was short, which I thought was strange because when I usually buy stuff on the internet I get long codes and more information. Anyway, I went back to the website and noticed that it was based in Spain? I typed Sos masterticket into the Google search and all these links came up about it... all negative information; stuff like "you won't get your tickets" "the site is a big scam"etc etc. So I really started to panic. I paid by my debit card and it was too late to stop the payment. I went to my bank and explained to them what had happened. They told me the payment had already been taken so I had to wait and see if I get the tickets and if I don't they'd help me sort it out.



It's now 12 days before the festival and still no tickets.

I've been trying to ring them all morning but no one is answering. I'm so worried.



The thing I don't get is if they were not sending customers their tickets surely they'd be shut down by now? Also when I go onto Myspace, Sos masterticket have links on there advertising Lee Evans tickets, which is also sold out everywhere else. They have tickets for every date and venue. How the hell can they get hold of this many tickets? Would Myspace let an illegal ticket tout company advertise on their site??



I'll keep trying to ring them and wait and see if I get my tickets, which I'm very much doubting.

I've read also that people are being told to meet one of their representatives at the festivals to collect their tickets, which I'm hoping they don't tell me that because I'm not travelling all the way to Reading to be let down.



I'm kinda glad I'm not the only one who bought tickets off them! I feel so stupid.



I'll let you all know how I get on.



Melissa

Answer 2

Hi

I'm yet another person in the same situation as many of you . We booked 4 tickets for Leeds on the day they were released as we just missed on the leeds site .

My sister got through to the London office and they said the tickets would be sent out after the V Festival this week end . I

'm really not holding out much hope for them materialising.

To make matters worse we've booked into Tangerine Fields which is an extra £60 each that we stand to loose .

I'm gutted .

I will post as soon as we know any more . Really really concerned that there will be hundreds of us turning up at Leeds with no tickets and being seriously let down by these people. They are also still selling tickets for Leeds and Reading which is even more worrying !!

Answer 3

Hi There-

Im afraid im in exactly the same situation as you are although even more money. I bought 2 george michael tickets to take the mrs last week which cost me £260 and i stupidly booked them aswell without checking them out first. I have read through all of the same stuff as you and now im really worried. Like you i cant find anyone though who actually hasnt recieved their tickets yet but i do worry that this may be because all the concerts they seem to be selling for are much later in the year so wouldnt have had them yet anyway. I really hope this is just a bad rumour. Like you i contacted bank straight away but they couldnt stop payment. I guess i now just have to wait for the next 2 weeks and hope the tickets come. What worries me the most is the actual lack of people that seem to have dealt with these people though.I would love to hear from anyone who actually recieved tickets aswell.

Answer 4

Hi,

I have booked tickets for the Tina Turner concerts next year through sos masterticket, they had the date we wanted and the front block a,b,c,they however never specified a seat no or row ,I had a misgiving but their site on first looking seemed genuine. However I made a mistake with the card payment and i t shouldn't have gone through (wrong name as card holder). I then looked a bit deeper into this company and the comments by other people,I feel that this company is not to be trusted .

We have informed our bank as the payment shouldn't have be authorized anyway,because we booked tickets so far in advance we have no way of knowing weather they will turn up but just looking at the email confirmation and in more detail at the web site I doubt it.

A lesson learnt the hard way, if it seems to good to be true,it usually is!

Answer 5

Hi, I have just received the same e-mail about my v-festival tickets. I have tried to ring them, but surprise no answer. Taking a closer look at their site it does say stuff about this happening under terms and conditions.



Tickets are dispatched between one (1) - 6 weeks before the event (subject to change). For a more accurate dispatch time please contact our sales team nearer the time of the event. However in some instances tickets are only issued between 12 hours and one (1) week before the event. Whilst every effort is made to deliver the tickets to the appropriate address, there will be on rare occasions situations beyond SOS Masterticket's control where it will be necessary for a representative of SOS Masterticket to deliver the tickets to the customer immediately prior to the event at a pre arranged meeting point at the venue.



My e-mail says July but I have the conformation e-mail that says August. so if tickets don't turn up they would have to give me my money back. (I hope) I don't mind picking the tickets up at the festival but i would just like to know if anyone else has done the same thing and actually picked the tickets up at a venue.

Answer 6

With the last comments on here regarding picking the tickets up from the venue. I think you would be wasting your time. On another thread to do with SOS Masterticket someone has mentioned that their daughter went through the same process. When she turned up at the event the mobile number was no longer working and she did not get her tickets. This was for Download. She had also purchased tickets for Leeds via SOS Masterticket and is obviously worried that she will not receive the ticket for this either. This is not looking good at all. My partner bought weekend camping tickets for Leeds and I have little hope of these turning up :(



Oh and just to add we haven't had that email yet ourselves but I am now expecting it. Oh poo!



I keep coming back to this. Yes the incorrect dates in the email are deliberate and as you say will be used to cover their own backs. I suggest you call them straight away and query this with them. Please let us know how you get on with it.



I have seen on yahoo answers and on other forums that they have pulled this 'incorrect date' stunt a few times. Namely with the Madonna tour (I don't actually have any personal preference for Madonna) but they were selling tickets for a show at Wembley on the 13th of August this year. People eagerly booked tickets then realised after doing so that the show didn't exist and SOS Masterticket had in fact made it up!



When they attempted to get their money back and ask why they were advertising and selling tickets for a tour date that didn't exist they were met with speaking to the supposed manager of SOS Masterticket. The manager told the customers that the concert had been cancelled by Madonna and as a consequence of this they were not entitled to have their money back! Not only this but they were advertising and selling tickets for a whole leg of the tour which never existed (Australia).



So anyway long story short just try to get your money back asap!

Answer 7

Hi there,

I purchased a leeds festival ticket in May and am still waiting. I have phoned sos masterticket on several occasions and today they have told me it should arrive on the 15th august, so this friday. I have also read their terms and conditions thoroughly, a lot of which I doubt they will be able to rely on.



I will let you all know on friday whether my ticket turns up, though I am not hopeful and If anyone is unsure whether to use this company, don't bother! Even if your ticket does show up it is just too much hassle.



Could anyone tell me where I would stand legally if they ask me to collect the ticket at the actual leeds festival and I refuse to do this? will I no longer be entitled to a refund. I am also worried about their constant use of the term 'credit note' in their terms and conditions!! which implies that refunds with sos masterticket do not exist? Really shouldn't have bought this ticket in such a rush!

Answer 8

Hi

I do hope you are one of the lucky ones. I see on other forums that some people seem to receive their tickets (but like you I wonder if these posts are in fact by people from the tout site)

My daughter paid for a Download ticket and a Leeds festival ticket from them. The Download one never materialised. It should have been posted to her but after numerous phone calls she was told she had to meet them at the festival entrance by ringing a mobile number which turned out to be engaged quite a few times then turned off.

She is still hoping to get her Leeds ticket but I dont hold out much hope.

Have you told your credit card company - with all the sales this company have made they must be aware of them from other people.

Try looking them up on the governments companies web site. They seem to have disappeared from it - they did have an address in London before Download but cant find it now!!

Answer 9

A friend and I also bought tickets for the V Festival Saturday. We received the email regarding ticket collection at the venue. After reading other people's postings I have tried to contact SOS Masticket by phone and email but have heard nothing from them - their phone number keeps alternating between being engaged and then ringing out. If we can't contact them now then it leaves me with little hope of being able to get in touch on the day of the festival. We will be trying to immediately cancel our payment.

Answer 10

Good day,



I, like yourself purchased tickets from SOS MasterTicket a.k.a SOS Ticketmaster [apparently].

I very much wanted to go to this years Leeds festival and unfortunately missed the official ticket rush and therefore I searched online for tickets.

I searched and found SOS MasterTicket and trusting the fact that a dodgy dealer would not be allowed to deal on the internet for so long, [as it should be a certainty that they would be black listed and shut down immediately by google/yahoo etc as ebay do!!] thus I purchased two tickets over the standard price at approximately £400 in total.



It was only until recent that I discovered alot of the terrible comments and reviews and I must admit I will very angry if they are true, not simply because of the loss of £400 but because it would have been a brilliant event.



Getting back to the point me and my partner did a bit of research.



1] Read some bad reviews of which there is a link if you are interested in reading it. www.efestivals.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=107475



2]On the actual website of SOS MasterTicket if you go to the 'contact us' section, you will see some weird goings on.

An address of what to my understanding is a flat in Spain. block 2 , second floor, door B?



So I wondered if i could trace the phone number because the people on the phone sounded English. Londoners to be precise.

I phoned 118247 who told me that they were not allowed to tell me or trace the number etc but they could tell me the area code of that telephone numbers opening digits 0207 978 is actually originating in the the London area of BRIXTON, BATTERSEA or ELM.



However my partner checked Companies House website at companieshouse.gov.uk.

She searched on the search company option and voila



Name & Registered Office:

SOS MASTER TICKETS LIMITED

2ND FLOOR 145-157 ST JOHNS STREET

LONDON

EC1V 4PY

Company No. 06548199



Status: Active

Date of Incorporation: 28/03/2008



Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Company Type: Private Limited Company

Nature of Business (SIC(03)):

None Supplied

Accounting Reference Date: 31/03

Last Accounts Made Up To: (NO ACCOUNTS FILED)

Next Accounts Due: 28/01/2010

Last Return Made Up To:

Next Return Due: 25/04/2009

Previous Names:

No previous name information has been recorded over the last 20 years.



Therefore what we can see from this is that they have not been going very long. Since late March this year to be exact. This is always daunting for customers especially if they have a bad reputation.

The next thing is that the St John street address in London is merely a P.O box address. We found this out by contacting the consumer direct authority and office of fair trading etc.



They are currently pursuing an investigation and if any criminal activity such as fraud or money laundring is occuring then the individuals and employees involved will probably face hefty prison sentences and being sued by many many people.

If they are in spain and are simply channeling the money then the international police will take care of that. If they truly are fraudsters then they will be going to prison. NO ESCAPE.



Next thing on the criteria is money.



If you don't get your tickets then you mostly certainly can get your money back. If you contact your bank and tell them about the situation whether it be a credit card or debit card then you can get your money refunded. I have it in good understanding with a well known bank that even if you have a debit card that money will be taken back from them and charge the culprits for the transaction.



However, there is always a possibility that they will deliver their promise and practically every persons tickets whether it is Ticketmaster or lesser known vendors will arrive several days before the event at the latest. If it does not arrive get on to SOS ask them why. Do not be fobbed off with excuses. Get onto the bank. Get onto Consumer direct and get on to the police for fraud is a crime.



Next time you want to purchase tickets go to ticketmaster and next time I will not be taking chances.



Good luck.



John.

Answer 11

I have booked tickets for the Tina Turner concerts next year through sos masterticket, they had the date we wanted and the front block a,b,c,they however never specified a seat no or row ,I had a misgiving but their site on first looking seemed genuine. However I made a mistake with the card payment and i t shouldn't have gone through (wrong name as card holder). I then looked a bit deeper into this company and the comments by other people,I feel that this company is not to be trusted .

Answer 12

Hi,



Me and 2 friends are in the same situation, we ordered 3 tickets for V Festival this weekend and have also received the email about picking tickets up at the site! This all seems very dodgy as they have not even given us an exact location! One of my friends rang up and spoke to someone a few weeks ago asking about the tickets they said they would send them as soon as they are released to the public! Its not looking hopeful!

Answer 13

Hi I'm now worrying too, I've ordered 4 sunday tickets for the V festival at £87 each the money has gone out of my account and I've just received an e-mail from them saying the following:



To V Festival Customer,



Please be advised that if you have not already received your ticket/s for next weekends event at Hylands Park, Chelmsford commencing Saturday 16th July at 12pm, that due to circumstances beyond our control all remaining tickets for this event must now be collected from the venue.



Our representative covering this event is called Richard Barker, he can be contacted on: 07939 328 207 from Friday 15th July.



Please telephone him upon your arrival and he will direct you to our designated collection point.



IMPORTANT- in order to obtain your tickets you must have the following:

- a copy of your email confirmation or order number

- identification i.e drivers license or Credit Card used for booking.



Obviously we are aware that many of you had opted for Royal Mail Special Delivery at a cost of £4.95,



please be assured that this amount will be refunded to you in full within 7 working days.



We do apologise for any inconvenience caused and trust you will enjoy the Festival.



How is one guy going to cope with hundreds of calls from people needing to collect their tickets. Are you insured if you have paid by mastercard? Would be grateful for any advice!



Thanks



Kate

Answer 14

I made two purchases for Stevie Wonder Tickets before I realised it was a dodgy site. Luckily Egg rang me before putting the larger one through (£600) and I got it declined. The smaller one got through and Egg have subsequesntly told me they will refund the money if the tickets don't turn up. Interestingly SOS are chasing me regarding the larger one and emailed me with a number to ring. I rang it tonight and got straight through. the girl told me to ring the bank to release the money to guarantee my seats - but I said I would phone back tomorrow to discuss it.



The number is 0207 978 0136



They are apparently open 9-5 on weekdays and 9-1 on saturdays.



I am not holding out much hope for the Stevie Wonder tickets - but at least i know egg will refund me the money if they don't turn up.



Good Luck

Answer 15

Hi All,



I bought 2 tickets for the reading festival on the sunday back in April for £200 funny enough wit out checking there rep before hand. I read about them straight after and heard lots of bad reports, I rang them back immediately wanting to cancel at which they said I couldn't.



Foolishly I bit my tongue and went along wit it. I have just rang them up and after calling for ages James answered and said that I will recieve my tickets 'this exact date next week' I'm assuming that means I will recieve them Next Monday fingers crossed.



I must admit I've been very worried and wouldn't advise anyone to order from them if you can't cancel within 30 mins of an order,



Hope this is of help to all,



Cheers

Answer 16

I too bought a ticket for the V festival and received the same email. I have tried to contact them today and yesterday and it is either engaged or it rings off. I did ring my credit card company to see if they could stop the payment and in doing so have discovered they have charged me £60 on top of the actual payment. If I were you I would check with your card holders to make sure the same has not happened to you.

Answer 17

Hi Everybody,



I'm on the same boat as most of you. I have purchased tickets for George Michael concert. Stupid me I didn't check before I made the payment. Anyway I have read all the bad comments and I'm scarred that I will never get the tickets or my money back.

I have Called SOS Master tickets on Friday. I spoke to somebody who called himself James. I asked him about the tickets and he assured me that they will send me the tickets 2 weeks before the event which is on the 24th of August. I will try to call again today and will let you know.

Answer 18

I too just ordered a ticket from them for Leeds festival. I called them to see if they could tell me when the ticket would be sent out and they said the end of next week so heres hoping. Have already contacted my credit card company regarding my concerns and they said that if there are any problems they should be able to get the payment back! Heres hoping!!



Ive read similar things myself, nothing about anyone not reieving tickets but lots about people who have ordered and now panicking like myself! I read one review on another yahoo answers page about someone who ordered a Foo Fighters ticket and got it ok but again this could be someone who either got lucky or someone who is working for the site maybe?





Its pretty freaky that they are based in spain but with a UK contact number also. tbh Im bricking it!



Ill be well gutted if I dont get my ticket!!



______________________________________________



Just an update still waiting for my tickets, phoned them once and was also told they would be sent out for the end of this week! Fingers crossed but also dont hold out any hope!!



I guess Ill edit this post when friday comes and goes and theres still no ticket!!



Another update***************************



Dont want to jump the gun but I just found this post regarding tickets from SOSMasterTicket!! No **** someone got their tickets it seems???



Maybe we will be lucky afterall!??



http://forums.leedsfestival.com/tm.aspx?m=483528&mpage=1&key=񽣸

Answer 19

A bit of an essay i'm afraid!!!!



I'm another fool that purchased 2 V festival tickets without doing my homework - why would I? I typed 'V festival tickets' into Google and the SOS Materticket website was the first to appear in the search engine. My initial site was that if this site was dodgy, surely it wouldn't be at the top of the list.



I too have received the blanket email re collecting tickets from the site as due to circumstances out of their control they are unable to post them.



I've managed to get through to the ofice - I first spoke to a girl that struggled to string a sentence together . I was firing various questions & 'what if' scenarios at her that she couldn't answer & she ended up hanging up on me !!... I called again & spoke to a wide boy called 'James' who was no help at all - my thought was why can't you post my Sunday tickets out to me if you are actually receiving them on Thursday - apparantly they can't 'guarantee' i will receive them in time even though the special delivery postage has been paid for upfront.



Soooo, I've called this guy 'Jay O'neill' (from the email on his mobile), who actually sounds far more convincing. He has told me he is setting up camp at Weston Park on Thursday & will be dishing out tickets from 9am on Friday. He has said to ring him on his mobile from Thursday onwards & he will be able to say exactly which car park he is in & where abouts he is. According to 'ticket regs' he can only distribute tickets between 9am -10 pm & will be at the site all weekend. He's told me to look out for an ugly yellow marquee.



I'm hoping to make the trip down on Friday to collect my Sunday tickets & will keep all posted as to whether Jay exists, whether there are any tickets & if so whether they are legit.



I've been in touch with my bank - i made the transaction on a debit card in May & has already gone through - they have said to wait until after the event & if I was unsucessful in getting my tickets to contact them again for a 'claim form'. They have said there are no guarantees i'll get the money back & were also skeptical as the website is still up & running. This is why I suggest anyone that is having problems with SOS to report them as much as possible in order that we can raise their shoddy profile & get the a***holes shut down if they really are a big scam.

Answer 20

After reading Kate's last entry I'm in exactly the same boat. Ive just dished out about 187 quid for a weekend camping ticket..ouch!



I just got exactly the same email through yet I have to 'call' someone called Jay O'Neill..and have you noticed that twice they have put in the email that the event is in July..is that a deliberate error so they can cover their backs or what?! God my fingers and toes are crossed this all works out!!

Answer 21

I am still waiting for my George Michael tickets and will definately report back as to whether or not i receive them. Gut instinct tells me i won't be getting them. If they are bogus I will make it my mission to do all i can to get this company closed down. They cannot get away with this.

Answer 22

Thank you John.