So, I have words for TicketMaster...

[Merkuri]

...and they're not grandma-friendly.

My boyfriend and I only live a few miles from the Patriot's stadium, and we might be moving in the next year, so we figured we'd buy tickets to a game before we move, since it seems silly to have lived here so long and not have gone to a single game.

So I go online and spend about $200 on a couple of tickets to see the Pats play the Dolphins. We realize almost immediately that it's Pats AT Dolphins... we bought tickets to a game in Florida by mistake. I look online to see how we go about undoing this transaction, since it happened only a few minutes ago and the tickets haven't even been printed yet, and what I find basically says, "You're screwed. Once you hit 'submit' the tickets are yours and there's no way in heck we're refunding your money. If you don't want them, sell them on our ticket exchange."

I put the tickets up for sale and they sell right away, but of course I don't get all of my money back. Instead of being out $200 I'm out $40, which isn't as bad, but it still isn't good.

And not counting the money from the actual tickets, TicketMaster made $60 from nothing in this whole fiasco. $20 "convenience fee" from me for buying the tickets in the first place (though since I can ONLY buy them from TicketMaster I don't see how this is any more convenient than anything else I could do), $20 conveninence fee from the guy who bought them from me, and another $20 from me as a fee to sell the tickets.

So, anyone else have similar experiences with them?

 

[Whitemouse]

So I go online and spend about $200 on a couple of tickets to see the Pats play the Dolphins. We realize almost immediately that it's Pats AT Dolphins... we bought tickets to a game in Florida by mistake. I look online to see how we go about undoing this transaction, since it happened only a few minutes ago and the tickets haven't even been printed yet, and what I find basically says, "You're screwed. Once you hit 'submit' the tickets are yours and there's no way in heck we're refunding your money. If you don't want them, sell them on our ticket exchange."

Thanks for sharing this.

I've never used ticketmaster.com before, but now I never will.

 

[Enforcer]

Ticketmaster is evil, plain and simple. And they're pretty much a monopoly, so anytime I think, "Hey, that band I like is playing next month" it's quickly followed by a "there's no way in hell I'm spending more in fees than the actual tickets cost..."

Hate them.

 

[stevelabny]

I just did this on Cicrvs Maximvs and I'll do it here too.

You made a mistake.

Why the heck are you blaming them?

They completed their part of the transaction. Sure, it would be nice if they helped you out and fixed your mistake, but they're under no obligation to do so. Almost every ticket to a sporting event, concert, or even movie that I can think of is non-refundable. Why would this be different? Plus...

1> The Patriots went 16-0 last year, and have won multiple Super Bowls in the last 10 years. In a city that lives and dies with its sports teams. Why would they have ANY tickets available?

2> Tom Brady is out for the season. That means plenty of the fairweather fans now have tickets they'll be trying to unload. Why not try to get a deal on one of those instead of buying from Ticket Master? Have you heard of Craigslist or Ebay?

3> Did you read the website before placing an order?

"Before purchasing tickets, carefully review your event and seat selection. Policies set forth by our clients, including venues, teams and theaters, prohibit Ticketmaster from issuing refunds after a ticket has been purchased or for lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed tickets.

As agreed to during the ticket purchasing process, tickets cannot be cancelled, exchanged or refunded unless the event has been cancelled or postponed. This policy has been provided to Ticketmaster by the venues/promoters."

Not only is this spelled out for you. They even lay the blame at the feet of the venues/promoters. My hunch is that Ticket Master isn't BSing you on this one, and the no-cancel policy is set by the venues/promoters.

4> Once the mistake is made, why would you resell them through TicketMaster? Have you heard of Craigslist or Ebay?

The continued nonsense of people making mistakes and then blaming the retailer is enough to drive me bonkers. I only hope that you didn't take it out on the TicketMaster customer service schlep.

signed,
a different custoemr service schlep

edit: theres 16 games in the regular season

 

[Merkuri]

I only hope that you didn't take it out on the TicketMaster customer service schlep.

One of the things that bothered me is that I didn't get a response from their customer service department. I sent them a couple of emails and didn't get any reply. I don't think I even got an automated response.

Yes, it's my own fault that I bought the wrong tickets. Really, the part that bothers me the most is the "convenience fee" that was charged to everyone involved. Not the amount, the fact that they call it "convenience." If you're the only place I can buy it from, how is that convenient? Yes, I know about eBay and Craigslist, but those tickets came from TicketMaster as well. Charging a convenience fee for that is like charging a convenience fee for clothing bought at a department store, because it's more convenient than shopping at tag sales.

The convenience fee, and the fact that even though I noticed my mistake 2 minutes after clicking "submit" it wasn't soon enough. No other online retailer I know holds you to your transactions like that. If you buy something on Amazon and realize two minutes later that you don't need that item you can still go in and cancel your order if they haven't started processing it yet (which usually takes an hour or two).

I'm not blaming TicketMaster for my mistake. I'm blaming them for their complete and utter lack of sympathy or any apparent desire to help me fix it. Is it wrong to expect retailers to be friendly and willing to help?

 

[awayfarer]

I just did this on Cicrvs Maximvs and I'll do it here too.

You made a mistake.

Why the heck are you blaming them?

You've completely missed the point...

No blame is being placed on Ticketmaster for the mistake. We're irate because their customer service policy is, in a nutshell, "Go yourself."

You go out to a restaurant. You order. You suddenly realize that you ordered the wrong with. Your waiter ignores you despite repeated attempts to flag him down. After a half hour you get his attention and he charges you extra to change your order, even though your initial order hasn't even been made yet. Is this your mistake? Sure. Is it pathetic customer service? Yep.

 

[Thunderfoot]

Yeah, and they do have a monopoly, in theory. Sure you can hold an event without going through them, but, good luck finding a venue that will host it or a company that will handle the production and who's going to advertise it, Ticketmaster has exclusivity clauses with several ad agencies - ask Pearl Jam - you can't get away from ticket massa...

 

[Relique Hunter]

Yep. TicketMaster can be a pain in the arse.

 

[megamania]

Ticketmaster is evil, plain and simple. And they're pretty much a monopoly, so anytime I think, "Hey, that band I like is playing next month" it's quickly followed by a "there's no way in hell I'm spending more in fees than the actual tickets cost..."

Hate them.

Ditto.

They are unmerciless and uncaring but unfortunately... neccessary. At least if you wish to see anything live instead of on TV or video.


Beyond that.... yeah- read the fine print before you hit "submit". They and many others are there strictly to make money (take your money). They are successful because they charge so much and have no real competition.

 

[Enforcer]

Ditto.

They are unmerciless and uncaring but unfortunately... neccessary. At least if you wish to see anything live instead of on TV or video.

They are in no way necessary, merely convenient to venue-owners. Theatres and arenas could start selling tickets on their own, instead of lazily allowing Ticketmaster to control how all of their tickets are sold. It would cost them money and effort, but even if ticket prices rose as a result, the overall cost to the consumer would be lower without the outrageous fees added on by Ticketmaster.

Beyond that.... yeah- read the fine print before you hit "submit". They and many others are there strictly to make money (take your money). They are successful because they charge so much and have no real competition.

Yep, monopolies suck.