- Joined
- 27 Dec 2001
- Messages
- 7,626
U2 tickets for its Dallas show went on sale last Saturday, and sold out in the first couple of hours before I was able to buy any. I immediately went to eBay to see how many tickets were being sold there, and I got over 200 listings specifically for the Dallas show. I started looking at the sellers' locations, and most were out-of-state, with many in the northeast. Tickets that could be bought originally for $50 were being sold for $150+ a piece. I estimated that 400-600 tickets were being sold on eBay the same day they went on sale through Ticketmaster.
I understand that Ticketmaster can't ultimately control this online scalping, but I think they can do more than they are doing to prevent this crap. I can't afford $150+ a ticket, so I am going to miss my favorite band on tour. The last time they toured was 2001, and before that 1997. They don't get on the road often. If Ticketmaster sells tickets to a show in Texas, and someone from New Jersey wants to buy them, I think Ticketmaster should either deny the sale, or enforce a "will-call only" policy. The New Jersey person would be required to pick the tickets up at the window and show the credit card that the tickets were purchased with. Ticketmaster could draw regional boundaries and enforce such a policy to buyers from outside the region where the event is being held.
Will Ticketmaster implement something along these lines? Probably not. They don't care about who buys the tickets so long as they are purchased. Ticketmaster doesn't care about it's customers. That's why they charge such ridiculous fees... it's an $8.00 "convenience charge" for someone to hand you a ticket at the window. :down:
OK, I'm through venting... for now.
I understand that Ticketmaster can't ultimately control this online scalping, but I think they can do more than they are doing to prevent this crap. I can't afford $150+ a ticket, so I am going to miss my favorite band on tour. The last time they toured was 2001, and before that 1997. They don't get on the road often. If Ticketmaster sells tickets to a show in Texas, and someone from New Jersey wants to buy them, I think Ticketmaster should either deny the sale, or enforce a "will-call only" policy. The New Jersey person would be required to pick the tickets up at the window and show the credit card that the tickets were purchased with. Ticketmaster could draw regional boundaries and enforce such a policy to buyers from outside the region where the event is being held.
Will Ticketmaster implement something along these lines? Probably not. They don't care about who buys the tickets so long as they are purchased. Ticketmaster doesn't care about it's customers. That's why they charge such ridiculous fees... it's an $8.00 "convenience charge" for someone to hand you a ticket at the window. :down:
OK, I'm through venting... for now.