I hate Ticketmaster!

muzikool

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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.
 
Tickets to Glastonberry are restricted by name these days to stop such activities.
 
Ya soulda gottin online soooooooner. Then you coulda bought a few and sell 'em too. :p






I feel ya muzi, that's the nature of the beast. Online scalping really f00ks up the ones that really want to go to events and can only pay normal prices.
 
I think we should go back to where you had to stand in line for hours on end to get a ticket. That way the real fans get the tickets.

So yes, I share your hatred of Ticketmaster :p
 
Grandmaster said:
I think we should go back to where you had to stand in line for hours on end to get a ticket. That way the real fans get the tickets.

[ ... ]

That's what I did for a concert last year. Didn't get them from Ticketmaster. :)
 
gonaads said:
Ya soulda gottin online soooooooner. Then you coulda bought a few and sell 'em too. :p
It doesn't matter w/ Ticketmaster ... must have the worst server setup running on a 56k modem I've ever come across. It's just sad and they should be shut down and run out of town. Even if you hit the site at the instant they go on sale the site is already dead EVERYTIME. If more bands had the balls to boycott them like Pearl Jam did back in the day perhaps we would have seen some changes, but most just play for the check(s) it seems. sad. :(
 
I bought my tickets through the U2.com subscriber presale for the third leg (and being a former Propaganda subscriber as well meant I got first crack). That's really the only way I got them.

(FYI, if you wanted to know where "melon" comes from, it comes from an album of U2 remixes. :p )

Melon
 
As for eBay, see who is selling the tickets. If they are an individual, they should get reported and their auction shut down, because "scalping" is illegal. But only for individuals. If it's a business (a.k.a., "ticket broker"), then it's legal for a business to scalp tickets on eBay.

What we really need to do is organize a PAC to lobby Congress to make ticket brokers illegal. That's the only way this insanity will stop.

Melon
 
If I'd known that would be the only way to get them then I would have subscribed myself.

I've actually seen the Melon CD, almost bought it myself. I'm not real big on moxt of the remixes, though.
 
melon said:
As for eBay, see who is selling the tickets. If they are an individual, they should get reported and their auction shut down, because "scalping" is illegal. But only for individuals. If it's a business (a.k.a., "ticket broker"), then it's legal for a business to scalp tickets on eBay.

What we really need to do is organize a PAC to lobby Congress to make ticket brokers illegal. That's the only way this insanity will stop.

Melon

If we prevent all of the individual sellers from selling them, then the show is still sold out with it being even harder to buy tickets. Kind of a sucky Catch-22. :mad:
 
I should have just avoided telling muzikool that U2 was even coming to the states :)
 
more will be released right before the show. it always happens.
 
muzikool said:
I've actually seen the Melon CD, almost bought it myself. I'm not real big on moxt of the remixes, though.

If it was in a Jewel case, it was a bootleg anyway.

Melon
 
muzikool said:
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.

you bring up what appears to be an obvious solution to this problem!
an interesting rant indeed.

ps. its Ticketbastard
 
Yeah - I feel for ya Moozikooll - although I'd have headed the thread I hate Ebay (having been scammed there)....

I have to say I feel that although Ebay is just a medium so to speak they do essentially profit from bad, dodgey, and illegal things and take little or no action to do anything about them.

If I had my way Ebay would be boycotted and shut down - but I am a realist and knwo that will never happen.

Instead of getting mad I should maybe get even and try being an Ebay seller to make my lost funds back again.... Just feel that will send them more profit though!

Sometimes you just have to sit down and take a philosophical approach - getting angry and "hating" will not get you anywhere other than frustrated - so in this case maybe set a budget, look at other avenues (are you prepared to buy from venue? That usually carries a guaranteed price, but might involve days in a queue I guess?) I can remember queueing for hours.

you're right to bring up the issue though - We call this touting in the UK and I hate ticket touts - I think that is the real issue here, rampant profiteering....

How to address it intelligently is another question - the Glastonbury solution is surely an excellent one, but might not be cost effective for concerts rather than festivals.

Have you thought about an email to their customer services? They SHOULD take an interest and work with you to address this - they SHOULD not want to be hated or have threads like this around... and I WOULD be interested to read their reply here!
 
Here at the bryce jordon center they do by name also. They check id at random to see if the persons name on the ticket is the person with the ticket. I think it is a good idea .. I would like to see U2 also, I had a chance to go see their zoo tv concert in Philly, but couldn't go ..
 
Hehe you could always come to Tampa and see them, the St Pete forum holds tickets for this very reason, to make sure real fans get decent tickets more times than not you can go down and get the tickets the day before or the same day of the concert and you end up with better seats than if you bought them at ticketmaster anyways..

Just my 2 cents though...
I bouth my Santana tickets, and I will get my U2 tickets as soon as the St Pete Forum releases the held tickets my A$$ will be in line... good luck Muzikool!
 

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