My annual Ticketmaster rant

[Bernie Brewer]

Today's the day. It's the day Buffett tickets for Alpine Valley go on sale. I sit by my computer, waiting for 10:00 hoping against hope that I'll get lucky. At 10:00 on the button I start going through the usual bullsh!t with the distorted words that's supposed to stop scalpers and get through by 10:03. Sold out already. By 10:05 there were 87 listings on Ebay for that concert, with tickets with face value of $33 on sale for over $100. This is ridiculous. I go through this every year. It's the only concert I go to, and I have to pay a zillion dollars just because they use a fckued-up system. GRRRRRRRR.

 

[Dude]

And then add in all the ridiculous fees, and even if you "win" you still lose.

I hate Ticketmaster with the white hot fire of 10,000 suns.

 

[Professor Frink]

That's the reason I stopped going to Buffett concerts. I love them so much, but the whole ridiculousness just isn't worth it.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

It's not really a help, but don't give up at 10:03. Theory being that at that point tickets are just being "held". Someone could have entered their CC number wrong, or the CC could be rejected, they wasted time, etc. I've had a number of shows where they said sold out, but anywhere from 5 - 15mins later I get through and get tickets.

Ticketbastard is still the enemy. But this can apply to any online ticketing.

 

[Flyin' Lion]

You can also go to the concert and buy from scalpers there. It sounds sketchy, buy the closer you get to the gate, the lower the price/ticket gets. I joined my wife and her college friends at a concert sans ticket, but picked one up near the gate for close to face value.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

Or just put 1 finger in the air...oh wait, that's any number of different bands.

 

[Evan!]

That's crazy. I haven't had to deal with TM in a very long time, though. Local shows are handled through musictoday, which seems to be much better.

The wife got tix for springsteen when they first went on sale...but the seats weren't the best, so she ordered 2 more, thinking we could just sell the first pair.

Then she accidentally scheduled our trip to France for the same time as the show.

Put them both up on eBay just trying to make our money back. Ended up netter $150 for the trouble.

 

[niquejim]

Today's the day. It's the day Buffett tickets for Alpine Valley go on sale. I sit by my computer, waiting for 10:00 hoping against hope that I'll get lucky. At 10:00 on the button I start going through the usual bullsh!t with the distorted words that's supposed to stop scalpers and get through by 10:03. Sold out already. By 10:05 there were 87 listings on Ebay for that concert, with tickets with face value of $33 on sale for over $100. This is ridiculous. I go through this every year. It's the only concert I go to, and I have to pay a zillion dollars just because they use a fckued-up system. GRRRRRRRR.

The reason the tickets get bought up is because people are weilling pay +$110 for $30 tickets.

I would rather let them eat several thousand in lost money when no one will buy the tickets. But that doesn't happen so this same mess will continue.

 

[Professor Frink]

So I logged on to get Buffett tix this morning. When I tried to update my credit card info., it wouldn't go through, so I ended up not getting the tix and now they're sold out. And yesterday I found out my girlfriend is moving to San Diego in June. Not making for a good couple days.

 

[brauhaus]

So I logged on to get Buffett tix this morning. When I tried to update my credit card info., it wouldn't go through, so I ended up not getting the tix and now they're sold out. And yesterday I found out my girlfriend is moving to San Diego in June. Not making for a good couple days.

stubhub <- i've bought a few tix here... i hate ticketmaster.

what's up frink? she ain't leaving you is she?

 

[Bobby_M]

That's weird. I had a girlfriend that moved to San Diego a while back too. Is that were they all go?

 

[Bobby_M]

On topic, I just won't pay over face value for tickets to anything. The shows are BARELY worth face value anyway. The only concerts I see are when people I know buy tickets and need to unload them for face value due to unforseen circumstances.

 

[Brewing Clamper]

That's why I choose the less popular acts to go to... like the wiggles! I just got a pair of tix to take my son next week. If you really want them I'll sell them for $100

 

[Professor Frink]

stubhub <- i've bought a few tix here... i hate ticketmaster.

what's up frink? she ain't leaving you is she?

She just matched for residency yesterday. We were hoping for UNC or Charlotte, but San Diego kind of took us by surprise. I'm not against moving out there, the problem is I'm still in grad school right now, with probably a year and a half left

 

[JustDave]

My biggest problem with Ticketmaster is that I didn't think of it first!

Here's your ticket -- and for the convenience, that will be $12 extra per ticket, thank you very much.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

The shows are BARELY worth face value anyway.

You're obviously not a Parrothead.

 

[crazy_piump]

It could be worse.....You could be living in North Dakota.

 

[Bobby_M]

You're obviously not a Parrothead.

No concert on earth is really worth the new face values, but since you mentioned it, I think Buffett is extremely overrated. I don't think I'd go for free. Did anyone see the Southpark AIDS episode recently when Buttett was the only act they could get to perform at their benefit?

 

[Bernie Brewer]

No concert on earth is really worth the new face values, but since you mentioned it, I think Buffett is extremely overrated. I don't think I'd go for free.

*sigh*


Forgive him, he knows not what he says..........

 

[Shaggy]

It's not really a help, but don't give up at 10:03. Theory being that at that point tickets are just being "held". Someone could have entered their CC number wrong, or the CC could be rejected, they wasted time, etc. I've had a number of shows where they said sold out, but anywhere from 5 - 15mins later I get through and get tickets.

Wise advice.
The demand on systems for shows like this is insane and everything locks up fast.
People will lock tickets up then turn down their seats in hopes of better.
Some make mistakes in the order process as mentioned etc.
Some will have duplicate orders canceled etc. etc.

I'd say continue through the first hour of sales before really giving up.
Also, call on your cell at the same time as trying online.
Even check periodically online as tickets from promoters etc. get released all the time...especially closer to show date.
If you get through...selecting the lowest amount of tickets possible as well as "anything available" helps instead of needing like 10 in the front row lol.
(the vast majority of the time I try for only 1 ticket...maybe 2 and let the others fend for themself)

Another option to help is to scower band fan sites daily looking for fans wanting to sell to fans for face. So many people buy "X" amount of tickets for friends only to find some can't make it or they back out etc. Check back OFTEN for offers about a month before the show comes up....
Put out ISOs early as well as respond to potential sellers fast.


Best of luck going forward!!

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

Buffet concerts are the easiest ticket to get.

Just show up to the concert with 6 cohibas or Macanudos. Offer them in exchange for 2 tickets.

I did that for a number of years. Actually, I'd spend $150 on cigars, some expensive, lots of cheap, and I'd mark them up 300-500%. I usually wound up with 2 tickets in the first 20 rows, a quarter ounce of weed, $300 in my pocket, and loaded up on free booze.

 

[EvilTOJ]

Why would you want to pay to go listen to a stock market investor talk about how he made his billions? I mean sure, he's the richest guy in the world and voted as one of the 100 Most Influential People in The World and all, but I don't think he's that exciting.

 

[Kubed]

She just matched for residency yesterday. We were hoping for UNC or Charlotte, but San Diego kind of took us by surprise. I'm not against moving out there, the problem is I'm still in grad school right now, with probably a year and a half left

Well congratulations to her! What's she going into?

 

[bleme]

I hate Ticketmaster with the white hot fire of 10,000 suns.

Time for a resurrection. I hate Ticketmaster too!

There is a group coming to town that my wife and mom love, AND it is on my mom's 70th birthday so to Ticketmaster I go... I tell the search dummy that I want tickets between $20-$30 and among those offered are 3 seats on the 2nd row for $24.50 (plus fees) each. Score! So I click 2 of the seats (I'm not a fan) and it won't let me leave that 3rd seat stranded. Well, that's frustrating but I ask my daughter and she wouldn't mind going so I add the 3rd seat. The next page takes me to billing and it wants to charge me $71.50 plus fees for a total of $290!!! I give up those seats and go back, but seats in 2 other locations both do the same thing to me so I end up taking a photo of the screen listing those 3 seats for $24.50 each and finish the transaction, figuring I'll fix it with Ticketmaster later.

I send my photo into Ticketmaster support and tell them their website is messing up and they need to refund me $141. They tell me no. It goes back and forth for over a week and I get 3 different agents refusing before I tell them that what they are doing is illegal and I'll just settle it in court. "Court" must have triggered something because then I get an email back saying that she is terribly sorry this wasn't investigated more thoroughly. She went through the website to buy tickets and it did the same thing to her. She is going to approve my refund of $141.

The next day, my wife gets a call saying that in order for us to get seats for $24.50, they are going to have to move them. She tells them that that just isn't going to work and that I'll call them later (Gee Thanks!). When I call (this is the 6th agent now!), I have to go through the whole spiel again. The tickets were advertised for $24.50. I have pictures and emails saying this has already been investigated and should have been taken care of. After 90 minutes on the phone he says that he can keep me in the same section, just 1 row back. FINE! Then says that he will refund my card the difference of $135.75. I'm a little puzzled by that, but close enough. It wasn't until later that I realized part of the fees in my original purchase was a $5.25 processing fee. They charged me another blasted processing fee for fixing their own mistake!!!!

 

[DU99]

it's called scalping and we get the same thing happening in australia..but some events you can't resell or advertise them for a profit the tickets

 

[Sadu]

In New Zealand there are calls to regulate the ticketing industry. Basically people are fed up with a ticket being $40 then by the time yuo go to to pay for it, the price has changed to $50 with the fees. I think within the next 18 months there will be regulations stating that any advertised price must include fees. It's basically got out of hand and something needs to be done.

 

[KayaBrew]

Hate ticketbastards? Check out David Letterman inducting Pearl Jam into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

 

[bkboiler]

man...i hate ticketdisaster so much...i only buy tix at the box office now..i refuse to pay a convenience fee. i guess that goes hand in hand with the fact that i only go to moderately popular events because i hate crowds.