Phil Collins fans with Viagogo tickets fear they'll be turned away from Mission

Hastings man, Mike Baker has been left out of pocket after purchasing two tickets through Viagogo for Phil Collins at $235, but was charged more than $800. Photo / Paul Taylor

What started as a kind gesture for a friend with a love for Phil Collins, quickly caused a Hawke's Bay man an untold amount of stress and more than $800.

Now after months of waiting, Mike Baker has resigned himself to thinking the tickets he bought to the Mission Concert are invalid.

It all started when his long-time friend and former boss suffered from a heart attack.

As a fan of Phil Collins, buying tickets to his sold-out show in Napier tonight seemed like the perfect gift.

"It knocked the crap out of us. We nearly lost him a couple of times," he said.

In 2016, Baker was run over by a truck, spending months in hospital, and on top of everything, lost five friends and four family members, including his wife. But through it all, Sands stood by him.

Unaware of such sites as Viagogo, he thought he had hit the jackpot, when on September 1, he scored two tickets for Steve Sands and his wife for $135 each - $270 in total.

However, it was not until Baker checked his bank account that he realised the site had instead taken $549.43 above the listed price for a total of $819.43.

"I'm not happy about it, but I was desperate to get tickets ... As far as I knew, I was on a proper website."

He said he "can't afford" to lose more than $800 but will "take it on the chin" and learn his lesson.

Sands, who lives in Levin will arrive in the region today, after a more than 300-kilometre drive.

The tickets, which arrived on Monday, cannot be verified by the organisers.

They are in the name of another person in Auckland and when Baker checked the address, it did not seem to exist.

In an email, Mission Estate said it "strongly object to the use of unofficial ticket sellers who mislead customers into purchasing invalid tickets which are sold at inflated prices and can lead to non-admittance or ejection from the Event."

Viagogo did not respond to questions regarding the ticket price, instead directed Hawke's Bay Today to its terms and conditions.

They state that when it receives an offer by credit or debit card, it obtains an authorisation from the buyer's credit or debit card equal to the price, booking fees and delivery fees for the tickets.

They will also add tax on to their fees "as applicable".

"As a buyer, you grant us permission to charge your credit card, debit card, PayPal account, or bank account for the purchase of the selected tickets."

Viagogo also notes that "selling prices for tickets traded on Viagogo may differ from their original "face value". The site is currently embroiled in a High Court case brought against it by the Commerce Commission.