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Ticket Service Charges

mattsway
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Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 07:18 PM UTC #
Hello 9:30 Club

Your ticket service charges are sad. Between 9:30 club and Tickets.com I just paid $7.75 in service charges on a $15.00 ticket. How do you all sleep at night????? Do you know that is better than 50% of my orginal ticket cost? :(
ggw
Joined: December 16, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 14237
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 07:21 PM UTC #
Originally posted by mattsway:
Hello 9:30 Club

Your ticket service charges are sad. Between 9:30 club and Tickets.com I just paid $7.75 in service charges on a $15.00 ticket. How do you all sleep at night????? Do you know that is better than 50% of my orginal ticket cost? :(
That's the Tickets.com service charge. If you bought it at the club, it would have been $1.
Guiny
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Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 07:22 PM UTC #
I believe you mean just tickets.com, i dont think 9:30 Club has anything to do with it. I could be wrong but doubt i am.
mankie
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Posts: 0
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 07:29 PM UTC #
Originally posted by Guiny:
I believe you mean just tickets.com, i dont think 9:30 Club has anything to do with it. I could be wrong but doubt i am.
It has everything to do with the 930 club, and all the other venues that use ticketbastard and tickets.scam. As long as they continue to use these agencies and allow them to get away with shafting their patrons…it has everything to do with the club.

We are also paritally to blame for continuing to buy the tickets. No action = No changes!

It's just that simple.
bags
Joined: October 30, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 8545
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 07:34 PM UTC #
Problem, Mank, is accessibility of tickets for customers who want to go to these shows, but may live too far out (or in another city) or work hours that bar them from getting to the club. Trust me, few despise TicketBastard more than I, and I may buy tix for 4 to 5 shows a year from them, out of the 50 I go to.

I think the 930 Club *tried* to help by going with a TicketBastard competitor when it started up. Alas, there haven't been anymore, so that simply raised the ability of tickets.com to raise 'costs' to meet TB.

It's an especially big problem for folks like those here on the board – we go to smaller shows and venues with lower ticket prices, so a 50% markup is INSANE. I don't know what the answer is; I wish someone would find one.
mankie
Joined: Unknown
Posts: 0
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 07:45 PM UTC #
The only answer is for concert-goers to boycott concerts until the service charges are reduced….that will never happen though because we all love our music too much. Same could also be said for sports.

It has affected me personally because I only attend about 35% of shows I used to…I only go to shows I know I'm going to enjoy and don't bother "checking out" bands anymore. Again, same with sports. I used to go to Capitals games all the time, but I only go now when they're on a winning streak because I have a better chance of watching my team win. Unfortunately that means NO GAMES so far this season. :(
bags
Joined: October 30, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 8545
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 07:51 PM UTC #
Originally posted by mankie:
The only answer is for concert-goers to boycott concerts until the service charges are reduced….that will never happen though because we all love our music too much.
But that only gets at the venue, not Ticketmaster.
ggw
Joined: December 16, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 14237
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 08:04 PM UTC #
Originally posted by Bagster:
Problem, Mank, is accessibility of tickets for customers who want to go to these shows, but may live too far out (or in another city) or work hours that bar them from getting to the club.
But without a ticket service, those people would be shit out of luck. With a ticket service, they can overcome these accessibility issues much more easily. I remember those ancient pre-internet days when you had to stand/sit/sleep in line outside for hours. Which is a bigger loss - time or money?

Mankie, I think it's better just to avoid the ticket agencies rather than the entire show. If you buy at the venue, you still get your ticket and achieve your goal of not paying the ticket service agency.
mankie
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Posts: 0
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 08:09 PM UTC #
Originally posted by Bagster:
Originally posted by mankie:
The only answer is for concert-goers to boycott concerts until the service charges are reduced….that will never happen though because we all love our music too much.
But that only gets at the venue, not Ticketmaster.
Not really bags, because if we aren't buying tickets they aren't getting their service charge, and so what if it hits the venues hard….that may spur them in to doing something collectively about the issue.

GGW…your point is valid, but it still means I will go to fewer shows than I used to if it means driving from Dulles to DC on my way home to Aspen Hill just to buy a ticket. I'm only going to do that for shows I really want to see…and not for the "checking out" expeditions I used to enjoy.
sonickteam2
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Posts: 0
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 08:09 PM UTC #
what i try to do , as a regular patron, is when i go to a show, I try to find the next show i plan on attending and buy tickets for that show.

that way i am always one show ahead of myself. Since i live in Bmoreland, i cant make it down whenever i want, so i have assimilated (is that the right word?)
sonickteam2
Joined: Unknown
Posts: 0
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 08:11 PM UTC #
Originally posted by mankie:
but it still means I will go to fewer shows than I used to
maybe we should start a "ticket-sharing" network on the internet :)
Guiny
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Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 08:42 PM UTC #
Originally posted by mankie:
I used to go to Capitals games all the time, but I only go now when they're on a winning streak because I have a better chance of watching my team win. Unfortunately that means NO GAMES so far this season. :(
I've been to 3 free games this year. :p
mankie
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Posts: 0
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 08:44 PM UTC #
Originally posted by sonickteam2:
what i try to do , as a regular patron, is when i go to a show, I try to find the next show i plan on attending and buy tickets for that show.

that way i am always one show ahead of myself. Since i live in Bmoreland, i cant make it down whenever i want, so i have assimilated (is that the right word?)
Unfortunately, my job doesn't allow me to plan that far ahead for the most part or it would be a great idea.
Guiny
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Posts: 0
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 08:46 PM UTC #
Why dont you all give me your addresses and a check and concert list, i'll drive down to the club, pick up your tickets and mail them to you. You'd just have to pay for the price of the stamp. :cool:
sonickteam2
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Posts: 0
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 08:47 PM UTC #
Originally posted by mankie:
Unfortunately, my job doesn't allow me to plan that far ahead for the most part or it would be a great idea.
yeah, my 7:30-4:15pm schedule is pretty much concert friendly , the record store gets in the way sometimes, but i can usually ask off.
bags
Joined: October 30, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 8545
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 08:48 PM UTC #
ggw, that was exactly my point – you need some service so everyone can get tickets.

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Originally posted by Bagster:
Problem, Mank, is accessibility of tickets for customers who want to go to these shows, but may live too far out (or in another city) or work hours that bar them from getting to the club.
But without a ticket service, those people would be shit out of luck. With a ticket service, they can overcome these accessibility issues much more easily. I remember those ancient pre-internet days when you had to stand/sit/sleep in line outside for hours. Which is a bigger loss - time or money?
bags
Joined: October 30, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 8545
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 08:50 PM UTC #
I think I offered that to someone once – really, it could be done. 9:30 and Black Cat are both on my way home from work.

Originally posted by Guiny:
Why dont you all give me your addresses and a check and concert list, i'll drive down to the club, pick up your tickets and mail them to you. You'd just have to pay for the price of the stamp. :cool:
mankie
Joined: Unknown
Posts: 0
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 08:59 PM UTC #
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
But without a ticket service, those people would be shit out of luck. With a ticket service, they can overcome these accessibility issues much more easily. I remember those ancient pre-internet days when you had to stand/sit/sleep in line outside for hours. Which is a bigger loss - time or money?

I don't think anyone minds a ticket service charge…it's just the amount of the charge that's the issue. For example, why is it per ticket, it should be per transaction, because if you're buying one or ten tickets you're still only getting the same 'service' for that transaction.
sonickteam2
Joined: Unknown
Posts: 0
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 09:21 PM UTC #
Originally posted by mankie:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
But without a ticket service, those people would be shit out of luck. With a ticket service, they can overcome these accessibility issues much more easily. I remember those ancient pre-internet days when you had to stand/sit/sleep in line outside for hours. Which is a bigger loss - time or money?

I don't think anyone minds a ticket service charge…it's just the amount of the charge that's the issue. For example, why is it per ticket, it should be per transaction, because if you're buying one or ten tickets you're still only getting the same 'service' for that transaction.
or perhaps a percentage of the sale. say 10%. that way if you buy 3 $50 tickets the serivce charge is $15, but if you only buy 2 $15 tickets, the charge is $3.
that way i am not spending $12 on 2 tickets to the DC101 $1 show!!!!!!
Got Haggis?
Joined: October 22, 2001 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 2016
Re: Ticket Service Charges January 08, 2004 at 09:33 PM UTC #
look at the way fandango or moviephone.com works….$8 for a movie…and it's either .50 for $1 to buy your ticket online.

I don't see why tickets to shows charges are so much more…especially now that at least on ticketmaster.com you can even print out your ticket on your printer
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