Non delivery of goods-where to file?

What is the name of your state? Maryland

I ordered football tickets in April from JustGreatTickets.com. When I hadn't heard from them by july, I called to inquire about the delivery. They said that the tickets had not been printed yet and that they would be delivered as soon as they were.

I waited again until last week when I called and asked them again, what's going on? This time they said that they couldn't get the tickets I had ordered (and yet did not notify me at all), and that they were looking for more at a comparable price. They have many other tickets about 3 rows away from where my seats were supposed to be, but they said I would have to pay more for those. The guy told me I had 3 options: cancel and get a refund, pay more, or be patient and 'let me do my job'. I told him I wanted a refund, he said ok, I said 'can you put the refund on the same credit card?', he said yes.

A week later, he is getting more and more rude, refusing to give me my money back, and the bank says it won't dispute any charges more than 60 days old.

My question is:

I live in Maryland, he lives in Chicago, I bought the tickets online. Which small claims court do I file in, MD or IL? If I do file in MD, what are my chances of actually seeing any of my money back?

Thanks!

File in chicago.

Does that mean I actually have to go there? I have never sued anyone before.

Yep, it means you will have to go there at least twice, once to file the lawsuit and serve the summons and again for the trial. And your travel and lodging expenses cannot be recovered either.

Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated!

ps-stay away from JustGreatTickets--this really stinks!