Scalpers anyone?

[Ladywiz]

While enjoying myself at YouTube I noticed some ads for Tom Petty tickets. I figured these were from ticket brokers---or as we call them--- scalpers! So I decided to take a look.

What really got my attention were the tickets that were selling with the caveat "Will call only...pick up day of show" Those had to be fan club tickets, right?

It just really gripes me! Obviously being given the chance to join the fan club seconds before ticket purchase screws the hell out of any plans TPatH had for keeping scalpers out.

Sorry, it just really chaps my butt!

[Echosoftom]

It pisses me off too Lady. :mad:

But the thing is overall I still think it's better than before. Back then none of us could hardly ever get decent seats. It was a crap shoot every time you went to Ticketbastards. And the brokers were loaded up with most of the choice seats. You were almost always at the mercy of Ebay if you wanted great seats. Now we actually have people getting front row. That use to never happen. Let's just hope that this asshole gets stuck with those tickets because no one wants to take the chance of getting tickets in hand the day of a concert.

[KansasPettyFan]

It fires me up too. You are right though, Sharon. There were always front rows available for my venue here. This time...nothing even in the first 3 rows. I think that is awesome! And how does that work for those will calls? Doesn't the broker (or whoever bought them) HAVE to show up? Odd.

[nurktwin]

i would imagine that the seller has to be there to pick up the tix. were they selling for normal price? did they list what seats? maybe someone bought 4 tix and 2 of their friends dropped out or just a scalper out for a quick buck.

[Ladywiz]

^ Oh, no they weren't selling for normal price. The $125 seats down front were selling for $840-$1200! Lawn tickets were selling for $80-$100. And there is far more scalping going on in Atlanta than in Charlotte, because I checked Charlotte tickets, too. My best seats are in Charlotte-- 5th row, those are selling for $1600 now. (Charlotte is a money town, lots of banking and most NASCAR drivers live around there)

[nurktwin]

call ticketmaster AND hcc and report it, those tix will be cancelled and no one gets them! we have to protect ourselves from this crap happening now and in the future. Charlotte is no more of a money town than any town in the usa, everyone wants money. this new system of getting your tix at will call is helping, but it's only a matter of time til the scalpers figure a new way. scalpers have a network from different cities and it's easy for someone in la or anywhere to buy 8 tix for $260 through the club and then just show up at the venue, pick up the tix, and hand them over to customers for $2000 a tix. nothing is full proof, if someone is smart enough to come up with a plan that works, there's someone out there smarter that can break that plan or code. why do you think microsoft has millions of updates, even for vista?

[Lazlow]

I think the new system is much better than the old one. Many people I know have landed first and second row. When I first got online in '02 than never happened. It seemed like every presale was a huge disappointment.

This time out I joined the HCC and drew 8th row without buying a Dream Ticket Package. That worked for me!

But there is still a way to go, obviously. I think TPATH management has got to stay aggressive about cancelling scalped tickets. I believe if enough people get burned buying scalped tickets, they will stop going that route. And if scalpers can't sell their TPATH tickets, they'll move on to other events. But the key is to keep the pressure on. And like Nurk said, no system is fool proof.

I also agree with Ladywiz-- they made it too easy to buy an HCC membership so late in the process. I think that undercut the effectiveness of having a fan club. Anyone could participate in the fan club sale, and see exactly what they would get if they joined the club. What's the point of having a fan club of you're going to take away the competitive edge it's supposed to offer?

I think having practically all the presales occur at the same time was a good idea. Though I know it may have been problematic for people seeing multiple shows.

I did have a problem with the narrow window between the announcement of the tour and the presale. It was less that two weeks-- money is pretty tight these days, and if you spent a big chunk of your paycheck on the rent or mortgage it could be very difficult to afford tickets if your next paycheck came in after the sale.

I guess they were trying to capitalize on the Super Bowl Half time show momentum.

[Ladywiz]

I was trying to say Charlotte is a town of a lot of very rich people. There weren't as many tickets bought by scalpers, but the tickets they did get are going for a higher rate than in Atlanta.

And yes, the system is working for us pretty well. Back for the '06 tour I wasn't in the fan club and I ended up with seats almost back to the lawn. This time I didn't order dream packages but I still got seats in the 13th row in Atlanta and 5th row in Charlotte. And my past experience tells me that never would have happened without my HCC membership!

[RyanC]

I've come across some issues with Livenation tickets and scalpers now :( Has anyone actually purchased tickets through Livenation and received them in working order? Are they supposed to be red and white?

I can't tell if the ones I picked up are legitimate or if I was "scalped" myself, so to speak.
These just feel a little fake, I didn't even know Livenation had their own tickets. Everytime I've gone there I get redirected to Ticketmaster. Confusing, I think I have mystery scalper tickets :(