Ticket Brokers Outta Control

[SunBloc]

Just looking at Stubhub's ticket prices for Charlotte. Don't know what's going on with them. GA prices are ranging from $378 to
over $1,000 each. Guess fans are riding the market through the broker??? There should be a law or regulation about situations like this...

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

technicaly stubhub isn't supposed to be brokers... but i'm sure some sneak on there.

perhaps you should ask about the large totaltickets.com banner being advertised on top of this page... check out the rediculous prices there sometime...

 

[Liesje]

perhaps you should ask about the large totaltickets.com banner being advertised on top of this page... check out the rediculous prices there sometime...

ditto that...how lame

I checked StubHub for CLE and as far as I could tell, it pulled from the same database b/c it returned the same tickets and prices as GoldCoast and Totaltickets.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

brokers are the scum of the earth in my opinion... and i think a u2 "fan" page having a relationship with a company that is doing nothing but ripping u2 fans off is far worse than any fake edge scandle...

but alas...

 

[redkat]

total tickets was the worst out of all the brokers I've contacted this past year

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

 

[Liesje]

total tickets was the worst out of all the brokers I've contacted this past year

I've bought from brokers for this tour after being shut out in all the sales. Gold Coast was reasonable, very quick, great service, would rather pay a bit more to use them than risk it on eBay or Craigslist.

TotalTickets, on the other hand, is a total fucking rip off

 

[U2Girl1978]

Stubhub and Goldcoast were the best ones I've used.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

stubhub threatens legal actions against anyone who tries to sell fake tickets on their site... and they offer 100% refunds for any problems that occur... so they're pretty much as close to 100% legit as you can get

 

[Liesje]

stubhub threatens legal actions against anyone who tries to sell fake tickets on their site... and they offer 100% refunds for any problems that occur... so they're pretty much as close to 100% legit as you can get

Also pretty much as close to 300% face value you can get

I'm so sick of this ticket mess. I feel like ETS sucked up all the GAs for Cleveland and everyone who wanted GAs bought seats. So now people with seats are selling them for exorbitant prices to afford ETS or scalped GAs and people who just wanted seats in the first place can't get shit.

 

[gvox]

To my knowledge ETS doesn't 'suck up' any tickets. They are officially sanctioned to sell ticket packages...I could stand corrected but I believe they get them straight from the source unlike the brokers who use shady methods such as 'buyers' and hacking into Ticketmaster to get them.

 

[Ellay]

does anybody here pay any attention whatsoever to the total ticket banner?

Ive been here for years and not clicked on it once.

 

[Liesje]

To my knowledge ETS doesn't 'suck up' any tickets. They are officially sanctioned to sell ticket packages...I could stand corrected but I believe they get them straight from the source unlike the brokers who use shady methods such as 'buyers' and hacking into Ticketmaster to get them.

I know they're official, but it seems like an awful lot of people didn't get any GAs and can't find any on Ticketmaster but somehow ETS always has them available....for nearly $200 when face is $49.50. I don't care how "official" that is, it still annoys me. Somehow I doubt the ETS party is worth the balance of $150. However the ticket+bus transport packages seem more worth it to me. Anyone that buys tickets with the intent of reselling them is sucking them up from others, IMO.

 

[gvox]

Thats what I mean Lies, I dont think they 'buy' them at all. I believe they are alloted a certain amount by tour management. In fact I'm almost positive they are. They also are issued U2 tour working passes and also have the official "tour associate" passes that you will see U2 staff wearing. They are basically part of the tour.

As for them taking up GAs that other fans might have gotten, I doubt thats the case really. Most of the tickets in their stock are not GAs, anytime I've gotten a ticket from them its been easier to get a seat than a GA. I got really lucky in Montreal.

As for the price being worth the party, that's debatable. Maybe if you knew how much it costs to get the venue, security, food, band, multimedia, etc, you might think differently. Its a nice affair and the cost per party is in the tens of thousands. Its for people who want to make a huge event out of the concert, most of whom for which the night will be their only opportunity to see the band for the entire tour.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

the ETS parties are fun... but they're a bit of a rip off. now if it came with an open bar, now we're talking. all it gets you is some free food and a ride to the venue.

if you're using them to get the tickets, by all means go... you're paying for it anyway.

but just to go to the party? eh... if you have the money to burn, it's a fun time. but if you're on a budget i'd think twice.

 

[gvox]

Well obviously ETS isnt operating on a 'lets just break even' type philosophy. It isn't an @U2 party or ITH or something. But neither for that matter is the rest of the tour, everyone's making money on the tour so I don't think they can be faulted for making a bit of profit.

I can tell you one thing, they provide a much more value-added service than ANY of the ticket brokers out there, at lower prices, and they take care of U2 fans. They can hardly be accused of gouging fans like the scalperbrokers do. Do you think you could get personal attention from one of those brokers on the night of the show with food and a nice venue to meet other ticketholders in? No way.

 

[gvox]

if you have the money to burn, it's a fun time. but if you're on
a budget i'd think twice.

Not to be snobby, but that is who the parties are for: people with money to spend on a special night out who didn't have the time or whatever to sit in front of a computer when the sale happened, and dont mind paying for some peace of mind. I've met people from around the world at these parties and they are hardcore fans, albeit with a bit more free cash then us lowlies.

You have to remember that U2 has millions of fans, MOST of whom dont come on Interference, and those fans come from all levels of income and social status. Some are rich, some are CEOs and whatnot who dont have time to deal with TM. Alot of them I met said they dont even bother with the online TM sales, they like the vibe and the 'nite-out' atmosphere of the ETS thing and so have used them for many tours.

All Im saying is, we aren't really ETS' target market. Im sure they appreciate Interferencers buying their tickets once in a while, but their core market likes a certain type of night out, and they provide it, and make a bit of money doing it. Complaining about it is like complaining about the $1000 per couple New Years Eve dance, where you got the same free champagne as you would have gotten at the $100 per couple New Years Eve dance.



EDIT: Im actually kinda amused by comments re whether or not the parties are 'worth it' - Interferencers had FREE invitations to alot of the ETS parties, via me posting about it and offering it, and only a very few actually took advantage of it...I just got an email from someone else I invited (non-Interference) who got in on the guestlist...she walked out of the Ottawa party with a new bar-b-que and a copy of the Vertigo Chicago DVD. Others I invited on our guestlist won U2 Ipods and Ellipse wristbands..

what can ya do?

 

[Gen. Chat]

Well U2 or at least their management is partly to blame for the way they released tickets giving ticket brokers from around the planet a chance to snag the best seats. I don’t think they fully realized how fast they would sell out. A competent presale and maybe releasing tickets in stages over a few hours or days like Springstein does would get more tickets into real fans hands rather than brokers and their proxies who flood the Ticketmaster site the first 5 minutes of any sale. ETS is a fair compromise between the fan and the band and a Bronze package with a GA for around $150 is the way to go considering how much a GA ticket is undervalued, face value I mean.

 

[gvox]

ETS is a fair compromise between the fan and the band and a Bronze package with a GA for around $150 is the way to go considering how much a GA ticket is undervalued, face value I mean.

Agreed.

And as I mentioned before, while sites like totaltickets tell you your ticket is part of a package that may include blah blah etc etc., they are only doing that to make sure they don't break the laws about selling tickets for more than the law allows - but there is no package per se. They are just like the eBay guy who says he'll include a CD with the ticket for $500. Big Deal, I dont care what anyone here wants to call them, they are scalpers just like the guys on eBay and no better. I dont know why they are allowed here personally, and the question seems to be ignored every time it's raised.

With ETS their tickets are already priced within legal limits and they actually do give you a nite out package. Anyone that went to Montreal with ETS and came to the party on Saturday must agree!! What a party!

 

[redkat]

does anybody here pay any attention whatsoever to the total ticket banner?

Ive been here for years and not clicked on it once.

Because of seeing it here it was the first broker I contacted. Not only were the prices ridiculous the people were rude and unprofessional.

 

[Axver]

does anybody here pay any attention whatsoever to the total ticket banner?

Ive been here for years and not clicked on it once.

I've clicked on it once, and that was by accident.

 

[U2Man]

Me 2

Let's get rid of that banner

 

[Utoo]

brokers are the scum of the earth in my opinion... and i think a u2 "fan" page having a relationship with a company that is doing nothing but ripping u2 fans off is far worse than any fake edge scandle...

but alas...

My thoughts exactly. And I think a lot of us have had the same thoughts. Apparently, Elvis made some good argument to the forum for putting it up there, but I guess I wasn't around when it happened. I know the site needs money to run, but it's still kinda lame.

I think that brokers suck ass. I don't care if they give the "service" of knowing your tickets are real. It's still fucked up to sell for 300%-plus over the face value.

That said, brokers aren't the only evil ones. Some fans are, too. **Any "fan" who signed up for more than one u2.com account to get multiple pre-sale codes, you suck ass, too!**

 

[Chizip]

I don't mind the banner so much as the e-mail we got from interference telling us to buy tickets from them.

 

[U2Man]

I didn't get that email.

 

[Chizip]

I didn't get that email.

U2 Vertigo Tour Tickets - Get them now!

Hello Hello Chizip ,

Tickets for the U2 'VERTIGO' Tour have been announced and are now
available!

To get tickets for the North American 1st leg of the tour, right now,
go to the link below:

http://totaltickets.com/Ticket_Search.php?ev=Vertigo


European dates, as well additional shows will be on sale soon!


U2 Vertigo Tour
----------------------

NORTH AMERICA DATES

March 28th San Diego, CA - Sports Arena
April 1st Anaheim, CA - Arrowhead Pond
April 5th Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
April 9th San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
April 14th Phoenix, AZ - Glendale Arena
April 20th Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
April 24th Seattle, WA - Key Arena
April 28th Vancouver, BC - General Motors Place
May 7th & May 9th Chicago, IL - United Center
May 14 Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
May 17 & May 18 East Rutherford, NJ - Continental Airlines Arena
May 21 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
May 24 & May 26 Boston, MA - Fleet Center


EUROPEAN DATES

June 10th Brussels - King Baudouin Stadium
June 12th Gelsenkirchen - Schalke Stadium
June 14th Manchester - City of Manchester Stadium
June 18th London - Twickenham Stadium
June 21st Glasgow - Hampden Park
June 24th Dublin - Croke Park
June 29th Cardiff - Millenium Stadium

2nd July Vienna - Ernst Happel Stadium
5th July Katowice - Slaski Stadium
7th July Berlin - Olympic Stadium
9th July Paris - Stade de France
11th July Zurich – Letzigrund Stadium
13th July Amsterdam – Arena
19th July Milan - San Siro
23rd July Rome - Olympic Stadium
27th July Oslo - Vallehovin Stadium;
29th July Gothenburg - Ullevi Stadium
31st July Copenhagen - Parken

3rd August Munich - Olympic Stadium
5th August Nice - Parc des Sports Charles Ehrmann
7th August Barcelona – Camp Nou
9th August San Sebastian - Anoeta Stadium
11th August Madrid - Estadio Vicente Calderon
14th August Lisbon - Alvalade


check out the 'U2 Tour Central 2004 / 2005 / 2006' section which will
give you a head start on planning for the coming U2 tour. You can read
and/or discuss almost every aspect of the tour. Check it out:
http://forum.interference.com/f271.html?u=15168

And of course, you can always stay updated on latest tour news in once
place:
http://interference.com/u2/u2106658.html?u=15168



Have a great day,

The U2 nuts at Interference.com

of course this email was sent out even before the intitial prsales had taken place and everybody was in a state of confusion. needless to say this email was a bit misleading.

 

[U2Man]

I love the attempt at disguising the advertising for TotalTickets heavily.

This is spam, and it's not allowed according to the faq

 

[Utoo]

Maybe Interference tried to do a service.....but IN CODE! If you take the first letter of each of the first few lines of that email:

Hello Hello Chizip ,

Tickets for the U2 'VERTIGO' Tour have been announced and are now
available!

To get tickets for the North American 1st leg of the tour, right now,
go to the link below:

http://totaltickets.com/Ticket_Search.php?ev=Vertigo

you'll see it's an abbreviation for:

"Hey, TotalTickets Are Too Greedy! Hollazooooo!!"

 

[gvox]

 

[U2Man]

Maybe Interference tried to do a service.....but IN CODE! If you take the first letter of each of the first few lines of that email:



you'll see it's an abbreviation for:

"Hey, TotalTickets Are Too Greedy! Hollazooooo!!"

lol