Ticketmaster “Premium Ticket” SCAM

ZoSoTim

What “premium” products were you expecting if there was nothing to tell you what you would get with your $800 ticket?

pjl44

To be clear Ticketmaster is an extremely frustrating entity to have to deal with but you need to cover your own ass and not wait for Robert Smith to come and save you

njhaley1

MikeDigs said:

Merkin Baller said:

MikeDigs said:

SHZA said:

bootlegger10 said:

Not a scam.  It sucks, but not a scam.

It's definitely misleading. The labeling suggests that there's something that makes the seats a more premium product than the standard tickets, which isn't true. I'd bet anyone who bought premium feels that they were scammed when seats in the same row or better pop up later for a fraction of the price.  

You are 100% correct.  I bought tickets that were labeled "Premium" and payed the money because I was willing to pay the extra cost to get a top notch experience.  I did not receive a different experience, or different seating, than the standard tickets.  But I paid the "Premium" price.
I was robbed.  Scammed.

Were you scammed, or did you just not read the fine print? 

I did not read any fine print, as I didn't know any fine print existed.  I read the regular print.
If details of a product need to be hidden in fine print, then isn't that a scam?
A product that is up-charged simply because the word "Premium" is added, but it's the same standard product.
Not a small upcharge.  $800 per ticket.  That's a pretty steep increase.
Same product as standard though.  That is a scam.

I'm sorry that it happened to you, but in everyone's defense - there were warnings up and down this site about what was going on. 

MikeDigs

ZoSoTim said:

What “premium” products were you expecting if there was nothing to tell you what you would get with your $800 ticket?

Great question.  I was expecting seats that were a bit better than the standard seats.  But they were actually a bit worse than some of the standard seats, which adds to the overall frustration.  Fold up chairs that were tied together, and not staggered, so that your view is blocked by the chair directly in front of you.  If I had known, I would have just bought standard tickets.  But I was duped with the addition of the word "Premium".

Merkin Baller said:

MikeDigs said:

Merkin Baller said:

MikeDigs said:

SHZA said:

bootlegger10 said:

Not a scam.  It sucks, but not a scam.

It's definitely misleading. The labeling suggests that there's something that makes the seats a more premium product than the standard tickets, which isn't true. I'd bet anyone who bought premium feels that they were scammed when seats in the same row or better pop up later for a fraction of the price.  

You are 100% correct.  I bought tickets that were labeled "Premium" and payed the money because I was willing to pay the extra cost to get a top notch experience.  I did not receive a different experience, or different seating, than the standard tickets.  But I paid the "Premium" price.
I was robbed.  Scammed.

Were you scammed, or did you just not read the fine print? 

I did not read any fine print, as I didn't know any fine print existed.  I read the regular print.
If details of a product need to be hidden in fine print, then isn't that a scam?
A product that is up-charged simply because the word "Premium" is added, but it's the same standard product.
Not a small upcharge.  $800 per ticket.  That's a pretty steep increase.
Same product as standard though.  That is a scam. 

Not really... The term 'buyer beware' exists for a reason. 

This is very true.  Need to be on our toes at all times.

Lesson Learned:  Moving forward, will purchase all concert tickets on StubHub within a few weeks of the show.

ZoSoTim

So you expected an extra padded seat? Massage chair? Head rest? 

MikeDigs

ZoSoTim said:

So you expected an extra padded seat? Massage chair? Head rest? 

Expected an unblocked view of the stage.  Wouldn't you expect a ticket labeled "Premium" to at least give you an unblocked view of the stage??

Merkin Baller

MikeDigs said:

ZoSoTim said:

What “premium” products were you expecting if there was nothing to tell you what you would get with your $800 ticket?

Great question.  I was expecting seats that were a bit better than the standard seats.  But they were actually a bit worse than some of the standard seats, which adds to the overall frustration.  Fold up chairs that were tied together, and not staggered, so that your view is blocked by the chair directly in front of you.  If I had known, I would have just bought standard tickets.  But I was duped with the addition of the word "Premium".

Merkin Baller said:

MikeDigs said:

Merkin Baller said:

MikeDigs said:

SHZA said:

bootlegger10 said:

Not a scam.  It sucks, but not a scam.

It's definitely misleading. The labeling suggests that there's something that makes the seats a more premium product than the standard tickets, which isn't true. I'd bet anyone who bought premium feels that they were scammed when seats in the same row or better pop up later for a fraction of the price.  

You are 100% correct.  I bought tickets that were labeled "Premium" and payed the money because I was willing to pay the extra cost to get a top notch experience.  I did not receive a different experience, or different seating, than the standard tickets.  But I paid the "Premium" price.
I was robbed.  Scammed.

Were you scammed, or did you just not read the fine print? 

I did not read any fine print, as I didn't know any fine print existed.  I read the regular print.
If details of a product need to be hidden in fine print, then isn't that a scam?
A product that is up-charged simply because the word "Premium" is added, but it's the same standard product.
Not a small upcharge.  $800 per ticket.  That's a pretty steep increase.
Same product as standard though.  That is a scam. 

Not really... The term 'buyer beware' exists for a reason. 

This is very true.  Need to be on our toes at all times.

I don't disagree that the whole thing stinks to high heaven... I wouldn't say you were scammed per se, it's more that you just weren't in the know about their (shitty) practices. 

I feel bad for young people just starting to get the live music bug... things were so much easier even just 10 years ago, never mind back in the '90s or 2000s. 

pjl44

Merkin Baller said:

MikeDigs said:

ZoSoTim said:

What “premium” products were you expecting if there was nothing to tell you what you would get with your $800 ticket?

Great question.  I was expecting seats that were a bit better than the standard seats.  But they were actually a bit worse than some of the standard seats, which adds to the overall frustration.  Fold up chairs that were tied together, and not staggered, so that your view is blocked by the chair directly in front of you.  If I had known, I would have just bought standard tickets.  But I was duped with the addition of the word "Premium".

Merkin Baller said:

MikeDigs said:

Merkin Baller said:

MikeDigs said:

SHZA said:

bootlegger10 said:

Not a scam.  It sucks, but not a scam.

It's definitely misleading. The labeling suggests that there's something that makes the seats a more premium product than the standard tickets, which isn't true. I'd bet anyone who bought premium feels that they were scammed when seats in the same row or better pop up later for a fraction of the price.  

You are 100% correct.  I bought tickets that were labeled "Premium" and payed the money because I was willing to pay the extra cost to get a top notch experience.  I did not receive a different experience, or different seating, than the standard tickets.  But I paid the "Premium" price.
I was robbed.  Scammed.

Were you scammed, or did you just not read the fine print? 

I did not read any fine print, as I didn't know any fine print existed.  I read the regular print.
If details of a product need to be hidden in fine print, then isn't that a scam?
A product that is up-charged simply because the word "Premium" is added, but it's the same standard product.
Not a small upcharge.  $800 per ticket.  That's a pretty steep increase.
Same product as standard though.  That is a scam. 

Not really... The term 'buyer beware' exists for a reason. 

This is very true.  Need to be on our toes at all times.

I don't disagree that the whole thing stinks to high heaven... I wouldn't say you were scammed per se, it's more that you just weren't in the know about their (shitty) practices. 

I feel bad for young people just starting to get the live music bug... things were so much easier even just 10 years ago, never mind back in the '90s or 2000s. 

My number two piece of advice to youngsters after "stay in school" is "stick to club shows"

MikeDigs

90's and 00's concerts were amazing, and great prices too

SHZA

I think some of you are looking at this from the perspective of a savvy consumer who has experience with TM shenanigans and has done the research to understand that the only premium feature of premium seating is the price. To the average consumer who doesn't know that, it would be reasonable for that person to expect that they are getting something more than they would get if they purchased standard tickets. Just because not everyone is deceived doesn't mean it's not deceptive. 

hairgrowth2001 said:

Is it the artists making the money or ticketmaster? I think for big arena and stadium shows the artists are receiving a guarantee. I assumed that the premium prices are going to tickemaster. 

The artists "own" the tickets so they are getting the money. But because TM's fees are based on a percentage of the price, TM gets much higher fees on the premium sales.

 

pjl44

SHZA said:

I think some of you are looking at this from the perspective of a savvy consumer who has experience with TM shenanigans and has done the research to understand that the only premium feature of premium seating is the price. To the average consumer who doesn't know that, it would be reasonable for that person to expect that they are getting something more than they would get if they purchased standard tickets. Just because not everyone is deceived doesn't mean it's not deceptive. 

hairgrowth2001 said:

Is it the artists making the money or ticketmaster? I think for big arena and stadium shows the artists are receiving a guarantee. I assumed that the premium prices are going to tickemaster. 

The artists "own" the tickets so they are getting the money. But because TM's fees are based on a percentage of the price, TM gets much higher fees on the premium sales.

 

I don't think it's reasonable to buy a ticket and think "oh boy I can't wait to see what else I get for $800," not look into what else you get for $800, and then get upset that you only got a concert ticket for $800

pjl44

You don't have to be savvy to take responsibility for understanding what you just spent your money on 

Merkin Baller

SHZA said:

I think some of you are looking at this from the perspective of a savvy consumer who has experience with TM shenanigans and has done the research to understand that the only premium feature of premium seating is the price. To the average consumer who doesn't know that, it would be reasonable for that person to expect that they are getting something more than they would get if they purchased standard tickets. Just because not everyone is deceived doesn't mean it's not deceptive. 
 

I agree, it's deceptive; but that doesn't necessarily mean someone got scammed.

KJ228171

Given2Fly2 said:

As if it was not already known. The tickets that Ticketmaster list as “Pearl Jam Premium Tickets” or for any band who goes through Ticketmaster, for that matter, is a scam. Not only that, to make matters worse, according to Robert Smith of the Cure,  the BANDS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPT OUT OF THIS. Hopefully going forward Pearl Jam and other artists who would like to keep “Fans” at heart see this and consider it in the future

https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2024/10/why-rock-band-dumped-ticketmasters-dynamic-pricing-we-dont-need-to-make-all-this-money.html

MikeDigs said:

For the Inglewood Forum, there was nothing "premium" about the seats.
Just a "premium" price.  Seems pretty scam-y to me.
I guess any business can add the word "premium" to any product and upcharge it, even if it's not really premium.
Fuck Ticketmaster

People aren't going to like to hear it but it was PJ that made Ticketmaster rename "Official Platinum" to "Pearl Jam Premium". It was always dynamic pricing by a different name and the band could have opted out of at anytime.

MikeDigs

pjl44 said:

SHZA said:

I think some of you are looking at this from the perspective of a savvy consumer who has experience with TM shenanigans and has done the research to understand that the only premium feature of premium seating is the price. To the average consumer who doesn't know that, it would be reasonable for that person to expect that they are getting something more than they would get if they purchased standard tickets. Just because not everyone is deceived doesn't mean it's not deceptive. 

hairgrowth2001 said:

Is it the artists making the money or ticketmaster? I think for big arena and stadium shows the artists are receiving a guarantee. I assumed that the premium prices are going to tickemaster. 

The artists "own" the tickets so they are getting the money. But because TM's fees are based on a percentage of the price, TM gets much higher fees on the premium sales.

 

I don't think it's reasonable to buy a ticket and think "oh boy I can't wait to see what else I get for $800," not look into what else you get for $800, and then get upset that you only got a concert ticket for $800

Interesting take since you used the same price that I paid, but then you described a completely different situation, as I never thought that.  Really weird, since I already described my issue.  I knew I bought a concert ticket, and I knew where the seat was located.  With a "Premium" tag I was surprised how shitty the seats actually were, and that our view was blocked.

I DO think it's reasonable to expect that a concert ticket, listed with a "Premium" tag, would at the very least, come with unobstructed views of the stage. 

edocon

The potential scam here is that in many cases (disregarding NY and IL state laws) you don't "own" the Premium tickets after purchasing them. You are not free to sell them at any price or by any means other than to relist them on TM at the *exact* price you paid. So if you purchase Premium tickets and for some reason cannot attend the show, TM can sell tickets at a lower Premium price than you paid (for similar seats/section) and you cannot lower your price to compete with TM. In effect TM algorithms will ruthlessly undercut your resell attempt and you have no recourse to recover *any* of your costs.

SHZA

pjl44 said:

SHZA said:

I think some of you are looking at this from the perspective of a savvy consumer who has experience with TM shenanigans and has done the research to understand that the only premium feature of premium seating is the price. To the average consumer who doesn't know that, it would be reasonable for that person to expect that they are getting something more than they would get if they purchased standard tickets. Just because not everyone is deceived doesn't mean it's not deceptive. 

hairgrowth2001 said:

Is it the artists making the money or ticketmaster? I think for big arena and stadium shows the artists are receiving a guarantee. I assumed that the premium prices are going to tickemaster. 

The artists "own" the tickets so they are getting the money. But because TM's fees are based on a percentage of the price, TM gets much higher fees on the premium sales.

 

I don't think it's reasonable to buy a ticket and think "oh boy I can't wait to see what else I get for $800," not look into what else you get for $800, and then get upset that you only got a concert ticket for $800

During the checkout process with the clock ticking it can be tough to tell what's included. I almost got duped during the Oasis sale last week. The first thing I carted seemed like the standard GA ticket and was about $400. I almost bought it because once it was in the cart the full description wasn't available, and if I had taken the time to read through the fine print on the map page someone else would have carted it. I ultimately passed and went back and got the real standard price which was about $250.

By "more" I'm just saying that the seats themselves aren't even "better" than standard. There's no way to know during an initial sale that standard seats in the same row or better will be released for $500 less. The Platinum buyer paid $800 and the person in the row in front of them was only charged $300 for the identical (actually better) product. I struggle to see how that's not a scam.

MikeDigs

SHZA said:

pjl44 said:

SHZA said:

I think some of you are looking at this from the perspective of a savvy consumer who has experience with TM shenanigans and has done the research to understand that the only premium feature of premium seating is the price. To the average consumer who doesn't know that, it would be reasonable for that person to expect that they are getting something more than they would get if they purchased standard tickets. Just because not everyone is deceived doesn't mean it's not deceptive. 

hairgrowth2001 said:

Is it the artists making the money or ticketmaster? I think for big arena and stadium shows the artists are receiving a guarantee. I assumed that the premium prices are going to tickemaster. 

The artists "own" the tickets so they are getting the money. But because TM's fees are based on a percentage of the price, TM gets much higher fees on the premium sales.

 

I don't think it's reasonable to buy a ticket and think "oh boy I can't wait to see what else I get for $800," not look into what else you get for $800, and then get upset that you only got a concert ticket for $800

During the checkout process with the clock ticking it can be tough to tell what's included. I almost got duped during the Oasis sale last week. The first thing I carted seemed like the standard GA ticket and was about $400. I almost bought it because once it was in the cart the full description wasn't available, and if I had taken the time to read through the fine print on the map page someone else would have carted it. I ultimately passed and went back and got the real standard price which was about $250.

By "more" I'm just saying that the seats themselves aren't even "better" than standard. There's no way to know during an initial sale that standard seats in the same row or better will be released for $500 less. The Platinum buyer paid $800 and the person in the row in front of them was only charged $300 for the identical (actually better) product. I struggle to see how that's not a scam.

Exactly this.  Now that I'm aware of how the pricing really works, I will adjust my buying process moving forward.

StubHub or Vivid Seats is the way to go.

pjhawks

MikeDigs said:

pjl44 said:

SHZA said:

I think some of you are looking at this from the perspective of a savvy consumer who has experience with TM shenanigans and has done the research to understand that the only premium feature of premium seating is the price. To the average consumer who doesn't know that, it would be reasonable for that person to expect that they are getting something more than they would get if they purchased standard tickets. Just because not everyone is deceived doesn't mean it's not deceptive. 

hairgrowth2001 said:

Is it the artists making the money or ticketmaster? I think for big arena and stadium shows the artists are receiving a guarantee. I assumed that the premium prices are going to tickemaster. 

The artists "own" the tickets so they are getting the money. But because TM's fees are based on a percentage of the price, TM gets much higher fees on the premium sales.

 

I don't think it's reasonable to buy a ticket and think "oh boy I can't wait to see what else I get for $800," not look into what else you get for $800, and then get upset that you only got a concert ticket for $800

Interesting take since you used the same price that I paid, but then you described a completely different situation, as I never thought that.  Really weird, since I already described my issue.  I knew I bought a concert ticket, and I knew where the seat was located.  With a "Premium" tag I was surprised how shitty the seats actually were, and that our view was blocked.

I DO think it's reasonable to expect that a concert ticket, listed with a "Premium" tag, would at the very least, come with unobstructed views of the stage. 

The scam of premium pricing is not being able to resell for less than the price you paid. I understand not letting people scalp for more, but not being able to undersell seems like a total fu move.

njhaley1

pjhawks said:

MikeDigs said:

pjl44 said:

SHZA said:

I think some of you are looking at this from the perspective of a savvy consumer who has experience with TM shenanigans and has done the research to understand that the only premium feature of premium seating is the price. To the average consumer who doesn't know that, it would be reasonable for that person to expect that they are getting something more than they would get if they purchased standard tickets. Just because not everyone is deceived doesn't mean it's not deceptive. 

hairgrowth2001 said:

Is it the artists making the money or ticketmaster? I think for big arena and stadium shows the artists are receiving a guarantee. I assumed that the premium prices are going to tickemaster. 

The artists "own" the tickets so they are getting the money. But because TM's fees are based on a percentage of the price, TM gets much higher fees on the premium sales.

 

I don't think it's reasonable to buy a ticket and think "oh boy I can't wait to see what else I get for $800," not look into what else you get for $800, and then get upset that you only got a concert ticket for $800

Interesting take since you used the same price that I paid, but then you described a completely different situation, as I never thought that.  Really weird, since I already described my issue.  I knew I bought a concert ticket, and I knew where the seat was located.  With a "Premium" tag I was surprised how shitty the seats actually were, and that our view was blocked.

I DO think it's reasonable to expect that a concert ticket, listed with a "Premium" tag, would at the very least, come with unobstructed views of the stage. 

The scam of premium pricing is not being able to resell for less than the price you paid. I understand not letting people scalp for more, but not being able to undersell seems like a total fu move.

It's to discourage them from buying them unless they are very certain they or a "representative" will be at the show.

The hope is that speculators who can't unload them face a higher price than they would under typical situations.