My Ticketmaster rant

TTinCO · Jan 16, 2006

Okay-for the time being I'll ignore how out of control that these scumbags have gotten with their service charges...in the case of the $73 Denver-Pitt tickets, it was ~$13 (17.8% on top of the ticket price).

After Pitt beat Indy, Denver-Pitt tickets went on sale at 4pm Mountain time. When 4pm rolled around, I had no fewer than 20 connections to the Denver-Pitt ticket sales page (I have remote access to a lot of computers at my office). I was putting in various orders for pairs of tickets at various prices-including several with the blanket "any available price".

By 4:05pm, Ticketmaster's online ordering system was returning "no tickets available" on my orders---ALL of them. Resubmitting at that point was pointless, because the queue was backed up 15-20 minutes.

Despite Ticketmasters claims that the online system has access to the same ticket pool as the ticket windows, the windows were selling tickets past 4:30pm.

I'm not the only one pissed off about this-there is quite a stink hitting the local news.

Ticketmaster claims that 80% of the tickets are sold online.....I say BULLSHIT!!!! This is a scam.

JimmyHoffa · Jan 16, 2006

I'm hearing the same scenarios being played out here in the Northwest for Seattle tickets.

VinnytheWorm · Jan 16, 2006

The problem is scalpers and ticket brokers. I do some buying and selling of tickets on ebay.

TTinCO · Jan 16, 2006

whosyerdaddy said:
The problem is scalpers and ticket brokers. I do some buying and selling of tickets on ebay.

That's fine-then do window sales only & do away with the online system. That's better than blatantly LIEING to people.

Had I known, I could have driven 2 miles & surely gotten tickets at a retail outlet.

:finger: Ticketmaster :finger:

Dante · Jan 16, 2006

drive there on game day TT and get some scalped ones...500$ or less:smoking:

PO69 · Jan 16, 2006

I will say that I believe that stadium box offices should be able to sell more tickets than ticketmaster for the guys who are willing to wait in a long line.

Ticket scalpers and brokers use the online system

GoCreighton · Jan 16, 2006

my brother in law got tickets online ok yesterday.

ticketmaster still is pretty bad, though.

Railbird · Jan 16, 2006

ticketmaster worse customer service in America. tons if not all of ticx going out backdoor, at ticketmaster and most team box offices. With ebay everybody is a scalper now. I dont think ticket price will be that high for this game on street maybe 125 at most. will be tons of sellers.

TTinCO · Jan 16, 2006

Not sure about that Rail-face on most of the 15,000 sold yesterday was $73 or $135....and they are mostly upper level seats. Face on the club seats sold yesterday was $300-$400.

Thousands were apparently shut out at the ticket windows.....which didn't shut down until about 4:45 or 5pm. Quite strange considering that there were no pairs (any price) available online at 4:05.

VinnytheWorm · Jan 16, 2006

There are over 1000 sets of tickets available on Ebay. This might be your best bet. However I do agree Ticketmaster is a Joke

uppy:

BetIt · Jan 16, 2006

Colts handled it the best......

no phone/internet orders

orders only available at Indy Ticket Master Locations...

best and only way to try to keep tickets in the fans hands....

VinnytheWorm · Jan 16, 2006

BetIt said:
Colts handled it the best......

no phone/internet orders

orders only available at Indy Ticket Master Locations...

best and only way to try to keep tickets in the fans hands....

That is best and probably did not include any additional fees. Most teams or promoters do not care about the fan.

BetIt · Jan 16, 2006

that being said...i sometimes try to grab tickets and sell them for a quick profit.....I had 4 denver tickets but got timed out yesterday...

no way seattle even had tickets for sale today...i was on the phone at 1:07 EST no tickets...got through on the internet at 1:00 and ordered 1 standing room...not available.

duderinow · Jan 16, 2006

Just tried to purchase a pair of any seahawks tickets i could online right at 10:00 am pst when they went on sale. I got a no tickets available literally at 10 seconds past 10:00. Biggest bunch of crap, I've ever seen. Kept trying for the next 10 minutes with no luck. Ugh. What kills me is I know there are scalpers all over the country getting them just to sell on e-bay, and I am a true fan just wanting to go watch my team in the playoffs.

duder

TTinCO · Jan 16, 2006

duderinow said:
Just tried to purchase a pair of any seahawks tickets i could online right at 10:00 am pst when they went on sale. I got a no tickets available literally at 10 seconds past 10:00. Biggest bunch of crap, I've ever seen. Kept trying for the next 10 minutes with no luck. Ugh. What kills me is I know there are scalpers all over the country getting them just to sell on e-bay, and I am a true fan just wanting to go watch my team in the playoffs.

duder

EXACTLY!!! What a sham.

BTW-I see that Bronco tickets are SELLING for $300-600 each on Ebay already.

1cheater · Jan 16, 2006

You know Ticketmasterbaitor must some how get a kick back from the scumbag scalpers...

WildBill · Jan 16, 2006

TTinCO said:
O
After Pitt beat Indy, Denver-Pitt tickets went on sale at 4pm Mountain time. When 4pm rolled around, I had no fewer than 20 connections to the Denver-Pitt ticket sales page (I have remote access to a lot of computers at my office). I was putting in various orders for pairs of tickets at various prices-including several with the blanket "any available price".

Come on TT, that is what they are trying to prevent. The brokers and scalpers and doing exactly what you are doing! Ticketmaster isn't exactly the most efficient way to sell tickets, but when the demand is high what exactly do you think is fair? I surely don't think it is selling to the guys who set up 20 chances to get them when real fans are getting one.

TTinCO · Jan 16, 2006

Bill, you have to play the #'s game. When the system gets slammed the way it does there, you get 20 connections and hope that maybe one or two don't hang up or crash.

BTW-it was limited to 6 tickets per HOUSEHOLD address.

WildBill · Jan 16, 2006

I know it is and I have been through that too, but just making the point they would rather you get lucky the old fashioned way. Lets face it for this game Invesco could be 200,000 seats and they would sell them all, just no "fair" way to do it.

Besides TT, you say you hate the Broncos. Were you really going to go to see the game yourself?

Journeyman · Jan 16, 2006

What a freakin racket, you would think those selling the tickets would figure out a fair way to do this, what a crock that Ticketmaster gets to make money off of this and that high a percentage.