ST. LOUIS — Several Soulard bar owners say someone is selling all-inclusive New Year’s Eve experiences at their establishments without their permission.
At Big Daddy’s in Soulard, New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest nights of the year.
“It’s very busy,” said Big Daddy’s co-owner Jon Vieluf. “We normally sell all-inclusive tickets.”
Those tickets are sold on Big Daddy’s website, which is why owner Jon Vieluf admits he was caught off guard when a couple of other bar owners called asking about a New Year’s Eve Pub Crawl that listed his business.
“We’re not part of any pub crawls for New Years Eve,” said Vieluf.
The party was listed on Eventbrite, advertising free drinks, food, cover and a VIP viewing of the New Year’s Eve ball drop.
Tickets were sold on Eventbrite for $40 per person.
“Our name was on there,” said Vieluf. "Several names were on there, and we’ve never even heard of this company.”
5 on Your Side confirmed that 4 out of 7 bars listed were posted as party-stop sites without the owner’s permission.
“It’s kind of frustrating when your name is thrown out there on an event that seems kind of shady,” said Vieluf.
The listing has since been removed from Eventbrite.
An Eventbrite spokesperson provided this statement after being contacted by 5 on Your Side:
"We take inauthentic content on our platform very seriously. Our Trust and Safety team helps ensure event listings comply with our Terms of Service. The team will review the event in question and take the applicable actions that might include removing the listing from the platform and communicating with affected attendees if the event is determined unauthorized.”
“It shouldn’t have been up in the first place,” said Vieluf. “You put someone’s name on the line and they’re not even part of the pub crawl.”
5 On Your Side contacted the organizer listed on Eventbrite, but they have not responded as of Wednesday evening. That same organizer took Vieluf’s call only to ask if he wanted to get involved in the pub crawl, which Vieluf declined.
“It gets frustrating when our name gets put out there on a product that doesn’t deliver,” said Vieluf. “We’ve been here for 24 years. We value our customers.”
That’s why Vieluf’s offering up a little free advice before you pay for party tickets advertising your favorite pub.
“Check their website,” said Vieluf. “There’s no event that isn’t on their website or Facebook page, just so you don’t get scammed.”