The Journal. The Journal.

Why Are Some StubHub Customers So Mad?

Aug 19, 2026 · 24m

Summary

This episode investigates StubHub’s widespread ticketing failures, highlighted by the 2026 World Cup, where many fans were denied entry despite paying for tickets. Reporter Hannah Kruger reveals that customer complaints surged before the company’s IPO, driven by speculative selling, fraud, and significant cuts to customer support budgets. The segment details how StubHub’s “Fan Protect Guarantee” often failed to deliver refunds or replacements, eroding the trust central to its business model and causing its stock to drop.

Topics discussed

World Cup ticketing chaos and StubHub's failures Show intro and sponsor advertisements StubHub's origins and the Fan Protect Guarantee Rising complaints, fraud, and speculative ticketing Sponsor ads and transition to customer stories Case study: Reggie's $12k ticket downgrade and refund battle StubHub's cutbacks on customer support operations Arbitration hurdles and changing mailing addresses CEO admits flaws, stock drops, and trust crisis Outro and final sponsor advertisements
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