Anyone seeking tickets to the sold-out Seattle Seahawks playoff game Saturday against the New Orleans Saints needs to be aware of bogus tickets and take a few steps to make sure the tickets they buy privately are good, according to a Better Business Bureau media release.
The road to Super Bowl XLVII will wind through Seattle in 2014, and fall right into Better Business Bureau’s backyard, according to the release. Ticket resellers are already busy swinging deals (such as $14,000 tickets) with anyone willing to buy seats for the big game.
But before making massive purchases, BBB warns fans to guard against blitzing scammers.
“CenturyLink will be sold out, so anyone wanting tickets can expect to pay a fortune,” says Tyler Andrew, CEO of BBB serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington. “Be extremely careful when purchasing tickets from third-party sellers and remember that great last-minute deals could turn out too-good-to-be-true.”
In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, ticket seekers will be “rushing” online classifieds in hopes of finding private dealers willing to sell off valuable tickets. However, BBB reminds consumers to stick with their playbooks:
• Spot the fakes. Learn how real tickets look and feel; watch for flimsy paper, smeared ink and uneven margins. When in doubt, walk away.
• Go with star players. Use reliable and verifiable ticket sellers and resellers that hold vendors responsible for ticket authenticity.
• Avoid the sack. Never wire funds to make purchases. Use credit cards online and dispute the charges if tickets don’t arrive or turn out to be fakes.
• Call a timeout. Avoid sellers that fail to provide contact information or prefer to conduct transactions privately. When buying tickets from local sellers, meet them in well-lit public places and bring a friend.
Check bbb.org and don’t be left cheering alone this postseason.
Take the Sounder train from Kent to the Seahawks postseason games
Fans can take Sounder trains to one of the biggest Seattle Seahawks games this season.
Following the Seahawks’ NFC West win last month, fans can grab their game gear and hop aboard Sound Transit’s popular Sounder trains to the 1:35 p.m. Saturday playoff game against the New Orleans Saints at CenturyLink Field.
The cost of a one-way fare from Kent to Seattle is $3.50.
Special Sounder service will run in addition to regular Link light rail service to and from the stadiums.
Inbound trains from the south depart Lakewood at 9:50 and 10:30 a.m. and Sumner at 10:37 a.m. The first train leaving Lakewood is an express service that stops in South Tacoma, Tacoma and Puyallup before continuing directly to Seattle, where it arrives at King Street Station at 10:57 a.m.
The second train departs Sumner at 10:37 a.m. with stops in Auburn, Kent and Tukwila before reaching Seattle at 11:19 a.m. A third train leaves Lakewood at 10:30 a.m. and stops at all southline Sounder stations before arriving at King Street Station at 11:43 a.m.
Fans should note train departure times after the game. Return trains to Lakewood will depart King Street Station 10, 20 and 45 minutes after the game ends.
An online schedule of Sounder trains serving Seahawks games is available at http://www.soundtransit.org/Schedules/Event-services/Seahawks.
Link light rail serves 13 stations in downtown Seattle, SODO, Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, Tukwila and SeaTac. Link’s Stadium Station is a four-block walk from CenturyLink Field.
For complete Sounder and Link schedule information, go to www.soundtransit.org/schedule.
Regular fares will apply for all Sound Transit services. ORCA and all standing transit passes will be accepted.
