930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: mattsway on January 08, 2004, 03:18:00 pm
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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? :(
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. :(
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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.
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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.
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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. [/b]
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.
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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?)
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Originally posted by mankie:
but it still means I will go to fewer shows than I used to [/b]
maybe we should start a "ticket-sharing" network on the internet :)
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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
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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.
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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:
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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. [/b]
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.
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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?
[/b]
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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:
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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?
[/b]
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.
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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?
[/b]
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. [/b]
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!!!!!!
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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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Originally posted by Got Haggis?:
.50 for $1
or not for
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Why can't we buy tickets for the 930 club FROM the 930 club website and pay the $1 club service charge like we do at the box office....or even $1.50 or something for the extra convenience of buying from 930.com.
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That's a good idea. What's keeping this from happening?
Originally posted by mankie:
Why can't we buy tickets for the 930 club FROM the 930 club website and pay the $1 club service charge like we do at the box office....or even $1.50 or something for the extra convenience of buying from 930.com.
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There's a huge difference between someone who is already logging office hours at the club to print off a few tickets for you, and the implentation of an online ticket buying system.
This site isn't exactly cutting edge; there would be a lot of work to be done to set up the website to both take orders, make sure the correct amount of tickets are available, print them out and send them.
I doubt the club would be able to do this and only charge an extra 50 cents or so. I really don't know all the ins and outs of web transactions, but there's a lot more to it than just making it so. You also need to look at the extra manpower that would be needed to print and send all of the tickets, or even print and have them ready at will call. So shut it, Thirsty.
Originally posted by thirsty moore:
That's a good idea. What's keeping this from happening?
Originally posted by mankie:
Why can't we buy tickets for the 930 club FROM the 930 club website and pay the $1 club service charge like we do at the box office....or even $1.50 or something for the extra convenience of buying from 930.com.
[/b]
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I dont think there is much business incentive for the club to take on the overhead required to sell the tickets online themselves.
Edit - Yeah what NKOTB said
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Originally posted by mankie:
Why can't we buy tickets for the 930 club FROM the 930 club website and pay the $1 club service charge like we do at the box office....or even $1.50 or something for the extra convenience of buying from 930.com.
From this old thread (http://www.930.com/cgi-bin/ubb-cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=001095;p=3).
bikerchickdc: With all the $$$ collected from ticket service charges, maybe 9:30 could eliminate the middle-man and just sell tickets directly to the public.
Seth Hurwitz: wow, and then everybody could complain about how MY ticket company sucks
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Thanks all for jumping on the wagon. I'm out in the burbs. I attend a show or so a month but at different venues so its usually difficult to plan too far in advance. I'm not against a reasonable charge for the convenience and peace of mind of knowing I have a ticket. The fees are just out of line. I like the idea of scaling the fees based on ticket price. If I buy some crappy seat at MCI Center for $75 Iâ??d probably be stupid enough to pay $15 in service fees. For now I'm sticking to the small venues.
Enjoying the music.
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I think the Ottobar/Mission Media in baltimore does this. I forget their charge, it is like $3 per ticket I think and that is just for your name on a list when you get to the show.
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Originally posted by Sir HC:
I think the Ottobar/Mission Media in baltimore does this. I forget their charge, it is like $3 per ticket I think and that is just for your name on a list when you get to the show.
That is similar to how Metro Cafe use to do it if I remember correctly.
Ottobar sells through missiontix.com, which while it is affiliated, I thought it functioned as a separate ticket company as well.
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Ottobar, Sidebar and a few other places in B'more use MissionTix for online ticket sales.
From the MissionTix's help section on processing fees: "Unless otherwise noted:
â?? Tickets that are $24.99 or less have a processing fee of $2.50 - $3.50
â?? Tickets that are $25.00 - $49.99 have a processing fee of $4.25
â?? Tickets that are $50.00 - $74.99 have a processing fee of $5.00
â?? Tickets that are $75.00 - $100 have a processing fee of $5.75"
Originally posted by Sir HC:
I think the Ottobar/Mission Media in baltimore does this. I forget their charge, it is like $3 per ticket I think and that is just for your name on a list when you get to the show.
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well there is another tickets.com option that can save at least the processing fee... there are some, not many, outlets where tickets can be gotten
Ticket Outlets (http://www.tickets.com/b2b/maryland_virginia_outlets.html)
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And they shouldn't -- can you imagine the additional grief at the ticket window with the "I bought these three days ago online and NEVER GOT THEM IN THE MAIL; what the hell am I supposed to do!" Oy vey, I can hear the kvetching now.
Originally posted by pollard:
I dont think there is much business incentive for the club to take on the overhead required to sell the tickets online themselves.
Edit - Yeah what NKOTB said
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Jeez Mankie, why do you have to ask these questions.
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-edit- This showed up in the wrong thread!
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Originally posted by thirsty moore:
Jeez Mankie, why do you have to ask these questions.
I should keep my big keyboard shut in the future....just asked a simple question.. "NO" would've sufficed.
Bags, are you jewish because you make comments just like my old boss, rest his soul.
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Originally posted by Got Haggis?:
especially now that at least on ticketmaster.com you can even print out your ticket on your printer
I was just checking this option out on ticketmaster.com. Having your tickets shipped via regular mail - FREE. Printing your tickets yourself on your own printer - $3.50. What's up with that?
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Haha, I was the one that bore the brunt of it!
Originally posted by mankie:
Originally posted by thirsty moore:
Jeez Mankie, why do you have to ask these questions.
I should keep my big keyboard shut in the future....just asked a simple question.. "NO" would've sufficed.[/b]
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Originally posted by mankie:
Originally posted by thirsty moore:
Bags, are you jewish because you make comments just like my old boss, rest his soul. [/b]
I figured someone would eventually ask -- no, not jewish, but attended heavily jewish educational institutions! ;)
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Originally posted by Bags:
Originally posted by mankie:
Originally posted by thirsty moore:
Bags, are you jewish because you make comments just like my old boss, rest his soul. [/b]
I figured someone would eventually ask -- no, not jewish, but attended heavily jewish educational institutions! ;) [/b]
My boss used to say something that cracked me up but I can't remember it exactly now, maybe you can help me.
We did remodeling so when something was finished or completed he would say something like, "it's fach'tick' only when you say the 'fach' bit you make that throat clearing sound.....what's the "fach'tick" I'm thinking of if you know?
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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?
[/b]
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. [/b]
I totally agree. It doesn't cost $7.00 or whatever to print out each ticket invidually in the same order and then stick a "handling" or "processing" fee on top of that to mail it. I don't mind some fee to ensure that the ticket service makes money but there's no rhyme or reason to the charges--it often varies on how popular the show is or how expensive the show is. that makes no sense.
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Originally posted by Random Citizen:
Ottobar, Sidebar and a few other places in B'more use MissionTix for online ticket sales.
From the MissionTix's help section on processing fees: "Unless otherwise noted:
â?? Tickets that are $24.99 or less have a processing fee of $2.50 - $3.50
â?? Tickets that are $25.00 - $49.99 have a processing fee of $4.25
â?? Tickets that are $50.00 - $74.99 have a processing fee of $5.00
â?? Tickets that are $75.00 - $100 have a processing fee of $5.75"
Originally posted by Sir HC:
I think the Ottobar/Mission Media in baltimore does this. I forget their charge, it is like $3 per ticket I think and that is just for your name on a list when you get to the show.
[/b]
that fee schedule is crap--it's the same thing Ticketmaster does: why charge a higher fee just b/c the ticket price is higher? it doesn't cost anymore to print out and process a $100 ticket than it does to print out a $10 ticket. they charge a higher processing fee for higher priced tickets b/c they figure people paying more won't care and they can get away with it. which, unfortunately, usually works for them.
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Originally posted by Bags:
Originally posted by mankie:
Originally posted by thirsty moore:
Bags, are you jewish because you make comments just like my old boss, rest his soul. [/b]
I figured someone would eventually ask -- no, not jewish, but attended heavily jewish educational institutions! ;) [/b]
Bags ain't Jewish b/c she has a Catholic confirmation name (as i do)--which i just learned tonight but forget what it is...
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a higher service fee is charged because the vendor has to pay a fixed percentage to the credit card company for processing the charge.
ticketbastard adds their fees on top of the ticket price which the promoter gets. ticketmaster would lose money if the didn't at least recover what it costs to process your credit card, and that cost goes up as the amount charged goes up.
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I got the opportunity to get half price lawn tickets for Blondie and Cheap Trick concert at Pier Six for this Sunday (08.29.2010). Originally the tickets are $30, so half price is $15. Then add two $3 fees for a new total $18. Right before you agree to buy, you get one more fee. $2 to print your tickets on your home printer or $3 for will call. The last fee was the final straw and I canceled my order.
They use their own system for ticket sales. So, you do not need to be Ticketmaster to be greedy.
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TM/LN have started to display the price, including fees, on the first page because (ahem):
August 23, 2010
Live Nation and Ticketmaster announced their new transparent pricing policy on a blog which you can see here and we?ve reprinted for your perusal below:
Today we?re excited to announce three important changes to the way we interact with you.
How We Present Pricing and Fees
We get it?you don?t like service fees. You don?t like them mostly because you don?t understand what the heck they are for. We?ll try to do a better job in this space over the coming months of helping you understand our business, and how our fees compare to others in the industry (both in ticketing and ecommerce in general). But the reality of the live entertainment business is that service fees have become an extension of the ticket price. Most of the parties in the live event value chain participate in these service fees either directly or indirectly?promoters, venues, teams, artists, and yes, ticketing companies?and service fee rebates are our largest annual expense at Ticketmaster.
All of the research we?ve done, and all of our conversations with fans like you tell us that the way we present these fees in the checkout process is a huge frustration for you and hurts ticket sales. You just want to know UP FRONT in the buying process how much of your hard-earned money you are being asked to pay for a given seat. If we are as transparent as possible with you sooner in the purchase process, you can make the decision about how much you want to pay to go to an event. The problem is that historically we haven?t told you how much you have to pay for a given seat until very late in the buying process. And our data tells us this angers many of you to the point that you abandon your purchase once you see the total cost, and that you don?t come back. The data also says (and this is the important piece) that if we had told you up front what the total cost was, you would have bought the ticket! So by perpetuating this antiquated fee presentation, fans are getting upset, while we and our clients are losing ticket sales.
This practice changes today. Over the next few days, we are rolling out a new way of presenting pricing and fees on Ticketmaster.com. Going forward, just like almost every other business in the world, we?ll tell you up front how much you can expect to pay for a certain ticket. We?ll still break out the ?face value? from the other fees where required, and we haven?t broken down per-order fees yet (although you will begin to see many of our clients move to truly all-in pricing, because they know it sells more tickets and makes you happier). This user experience mirrors what you see across the web from leaders in their field?Amazon, Apple, Expedia, Zappos and more. It?s not complicated, it?s just the right thing to do.
We are the leader in the industry, and so we are accountable for taking the initiative to drive industry change. We take that responsibility very seriously, and at the new Ticketmaster we wake up every day obsessing over the fan experience. We think this change is a big step toward creating pricing transparency that is good for fans, and thus good for business. We hope it arms you up front with the info you need to decide how you want to experience the incredible live events we sell on Ticketmaster.com. You can see the new layout here (http://bit.ly/a1IZHU). We?re looking forward to your feedback!
PS After this week, you may see a few events on Ticketmaster.com that have the old pricing presentation?this is most likely because in a select few cases our contracts with venues prevent us from making this change. We?re working with these clients to help them see the benefits, and are confident they?ll want to join in! Almost all of our clients are enthusiastically supportive of this change. Stay tuned?
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There's one way to get around ticket service charges. No advance sales, no tickets and cash only. Like Mr. Zimmerman...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/culture/detail?entry_id=70917 (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/culture/detail?entry_id=70917)
I'm always suspicious of authoritative Monday Morning Quarterbacking for something as ephemeral as a rock music/concerts. "It didn't sell out because of X. That single didn't chart high because of Y." But it was an interesting experiment. The whole analysis seems whiny, though. "People don't like to stand in lines today." "People only like to purchase tickets at home.", etc.
I agree that most ticket fees are gouges but no matter what ticket system is in place at least 40% will bitch and moan about it.
Brian
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Bingo. Hopefully publishing the fees up front will help some, but it seems most concert goers get pissed at paying anything over face...yet do it over and over and over again.
I agree that most ticket fees are gouges but no matter what ticket system is in place at least 40% will bitch and moan about it.
Brian