Concert ticket rant

[Orion Nebula]

I would like to see the show, and my son is very excited to see Imagine Dragons. There have been events where I've looked at the tickets, decided to go and then changed my mind when I saw how much the actual fees were.
People won't do anything en masse. No matter how worthy the cause there would be a sizable percentage that wouldn't do it just because someone else is.

To me that's the worst part, the venue and the promoter of this show are both Ticketmaster.

Oh I get it, and it's great that you took him. I am not saying I am perfect or anything, I have taken my daughter to a concert before also. My point is that's it's hard to really complain about a service or products price when you don't have to buy it. And ya the lack of en masse thing is for sure true, hence why so many places ratchet up their "fees".

 

[shh]

Just bought tickets to bring my 9 year old to his first concert. Imagine Dragons and Macklemore. Tickets didn't look too bad at $39.50 a piece, until I got to the checkout page and the total was $190. $18.85 in fees for each ticket and then another 3.50 "Order fee." I thought things had gotten better in the 30 years since Pearl Jam sued Ticketmaster over their fees. Guess I need to go back to indie shows and not mainstream.

I was an avid concert and show attendee years ago. But I haven't purchased a single show or concert ticket in 2 decades. I'd like to see some acts, but won't support these consumer-gouging fees. Unfortunately most people gripe, but still buy. So I doubt they're ever going away.

No big loss for me - the booze (free refills! lol), food, seating and comfort is all way sweeter in my own home - and I don't have to put up with people singing over the performers, blocking the view with tablets, and all the other rude behaviors.

 

[barkley]

I was an avid concert and show attendee years ago. But I haven't purchased a single show or concert ticket in 2 decades. I'd like to see some acts, but won't support these consumer-gouging fees. Unfortunately most people gripe, but still buy. So I doubt they're ever going away.

No big loss for me - the booze (free refills! lol), food, seating and comfort is all way sweeter in my own home - and I don't have to put up with people singing over the performers, blocking the view with tablets, and all the other rude behaviors.

we have a popular outdoor concert venue near us that is on a massive piece of property with other indoor venues. you can hear the concerts no matter where you are outside. a couple of years ago they built an apartment complex on the property and i've often wondered if people sell lawn chair seating on their balconies for concert nights (someone could make a tidy side income from it).

 

[shh]

I think a $10 to $15 fee per ticket is reasonable for services like Ticketmaster or StubHub, even for cheapie $25 nosebleed seats. Anything above that, such as a percentage based on face value (i.e. $15 for a $50 seat but $30 for a $100 seat) is ridiculous.

Many venue box offices are Ticketmaster locations these days and fees are charged there too.

I think this is one of the reasons these surcharges will never go away- everyone has a diff definition of "reasonable". $10-15 on a 25 ticket represents 40-60% of the event cost.

To me, that's outrageous. To RedAngie, it's in reasonable range. Her opinion is as valid as mine.
So....free market, as usual, decides.
I stay home.
Others feel it's fine and attend.
Some grumble, but still attend.

Same with resort fees - I won't stay in hotels with resort fees over $15. Has never stopped me from traveling or staying at perfectly fine locations.

 

[MillauFr]

Just refuse to do business with these people. Went to Las Vegas last Summer. Rather than complain about resort and parking fees we just stayed at a hotel that didn't charge them.

 

[barkley]

Same with resort fees - I won't stay in hotels with resort fees over $15. Has never stopped me from traveling or staying at perfectly fine locations.

there is pending federal legislation that would end resort fees as add-ons and force hotels to include them in their advertised rates. if one of the fees is strictly for using the pool and/or hotel gym i've known people who have gotten them written off by making the argument at checkout that they didn't use them and asking for a printout of their key cards to make the resort prove to them when they supposedly accessed the fee related areas.

 

[DLgal]

Well, Ticketmaster and others do provide a service and convenience, so I believe they’re entitled to add a fee above face value.

But maybe they should present an “all in” price when searching for tickets, just like airlines are required to do.

They do have a search option where you can select "show prices with all fees." You have to toggle it on. I don't even bother looking at Ticketmaster tickets without that option turned on.

 

[disneychrista]

I “love” convenience fees that are added for online purchases when online is the only way to purchase the tickets.

 

[BrianL]

I “love” convenience fees that are added for online purchases when online is the only way to purchase the tickets.

I know - it's crazy. Purchasing online is more convenient for them too. They slap this on movie tickets here, and I'm like, isn't this cheaper than paying more staff to man the ticket counter? If anything, I should be getting a discount!

 

[mrodgers]

Well, Ticketmaster and others do provide a service and convenience, so I believe they’re entitled to add a fee above face value.

But maybe they should present an “all in” price when searching for tickets, just like airlines are required to do.

Problem is, Ticketmaster isn't providing a service and convenience to the purchaser. It's a service and convenience to the seller but the purchaser is the one paying for it.

I'm not much of a concert goer, but went last year. I went on the venue site, here's where to buy tickets. They were reselling of tickets, I couldn't find tickets sold by the actual venue at all. So, I paid $90 each for 3 tickets plus a fee. 2 weeks later I get all I need to get my tickets, which sent me to the production company (AXTV or whatever they are) to get my tickets and that is where I see the actual tickets are only $45.

 

[mrodgers]

Why are they entitled to a fee above face value when they are the only place you can get the tickets? If there is no option to get the tickets at "face" value, shouldn't the "face" itself be changed to what you can get them for? I'm purchasing these tickets directly from the venue, which is itself owned by Ticketmaster, they get to add on a fee for providing "a service and convenience" to themselves?

Because they make finding the face value tickets difficult. You're not buying tickets sold to you, you are buying tickets someone else has already purchased whether that is an individual with tickets or an entity that purchase huge blocks of tickets to resell. That's what happened to me in the above post, I bought tickets through a service from someone else, not directly from the event. It wasn't until the event was almost upon us did I finally see that I could have purchased face value tickets from the promoting company.

It's all very confusing to me.

 

[mrodgers]

I don't want to be one of those people, but why go then? Just like everything in life (including WDW) the only way to stop companies from doing this is via not giving them your business. If people would do that en masse the fee's would drop. If you hand over your card anyways of course things will only get worse.

Concerts are not vital to survival like food and Disney.

Thank You!

You are the first person ever I have seen to state what I have been stating in all the various forums full of 100's of thousands of members with dozens of people all complaining about the same thing, the price. They cry that it costs too much, but it really doesn't cost too much because they bought it anyways. The old whining about the price of an iPhone while standing in line for 3 days with your wallet held out. If you're standing there willing to give them your money, they aren't over priced, they are priced either just right or too cheap.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Thank You!

You are the first person ever I have seen to state what I have been stating in all the various forums full of 100's of thousands of members with dozens of people all complaining about the same thing, the price. They cry that it costs too much, but it really doesn't cost too much because they bought it anyways. The old whining about the price of an iPhone while standing in line for 3 days with your wallet held out. If you're standing there willing to give them your money, they aren't over priced, they are priced either just right or too cheap.

Eh..when it comes to service fees and surcharges there's a line there where it's not about "people willing to buy" and more about predatory practices. It isn't as if Ticketmaster and others like them haven't gotten themselves in legal investigations to their practices.

I guess in other words just because people are giving someone their money does not mean who they are giving their money to is engaging in ethical or legal behaviors.

 

[Colleen27]

I don't want to be one of those people, but why go then? Just like everything in life (including WDW) the only way to stop companies from doing this is via not giving them your business. If people would do that en masse the fee's would drop. If you hand over your card anyways of course things will only get worse.

Concerts are not vital to survival like food and Disney.

Well, there is actually another way... We do have anti-monopoly laws on the books. Enforcing them in situations like the one Ticketmaster has created would do a lot to not only rein in fees, but also business practices like allowing "investors" to buy unlimited amounts of tickets to resell on (Ticketmaster-owned) secondary markets and using their clout as not only the largest ticketing service but also one of the largest event producers/promoters to pressure venues into signing on to making their own box offices - which used to be how consumers could avoid TM fees - into Ticketmaster outlets for fear of losing event bookings if they don't. But it seems like, since concerts aren't an essential good, no one cares whether or not TM's business practices violate existing laws and regulations.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Thank You!

You are the first person ever I have seen to state what I have been stating in all the various forums full of 100's of thousands of members with dozens of people all complaining about the same thing, the price. They cry that it costs too much, but it really doesn't cost too much because they bought it anyways. The old whining about the price of an iPhone while standing in line for 3 days with your wallet held out. If you're standing there willing to give them your money, they aren't over priced, they are priced either just right or too cheap.

For the record, the last time I attended a concert of the type we're discussing here was 2008. The ridiculous fees (especially when you have no option to avoid those fees by walking up to the box office and purchasing the ticket) are a big reason why.

Also, my iPhone is a 6s+ and I don't plan on buying a new one until this one craps out.

Do I get to cry now?

 

[mrodgers]

For the record, the last time I attended a concert of the type we're discussing here was 2008. The ridiculous fees (especially when you have no option to avoid those fees by walking up to the box office and purchasing the ticket) are a big reason why.

Also, my iPhone is a 6s+ and I don't plan on buying a new one until this one craps out.

Do I get to cry now?

Did you cry about the cost but let your actions show otherwise by shelling out the money? You said no, you're not one who does this.

Your iPhone is old and you haven't bought a new one. Do you want a new one but you're saying they are too much money so you don't buy a new one? Yes, you can comment on the prices.

If you saw said fees and paid them anyways, then obviously the price you are crying about isn't too much because you were willing to pay said price. If you complain about how ridiculous the iPhone prices are but camped out on the sidewalk ready to hand over your $1500 you are complaining about on a moments notice as soon as they open up for sale, then the price isn't too high as you were still willing to pay said price.

Disney costs 3 times what it cost when I took my family. I took my family because it cost me $2100. Do we want to go to Disney again? No, the same trip is now $6000 and that's ridiculous. I wouldn't be able to call it ridiculous if I whined and cried about it as I charge $6000 to my credit card. I can however call it ridiculous because I didn't shell out the $6000. $6000 is too high of cost in my opinion, so I don't go. Other people say the cost is too high, but then charge it and go. For those people, the cost wasn't too high, they paid that cost and went voluntarily. I go somewhere else on vacation for $2000, what I'm willing and able to pay for a vacation.

 

[EACarlson]

Because they make finding the face value tickets difficult. You're not buying tickets sold to you, you are buying tickets someone else has already purchased whether that is an individual with tickets or an entity that purchase huge blocks of tickets to resell. That's what happened to me in the above post, I bought tickets through a service from someone else, not directly from the event. It wasn't until the event was almost upon us did I finally see that I could have purchased face value tickets from the promoting company.

It's all very confusing to me.

I'm buying tickets from ticketmaster for a ticketmaster promoted show at a ticketmaster owned venue during a ticketmaster run pre-sale. I'm not buying from a third party in any way, shape or form.

 

[Orion Nebula]

Eh..when it comes to service fees and surcharges there's a line there where it's not about "people willing to buy" and more about predatory practices. It isn't as if Ticketmaster and others like them haven't gotten themselves in legal investigations to their practices.

I guess in other words just because people are giving someone their money does not mean who they are giving their money to is engaging in ethical or legal behaviors.

I don't see why that even matters. The fee's are added and people are upset over paying for them... then don't. It's not a complicated situation.

 

[Orion Nebula]

Thank You!

You are the first person ever I have seen to state what I have been stating in all the various forums full of 100's of thousands of members with dozens of people all complaining about the same thing, the price. They cry that it costs too much, but it really doesn't cost too much because they bought it anyways. The old whining about the price of an iPhone while standing in line for 3 days with your wallet held out. If you're standing there willing to give them your money, they aren't over priced, they are priced either just right or too cheap.

The first thing I do when I come across a WDW rant post it check the signature line. Most of the time the person has a trip booked, or is in the middle of booking one. I always imagine them yelling at the sky while typing in their CC number.

And you are right they aren't overpriced if people are willing to... pay the price. It's one of the reasons Chapek and CO are sitting back laughing while sipping whisky.

 

[elgerber]

Have you seen Ticketmasters Dynamic pricing? My dd was looking at Alannis tickets a couple of weeks ago. We were looking during the pre-sale. An hour after the pre-sale started, they jacked up the prices $20-$30 in all sections, except the very cheapest seats.