Rihanna concert tickets RIP OFF ! HELP!

pixieprincess78

Hi there

I was wondering if there was somebody who could help me with this issue. The weekend before last, I went on a three hour journey, each way, to The LG Arena in Birmingham to see Rihanna on her Loud Tour (15 October 2011) and came back feeling completely ripped off and conned.

I bought two "Stage Pod Tickets" from Ticketweb UK (reputable ticket site which is a partner site to Ticketmaster) costing £175 per ticket plus booking fee. Total: £368 . The tickets were advertised as:-

“Your chance to be a Rockstar !
Limited number of standing tickets that put you on the stage with Rihanna
Once in a life time chance”

This sounds like you are going to have the best seats in the Arena. What a joke ! – I wouldn’t have even paid £20 for these tickets. I would have rather have sat at the back of the Arena and believe I would have had more fun. The stage pods are and were a complete con and I cannot believe they are being sold and bought.

For starters, my partner and I are normal working class girls who struggle to pay for our rent and for our bills however, we were so desperate to see our idol up close having waited for this tour for a while, that we used most of our spending money for this month on these tickets. I thought it would be worth it as I am only 4ft 11ins and usually find it hard to see the stage, so buying these tickets would be perfect for me, or so I thought.

My partner and I therefore spent £68 on a hotel for the night, £50 in petrol, £10 on bus fees to the Arena and made sure we arrived at 5 pm before the doors open, so we had the best view in the pods. WHICH, we thought, we had. We took our places in the pod right on the barrier next to the stage and was so excited for Rihanna to come on. Obviously we had a couple of hours to wait and needed to buy a drink and also wanted to buy some merchandise. I went off to get a drink but when I went to pay for it with my VISA electron, the salesman told me it wouldn’t go through and had already had that trouble with somebody else that evening. They told me I could get cash out from the cash point back in the main part of the arena. I was starting to get a little worried as I had left my partner on her own and I knew she would be worrying about how long I had been already. I therefore proceeded to find the cash point, only to find a massive queue. I however persisted and when I eventually reached the cash point, it refused 3 times to give me any money. I checked my balance and had enough to withdraw cash. I asked the girl behind me to check her card and hers went through fine, however she had a VISA card as opposed to VISA electron. I then figured it must be that reason.

I then trapsed back to the stage pods to ask my partner to use her VISA card but she hadn’t brought her purse. We had no cash between us and figured we would be fine with a VISA electron card that night. The only thing we could think of was for my partner to get a taxi back to the hotel and get her VISA card as we still had a while before Rihanna came on stage. We wanted to buy merchandise after the show and wanted to make sure we had a drink before she came on. However on her way back through the Arena, my partner had asked security about VISA electron and the trouble we semed to be having, the security guard was not that bothered but pointed out that there was a NatWest cash point back in the other arena near the train station. So that is where she went to get cash out in the end.

Eventually after an hour of messing around with money and buying drinks, the support act Calvin Harris was on and we had bearly any time to finish our drinks and get rid of them, as instructed by the Stewards before Rihanna came on. We were so thirsty but excited and could only leave the pod one by one to make sure we saved our “perfect” space next to the stage.

What a complete waste of time. When Rihanna came on, we could bearly see a thing. Not much of the stage, a few backsides of the dancers, and as for Rihanna, - she was a complete joke. If you think these seats give fans a once in a life time experience to get “up close and personal” with your idol, then I have no idea what that was we bought. Scandalous does not even come close. Rippped off and conned is what we were. Rihanna made no attempt to acknowledge the fans in the pods whatsoever. We got really excited when she came towards us to have a sip of her drink, but she ignored us again and when somebody shouted her name, she raised her eyebrows and turned away. That was the only recognition she gave to the fans that had spent a lot of well hard earned money on seeing her. My partner and I, and it seemed the rest of the pod were just waiting for her to just smile, nod, wave or something at us, so after an hour or so in the crowd, I gave up. I was upset, let down and cried. We couldn’t afford that kind of money in the first place for these tickets but had believed the experience is always worth it. Not this time. We left with about half an hour of the show to go. There was zero atmosphere in the pods with most people on their i-phones leaning against the barriers looking unimpressed. There were three girls in the pod with us who we talked to had actually been given the tickets as her mother worked at the Arena. How sick did that make us, when we would rather have paid £40 and sat at the back, not £175 each for nothing! They were obviously the worst tickets that were left over and it resorted in them being given away by members of staff !

It seemed the only recognition we got were from Rihanna’s dancers and that was it. It was the most boring concert ever. We couldn’t see anything and it certainly had no feel of being on the stage with Rihanna. The stewards got more attention than us. Where was the thanks to her fans?

I have been to so many concerts in my time and have always been prepared to queue through the night, all day, pay silly amounts for tickets….but every single time it has been worth it and have never ever regretted spending money on tickets to see my favourite artists.

I was in the stage pits for a Madonna concert back in 2004 and Madonna spent a lot of time interacting with us as well as the rest of the crowd.

If the artist wants to have this stage set up and charge stupid amount of money for “special tickets” – then they have make sure that they deliver what has been promised to their fans and what their fans are expecting fro a “rock star once in a lifetime experience”.

The most frustrating thing for us is that we sacrificed a lot for these tickets and do not have more than £100 left to live on for the next 3 weeks.

- I am not sure whether we can put this down to bad experience or not, but to me - this artist and her tour people are falsely advertising these tickets which do not deliver what they say. I have written a complain to the NIA in Birmingham who promptly replied giving me the address of Live Nation. I emailed them a week ago and have heard nothing, same with Rihanna's people.

I'm wondering whether its worth going to the ombudsman as lets be honest, young adults cannot afford these tickets really but they dedicate their lives to some artists and I just feel this is being taken advantage of.

HELP and sorry for the big SPIEL !

vax2002

What did you expect ? you went to see a cheesy manufactured over hyped pop act ?

fluffnutter

I'm not sure that there's an ombudsman which oversees pop performances. But even so, I'd doubt you have any redress.

The music industry relies on people being so devoted to their idols that they'll pay ridiculous sums of money for cramped concerts and 'novelty' stage positions like this. Other than the rubbish position (you live and learn) your complaints seem to be that you took the wrong type of VISA card and Rihanna isn't interested in her fans. Neither of your latter two complaints are anything that a consumer rights forum can help you with, I'm afraid.

You're going to have to chalk this one up to experience.

Pollycat

Did you research what these 'stage pod' tickets were like before you paid for them?

It says it puts you on stage with Rihanna but does it actually say that she will acknowledge fans in the pods?

I can't see that you can blame Rihanna for the failure of your Visa card transactions or the fact that you spent money on a hotel and incurred other travel expenses.

And the fact that someone hadn't paid for the tickets but were in the same place as you has no relevance at all.

Forget about the Ombudsman and put it down to experience.

You're right, it is a long spiel and unless you've been much more concise in your complaint to Live Nation and Rihanna's people, I doubt you'll even get a reply.

brettcta

fluffnutter, how long have you been working for rihanna?

vax2002

Here is some advice, find your local grass roots music venues and find some acts covering the genre of music you like and for the price of a few drinks you will get to see a talented creative artist, not some second rate cheese act.

pixieprincess78

Im sorry, I could have sworn this site has a be nice to newbies policy. This isnt a debate about music tastes. Its a genuine question about money. I would appreciate a more helpful answer from somebody if possible? Thanks x

pmduk

If you get anything out of this I hope it's the realisation that popstars think of their fans solely as a cashcow to be milked. You bought tickets to a Rihanna concert, that's what you got and unfortunately didn't enjoy the experience. There is no ombudsman that covers this.

Nobody has been nasty to you, you just haven't had the answers you want. That is a different thing.

pixieprincess78

fluffnutter wrote: »

I'm not sure that there's an ombudsman which oversees pop performances. But even so, I'd doubt you have any redress.

The music industry relies on people being so devoted to their idols that they'll pay ridiculous sums of money for cramped concerts and 'novelty' stage positions like this. Other than the rubbish position (you live and learn) your complaints seem to be that you took the wrong type of VISA card and Rihanna isn't interested in her fans. Neither of your latter two complaints are anything that a consumer rights forum can help you with, I'm afraid.

You're going to have to chalk this one up to experience.

Thank you for your reply. Even though they are advertised wrong ?? and the same tickets were given away ?

GUTTED :0( :(

pixieprincess78

Pollycat wrote: »

Did you research what these 'stage pod' tickets were like before you paid for them?

It says it puts you on stage with Rihanna but does it actually say that she will acknowledge fans in the pods?

I can't see that you can blame Rihanna for the failure of your Visa card transactions or the fact that you spent money on a hotel and incurred other travel expenses.

And the fact that someone hadn't paid for the tickets but were in the same place as you has no relevance at all.

Forget about the Ombudsman and put it down to experience.

You're right, it is a long spiel and unless you've been much more concise in your complaint to Live Nation and Rihanna's people, I doubt you'll even get a reply.

Hi thanks for your reply.

Yes I researched it and could only find that it promised to be a great experience. The fact that she didnt acknowledge her fans is not really the problem, its the fact that they were the worst view - yet the cheaper seats were better view. I think they should have been advertised as "restricted view" like some tickets are.

As for the VISA card, sorry, that was miss understood. I am not blaming a pop artist for this at all. That was just my gripe with the LG arena itself and the whole experience. I certainly was not expecting a sorry from Rihanna herself ! LOL

vax2002

You were cash cowed, in, sit down, shut up... out !
You wont be the first, you wont be the last,