Screwing over of fans - who's to blame - Principle or Ticketmaster?

[financeguy]

Many fans paid over the odds to touts for Croke Park tickets for the first two dates. We were told repeatedly that there would only be 2 gigs. Then, lo and behold, a third date was announced. Yes some people, myself included, suspected there was going to be a third but the fact is we were lied to.

Thus fans who paid over the odds for the first two were unfairly treated. Their tickets were immediately devalued (if they had paid over the odds for them at an agreed price from a tout)

Not only that but Ticketmaster released the tickets for the third date with no prior warning so it was total and utter pot luck if you got one.

Not only that but seemingly Ticketmaster released further tickets unannounced in the week running up to the gigs after we were repeatedly informed in the news media that all three gigs were sold out.

I think it is abundantly clear that some fans got screwed.

So what in the fuck is going on here and who is to blame for this debacle - Ticketmaster, Principle (and therefore U2) or all of them?

 

[MTEdge]

You're also forgetting one group... The fans for being uninformed.

Everyone knows that shows that are sold out are not sold out since tickets are always released in the days/weeks leading up to a concert.

Everyone knows that a concert schedule is never set in stone (witness the additional shows added in Milan, Paris, Dublin, and the US cities after the initial sales period), especially when rumours were rampant that additional shows, for example, a third Dublin show, were going to be added.

Everyone on this board knew that tickets were being put up on sale for the third Dublin show at Saturday 9 am.

Finally, everone knows that dealing with scalpers is a risk that the buying public takes. For those that ventured to buy tickets when it was a sellers' market, it's unfortunate that you paid through the nose. But when the market turned into a buyers' market, you cannot blame TM, Principle, or the band. To do so is simply another wasted effort to displace the blame that should be on yourself on to others.

Bottom line: Fans were not "lied to."

 

[U2FanPeter]

TM usually has a FAQ page somewhere on their site that describes how ticket become available at the last minute.