At the tip of Lower Manhattan, dozens of vendors approach wandering tourists hawking tickets for boat rides to the Statue of Liberty.
But those purchases often come with a catch: The ticket buyers cannot step onto Liberty Island.
Unbeknown to many visitors, only one vendor — Statue City Cruises — is sanctioned by the National Park Service to dock at the home of Lady Liberty.
Statue City sells tickets only out of Castle Clinton National Monument, a historical fort in the Battery near the water. The peddlers whom sightseers first encounter outside the park can sell tickets only for boat tours that cruise past one of the country’s most recognized monuments.
A new City Council bill, backed by some local leaders, could curb what they call deceptive tactics used to dupe unsuspecting visitors. The legislation would create revocable licenses for the tour operators who employ the vendors and would give the city the authority to impose hefty fines against companies whose sellers mislead customers.
It is “a classic bait and switch,” Brad Hoylman-Sigal, the Manhattan borough president, said in a recent interview.
Still, some ticket sellers say that they are clear in their messaging and that there is a market for the tours they offer.
Tensions between the vendors and politicians erupted last month at a news conference at the Battery, where Mr. Hoylman-Sigal called the practice “the biggest scam in New York City.” About 20 vendors surrounded his lectern and began to shout. One yelled, “Why you calling it a scam?” as others nodded in agreement, pointing to the city-issued vending licenses that hung around their necks.
City officials have long grappled with how to address the selling of tours that leave some customers feeling deceived. Signs attached to lampposts throughout the area caution potential ticket buyers against some of the most common ruses: “If someone approaches you claiming tickets are unavailable, sold out, or that the ticket booths are closed, proceed directly to Castle Clinton for official information,” the signs say, referring to the monument in the park where Statue City Cruises is based.
Still, it is easy for people to miss those signs around the Battery, which welcomes about 15 million visitors a year.
Waiting on nearly every strip of sidewalk and subway exit in the area are people wearing brightly colored vests, including some that read “Authorized ticket seller.” Many of the vendors hold ticket seller licenses, issued by the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, but Councilman Christopher Marte, who sponsored the bill, said even those with credentials have misled unwitting tourists. The root of the issue, Mr. Marte said, is that vendors have lied to customers about the true itinerary of their tours: First, a bus ride to a Midtown pier, where many of their boats are docked, and then a ride around the New York waterways, but never a stop at Liberty Island or Ellis Island.
Mr. Marte said that for many of the independent contract workers, the $50 fines that the city can impose have become “the cost of doing business” and that the boat operators they sell for have faced few or no consequences for their conduct. The bill he sponsored would also allow the city to fine the companies that employ the ticket sellers, starting at $500 per violation.
“For years, individual sellers have gotten small fines while the companies making money off these scams have been able to keep doing business,” Mr. Marte said.
Many tourists realize something is amiss only after they have paid and are told they will be boarding a bus and not a boat. That’s what happened in mid-September to Chris Hill, 60, and her husband, Tim Hill, 61, from Wittman, Ariz.
As soon as the couple turned onto Battery Place, they were approached by two men in green vests who held brochures advertising different trips. Mr. Hill said the ticket sellers had told them the trips would not allow passengers to get off at the islands but added that neither would any other company.
“They kept saying, ‘Nobody can get off,’” Mr. Hill said. “We didn’t know if that option was even available.”
Within minutes, he pulled out his credit card, and the vendor charged him $109.98. He and his wife were then taken to a nearby corner where, he said, about 50 other tourists were waiting, and where they were told a bus would pick them up and take them to Pier 78.
“I said, ‘What bus?’” Mr. Hill said. “‘What do you mean? We’re already here.’ By that time it was too late — we already paid. There was no way back now.”
While the Hills boarded a boat and saw several New York sights from the water, “We didn’t get to go where we wanted to go,” he added.
Two days later, after doing some research, they weaved through groups of third-party sellers and purchased two tickets from Statue City Cruises for a total of $52.
They later learned their first set of tickets had come from Big City Tourism.
In an interview, Kareem Holmes, the founder of Big City, said that his vendors were trained to be transparent with customers and that he had taken several measures to ensure that they were operating according to law. He said he relies on a team of about 50 independent contractors who work at the Battery.
He said before any customer boards the bus to the pier, he said, he has a staff member make an announcement: “Has anyone lied to you? You guys know that we do not disembark on Liberty or Ellis Island. We stay in the water. If anyone tells you anything besides that, you can go get your refund.”
He said that Big City and the other tour operators are in frequent communication about holding dishonest sellers accountable. When any of the owners receives a complaint about a seller, the group as a whole has taken decisive action, he added.
“Three strikes, you’re out,” Mr. Holmes said. “They can no longer sell for any of those companies.”
His trips, he said, have a number of qualities that may be preferable to tourists, and are not a sham product. The tours are shorter in duration and feature views of the Brooklyn Bridge along with music, drinks and guides.
“It’s a great product that we have created,” said Mr. Holmes, a former ticket seller. “We’re all native New Yorkers. We don’t bombard them with the history of everything. We give them the insights on the dos and don’ts of New York City — what’s hot and what’s not.”
It’s crucial, Mr. Holmes said, to have a presence near the Battery, where tourists are known to flock. He said the sellers often direct customers to Statue City Cruises, if they ask for it.
A spokesman for Statue City said in a statement that it supports the legislation and the strengthening of “on-the-ground enforcement actions” to “ensure that everyone is able to safely and affordably reach this iconic destination.”
On a recent Saturday, on nearby State Street, vendors in purple, blue and yellow vests made their best pitches to passers-by. Alimame Suwareh, who said he had sold tours on and off for seven years, was among those working the crowd.
Mr. Suwareh, 39, who works on commission for several operators, said he gets about $20 for every $50 ticket he sells. The work has provided much-needed income for his wife and his 11-year-old son, he said.
Over the years, Mr. Suwareh, originally from Gambia, said, he has picked up phrases in a number of languages, including Spanish, Arabic and Korean.
“Men piao — that means ‘ticket’ in Chinese,” he said, smiling.
“I love to interact with strangers,” he added. “Sometimes you come and you don’t sell, but I get to meet the customers from all over the world, so it’s OK.”
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