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| 01/29/2009 7:28 AM |
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Dear ...,
FirstDIBZ is sending you this very important email because it has come to our attention that an individual uDIBZ seller has misused the FirstDIBZ website (in contravention and breach of the Sellers Agreement). As a result, this individual has had their account suspended to protect the integrity of the overall uDIBZ marketplace. During the seller’s misuse of our website, our records confirm that you have purchased DIBZ from this individual and as a result we will be refunding you 100% of the amount you paid for these DIBZ plus 100% of the transaction fees that were incurred. In addition, if you have sold any of these subsequent DIBZ, the funds received from these sales will be reversed. Please allow 48 hours for the credits to be funded in your FirstDIBZ wallet. Your DIBZ holdings associated with this uDIBZ seller have been removed from your account.
To ensure the continuing customer satisfaction and positive user experience which you have become accustomed to, we have temporarily suspended the ability for any new seller markets to launch in the Super Bowl XLIII uDIBZ marketplace. Existing Super Bowl uDIBZ markets are unaffected and still open for trading.
Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to seeing you again soon at www.FirstDIBZ.com Regards, The FirstDIBZ Team |
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| 01/29/2009 7:41 AM |
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Quoted from TicketNews.com
FirstDIBZ forced to cancel hundreds of Super Bowl orders after seller fraud
Wed, Jan 14th 2009 4:48 pm EST
By Alfred Branch Jr.
Futures market ticket company FirstDIBZ was forced to cancel 250 of its Super Bowl "dibz" orders this week after two rogue sellers allegedly scammed the system, TicketNews has learned.
The Chicago-based company has sent out emails to disgruntled customers apologizing that their orders cannot be filled because of the rogue sellers who allegedly "misused" the FirstDIBZ system.
In the past several days, the matter has touched off a firestorm of criticism on message boards with angry fans and ticket brokers threatening legal action against the company for busted orders. The Web site has become popular with brokers who hedge their bets on gaining Super Bowl and other popular sports tickets.
In an exclusive interview with TicketNews, FirstDIBZ CEO Rick Harmon said the company is "taking all vigorous legal action" against the fraudulent sellers, one of whom may have been a previously arrested alleged ticket scammer who goes by the name "Chavet Sikes." FirstDIBZ is also investigating whether a third individual was also involved.
The alleged fraudulent sellers listed dibz orders of between $17 and $100 for various NFL playoff teams late at night before they were checked by the Web site's monitors, a practice that Harmon said will no longer happen. The amounts were suspiciously low, considering similar dibz were selling for hundreds of dollars more. Moving forward, all listings will be reviewed by a committee to verify their authenticity.
"From the day we launched, we've been an innovative platform, but just eBay and other similar sites, there's been a learning curve," Harmon said, adding that the company is also looking into seller ratings and other safeguards. "What you don't want to do is overwhelm the free market interactive platform with too many regulations, so we're examining the whole process."
What Harmon said he finds perplexing is that sellers aren't paid until tickets are shipped, so it makes no sense to try to sell orders that can't be filled because the individuals won't receive any money. He said he wonders whether the alleged fraudulent sellers had other malicious intent to harm the Web site's creditability.
The following is the text of the email sent out to more than customers:
FirstDIBZ is sending you this very important email because it has come to our attention that an individual uDIBZ seller has misused the FirstDIBZ website (in contravention and breach of the Sellers Agreement). As a result, this individual has had their account suspended to protect the integrity of the overall uDIBZ marketplace.
During the seller's misuse of our website, our records confirm that you have purchased DIBZ from this individual and as a result we will be refunding you 100% of the amount you paid for these DIBZ plus 100% of the transaction fees that were incurred. In addition, if you have sold any of these subsequent DIBZ, the funds received from these sales will be reversed. Please allow 48 hours for the credits to be funded in your FirstDIBZ wallet. Your DIBZ holdings associated with this uDIBZ seller have been removed from your account.
To ensure the continuing customer satisfaction and positive user experience which you have become accustomed to, we have temporarily suspended the ability for any new seller markets to launch in the Super Bowl XLIII uDIBZ marketplace. Existing Super Bowl uDIBZ markets are unaffected and still open for trading.
The way FirstDIBZ works is customers buy "dibz" on tickets for a certain team to make the Super Bowl or finals of another sport. The cost of dibz vary depending on the popularity of a team or the likelihood that the team will make the championship. For example, prior to or during the season, dibz on New York Giants tickets for the Super Bowl would have cost considerably more than dibz on tickets that the St. Louis Rams would make it to the big game. If the team makes it to the Super Bowl, the dibz allows a customer to buy a ticket at face value, but if the team doesn't make it to the game the customer forfeits their dibz payment, regardless of how much.
Because of the breach, FirstDIBZ is refunding the money for all orders made by the two alleged fraudulent sellers, regardless of which team the dibz were placed on. So, orders taken on the Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers or other teams – besides the four remaining NFL playoff teams – will be refunded, if the order was placed with one of the alleged fraudulent sellers.
"As they say, it's not what happens to you, but how you deal with it, and we will do whatever it takes to make this right," Harmon said.
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| 01/29/2009 7:44 AM |
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Chicago Tribune article
Chicago-based FirstDIBZ, whose novel Internet marketplace allowed Cubs fans to purchase options on future playoff and World Series tickets for bargain prices last summer, says it's a victim of fraud involving hundreds of would-be Super Bowl ticket-holders.
The privately owned company says it was "scammed" by two or more computer hackers who fraudulently sold the rights to Super Bowl tickets they did not have.
The fallout has caused an uproar among more than 200 customers who believed they were getting Super Bowl tickets on the FirstDIBZ Web site for as little as $17 over face value, a hoax that has million-dollar implications.
The company has been in existence for eight years and says this is a first for it. The company sent e-mails to buyers involved in the fraud, promising to refund the price of the "DIBZ" plus transaction fees.
Related links
David Haugh: Choosing right pieces still a puzzle "When you run a one-of-a-kind innovative business, at different points you have to learn certain lessons, and sometimes the price of that education is not cheap," FirstDIBZ co-founder Rick Harmon said.
The company markets its service to fans who want to attend major events, but only if their team is involved. Those fans buy the right to reserve a ticket at face value, in addition to a premium set by the seller.
The transaction is a gamble for buyer and seller. Do you buy World Series tickets in July, when the Cubs are hot and the prices are low? Or do you wait, knowing you will have a better feel for whether the team will make it but also knowing the prices will increase greatly?
If the event does not take place (for example, the Cubs in the World Series), the buyer does not get his money back. The seller receives the full "DIBZ" price.
The Web site also attracts ticket brokers and others looking to buy tickets as a profit-making venture.
The company guarantees the sellers will produce the tickets, and the seller does not receive any money until the ticket is received. But over the last two to three weeks, FirstDIBZ officials say, two or three individuals came onto the site and signed user agreements under false names verifying that they had the rights to Super Bowl tickets for various playoff teams, company President Dan Lotzof said.
The following weekend, Lotzof said, these individuals entered the Internet "marketplace" and listed "literally hundreds of tickets for unrealistically cheap prices for teams still playing.
"Naturally, our customers said, 'What a bargain. I'm going to buy.' Now, as we have found out, those tickets were never going to be delivered. It happened on a Sunday, in the early morning hours, so fast that no one was able to react to it. By Monday morning, we saw that very unusual things were going on in our market, and that's when we stepped in proactively and took the initial reactions we took."
Harmon said the fraud may be the work of "individual criminals" or it might be a case of "corporate sabotage." The company, through private investigators, says it is pursuing several suspects, including one with warrants for ticket scalping, and promises it will "prosecute to the fullest extent of the law."
"We didn't really see it happening … it's incongruous to think a person would spend time to post up stuff for sale, knowing they're not going to get a penny for it until they deliver the goods," Harmon said. "They had had to sign an indemnity and liquidate any damages with a credit card."
But just getting back their original money is not enough for some who thought they were getting Eagles or Cardinals tickets for greatly reduced prices aren't satisfied.
Mark Grosch, a San Diego Chargers season ticket-holder who previously had been a satisfied FirstDIBZ customer, was victimized by the Super Bowl scam.
"You could see as soon as this guy sold out, he had another 50 Eagles tickets," Grosch said. "But there were no listings for specific [seat locations]."
Because the Super Bowl is played at a neutral site and only a small percentage of available tickets go to each team, the event is too difficult for the FirstDIBZ model to work, Grosch said.
Rich Fazzi bought 12 future ticket options for the Eagles and Cardinals (for prices from $18 to $75 apiece) to assure himself and his friends the opportunity to see the Super Bowl. He planned to sell some tickets to offset the loss for the losing team and use the profits for travel expenses.
Grosch believes he should be compensated at the current market value of the tickets to make up for the profit he was set to earn.
Harmon said the company is "doggedly" putting in additional safeguards to help prevent a similar breach. But he also believes the company should not be on the hook for anything more than the money consumers put out.
"If we did that, people would get in groups and drive the markets [up] and then crash them," Harmon said.
"We're clear with our counsel that we do not have a legal problem. What we do have is a PR challenge."
Steve J. Bernas, president of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois, said FirstDIBZ is a BBB-accredited company and has had four complaints in its eight-year existence, which it resolved, and two more pending.
"Since the BBB opened a file on them in '04, they have had a satisfactory record," Bernas said.
misaacson@tribune.com
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| 01/29/2009 7:46 AM |
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**AARP HAS WARNING BULLETIN OUT TOO!!
http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourmoney/scamalert/articles/internet_ticket_broker_embroiled_in_super_bowl_scam_customers_furious_after_bidding_for_super_bowl_tickets_they_wont_get.html |
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| 01/29/2009 8:37 AM |
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Article from Blog.NECO.com
FirstDIBZ Scam Leaves 250 Fans Out of Super Bowl
written by justinenis on January 15th, 2009 @ 10:27 AM
One of the ticket industries key event is right around the corner and as February grows closer and closer, ticket brokers and companies are hoping to cash in big. The Chicago-based FirstDIBZ Ticket Company has been faced with an issue that might dampen their profits and reputation to say the least.
FirstDIBZ was forced to cancel 250 of their Super Bowl ticket orders due to “two rogue sellers” scammed their system. The sellers allegedly posted Super Bowl tickets starting from $17.00, and up to $100.00. Now for those who don’t know, this numbers are suspiciously low to say the least, but 250 people bought into these DIBZ as they were posted late at night, after the companies last system check. As many of you can assume, these tickets did not exist and thus, a brigade of criticism struck FristDIBZ.
CEO Rick Harmon sent a letter out to all who do business with F.D. reassuring them that this type of incident wont occur again and that a full refund will be rewarded to all clients who got scammed. Regardless of the refund, this bad press is the last thing a company needs in this economic depression. TicketNews’ article on the matter featured a comment section where one person who was affected stated, “I was one of the unfortunate ones that had order cancelled… After contacting them and speaking with them I seriously got the impression that this company is ticket brokerage scam.” Another commenter spoke on the matter of Harmon releasing the suspect’s name: “Whether Chavet Sykes is fraudulent or not you still can't give his name out to reporters. Any real CEO already knows that. Stubhub went to court against the Patriots to protect users' identities. I don't believe you would do the same. Everyone should close their accounts.” As you can see, the press that is surrounding FirstDIBZ is having a detrimental pull on the company to say the least. With all the negative comments swarming FirstDIBZ, they are in need of regaining the trust of their clients while the big game is right around the corner.
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| 01/29/2009 8:47 AM |
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Big Game? Invest for Tickets
08/28 03:49 PM
By: Andrew Buttaro
Loyal fans looking for tickets to the big game can forget about dealing with scalpers, thanks to a new company allowing them to bid on tickets for their favorite teams.
Ticket Reserve operates as a futures market, allowing fans to place a bid on their team's tickets for a big game on its Web site, www.FirstDIBZ.com. The market, operating on the basis of probability, determines the price of the bid. By purchasing this reservation, called a Fan Forward, passionate fans are guaranteed access to a ticket, at face value, if their team makes it to the Final Four.
"It's not some kind of shopping cart that we're manipulating," said Robert Hamilton, vice president of marketing for Ticket Reserve. "It's the market just doing what it does best."
For example, if a Duke fan wanted to reserve tickets at the beginning of March Madness in the event of the Blue Devils going to the Final Four, they could place a bid. A fan from George Mason University could do the same. Since Duke was a heavily favored team, the market may have valued the Duke Fan Forward more than the GMU one. But if a dedicated Patriot fan placed a bid early on, he could now redeem it for the option to buy Final Four tickets at face value - likely at a much lower cost than trying to buy tickets from a third party.
"We have some people this year who bought a Fan Forward for George Mason," said Hamilton. "They may have bought ticket rights for $5, thinking that this was the year the stars were aligned in their favor. By purchasing this reservation early, they now have the chance to buy Final Four tickets to see their team at face value."
Of course, the system can be used by more than just devout fans. At any point in the process, a Fan Forward holder can option out and sell the ticket.
"To stick with the George Mason case, this guy who bought the fan forward for $5 now might say, 'I want to let go of it for, say, $75,'" said Hamilton. "Someone else out there might determine that they're willing to pay $75 for a chance at tickets. So the original holder could sell it at a substantial profit."
The company can offer ticket opportunities because it has worked out individual deals with distributors who promise to share the revenue from the tickets. Hamilton sees this as "the model of the future."
"In the revenue sharing deal, everyone's a winner," he said. "Fans win, because they get to see their favorite teams. We win, because we earn money off the tickets. And the rights owners win, because they can charge a fee for each ticket sold."
In an era when a Super Bowl ticket can fetch thousands of dollars, Ticket Reserve believes it can not only offer fans a better deal, but help cure some of the corruption involved.
"Everyone stands to benefit when we can take back sports from a lot of the greedy forces that have overtaken them," said Hamilton. "We're not trying to be overly rebellious here, but we do feel like we offer a much better alternative."
Ticket Reserve was founded in 2001 by Rick Harmon and Herb Rudoy and originally just offered the futures market model for Super Bowl tickets. Since then, it has grown to include everything from Indy car racing to the NHL - and yes, it must be said in March - college basketball.
"George Mason was definitely the big story this year," said Hamilton.
Ticket Reserve also touts as one of its advantages its high security. Unlike scalpers, who can easily scam unknowing victims, Ticket Reserve is fully legal and guaranteed.
Hamilton won't say exactly where Ticket Reserve is looking next, but he sees a lot of potential in the model.
"The model for how seats could be allocated plays very well where there's other sports with very high demand," he said.
www.bcheights.com/home
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Anonymous (guest)
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| 01/31/2009 6:26 AM |
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All,
If you have any questions about the class action lawsuit, you can contact Drew Sciolla at asciolla@pbmattorneys.com
I am sure he would be interested in getting any of the info you have on this case. Any contact or promises made by Firstdibz? Have they tried to cut you some other deal? Any phone calls or emails from Firstdibz promising you or guaranteeing you anything? He is based outside of Philadelphia in Conshohocken PA. |
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