Ticketmaster going down hard!!! Sued in Quebec

[LukaInExile]

First I pointed out TMs scam, then Bruce Springsteen, and now $500 million lawsuit in Quebec. Here hoping TM will get a simlar lawsuit in the States!!!

Fair warning, this i written in Quebec, so they use Celine Dion ticket sales as an example. Do people in Canada really like her?

In particular, take notice of this part. They did the same thing to Morrissey shows (Bowery for example)

Yesterday\'s lawsuits in Toronto and Vancouver claim Ticketmaster \"conspired to divert tickets to popular events\" from its main website to its own ticket auction site, www.TicketsNow.com.

\"Customers have voiced concerns over the fact that tickets for the most popular events can ostensibly sell out in minutes, only to become immediately available in the secondary market at much higher prices,\" Brasil of Branch MacMaster said in a news release.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Ticketmaster+suit/1271807/story.html

 

[elusivecharm]

Good! It's robbery what they do.

Live Nation, too, is no better these days.

 

[rachem]

To answer your question, aside from a few super passionate fans, no one in Canada cares much for Celine.
but yes, Ticketmaster gets away with murder. Bowery is the show I'm trying to get to and it's going to bankrupt me!

 

[StatelyWayneManor]

This should help the Ticket Master/Live Nation merger :^)
Monopoly much?

 

[Lib]

Why do i ever doubt this will actually accomplish anything?

 

[dag]

Today's news says that a settlement has been reached in the Sprinsteen deal and now their merger is being brought before the government today for scrutiny.

http://www.accessatlanta.com/entert...aster_Probe.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

 

[yesitis]

celine is very popular in quebec. the french love her.

 

[modrevolve]

I never realized till today that Irving Azoff; Morrissey's new manager is Chief Executive Officer of Ticketmaster..hmmmmm

 

[surewhynot]

Ticketmaster convenience fees = no

Ticketmaster is charging $10 convenience fees for my local venue! I'm located in Dallas, TX. Show is at the Palladium. Is anyone else offering ticket sales where I may just pick them up?

 

[nowherefast944]

Re: Ticketmaster convenience fees = no

try the venue's box office, in cash.

 

[jeniphir]

Re: Ticketmaster convenience fees = no

Those inconvenience charges are the biggest scam going. Back in the day, Ticketmaster had employees, who answered the phones and took the orders. I could allow for a nominal surcharge to (in essence) pay those employees. But now that everything's automated, they have no excuse, except that they are the only game in town. Anti-trust laws would be nice. . .thanks, Ronald Reagan!

And the fact that they put fees on per ticket instead of per order is even more infuriating!

I agree; take yr fistful of cash and go directly to the venue.

--jeniphir

 

[Skinner]

Re: Ticketmaster convenience fees = no

Those inconvenience charges are the biggest scam going. Back in the day, Ticketmaster had employees, who answered the phones and took the orders. I could allow for a nominal surcharge to (in essence) pay those employees. But now that everything's automated, they have no excuse, except that they are the only game in town. Anti-trust laws would be nice. . .thanks, Ronald Reagan!

And the fact that they put fees on per ticket instead of per order is even more infuriating!

I agree; take yr fistful of cash and go directly to the venue.

--jeniphir

Even though of late there has been a separation between TM and Live Nation ticketing, Live Nation is guilty of the same bullshit. For $14 tickets to the Dredg show in Philly, Live Nation is charging $9 is fees. That's about 65% of the ticket cost!!! WTF???

 

[Danny_]

You've got to remember that you'd pay these fees no matter where you bought the tickets from. For example, Carnegie Hall charges 20% of the ticket price to sell the tickets direct. So, basically if the venues sold the tickets instead, the total price wouldn't be any different.

I'm not making excuses for Ticketmaster, just saying that whatever method is used to sell tickets, there's someone creaming money off the top, and there always has been.

 

[suparni]

You've got to remember that you'd pay these fees no matter where you bought the tickets from. For example, Carnegie Hall charges 20% of the ticket price to sell the tickets direct. So, basically if the venues sold the tickets instead, the total price wouldn't be any different.

I'm not making excuses for Ticketmaster, just saying that whatever method is used to sell tickets, there's someone creaming money off the top, and there always has been.

Yes but as far as I know Ticketbastard are the ones who take tickets aside and sell them on another site that they own for 5 times the price. THAT is bullshit. Ticketsnow is bullshit... I gave them something like 200 bucks this tour... BASTARDS.

 

[Skinner]

Yes but as far as I know Ticketbastard are the ones who take tickets aside and sell them on another site that they own for 5 times the price. THAT is bullshit. Ticketsnow is bullshit... I gave them something like 200 bucks this tour... BASTARDS.

Yes I agree. That practice must be far from legal.

And on the topic of service fees, I understand that everywhere you go to buy a ticket (including the venue box office) there will be fees. My point is, why is the fee for the show I am purchasing a ticket for (just as an example b/c I'm sure it's the case with other similar gigs) including a service fee that equals 65% of what the ticket costs.

If they were charging $40 for that Dredg ticket, would it make sense the the service fee be $26? It's all a bunch of bullshit.

 

[I am a Ghost]

C U Next Tuesdays.

 

[wemissumoz]

And on the topic of service fees, I understand that everywhere you go to buy a ticket (including the venue box office) there will be fees.

I think, in the US anyway, there is some rule that there must be one location where you can buy a ticket for the face value. Obviously if the show is sold out, it's sold out. But if there are tickets available, there has to be one place where you don't pay a fee. In Boston, the House of Blues has it's own box office where they sell tix for their shows at face value. I saved $12 on a $27.50 ticket for a show next month. This is a great option for GA shows that don't sell out immediately.

 

[Harsh Truth]

I've always found it funny that Ticketmaster want to charge me $2.50 to print my ticket at home, which saves them $ on envelopes, paper, postage, processing, labor time, etc.

No thanks. I always get the free US Mail shipment.

 

[Danny_]

I think, in the US anyway, there is some rule that there must be one location where you can buy a ticket for the face value. Obviously if the show is sold out, it's sold out. But if there are tickets available, there has to be one place where you don't pay a fee. In Boston, the House of Blues has it's own box office where they sell tix for their shows at face value. I saved $12 on a $27.50 ticket for a show next month. This is a great option for GA shows that don't sell out immediately.

You might pay face value for the ticket at the box office, but the point is the box office is keeping some of that money as a percentage for using their facilities. If all the tickets were sold through the box office the face value of the ticket would go up to cover the percentage that was being charged.

 

[stipey]

It's a shame that the performers don't have much to do with the sale of their tickets. I think the artists really need to stand up and support their fans and try and do something about ticketsnow. They say scalping is against the law but that's just what Ticketmaster does. Crazy.