Fake All Blacks ticket catches tourist out
Everything about German tourist Stephanie Heinemann’s first All Blacks experience was going just as planned, until she tried to get through the Eden Park gates.
The 28-year-old, who is working on a North Taranaki farm as she travels the country, was turned away from entering the ground because her ticket was a fake.
Heinemann had bought her $86 ticket for the All Blacks test against France on Saturday off the Viagogo website, which is under investigation by the Commerce Commission.
‘‘They said ‘no this is not working, it’s a fake ticket’ and I must pay for a new ticket. It was expensive and I was very angry.’’
After a four-hour drive to get to the match Heinemann, who was cheering for the ABs, did not want to leave without seeing the team so paid $125 for a new ticket.
‘‘New Zealand and rugby, it is important so I was here to see a rugby game. I would also see a haka dance.’’
While rugby is not a high-profile sport in her homeland, Heinemann knew when in Rome she should do as the Romans do.
Heinemann said the match was a fantastic first experience of toplevel rugby and she was happy to have been there, despite the extra money she had to pay.
‘‘It was a great feeling, I was happy about the game and it was great.’’
She hoped to be able to recover her money from the Swiss-based website but was warning others to be aware when buying tickets from it.
While having to buy another ticket had detracted from the overall rugby experience, Heinemann said it hadn’t affected her impression of New Zealand.
Viagogo is under investigation by the Commerce Commission after the authority received more than 200 complaints about the sale of scam tickets.