Paige Kaden, who is new to town, stood on a frigid block in Times Square on Thursday afternoon, looking for a man named John. She was angry.

John, she said, had sold her and her parents tickets to Stand Up NY, an Upper West Side comedy club, two days before at this very spot. He had shown them pictures of Amy Schumer and Tracy Morgan performing there, Ms. Kaden said, and he gave them a tip about that night’s surprise guest.

“He told us Tina Fey would be there,” Ms. Kaden, 24, said. Thrilled, the family bought three tickets for $20 each, only to arrive at the club to find a two-drink minimum and a lineup of comics they had never heard of.

“We didn’t stay,” Ms. Kaden said. She found two other men selling Stand Up NY tickets on Thursday, but they said John wasn’t around.