Take That Tour Tickets - what a nightmare for the fans

momoyama

Got some via eBay. Paid inflated prices, of course, but not too inflated. Anyway, that's Christmas present for Mrs Yama covered (next year AND this one!)

The next problem is accomodation. We live under 2 hours from Cardiff but with anticipated traffic, early concert start and Mrs Yama's health, we've decided to do three days and then not need to rush anywhere. Except that now we can't get a hotel or B&B anywhere!

sb65

Fitchase.

There is no such thing as a presale tickets for genuine fans. Touts can be fans as well and its not uncommon for them to research how to obtain the presale links by either (a) being a member (b) researching the presales, etc

melancholly,

I don't understand why your angry because others are charging over 100%. Is it because you didn't get any? Is it because they are too expensive after the mark-up. I honestly don't understand.

I don't mean to be negative but when someone purchase a wanted commodity (like these tickets) then its up to them whether they sell them months in advance because they wanted to go but cant then (at a 100% markup) or they sell them immediately for the 100% markup. The price is still the same. The reasons are different. As in the financial markets wanted commodities operate on supply and demand

Some people are good at attaining things because of a skill that others might not have. I work in banking in the city and have a unique skill in that I get things before other people have seen it or can attain it. As such I get paid for that unique skill and taking certain risks. The difference may be people see others with a better knowledge of attaining something which they have taken something from other buyers and that they wanted. So they get upset.

I'm sure my competitors have said that many times to me if they knew who I was.

melancholly

sb65 wrote: »

melancholly,

I don't understand why your angry because others are charging over 100%. Is it because you didn't get any? Is it because they are too expensive after the mark-up. I honestly don't understand.
.

sorry - just to clarify (obviously i should have been more explicit!)

i'm angry that some people are making such a huge profit out of this

i'm angry that i couldn't get any tickets first time around

i'm angry that i can't afford to buy the tickets at the huge mark up

these tickets were not acquired by skill - more so by hitting refresh at a lucky time! (because the things to do are preregister on the sites, log in in advance, get everything set up etc etc etc - nowt you can do when every site crashes within 5 mins, and the mobile phone network and BT network also come up with error messages for 2.5 hours straight).

i don't need a lecture on supply and demand by a self professed city expert! we all know what it is - whether or not it's fair is different. maybe you think everything can be sold at whatever price..... i just think that's selfish and prices most of us (not on city salaries!) out of the market.

to reiterate my first post - it's understandable and perhaps unavoidable, but it is very frustrating to not be able to get tickets (or for any of the ten-odd people i know who all tried).

kittyscavern

I used to buy and sell collectibles for a living and there is a healthy profit to be made on those if you know your market, i.e. the supply and demand. I had no problem with selling collectibles at a very high profit because it does come down to how much someone will pay for something. But I also have the knowledge that the buyer can then go and sell this item at a later date and make their money back, it is an asset. I was also paying taxes on my business earnings.

For me personally, there is something morally wrong with rushing to get these tickets just to sell them on at high profits. The person who pays the high price desperately wants to see the band and it is not an asset that they can later sell after enjoying their purchase, because once the concert is over that's it.

sb65

I understand its frustrating but there "is" a skill involved in getting tickets. While everyone else is going on ticketmaster.co.uk I would use ticketmaster.de and go via the German ticketmaster site to buy them which didn't crash and had 1/4 of the users. As I know some web coding I've strip down the ticketmaster website look so it doesn't load pictures, frames or other java programs running in the background to maximise the refresh.

jarr

sb65 wrote: »

I understand its frustrating but there "is" a skill involved in getting tickets. While everyone else is going on ticketmaster.co.uk I would use ticketmaster.de and go via the German ticketmaster site to buy them which didn't crash and had 1/4 of the users. As I know some web coding I've strip down the ticketmaster website look so it doesn't load pictures, frames or other java programs running in the background to maximise the refresh.

True, I went on another Ticketmaster site and there are other less known sites that people don't go on. Not scam sites.

melancholly

sb65 wrote: »

As I know some web coding I've strip down the ticketmaster website look so it doesn't load pictures, frames or other java programs running in the background to maximise the refresh.

so basically, what you can have running as standard in opera or firefox?! thanks for the help - but a lot of people who tried aren't morons and know what they're doing.

momoyama

Problem

I bought my tickets on eBay. I do have buyer protection. The seller made excellent communications and included a reference number for the tickets for the seetickets site. I now have his name, mobile 'phone number and home address.

This evening eBay e-mailed me to say that the item has been closed and I should seek a refund via the resolution centre. The seller's account has been suspended. I've spoken to the seller. I very openly am keeping suspicious about them. But they do seem genuine. It strikes me that if they were out to con me then why give out so much information? Their account on eBay has been running for 2 years. He e-mailed me long before I called him to say that his eBay account has been temporarily suspended.

I'm not worried about my money as I know that I'll get it back as long as I open the dispute within the time frame. But, of course I want the tickets.

My current thoughts are that if it's a genuine mistake then the seller will have their account re-opened soon so I just wait and see and keep a close eye on deadlines.

Has anyone else had a problem or indeed have any advice? I'm currently chatting to eBay's support team but they arn't actually all that helpfull

fitshase

I think you may be better of getting the refund and looking elsewhere. You have to raise a dispute within a certain timeframe otherwise you can't get a refund.

If you wait for the tickets (which is normally about a week before the event) then you will have passed the timeframe for raising a dispute and will never get a refund should the tickets not arrive.

gambleruk

If people wanted the tickets badly enough then they would book the day off work, get parents,friends to take the kids to school and go to the venue and que up like we did in the good old days. When we wanted tickets in the 80's and 90's we would get the 1st bus over to Manchester at 6am then que up outside for 3 hours until the box office opened, other people would already be there after camping overnight. These were to see bands like Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne etc etc. The venue only held 3000 so you know it was the only way. I have no sympathy for people who sat behind a computer with a phone in there hand and are now complaining. If YOU'RE there biggest fan you would have got tickets by planning ahead.

Rant over on that bit lol, secondly I was lucky enough to get tickets to the free Rage Against The Machine gig in Hyde Park last year where the only way to get them was to pre-register and upload your photo to the website. You then had to apply on the day and if you managed to get the tickets they came with your photo printed on. Now these tickets were free so not sure what the costings would be but you know something, there was not one ticket listed on e-bay as far as I know and I kept checking out of curiosity.

Surely this has to be the way forward for high profile gigs, the only downside of course is that you cannot que for them outside the venue but it would mean there would be many many many more tickets available and 99% of people would know someone who could order them for them and there'd be no big panic at 9am on a Friday.

Also this would deter the annoying touts loitering outside the venues on the night. I suppose ticketmaster and the like don't care less who they sell them to as the booking fee is the same. And one last rant how annoying is it when the gig is cancelled and ticketmaster etc only refund you the face value of ticket not the booking fee or postage costs :mad: