Ticketmaster - a strange way to do business
Discussion
Wanted to get tickets for an event at a theatre and it seems they use Ticketmaster to sell their tickets.
First thing was that the best seats were 'presold' and you had to buy them from a third party at an inflated price. That seems like blatant touting to me; why do Ticketmaster allow it?
Anyway, I got an e-mail acknowledgement saying: "We’ve checked your order and can confirm your tickets will be delivered by Royal Mail Special Delivery to your address. Once tickets have been dispatched from your seller, we'll email you to confirm and provide you with a tracking number." Fine.
Then today I get: ''Great news! We’ve checked your order and can confirm your tickets will be available to collect at the box office on the day. You will be able to collect your tickets from an hour before the event starts."
So somebody's charged me for Special Delivery, then decided to pocket the money. Is this normal for Toutmaster? Can I demand they post them as stated?
First thing was that the best seats were 'presold' and you had to buy them from a third party at an inflated price. That seems like blatant touting to me; why do Ticketmaster allow it?
Anyway, I got an e-mail acknowledgement saying: "We’ve checked your order and can confirm your tickets will be delivered by Royal Mail Special Delivery to your address. Once tickets have been dispatched from your seller, we'll email you to confirm and provide you with a tracking number." Fine.
Then today I get: ''Great news! We’ve checked your order and can confirm your tickets will be available to collect at the box office on the day. You will be able to collect your tickets from an hour before the event starts."
So somebody's charged me for Special Delivery, then decided to pocket the money. Is this normal for Toutmaster? Can I demand they post them as stated?
If bands wanted to end ticket touting it'd be easy to do overnight.
Some of the main ticket selling sites also own or work with the inflated price ticket ones. So everyone can make a bit of money, including the bands themselves. But they all get a bit of deniability.
It'd be a simple process to print the names on the tickets and you don't get in without ID - many concerts already do that. If you have a change of plans and can't go... no problem the ticket place can fully refund you and sell your ticket to someone else. likely with an admin fee for providing that service.
Some of the main ticket selling sites also own or work with the inflated price ticket ones. So everyone can make a bit of money, including the bands themselves. But they all get a bit of deniability.
It'd be a simple process to print the names on the tickets and you don't get in without ID - many concerts already do that. If you have a change of plans and can't go... no problem the ticket place can fully refund you and sell your ticket to someone else. likely with an admin fee for providing that service.
Turn7 said:
Ticketmaster and secondary touting are all that is wrong with live events currently.
Id rather miss an event than use these shysters.
^This. The straw that broke the camel's back for me was the Tickethamster data breach the other year - my card details were among those hacked. It did not cost anything - my credit card company spotted a fraudulent transaction straight away - but it was hassle and I had to get a new card, so just a PITA.Id rather miss an event than use these shysters.
I go to plenty of live events where the venue (even a small one) is capable of selling its own tickets. No idea what value or service these intermediary firms offer nowadays.
Well of course Ticketmaster haven't answered my message but I found the theatre's box office number. As well as not answering the phone, I see that even the theatre has a '£3 booking fee'. What the heck is that all about? There never used to be 'booking fees'.
If you take off the fee, the actual ticket price is £27.50. But I've ended up paying about £37 thanks to Ticketmaster, its touting system and the RMSD I never got
If you take off the fee, the actual ticket price is £27.50. But I've ended up paying about £37 thanks to Ticketmaster, its touting system and the RMSD I never got
After being a freelance stagehand and theatre technician for the last 8ish years, I can tell you with certainty that lots of managers, promoters and other industry chaps will buy their own tickets and then tout them as a means of Increasing revenue.
Approx. Two thirds of all live events/shows/productions are a means of washing the significant quantities of drug money generated on tours.
Approx. Two thirds of all live events/shows/productions are a means of washing the significant quantities of drug money generated on tours.
Algarve said:
If bands wanted to end ticket touting it'd be easy to do overnight
Unfortunately, that isn't the case.The band's management or record company will sell a tour to a promoter or promoters for a set fee + a % of ticket sales (or variations of the same). The promoter books the venues and then has to sell as many tickets as possible and are thus motivated to recover the maximum revenue. The venues are paid regardless for their use and as long as the promoter gets his money back and some, he's happy, as are the record company. The band may espouse their discord but actually have very little control over anything. And even those bands and artists of a more "Billy Bragg' persuasion would look at night after night of full auditoriums and conclude that there's nothing wrong.
Touring is the principal source of income for bands these days which is why many might criticise the situation but few - if any - are prepared to do anything. The supply chain from band management through to the venues is complicit in fostering a enterprise that would have been outlawed long ago in any other sector.
The only way I can see anything changing is when ticket sales start to decline. I'm surprised this hasn't started to happen.....
In 1983, I went to see Bruce Springsteen at Wembley Stadium (Born in the USA tour). I still have the ticket for which I paid £25. Taking into account inflation, that today, would be £73.00. When he toured a few years ago, I looked at going but the cheapest tickets I could find were £170. Yet despite this, the shows sold out!.
Simpo Two said:
Well of course Ticketmaster haven't answered my message but I found the theatre's box office number. As well as not answering the phone, I see that even the theatre has a '£3 booking fee'. What the heck is that all about? There never used to be 'booking fees'.
If you take off the fee, the actual ticket price is £27.50. But I've ended up paying about £37 thanks to Ticketmaster, its touting system and the RMSD I never got
The booking fee is the bit that the people actually selling the tickets get. So when you phone up to buy tickets (i know most are online these days) the £3 is the bit that the call centre gets for providing the service, staff, data collection etc etc. the face value f the ticket is the bit that the promoter gets and then they divvy it up to everyone else.If you take off the fee, the actual ticket price is £27.50. But I've ended up paying about £37 thanks to Ticketmaster, its touting system and the RMSD I never got
[quote=boyse7en]The booking fee is the bit that the people actually selling the tickets get. So when you phone up to buy tickets (i know most are online these days) the £3 is the bit that the call centre gets for providing the service.../quote]
Sure. But this was on the actual theatre's website. The theatre charges a £3 booking fee to sell to you a ticket (unless there is some agency hiding in the mix) https://ipswichregent.ticketsolve.com/shows/117359...
I'm starting to think they add it 'because they can'.
Sure. But this was on the actual theatre's website. The theatre charges a £3 booking fee to sell to you a ticket (unless there is some agency hiding in the mix) https://ipswichregent.ticketsolve.com/shows/117359...
I'm starting to think they add it 'because they can'.
Simpo Two said:
boyse7en said:
The booking fee is the bit that the people actually selling the tickets get. So when you phone up to buy tickets (i know most are online these days) the £3 is the bit that the call centre gets for providing the service.../quote]
Sure. But this was on the actual theatre's website. The theatre charges a £3 booking fee to sell to you a ticket (unless there is some agency hiding in the mix) https://ipswichregent.ticketsolve.com/shows/117359...
I'm starting to think they add it 'because they can'.
Haven't you just answered your own question? The theatre aren't selling the tickets!Sure. But this was on the actual theatre's website. The theatre charges a £3 booking fee to sell to you a ticket (unless there is some agency hiding in the mix) https://ipswichregent.ticketsolve.com/shows/117359...
I'm starting to think they add it 'because they can'.
www.ticketsolve.com?
The Moose said:
[Haven't you just answered your own question? The theatre aren't selling the tickets!
www.ticketsolve.com?
Ah, you may have a point. Why can't the theatre sell tickets? Is it too difficult these days? www.ticketsolve.com?
Soooo... let me get this right.... you buy tickets from Ticketsolve for £3 extra, then stag them on Ticketmaster for another tenner... Maybe instead of being a theatregoer I should just buy every ticket for something and sell them the next month for for 20% profit...
Simpo Two said:
The Moose said:
[Haven't you just answered your own question? The theatre aren't selling the tickets!
www.ticketsolve.com?
Ah, you may have a point. Why can't the theatre sell tickets? Is it too difficult these days? www.ticketsolve.com?
Soooo... let me get this right.... you buy tickets from Ticketsolve for £3 extra, then stag them on Ticketmaster for another tenner... Maybe instead of being a theatregoer I should just buy every ticket for something and sell them the next month for for 20% profit...
Well it proves my theory 
Touting must be legal or Ticketmaster would go to jail too, so it must just be a question of scale.
But what really prompted this thread was not the price, because I knew what I was paying when I clicked the button, but that Ticketmaster said I'd get the tickets by RMSD and then the 'great news' I had to get them myself. That's why I feel swindled.
Touting must be legal or Ticketmaster would go to jail too, so it must just be a question of scale.
But what really prompted this thread was not the price, because I knew what I was paying when I clicked the button, but that Ticketmaster said I'd get the tickets by RMSD and then the 'great news' I had to get them myself. That's why I feel swindled.
untakenname said:
If they say it's by special delivery then either do a chargeback on card of if you want to go to the gig then afterwards go through the small claims process to get the money back.
Thanks. £5 doesn't warrant going legal of course but I might drop a line to the CC company afterwards.MRichards99 said:
They were jailed because they used deceptive practices to initially purchase the tickets, not for touting.IMHO, there’s nothing wrong with touting.
The Moose said:
IMHO, there’s nothing wrong with touting.
Why do you say that?Touting artificially restricts the supply of tickets which inflates their value meaning someone who'd like one is either forced to pay a higher price or not go to the event. I don't see how this is in anyway OK - but willing to hear an alternative view.
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