Bad viewed seats at a concert

paddyrg

Your argument is with the promoter, they are the only ones who can refund anything, box office just hands the cash to the promoter.

It sounds like you were stiffed, much like people who paid for Rihanna 'stage pods' got a dubious deal. VIP is a marketing term, nobody of any real importance is limited to front of house, true bigwigs will come and go through the production/stage door! A couple of years ago, I worked on shows offering a 'backstage experience', which were again a bit of fluff - yes you went backstage, but before the show, you saw the stage, stage manager, had some Q&A's, but the artist and band were safely tucked away in dressing rooms, or even stll back at the hotel. Or another ticket for 'soundcheck', which people thought of as an intimate mini-gig rather than a couple of tracks and a lot of tuning up. I'm afraid it is all about selling premium ticketing to the unsuspecting!

But to pay doubel and have a restricted view is shoddy - it may have just been the layout of MEN and when anyone realised that selling over 180 degrees was selling duff views it was too late - so by all means appeal to the promoter, they may meet you partway or more likely send you a pile of merch to compensate you (seeing as all the cash will be reconciled on the night of the show, but leftover merch is just in the way!!)

mtkitty

Don't get me wrong, I was not expecting the be treated as a true VIP but for them to describe the seating as that is not right from this experience. I have used The View Experience before and it's been great which is why I chose to book it again.

I did check the seating plan and was expected to be the first block at the side of the stage.

Goater, have used a box once ourselves. Thought the private bar and waitress service was great! Well worth the cost IMO if you have a few friends to chip in. We had over 20 sharing the cost for Tom Jones when he "came back"!

Paddy, according to the link it is the ticket seller I need to approach. If I complain through my card it will be them who have to refund and I would presume they'd have to get the money back from promoter themselves. Can't say I'd like merchandise. I love the group we went to see but not of the age where I'd wear their stuff lol!

paddyrg

mtkitty wrote: »

Paddy, according to the link it is the ticket seller I need to approach. If I complain through my card it will be them who have to refund and I would presume they'd have to get the money back from promoter themselves. Can't say I'd like merchandise. I love the group we went to see but not of the age where I'd wear their stuff lol!

Hiya,
Good luck with the refund - I suspect it may be a drawn out and frustrating process, and may be worth contacting the promoter *as well* in that case, become a bit of a thorn in their side! There are all kinds of things they may say that you did receive as a 'VIP' (eg champagne/access/whatever), so the refund may not be from the VIP down to the next GA ticket tier. I also mentioned taking what you could in merch as that gives all sides a bit of a way out, too! I don't know what specific merch they had for the show, but sometimes it will include live DVD's, posters, etc., as well as apparel, if that's any help. One company I know actually does branded MP3 players of the very show you just attended (recorded and mixed live during the show!), so you never know ;-)

Best of luck with it all, anyway :-)

mtkitty

Thanks Paddy

The group was Rammstein. They are an industrial rock type group. Not to everyone's taste but they put on a spectacular show which is why we like to sit close to the stage (but not TOO close as they have pyrotechnics LOL). My hubbie and I were possibly in the top 0.5% of the oldest people there and are certainly beyond the years of knocking one another about in the 'mosh pit'. I suppose if I got merchandise I could sell it on but it's the hassle of doing that. I'd quite happily pay for the one glass of champagne (cheap sparkling wine) I had too.