Ticketmaster is directing fans seeking hard-to-find Radiohead tickets to a ticket-reselling partner website called “Tickets Now.”
From AtEaseWeb.com (a Radiohead fansite):
Radiohead purchased ads in print and on radio to promote the sales of their concert tickets on Ticketmaster, but after those tickets are sold out on Ticketmaster, customers using the Ticketmaster website see a page with options with the “Find Tickets” link directing customers to TicketsNow, which is listed as Ticketmaster’s “partner site.” However, TicketsNow is a secondary ticket seller owned by Ticketmaster.
Ticketnews.com reveals that a source close to the situation, who requested anonymity, a TicketsNow executive helped assist with the sale of more than $1 million worth of Radiohead tickets on the TicketsNow website, which at a margin of 25 percent allowed TicketsNow to generate a gross of more than $250,000 from the deal.
Radiohead fans aren’t too pleased about this arrangement, as you might imagine.
What do you think? Should Ticketmaster be profiting off of ticket reselling?
Ticketmaster scalps Radiohead tickets [AtEastWeb] (Thanks, Clayton!)
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@deserthiker: Sorry, but there’s a difference here. Allowing people to go a different route to get a product/ service (and here, one that is usually one time only and unavailable elsewhere) is one thing. My understanding is that bands/ promoters agree on the ticket price. For TM to charge for the access to that product is just their job, I get that. But to turn around and ‘resell’ these tickets at another premium so they can circumvent their agreement with Radiohead/ the Blue Man Group/ Doug Henning/ Whomever would be illegal in any other business.
TICKETSNOW: I purchases BCS championship tickets from ticketsnow at approx 9-930pm on 12/7/08, as soon as OU won and was heading to the BCS championship. On 12/10/08 we received an invoice stating our tickets will delivered appron 1/6/09. I immediately called and voiced a concern that if this date had been made aware to me prior to my purchase, i would have went with one of the sellers who stated tickets were in hand. at no time was i ware that the vendor ticketsnow allowed to post their tickets for sale didnt even have their tickets in hand and ready for sale. the ticketsnow agent called the vendor. the vendor assured the rep that they would have their tickets in hand and ready for shipping in the next two weeks and if they came in earlier they would ship immediately. so i waited. two weeks went by, didnt hear anything. called ticketsnow again, who in turned called the vendor… the vendor told the rep that i would recv the tickets in the middle of the following week. i ask
ed the rep to call back the vendor again for didnt believe they had the tickets yet. i be darn,they didnt have the tickets yet. at the end of this call, the vendor guarenteed that they would ship my tickets 1/2/09. between the rep and i we figured since ups/fed ex was closed on 1/1 that they had to have tickets in hand by 12/31. i called 12/31.. no tickets in hand and they denied speaking with ticketsnow stating i would have my tickets shipped on 1/2/09. so as i contine with this back and forth issue, here it is 4 business days before the game and the vendor still doesnt have the tickets. so we are expected to board an airplane for florida with no tickets in hand. i told ticketsnow that they charged my cc for the tickets and was only suppose to have been done when they secured by tickets. since the vendor doesnt have the tickets, how did they secure them. i have requested to that ticketsnow hook me with a vendor who has their tickets in hand… i am waiting to hear from a m
anager… not corporate for when you call the 815#it goes right back to the call centers… i have a feeling i will be praying for my tickets to show up. i will let you know what happens next…
Not only is Ticketmaster jacking up prices unfairly, but are also guilty of false advertisement. STS9 is playing two nights at the Wiltern in LA. I searched for tickets on Ticketmaster’s site, and it came back with three listings, one for each night, and one for a two-day pass. I clicked on the two-day pass option, and was redirected to TicketsNow. This was the first I’d heard of them, but since they said they were a ticketmaster company, I didn’t really think twice. and proceeded to order. A little while later I got an order confirmation in my inbox with only one night listed. I e-mailed customer service and was supposed to get a response within 24 hours. This was their response two days later:
Thank you for your inquiry. After reviewing your account it seems like you will be receiving only for the one day. I don’t see anything on your invoice mentioning that it will be a two day pass. I do apologize for the confusion, but it looks like it will only be for the 16th of January.
If you have any further questions, please contact our Customer Service Representatives at 1-800-927-2770 during our business hours. Service Representatives are available to assist you Monday through Friday from 8am until 9pm Central Standard Time. We are also open Saturday from 8am until 5:30pm CST, and Sunday from 9am until 5:30pm CST. Thank You.
Ruben Ruiz
Sales, Customer Care
Rruiz@ticketsnow.com
866-441-8450×50152
The tickets just arrived today, and surely enough, they were only for a single night, and I paid way more than face-value. for them. I understand that TicketsNow tix are sold through “brokers”, and I read the disclaimer that said that tickets may be sold for more than face-value. The price didn’t seem too high though since I thought I was paying for two nights.
Needless to say, I’m pissed. I was misled into thinking I was getting tix for both nights, and now I’m only going to one and paying much more than I should’ve for that single night ( the face-value on the tickets with service charge is $39.50, got charged $210 total for two tickets). I should’ve gone to Live Nation where they were still on sale at regular price, but the fact remains that Ticketmaster/TicketsNow is decieving and ripping off it’s customers.
1. TicketNow sells tickets right on the ticketmaster page
2. how do we know ticketmaster is selling tickets to the public first befor they put them on ticketsNow
3. Ticketmaster says check back as the event nears as tickets may available. Sounds like TM will resell all the unsold tickets from ticketsnow
4. Technical difficulty on Ticketmaster that impaired us from making a purchase, and if you were lucky to get on the site you found out it was soldout
5. LIVE NATION AND TICKETMASTER TO COMBINE IN MERGER. Live Nataion owns most of the venues . This a monopoly. . aren’t there laws against this !!!!
I say enough is enough so I started a website with #’s and addresses of congressmen to complain to
do your part and call congress and complain.
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/207734?m