Theft by Ticketmaster

(Added extra post as forum glitched for me when submitting the last one)

Big events routinely crash their site- not just that one event but the whole site. There’s absolutely no meaningful queueing or attempt to mitigate that.

There was a time I would argue that you don’t scale your systems according to atypical demand.  Like, when the mobile network used to melt at 11:55pm every New Year’s Eve – it would be stupid to build infrastructure to cope with that and have 80% of it dormant for the rest of the year.

But that was then.  Today, cloud computing enables entities to spin servers up and down based on demand.  It’s perfectly plausible to have multiple servers automatically power up to react to load and then shut down again to save money.  With Ticketbastard it’s either incompetence or wilful obstinance.

But that was then.  Today, cloud computing enables entities to spin servers up and down based on demand.  It’s perfectly plausible to have multiple servers automatically power up to react to load and then shut down again to save money.  With Ticketbastard it’s either incompetence or wilful obstinance.

I agree in principle that Cloud gives you the ability to auto-scale on demand but when 14 million people are trying to get tickets that load must even stretch things to breaking point.  However, TM know the tickets will sell come what may so why spend money spinning up expensive resources so obstinance is my bet.

or is part of the sales strategy, especially for dynamic pricing. If you just go onto TM add the tickets to the basket and are straight through to complete the transaction within a minute (which is all it should take) you are more likely to baulk at the cost and not buy. If you have already committed yourself to hours of trying to just get to add the tickets into the basket you are much more likely to accept the overpriced ticket and gouging additional costs.

^^^ Very much this.  Make them wait, make them pay.

I don’t think obstinance is a word…Obstinacy, perhaps?

There was a time I would argue that you don’t scale your systems according to atypical demand.

Bookies would for the Grand National

HMRC wouldn’t for Self Assessment deadline

Cos ££££££

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj04y6y0316o

Oasis “ditch dynamic pricing” for North American leg of tour but are still using Ticketmaster…

Cougar
Full Member

There was a time I would argue that you don’t scale your systems according to atypical demand. Like, when the mobile network used to melt at 11:55pm every New Year’s Eve – it would be stupid to build infrastructure to cope with that and have 80% of it dormant for the rest of the year.

But that was then. Today, cloud computing enables entities to spin servers up and down based on demand. It’s perfectly plausible to have multiple servers automatically power up to react to load and then shut down again to save money. With Ticketbastard it’s either incompetence or wilful obstinance.

Plus, we’re not even talking here about freak events or absolute maximums – Oasis was unusually big but the Biffy shows I mentioned that caused the site to fall over constantly for an hour are the Barras and Shepherd’s Bush Empire, it’s a total turnout of like 12000 people I think. I mean sure, the demand was higher than that but it’s just not that big an event. P!nk exploded it, Taylor Swift nuked it, Iron Maiden broke it, Springsteen’s going to break it… I don’t go to mega shows so the fact I’ve had like 4 or 5 terrible experiences with their website since the pandemic says a lot.

And when it breaks, it usualy breaks badly. No pre-queueing, no real durability (so if you’re in a multi-screen operation and the website’s flaky but not completely broken you end up having to repeat processes, which of course drives up their traffic…).

But like i say it’s not failure exactly, they just don’t give a shit, there’s no real consequences to them and no real alternative and therefore no motivation to do better.

Bitten the bullet and paid the £10 TM fee/£45 ticket. Put it behind me as there is nothing I can do and now looking forward to London Grammar.

Similar to Nick above, just bought tickets but through ATG who I think are part of Ticketmaster?

Absolute rip off, but just seems that’s what it costs. Billy Joel at Anfield. Two tickets. I watch loads of small local gigs as well, but the missus wanted to go to this.

Tickets
£320.00
Transaction Fee
£2.50
Facility Fee
£5.00
Service Fee
£34.00

£320.00

Holy shit

Service fee £34 is the killer. For what? Or specifically, what more than the £2.50 I pad for my TWP tickets.

That’s the theft bit.

The £34 is for important men to convene and push their special buttons on your behalf. You heard it up there.

That’s the theft bit.

Not to me it ain’t!!

Granted, Billy Joel for £160 is about, erm, £160 more than i’d want to pay.

the missus wanted to go to this.

Chinny chin chin chinny.

(would have posted you know what but you get the gist)

About ten years ago a gig I was going to got cancelled and I got the standard “you’ll get the ticket’s face price back, but not the fees” thing. I can’t remember whether it was Ticketmaster, one of their aliases, See Tickets or someone else.

In an extended fit of obstinacy I went looking and found a government/OFT document about ticket refunds, whose general conclusions were that the vendor should be the one to cover those when an event is cancelled. There was nothing binding in it, but had a definite vibe of “obviously the consumer should get a full refund”.

I had paid for my tickets with PayPal so I took a chance and raised a claim to get the fees back. The ticket company fought it all the way to the point where I’d have to escalate to a dispute, then refunded the fees. If I recall correctly this is probably because PayPal internally decides the outcome of any dispute, and if a company is decided to be in the wrong they’ll get suspended from PayPal, which could be quite a problem for them, so if the outcome isn’t cut and dried in a company’s favour it isn’t worth the risk of fighting on.

It isn’t great that PayPal is the only reason I got my fees back and the whole process was long and stressful (and the fees back then didn’t actually amount to much) but it can be done.

So – this has probably been done earlier in thread – but lets look at those costs –

According to TM the ticket cost goes to –
“Paying the artist, Hiring the venue, Running the tour, Marketing the show, Insuring the event.
But the fees Ticketmaster takes go towards many costs including giving our fans a quick and secure ticket buying experience
Security technology, Websites & apps, Payment provider costs, Staffing costs, Ticket scanners, Venue, Box office equipment, Offices, running costs, Customer services, Promoter”

So there seems to be plenty of double payments there – the venue double dips as does the promoter. So security tech, box office equipment & scanners are the same thing, didn’t realise TM even had customer services.

So looking at Billy Joel –

Tickets
£320.00 according to TM – That’s for artist, venue, marketing (although for a massive artist like this or Oasis surely just the fact they are there is enough & the fans do the rest cos it’s so exciting) running the tour & insurance
Transaction Fee – presumably the cost of running your card or paypal – most other things I buy don’t have this added cost.
£2.50
Facility Fee – haven’t we already paid that as part of the main ticket?
£5.00
Service Fee – TM staff etc… Anfield has a capacity of 61,276  for gigs so assuming a sell out & that service fee was £17/ticket that’s £1,041,692 TM cream off the top to run their operation. Of course that doesn’t take into account the more expensive the tickets the higher the service fee.
£34.00

So I guess the question is how much does it actually cost to provide ticket services & infrastructure to run a gig of this side. It wouldn’t surprise me as well if some of the flat original ticket price goes to TM from the promoter so they get paid to provide their ‘service’ to the promoter & then charge the end user to purchase from their platform.

It’s an absolute disgrace.

EDIT – I also just noticed while researching the above – there is also a timer to purchase tickets. So pressures fans into buying – that is illegal in other sales areas I think?

Hopefully the CMA will have a good look at this in the not to distant future.

£320 for BJ tickets to keep OH happy .. .. bargain.

Choosing my first ever proper big bike, I explained carefully to the OH the benefit of getting the best spec I could sensibly afford as it was cheaper that way rather than upgrading later. I was delighted she was so understanding. Though when the summerhouse arrived (I didn’t think we needed but.. .) and I noticed the cedar shingle roof  she did point out it was best to get them as part of the package to avoid the additional costs of a later upgrade.

Subsequent bike purchases have involved much more upfront negotiations !!

there is also a timer to purchase tickets

That at least I can understand.  An in-demand gig has a finite amount of tickets, sticking a pair in your basket and returning a week later or not returning at all robs someone else of the opportunity.  Doubly so if it’s seated, if you reserve seats and then don’t buy them they have to be released.  It’s the same buying cinema tickets despite buying the only seats in an empty theatre.

that’s £1,041,692 TM cream off the top to run their operation.

Not quite. For the really big events they have been known to employ up to 40 people to watch the computers crash.  That’s nearly three and a half grand they’ve got to stump up. (I’m assuming minimum wage, judging by the performance).

£320 for BJ tickets to keep OH happy

Can’t see this option on Ticketmaster, but it sounds like another rip off. I’ve been told round here it’s £50.