HMV Pre-sale F**k Up

So would you be happier if they just held their hands up and said their systems weren't adequate enough to cope with demand? I guess their responses are just them trying to offer some sort of tangible reason as to why some people weren't lucky, when in fact it could have been a number of things, and more likely a combination of reasons. In all honesty I don't think such a system exists that would guarantee plain sailing for everyone, these things are unfortunately a complete lottery. Imagine if it all worked perfectly and everyone managed to put tickets in their basket - there is still a limited number of tickets, so some kind of error message has to come up. I appreciate all the points you've made about monies being taken and the screw up with putting the link up on the main page. However, none of this changes the fact that there were hundreds, possibly thousands of people all vying for a very limited supply of tickets.

As for Ticketweb, again a complete lottery. I logged on to their site at 7:50 and was instantly put in a queue (the same queue screen I was taken to the night before when I checked the link). I have no idea why I was lucky when others weren't, perhaps because I got on that bit earlier. Regardless, it all boils down to the fact that online booking systems are not infallible. As you said, you were refreshing from 8:20, so the fact they possilby went on sale early shouldn't have made a difference. I'm really not trying to piss you off, I'm just trying to point out that even if it all ran smoothly, nobody is guaranteed tickets.

facepollution wrote:

So would you be happier if they just held their hands up and said their systems weren't adequate enough to cope with demand? I guess their responses are just them trying to offer some sort of tangible reason as to why some people weren't lucky, when in fact it could have been a number of things, and more likely a combination of reasons. In all honesty I don't think such a system exists that would guarantee plain sailing for everyone, these things are unfortunately a complete lottery. Imagine if it all worked perfectly and everyone managed to put tickets in their basket - there is still a limited number of tickets, so some kind of error message has to come up. I appreciate all the points you've made about monies being taken and the screw up with putting the link up on the main page. However, none of this changes the fact that there were hundreds, possibly thousands of people all vying for a very limited supply of tickets.

As for Ticketweb, again a complete lottery. I logged on to their site at 7:50 and was instantly put in a queue (the same queue screen I was taken to the night before when I checked the link). I have no idea why I was lucky when others weren't, perhaps because I got on that bit earlier. Regardless, it all boils down to the fact that online booking systems are not infallible. As you said, you were refreshing from 8:20, so the fact they possilby went on sale early shouldn't have made a difference. I'm really not trying to piss you off, I'm just trying to point out that even if it all ran smoothly, nobody is guaranteed tickets.

Oh totally, most of us on here have agreed we know there were most likely thousands of peeps after just a couple of thousand tickets But it is the lies and misleading that have upset most of us, even the basket stuff etc can be put down to understandable glitches. We are mostly all just peeved that tickets were sold earlier than agreed and that nearly all of us who were promised second / third unique links didn't get them. Not to mention their complete lack of response to many individuals who contacted them by phone / mail. It was always going to be a miracle getting the tickets BUT some of the stuff they have done is actually shocking. Especially considering some touts miraculously had their tickets on sale on Ebay even before the agreed pre-sale to those who had pre-ordered the album. If you look back through the several threads on here, not just this one, you will see many many fans with the same story as I have, it's not just me :-)

goddess wrote:

Oh totally, most of us on here have agreed we know there were most likely thousands of peeps after just a couple of thousand tickets But it is the lies and misleading that have upset most of us, even the basket stuff etc can be put down to understandable glitches. We are mostly all just peeved that tickets were sold earlier than agreed and that nearly all of us who were promised second / third unique links didn't get them. Not to mention their complete lack of response to many individuals who contacted them by phone / mail. It was always going to be a miracle getting the tickets BUT some of the stuff they have done is actually shocking. Especially considering some touts miraculously had their tickets on sale on Ebay even before the agreed pre-sale to those who had pre-ordered the album. If you look back through the several threads on here, not just this one, you will see many many fans with the same story as I have, it's not just me :-)

Yeah I have no idea how touts get their hands on tickets so easily, they have to have some inside information. Either that, or they have learned exactly how each ticket site works and how to maximise their chances of getting tickets. I suppose HMV are just trying to cover their backs, they obviously know they've messed up, by the sheer number of complaints they've received.

I guess you have to remember that they make a living from touting, so they probably invest a lot of time and effort into finding out how to get the right contacts and insider info. They're still scummy fuckers though!

another email from HMV, again missing all the issues I mentioned, I officially give up, I'm going anyway....corporates are a joke....


Thank you for your response in relation to the Pearl Jam pre-sale ticket offer.

In view of comments from customers, we would like to confirm that we have verified transactions with our ticketing provider, and in accordance with the time on their servers, no orders were processed for the Pearl Jam ticket offer before 9am. As previously stated, any issues experienced were due to the popularity of the offer, and the volume of people trying to purchase tickets.


We would like to assure you that we are taking all feedback from customers seriously, and will be addressing any issues with our ticketing partner to ensure that future ticket promotions with major bands run smoothly.


Kind Regards,

I tried earlier and there was nowt...also, it seems to have gone from Ticketweb now!

LOL - no second generic mail for me despite my complaint about their FIRST email

I must be on their blocked senders list - oh wait, I can't be as they've sent me at least 5 promotional emails since last week!

Dear Beverly

Thank you for your response in relation to the Pearl Jam pre-sale ticket offer.

In view of comments from customers, we would like to confirm that we have verified transactions with our ticketing provider, and in accordance with the time on their servers, no orders were processed for the Pearl Jam ticket offer before 9am. As previously stated, any issues experienced were due to the popularity of the offer, and the volume of people trying to purchase tickets.

We would like to assure you that we are taking all feedback from customers seriously, and will be addressing any issues with our ticketing partner to ensure that future ticket promotions with major bands run smoothly.

I would also like to apologise for any misinformation given to you by our service team on Tuesday 22nd July 2009. There were no problems with the links sent out, and I am very sorry if you were informed that a second link would be sent out to you. We have reviewed your case and fed back to the agents involved.

Kind Regards,

Andrew Cherrett

ECommerce Customer Service Manager

www.hmv.com




They seem to think that sending us a barrel full of lies is acceptable. I saw one yesterday that confirmed that second links WERE sent out!

i think its great they send out the same email to everyone.

they must think we are all as dumb as fuck.

still it worked, I got bored of writing to them so they wore me down. Probably because I got helped out with a ticket, but still they dont care about a few fans moaning at them, by getting through the last two weeks they are now down to the last few of us whittling about it before it all dies down.

HMV are a clever bunch, and I hate them for it.

clashcityrocker wrote:

Received the same e-mail as Goddess, below is my response:

Dear Andrew,

You are clearly not "taking all feedback from customers seriously" as you have again sent a generic e-mail to all the people who have complained about the way you handled the pre-sale.

I would be grateful if you would look at my specific complaint and deal with it accordingly.

I am again forwarding the text of my original complaint:

"Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to register my complete displeasure at the way your company handled the Pearl Jam Ticket Pre-sale this morning (21st July 2009)

I received my e-mail link to the pre-sale in good time having pre-ordered the Backspacer album.

I clicked on the link at 08:56 and to my delight, got straight through to the order page. I completed my details and the two tickets went into my Shopping Basket. I immediately clicked the checkout button to be told that the tickets had gone! (This was at 08:58, two minutes before the pre-sale was actually supposed to start!!)

I fail to see how this can be the case? (The tickets are still showing as being in my Shopping Basket but I am unable to actually purchase them)

To illustrate how ridiculous this situation is, let me give you a comparison.

I go to my local HMV Shop, place a CD in my shopping basket and head straight for the checkout where I am served immediately.
On arrival at the checkout, the member of staff who is serving me says "Oh! I'm sorry sir, that person over there is going to have your CD, you didn't get here quick enough!"
My reply would be "well, I walked directly from the display to the checkout"
"That maybe the case sir but it just wasn't quick enough"

Can you see how ridiculous that scenario is??

You Terms and Conditions clearly state the following:

"Once you have clicked on 'Checkout >>' we reserve each of the items in your trolley for 10 minutes. During this time no one else is able to purchase your items. However, because of the high demand for many of our items, if you are unable to complete your order in the allotted 10 minutes, all items will be released for general sale and you will have start the booking process again."

I believe you have breached your own terms and conditions by not reserving the items that I successfully placed in my "Shopping Basket" and await your proposals as to how you intend to remedy this outrageous state of affairs.

Yours Sincerely"


I would be grateful if you would reply to me about my specific issue and not just send a standard reponse.

Kind Regards

John Hodge

Let's see how we get on this time. If this fails I will telephone Andrew Cherrett direct. Tosspots!!!

Nice work, I wish you luck with getting a proper response for a change. For what it's worth (which is absolutely sod all) my tickets are still in my basket now.