Carlos Da Silva was already making his way over to Toronto Stadium to watch a World Cup match with his son, when he said he received a text telling him to turn around, his tickets would not be coming through.
Da Silva, of Vaughan, said he received a WhatsApp message from the person he had bought his tickets from through a third-party seller, saying there was some sort of issue processing the tickets.
“We start panicking, like, what do you mean?” Da Silva said in an interview with CTV News Toronto. “I have a client that I’m supposed to meet there with his son, a major client of mine that I promised these tickets, I can’t go through this.”
Da Silva said he had purchased tickets through Balance Inc. for the Canada v. Bosnia and Herzegovina FIFA World Cup game. Da Silva chose Balance Promotions Inc. because he said he heard of them and their reputation, and felt confident in the purchase. For four tickets, he said he paid $5,250 via e-transfer, roughly $1,310 per seat.
Instead of sitting in the stands of the field, witnessing the first-ever World Cup match on Canadian soil, Da Silva said they watched the game from inside of a restaurant. It was a huge disappointment, he said.
“Trying to call this gentleman, nowhere to be found. Message him, nowhere to be found. Every message we sent him was the same automated message back, and that was it,” Da Silva recounted.
The World Cup is long over, and Da Silva is still waiting for his money back. He says he is not the only person who is awaiting a refund, as he joined a WhatsApp group of around 30 others in a similar predicament.
“We kind of got into the same situation,” Da Silva said. “There’s about over $100,000 in losses here between everyone.”
In an email sent to those still waiting for refunds, reviewed by CTV News, Balance Promotions Inc. asked for “additional time” to complete them. The email was sent on Aug. 19.
“Aside from those who received their tickets or portions of their refund, we understand that some of you have already been waiting or have and we recognize the frustration and concern that further delays may cause,” the email reads, adding that they acknowledge the process is taking longer than they had anticipated.
“We are not asking anyone to forget what they are owed. We are simply asking for patience and additional time while we work through our obligations responsibly.”
‘We recognize the frustration’
When contacted for comment, Balance Promotions Inc. did not say what the reason was behind the delay in refunds but acknowledged it is “aware of outstanding refund matters relating to certain World Cup ticket transactions.”
“We recognize the frustration caused by the delays and acknowledge that anticipated refund timelines communicated in some instances have not been met,” the promotions company said in an email to CTV News.
Halton Regional Police confirmed to CTV News that a report has been filed with them and that their Financial Crimes Unit is investigating 11 complaints.
“I don’t have any updates on the status of the investigation at this time,” Const. Ryan Anderson said in an email.
Police remind the public to exercise caution when buying tickets online, purchasing from authorized sellers and avoiding buying through social media sites.
Linda Visser, partner at Siskinds LLP’s class action department, said using reputable platforms provides protections to consumers should they find issues with their tickets, like if they don’t get delivered or don’t work at the venue.
“I think some of them will provide refunds for the tickets, but not necessarily your travel expenses,” Visser said in an interview with CTV News.
“But, it’s just trying to protect yourself by using reputable platforms, looking at their policies before you are sending money out to make sure that they do have refund policies if something goes bad.”
Da Silva says the group had considered using a lawyer to take Balance Promotions inc. to small claims court, but are now looking at hiring a paralegal to fight their case.
Visser is not representing Da Silva or anyone impacted, but says there are a couple of options they could explore like going to small claims court individually or as a group for a class action.
“Whether a firm is willing to take that on a contingency fee basis is going to depend on the facts of the case, how big the claims are, how much, how many people are affected,” Visser said. Then it’s a matter of enforcement, and what assets are available.
“Are there assets to enforce against or is this entity somebody who’s basically taken the money and spent it already, so that would be a big question I would have in a case like this,” Visser said.
Da Silva wanted to speak to the media so others don’t find themselves in similar situations.
“Sometimes just go straight to the root. You might think you’re saving a buck or two, but you’re really getting a lot more into a headache,” Da Silva said.
