Service charges a little high?

mr_goodbomb wrote:
This is organizing. I'm posting in a public place and making it well-known.

You're not organizing, you're making a meaningless fuss on the internet.  You win the Comic Book Guy award of the week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzyd91NFx-Y

Seth wrote:
I would define transparency as when the charges are separated

if the ticket was just one price, and you couldn't see the breakdown, that would not be transparent, in my opinion

as far as taking it steps further, and then explaining who makes what out of those different parts of the ticket…I'm sorry, but that's just nobody's business, any more than if you laid out what everyone made at a store you bought something at

listen, when I answer with my "if you don't like it, don't go" type responses…this does not mean we don't appreciate everyone's business…in fact, it's just the opposite…we appreciate our customers that pay a lot of money to see shows, and try and provide them with the best experience possible

but, by all means, bring on the discussions!

Hey all respect Seth..Great venue…And I'm glad you interact with us.

But "transparency" is not telling someone we're charging you for providing you a printed copy of the ticket and the service of giving you that ticket when in reality we're charging you X so we can give a chunk back to the venue so they allow us to hold a gun to your head (i.e. its this way or the highway)…And while we can buy tickets at the window thats not applicable for the shows that sell out quickly…

Also you say its nobody's business any more than anyone who bought anything at the store? So you and ticket sellers are the store? So why do you break it down then? You can't break it down as if its separate services (ticket to event and ticket selling service) and then say they are the same and we have no right to ask what it is that we are paying for.. How is that transparent?

If thats "transparency" please give me something shady!

Really Seth why don't you just come out and admit you're ripping off your customers who are too complacent and disorganized to do anything about it?

Anyone else wanna talk more about Alice's Restaurant and the fact that the Black Cat staff are typically nice to everyone; not just certain people for certain reasons? ;)



Both topics being more worthwhile than this one.

You want 'transparency', Hutch? How's this?

What Seth and the agencies aren't telling you is that those 'convenience fees' are 'a natural DC show' fee. A tax, of sorts, for the 'convenience' of all of those 'natural DC shows' for you spoiled, inside the Beltway lot who believe that all artists are duty bound to play DC on every tour. For the rest of us, it's for the convenience of not having to drive inside the DC beltway to pick up our tickets prior to the show.

::)

Jaguar wrote:
You want 'transparency', Hutch? How's this?

What Seth and the agencies aren't telling you is that those 'convenience fees' are 'a natural DC show' fee. A tax, of sorts, for the 'convenience' of all of those 'natural DC shows' for you spoiled, inside the Beltway lot who believe that all artists are duty bound to play DC on every tour. For the rest of us, it's for the convenience of not having to drive inside the DC beltway to pick up our tickets prior to the show.

::)

:D

Best post in the thread.

POTW

Jaguar wrote:
You want 'transparency', Hutch? How's this?

What Seth and the agencies aren't telling you is that those 'convenience fees' are 'a natural DC show' fee. A tax, of sorts, for the 'convenience' of all of those 'natural DC shows' for you spoiled, inside the Beltway lot who believe that all artists are duty bound to play DC on every tour. For the rest of us, it's for the convenience of not having to drive inside the DC beltway to pick up our tickets prior to the show.

::)

Thank you, gentlemen.

is there some charge I don't know about being added AFTER you see them all and decide to purchase the tickets?

or are we just talking about the total that is presented that you don't like?

hutch wrote:

Seth wrote:
I would define transparency as when the charges are separated

if the ticket was just one price, and you couldn't see the breakdown, that would not be transparent, in my opinion

as far as taking it steps further, and then explaining who makes what out of those different parts of the ticket…I'm sorry, but that's just nobody's business, any more than if you laid out what everyone made at a store you bought something at

listen, when I answer with my "if you don't like it, don't go" type responses…this does not mean we don't appreciate everyone's business…in fact, it's just the opposite…we appreciate our customers that pay a lot of money to see shows, and try and provide them with the best experience possible

but, by all means, bring on the discussions!

Hey all respect Seth..Great venue…And I'm glad you interact with us.

But "transparency" is not telling someone we're charging you for providing you a printed copy of the ticket and the service of giving you that ticket when in reality we're charging you X so we can give a chunk back to the venue so they allow us to hold a gun to your head (i.e. its this way or the highway)…And while we can buy tickets at the window thats not applicable for the shows that sell out quickly…

Also you say its nobody's business any more than anyone who bought anything at the store? So you and ticket sellers are the store? So why do you break it down then? You can't break it down as if its separate services (ticket to event and ticket selling service) and then say they are the same and we have no right to ask what it is that we are paying for.. How is that transparent?

If thats "transparency" please give me something shady!

Really Seth why don't you just come out and admit you're ripping off your customers who are too complacent and disorganized to do anything about it?

Who cares if part of the fee goes back to the venue/promoter, what difference does it make?

As Seth once brilliantly stated here, and I'm paraphrasing,  "Do people go around questioning why Milk costs what it does?".  Don't like the fees don't pay them, just don't be bitter when you learn after the fact how amazing the show which one missed over some fees… 

As someone who grew up on a dairy farm, I'm interested in how the dollars are distributed.

And to equate concert tickets with milk is pure silliness.

James wrote:
As someone who grew up on a dairy farm, I'm interested in how the dollars are distributed.

And to equate concert tickets with milk is pure silliness.

agreed.  i can live without milk.

mr_goodbomb wrote:
This is organizing. I'm posting in a public place and making it well-known. I just haven't got my friends to do it because, well, they don't care enough to make an account and say anything.

again, you're not organizing, you're a lone voice ranting (in a really whiny way, FYI).  a good organizer would have gotten his friends to understand the injustice at hand and motivated them to do something as minimal as sign up for a free board and say "me too".

mr_goodbomb wrote:
One band called City and Colour.

from wikipedia: "City and Colour is the alias for Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Dallas Green, also known as the guitarist of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire. He started playing under this alias in 2004. He plays acoustic and folk music, [1] and is often accompanied by a varying number of musicians."

100% guaranteed that this show didn't sell out in advance.  you could have walked in to the show paying nothing more than face.  don't want to drive down to DC and risk a sold-out show?  ask in the FAQ if tickets will be available at the door.  oh, wait, that might be construed as sending a message to the club… nevermind.

mr_goodbomb wrote:
If you're not making anything extra off the service charges, why are you so unconcerned about how your customers feel about them?

as mentioned previously, the 930 club's surcharges are in line with other large venues.  maybe you don't make it out to big-city shows that often?  to prove it to yourself, please try ordering tickets from livenation, or ticketmaster, or another venue using ticketfly.  you'll see that surcharges are similar.  i'm not saying you don't have a right to protest, but you make it sound like it's something that only the 930 club does.  are you ranting on livenation.com too?  or do you think that the 930 owes you something?

mr_goodbomb wrote:
Either way, those customers will stop paying "a lot of money to see shows" when you treat them like dogshit, bud.

do you seriously think that seth stays up late at night, dreaming up new & innovative ways to piss of his customers - because he hates them?  do you think he's been in business this long by alienating people?

mr_goodbomb wrote:
I'll be sure to treat your venue as such the next time I'm there. Thanks.

excellent idea.  how exactly do you think this will play out?

CLUB STAFF: "excuse me boss, but someone has vandalized the club/caused damage/made a mess/etc.  it's going to cost $ to fix it."
SETH (shaking a clenched fist at the sky): "dammit!!!  i KNEW i should have lowered the surcharges!"

if anything, it'll make him look for additional revenue sources to cover the cost of damages.  now where could he squeeze out a few more bucks…

like this ranting thread, treating the venue like shit will accomplish only one thing: make you feel better.  it won't change the cause of your frustrations. 

you're 14 years old, aren't you?

I love the ridiculousness of the transparency argument. My local mom and pop store charges $20 for a whoziwhatzit. Then, when I get to the register, they charge me a sales tax mandated by a third party on top of it. My receipt breaks down the difference. I know as a smart person, that the state gives a percentage of the sales tax back to the mom and pop store to cover costs incidental with the collection of sales tax. HOWEVER, when I ask mom and pop how much they're getting back, they also tell me its none of my business.

Using the hutch and mr_goodbomb logic, I should refuse to pay sales tax and boycott mom and pop for being in collusion with the Commonwealth of Virginia. IT'S ALL SO OBVIOUS NOW!!

kosmo wrote:
As Seth once brilliantly stated here, and I'm paraphrasing,  "Do people go around questioning why Milk costs what it does?".  Don't like the fees don't pay them, just don't be bitter when you learn after the fact how amazing the show which one missed over some fees… 

Yeah, so then I don't buy the milk. Just like I don't buy the tickets. We've already determined it doesn't make a hill of difference if I decide not to go. Why not just end it at "don't by the tickets" and not rub in our faces?

Seth wrote:
listen, when I answer with my "if you don't like it, don't go" type responses…this does not mean we don't appreciate everyone's business…in fact, it's just the opposite…we appreciate our customers that pay a lot of money to see shows, and try and provide them with the best experience possible

but, by all means, bring on the discussions!

Thanks for stating this, it does help to know, Seth. Especially when I just can't afford even the minimum amount of show I'd like to see and to know others can.
While you're open to discussions, how about lowering the cost of a small bottle of water (currently $4) or getting a filter for the water in the pitcher? It tastes like crap.
Loons tease me all you want, you know it does too.

mr_goodbomb wrote:
If you're not making anything extra off the service charges, why are you so unconcerned about how your customers feel about them?

Finally got through my bonehead that people wouldn't go if they did offer at one price. It would cost too much. Only the ones who truly could afford would. But really, it's Marketing / ECON 101 right? By the time you are at the final pay button - how many people stop and don't buy? I'd think not many b/c you really want to see the show, justify it, put it on credit and eat ramen for a month to make up for the fees you weren't expecting. Not that I'm speaking personally about this mind-game money juggling justification…;)

Seth wrote:
is there some charge I don't know about being added AFTER you see them all and decide to purchase the tickets?

or are we just talking about the total that is presented that you don't like?

Seth, I think most people would consider the fees to more transparent if all the fees and the total cost were detailed on the first web page before you decide to see if tickets are available rather than on the last page when you enter your credit card info and click the purchase button. On the first page, it says the cost is $20 (for example), but, when you get to the final page, the real cost is $30 (for example). We all know those conveniene fees are coming, but it can still be a bit of a shock, especially when it seems they cost more than usual.

I like that idea

let me look into it

Sugartastic wrote:

kosmo wrote:
As Seth once brilliantly stated here, and I'm paraphrasing,  "Do people go around questioning why Milk costs what it does?".  Don't like the fees don't pay them, just don't be bitter when you learn after the fact how amazing the show which one missed over some fees… 

Yeah, so then I don't buy the milk. Just like I don't buy the tickets. We've already determined it doesn't make a hill of difference if I decide not to go. Why not just end it at "don't by the tickets" and not rub in our faces?

I apologize for the harshness of this statement and it's not a fate I would wish on anyone, unless one comes around stomping their feet like a spoiled child and not even willing to take the simplest of suggestions regarding checking the availability of tickets.  Sorry again kosmo scrouge

A little gingerbread man at the club just told me that City and Colour had a sold out show  at the Black Cat and not the 9:30 club.