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Ticketmaster: Lording Over all Douchedom

BrotherVoodooBrotherVoodoo Registered User regular
edited February 2009 in Debate and/or Discourse
Not sure if anyone has read about this yet, but Ticketmaster basically buys tickets...from itself. Then it sells them as a different service called TicketsNow. This happened when I was thinking of buying AC/DC tickets last year, and seems to have happened again with Bruce Springsteen tickets. I have also heard reports of it happening with Morrissey as well.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090204/ap_en_mu/springsteen_ticket_glitch
I like how it's reported as "Ticket glitch"

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/148966-clash-of-the-titans-springsteen-vs-ticketmaster
Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff wrote, "We sincerely apologize to Bruce, his organization and, above all, his fans" and offered refunds to fans who bought up-priced Bruce tickets from TicketsNow.

He continued, "We have committed to Bruce and state publicly here that we have taken down all links for Bruce's shows directing fans from Ticketmaster to TicketsNow. This redirection only occurred as a choice when we could not satisfy fans' specific search request for primary ticket inventory, but to make sure there is no misunderstanding in the future, we also publicly state that we will never again link to TicketsNow in a manner that can possibly create any confusion during a high-demand on-sale.

What you may notice is that he in know way apologizes for the fraudulent scam, but only apologizes that it was so blatantly perpetrated.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I avoid Ticketmaster like the plag. I get my tickets to local shows at record stores. Does anyone know how they in any way justify their bullshit fees.

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BrotherVoodoo on

Posts

  • KageraKagera Imitating the worst people. Since 2004Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    Ticketmaster has been a fucked up company for years, and yet it still keeps afloat.

    It makes me sad.

    Kagera on
    My neck, my back, my FUPA and my crack.
  • RandomEngyRandomEngy Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    Brown Paper Tickets. They are great.

    As for ticketmaster, When a service charges a "convenience fee" of more than a dollar a ticket for an order made with one purchase, sent to one place, that is just monopoly price gouging. They are not charging you for the service they are giving you (which is sending you tickets), they are taking money from you because that's the only way you can get tickets online.

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  • SammyFSammyF Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    Those cum-guzzling cockbags sold nearly all of the tickets to plays and musicals on Valentine's Day in my city to itself so they could charge $300 for a ticket with an $80 face value through Tickets-fucking-Now.

    Fuck you, Ticketmaster. Fuck you.

    SammyF on
  • BrotherVoodooBrotherVoodoo Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    Now heres what I don't get, selling yourself someting to sell higher when it's of a limited amount...somehow that must be fraud or illegal isn't it. I'm not sure what the exact parlance would be to label it but...it blows my mind.

    BrotherVoodoo on
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  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    It's somewhat akin to arbitrage, or less politely scalping.

    They effectively being first in line to buy, without even having to get in line or anything of the sort, is ethically troubling but likely not illegal.

    I really kind of wish they'd just get anti-trusted out of existence already.

    DevoutlyApathetic on
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  • AridholAridhol Daddliest Catch Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    Fuck ticket master.

    Aridhol on
  • ShensShens Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    edited February 2009
    One time, they shipped 140 dollars worth of my tickets to someone else. The letter and envelope had her name on it, but my tickets were inside. She was kind enough to mail them to me, but I never heard if she was able to get HER tickets. I sent Ticketmaster a written letter about the incident and called, but all I got was standard form mail bullshit.

    Fuck Ticketmaster. Yay for honest people.

    Shens on
  • ElJeffeElJeffe Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited February 2009
    DevoutlyApathetic wrote: »
    It's somewhat akin to arbitrage, or less politely scalping.

    Exactly.

    Different people are willing to pay different prices for the same good. I may think these tickets are worth $50, but my friend the Springsteen nut might value them at $300. Wouldn't it be great if you could sell to each person at the maximum he was willing to pay, rather than having to settle for the market clearing price?

    Which is what TicketMaster just did, by setting up a proxy company. Evil and unethical, but smart.

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  • StericaSterica Yes Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited February 2009
    I had to pay like $10 per ticket for a convenience fee. Fuck them straight up the ass.

    Sterica on
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  • TL DRTL DR Not at all confident in his reflexive opinions of thingsRegistered User regular
    edited February 2009
    Yeah, if I was in charge the top shareholders and managers would be drawn and cornered.

    TL DR on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited February 2009
    I'm still trying to figure out how ticket prices have gone up 500% in the last ten years. I saw Aerosmith and Metallica for $30 each back in '97 and '98. I doubt I could get into either of those shows now for less than $150.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    Timothy Leary Come Check Out This Theory wrote: »
    Yeah, if I was in charge the top shareholders and managers would be drawn and cornered.
    .....cornered?

    Uh, uhm....what? Did you mean quartered?

    DevoutlyApathetic on
    Nod. Get treat. PSN: Quippish
  • TL DRTL DR Not at all confident in his reflexive opinions of thingsRegistered User regular
    edited February 2009
    DevoutlyApathetic wrote: »
    Timothy Leary Come Check Out This Theory wrote: »
    Yeah, if I was in charge the top shareholders and managers would be drawn and cornered.
    .....cornered?

    Uh, uhm....what? Did you mean quartered?

    Yes. Yes I did.

    TL DR on
  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    I'm still trying to imagine what cornering would involve. Quartering is gross enough but cornering.....

    DevoutlyApathetic on
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  • KageraKagera Imitating the worst people. Since 2004Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    DevoutlyApathetic wrote: »
    I'm still trying to imagine what cornering would involve. Quartering is gross enough but cornering.....

    Dorifto!

    Kagera on
    My neck, my back, my FUPA and my crack.
  • psycojesterpsycojester Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    I guess they'd bend your torso into a right angle and then nail you to the walls. That'd be a good form of cornering for TicketMaster.

    psycojester on
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  • RingoRingo He/Him a distinct lack of substanceRegistered User regular
    edited February 2009
    I still don't understand why some of these people (especially Springsteen) even work with Ticketmaster anymore. Ticketmaster has been slapping on ridiculous fees for years now, and it's not like any of that money goes to the band.

    Ringo on
  • ShensShens Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    edited February 2009
    Ringo wrote: »
    I still don't understand why some of these people (especially Springsteen) even work with Ticketmaster anymore. Ticketmaster has been slapping on ridiculous fees for years now, and it's not like any of that money goes to the band.

    Because they control some huge venues. I know the Rose Garden here in Portland is Ticketmaster or nothing. Thanks Paul Allen!

    Shens on
  • deadonthestreetdeadonthestreet Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    It isn't like LiveNation is any better. They were going to charge me an $8 service fee per ticket, plus $4 per order for a show that cost $16.

    deadonthestreet on
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  • ScalfinScalfin __BANNED USERS regular
    edited February 2009
    The best thing we could do to put them out of business is pass a "no preference" which basically says they have to send a schmuck out to wait in line with a giant list of what tickets they want to get the tickets. Or a law making what they do count as scalping.

    Scalfin on
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    Cardboard Tube wrote: »
    The rest of you, I fucking hate you for the fact that I now have a blue dot on this god awful thread.
  • BrotherVoodooBrotherVoodoo Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    deadonthestreet wrote: »
    It isn't like LiveNation is any better. They were going to charge me an $8 service fee per ticket, plus $4 per order for a show that cost $16.

    Yeah, and they're looking to merge in a uber company, a dicktopoly if you will.

    BrotherVoodoo on
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