TicketNetwork Wants Better Business

TicketNetwork, the secondary ticketing company that recently saw a lawsuit against it dropped, has turned around and sued the Connecticut Better Business Bureau for alleged deceptive business practices.

TicketNetwork claims the BBB operates a “pay to play” ratings system, where businesses get better ratings if they are members while those who refuse to pay do not.
The lawsuit is pending in Connecticut Superior Court, according to TicketNetwork, which seeks a court order to enjoin BBB’s practices as well as recovery of costs of the lawsuit.

The Better Business Bureau used to grade businesses on a “satisfactory/unsatisfactory” system but now uses letter grades based on point totals and “a company’s status as a fee-paying ‘Accredited Businesses’ may alone earn it enough points for a grade bump,” TicketNetwork said in a statement.

“The current BBB system gives consumers an unfair shake when it comes to providing an objective view of how businesses perform and how they treat their customers,” TicketNetwork CEO Don Vaccaro said.

A New Jersey judge on Aug. 26 threw out a lawsuit filed by the state against TicketNetwork over its sale of Bruce Springsteen tickets at a Giants Stadium show last year.

Orbitz Worldwide and TicketNetwork Direct were accused of violating the state’s Consumer Fraud Act by offering tickets before they were available. The companies allegedly didn’t possess some of the tickets nor did the tickets correspond to actual stadium seats.

However, Superior Court Judge Patricia Costello ruled that a 1996 federal law preempts state law and protects the companies from liability for statements or claims made by third parties on their website.