Absurd Service Fees

2 tickets to Ziggy: $30
tickets.com "service" fee: $11.00
9:30 club service fee for will call: $3.25

What a load of garbage. How do you charge these fees with a straight face? I understand the need to recoup costs, but 25% of the ticket price? No way. Forget it. I'm so pissed I'm not even going to the show… or any of the 2-3 upcoming ones I was thinking about.

I've been going to shows at 9:30 since the mid 80s – it used to be a respectable establishment – ok, maybe not, but at least it used to be an honest disrespectable establishment. :)

errrrrrrrr,

we have this debate all the time. The low down is you can buy advance tickets from the clubs box office for only a $1 fee. (no charge on the night). If you want the convenience of not having to go to the club to buy tickets, you have to pay for it.

Its not worth it for me, either.

I hear you.

We've had this debate on this board again and again. But it's tickets.com, not the club. Except, perhaps, for that Will Call charge (which I've never heard of before).

Alas it's the price of going to shows if you live too far away to get tickets at the club.

If you *can* get by the club, 9:30 has a particularly expansive and helpful box office policy: 12:00 - 7:00 p.m. every day, and every night there's a show they stay open until 11:00 p.m. (which is just about every night). Service fee is only $1 per ticket. I know, it doesn't help folks who live in Baltimore or Dunn Loring or wherever.

Originally posted by mark e smith:
Its not worth it for me, either.

Ditto. I only buy tix through a service when there's no other option at all (a la DAR or something, which occurs rarely for me). But I'm lucky; I live in the city.

probably could have taken you just as long to drive to get the tix at the club box office than to sign up on this message board to complain/whine about tickets.com fees.

also, that show is overpriced per artists' request. that tour is $30-40 across the country.

or try going to a tickets.com outlet
http://www.tickets.com/b2b/maryland_virginia_outlets.html

i believe the fees are lower there… can any olsson's employee's or recent customers verify this?

If I recall, you just save on the $3.25 for mailing/will call. The service charge I believe is the same.

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
or try going to a tickets.com outlet
http://www.tickets.com/b2b/maryland_virginia_outlets.html

i believe the fees are lower there… can any olsson's employee's or recent customers verify this?

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
can any olsson's employee's or recent customers verify this?

You just reminded me – Metro Center Olsson's is out of business! The Barnes & Noble across the street finally killed it. <img src="http://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/sad2.gif" alt=" - " />

Originally posted by igor:
probably could have taken you just as long to drive to get the tix at the club box office than to sign up on this message board to complain/whine about tickets.com fees.

also, that show is overpriced per artists' request. that tour is $30-40 across the country.

The artist can request a show to be over-priced? Good call Ziggy…maybe all hte Hippies will still go, if they can afford to give up $40 of pot that week.

Originally posted by nkotbie:
If I recall, you just save on the $3.25 for mailing/will call. The service charge I believe is the same.

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
or try going to a tickets.com outlet
http://www.tickets.com/b2b/maryland_virginia_outlets.html

i believe the fees are lower there… can any olsson's employee's or recent customers verify this?

which is what i thought… it saves something

Originally posted by redsock:
The artist can request a show to be over-priced? Good call Ziggy…maybe all hte Hippies will still go, if they can afford to give up $40 of pot that week.

I dub thee "Rhettsock"

Bags,

It is 9:30 club which has chosen to use this company as an outlet for its tickets, and it reflects on them. Does 9:30 not get a cut of these service fees? That's really hard to believe.

I really can't see a company letting someone else generate 25% profits on their business just to run credit cards and mail tickets. I suspect they get a cut.

Either way, it obviously reduces ticket sales. $60 just to get in the door is bad enough. Jack it up to $75 with "service fees" and I will choose to take my entertainment bucks elsewhere.

Wow, excellent humor by both of you! I laughed out loud.

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:

Originally posted by redsock:
The artist can request a show to be over-priced? Good call Ziggy…maybe all hte Hippies will still go, if they can afford to give up $40 of pot that week.

I dub thee "Rhettsock"

But you dont have to pay the convenience fee if you do not want to.

Tickets.com charges the same as ticketmaster.com, but is a somewhat smaller operation.

actually, I was going to go to see Michael Franti… Ziggy should be opening for him.

they are all evil bastards!!!

thats why i bought a printing machine and bought a ticket to a show, and now i just "share" tickets with my friends and people i know. :)

Originally posted by smittyblah:
Either way, it obviously reduces ticket sales. $60 just to get in the door is bad enough. Jack it up to $75 with "service fees" and I will choose to take my entertainment bucks elsewhere.

I would make the same choice as you…but I don't think it will reduce ticket sales…never underestimate the buying power of DC and NOVA professionals who want to feel like they're hip.

Originally posted by smittyblah:
Bags,

It is 9:30 club which has chosen to use this company as an outlet for its tickets, and it reflects on them. Does 9:30 not get a cut of these service fees? That's really hard to believe.

I realize that 9:30 made the vendor choice, but there are no other options. In fact, 9:30 went with the only competition to Ticketmaster almost as soon as they were up and running. The one shot at getting these costs down, and alas, it didn't work.

I have no idea if the club gets a cut, but I'd stake a lot that it's minimal enough that the Club would go with someone else if the service were cheaper. It really is a user-friendly club.

Originally posted by smittyblah:
actually, I was going to go to see Michael Franti… Ziggy should be opening for him.

this is NOT meant as a slam, or anything…but why do black acts seem to charge more…like Erykah Badu, Floetry, etc…they were 40 or 50 bucks, weren't they? I guess they charge because they CAN, but, that's not being down with the people…I'm especially surprised at Michael Franti (and you're right, Ziggy SHOULD be opening for him)

Since when is it hip to go to a Ziggy Stardust show?

Originally posted by Celeste:

Originally posted by smittyblah:
Either way, it obviously reduces ticket sales. $60 just to get in the door is bad enough. Jack it up to $75 with "service fees" and I will choose to take my entertainment bucks elsewhere.

I would make the same choice as you…but I don't think it will reduce ticket sales…never underestimate the buying power of DC and NOVA professionals who want to feel like they're hip.