A ticket resale website is being investigated after a Huddersfield couple paid hundreds of pounds for concert tickets which they never received.

Lloyds Bank is pursuing Swiss-based Viagogo after Graham Hulley and his partner Helen Benn, who live at Netherton, failed to receive four tickets they had bought on the site for an Olly Murs concert in Sheffield earlier this month.

The couple, who had planned to see the concert on March 11 with Graham’s daughter and son-in-law Angela and Andy Forden, had paid £345 for the tickets, which never arrived. As a result, they missed the concert and also lost £160 after having to cancel their hotel bookings.

Graham, 61, said: “We booked the tickets in October. We read all the terms and conditions which stated not to panic if you did not get your tickets within a couple of weeks of the concert. We didn’t think anything more about it, but as the months went by and we got closer to the date we got quite concerned about the tickets.”

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Graham fired off dozens of emails to Viagogo to find out what had happened to the tickets, but only received automated replies until earlier this month when Viagogo asked for information regarding the currency in which they had paid and the last four digits of Graham’s debit card. Said Graham: “They haven’t come back to us again.”

This week, Graham rang his bank to see if they’d had a response from Viagogo. He said the bank had credited his account with the £345 as a temporary measure while pursuing Viagogo for the cash. Graham said the bank had confirmed to him that Viagogo had not been in touch with them.

Graham said: “The Viagogo website doesn’t have a customer service helpline. You cannot speak to a person and ask what’s going on.”

Graham Hulley and Helen Benn of Netherton, left ticketless by Viagogo
Graham Hulley and Helen Benn of Netherton, left ticketless by Viagogo

Last week, the Examiner reported how Kirklees Citizens Advice and Law Centre was calling on Viagogo to make its charges clearer when people book events tickets online after hearing how customers had been hit by “hidden” charges.

One bought two tickets for a concert by singer Ed Sheeran at Manchester Arena for £324 – but was then slapped with £113 in VAT and booking fees. Another client bought two tickets for £158 to see Jamiroquai and was charged an extra £112.

Viagogo was criticised by MPs last week by failing to attend to give evidence to a Commons select committee hearing into ticket reselling.