Event tickets - obstructed view

danslenoir

Hi,

I recently purchased a 'VIP' ticket package for a Bob Dylan concert i.e. exorbitantly mark up on face value of ticket and cheap gift bag containing rubbish. I know, I know. But I was desperate to attend the concert and it had sold out. Anyway, no complaints about that, but perhaps (or perhaps not) pertinent that the ticket was sold as part of this 'VIP' package by the 'official VIP experience' agent for the artist's UK dates, rather than as a standalone ticket at face value.

Despite being 'VIP' tickets and front row, these were so far off the right of the stage that of a 6 piece band, my girlfriend could only see the rhythm guitarist for the entire show and a bit of Bob's hat (he was off to one side of the stage at his piano facing away from us for most of it). I got fleeting glimpses of bits of face and head too.

Mostly this poor view was the result of stage equipment that had been set up to the right hand side of the stage where we were sat. Big black boxes piled on top of each other and a sound desk area that had an inexplicably high black fence/curtain around it.

Obviously given the cost of the ticket this was a bit gutting to say the least. And too late to do anything whilst there as we found our seats just before the concert was about to start, and the ticket agent's representative manning the 'VIP' bag stand in the venue foyerhad before the show had left by the time the show ended (no interval).

Terms and conditions on the ticket agent's website state that:

"Tickets may be sold subject to certain restrictions on entry or use, such as restricted, obstructed or side view or a minimum age for entry. Any such restriction shall be displayed on our website or otherwise notified to you before or at the time you book the tickets. It is your responsibility to ensure that you read all notifications displayed on our website."

The tickets were not advertised as obstructed view and I received no other notification thereof.

I complained to the ticket agent via email outlining my disappointment and suggesting that perhaps these terms and conditions had not been met. Their response was that:

"We always request, from the venue, the best of the designated seating for each respective VIP Ticket experiences and would assume that seats in a Category 2 location would have been good and certainly not in any way restricted.

Unfortunately we have no control over the production/stage set up for the show which might marginally affect sightlines on the night of the show."

They also informed me that they had refunded me around 15% of the ticket package cost as a 'goodwill gesture'

Is there any legal grounding for contesting this? My gut reaction to the suggestion that sightlines were 'marginally' affected and a refund for such a small percentage of the overall ticket package price is a very angry one indeed. But I do not want to let anger get in the way of objectivity and what is likely to be the outcome of any further challenge from me.

They clearly don't want to admit to there being an obstruction in the first place ('marginally affect sightlines') despite the photo I took before the show from my seat and sent them with my complaint, where you cannot see an inch of Bob's piano at all (no photos allowed during). Unfortunately this photo also shows 3 microphones in the middle of the stage in clear view, but as explained in my complain to the agent, two of them weren't used, and on the couple of occasions Bob got up from his piano to use the other, he moved to stand at the rear of the stage where he was similarly out of sight. As mentioned earlier in the post, of the six piece band all my girlfriend and I could see for the duration of the concert was 1x rhythm guitarist, plus a bit of Bob's head on a handful of occasions as well for me. To me this is obstructed view.

lincroft1710

What is it you want from the ticket agent?