Buying concert tickets at Ticketmaster.com was easy, but their fees are high.
Written: Feb 19 '04 (Updated Feb 19 '04)
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I was looking around at Buddy Jewell’s website when I noticed that he was going to be performing at the Joe Diffie and Friends concert. I was interested in going to the concert so I clicked on the link for more information. It took me directly to the www.ticketmaster.com website. After talking with my husband we decided to place an order for two tickets for the evening.
Ticketmaster Facts:
It is a company that sells tickets to the major concerts, sporting events, arts & theater and family. Last year they sold more than 95 million tickets. This is one of the world’s leading ticket sales companies.
What will I see at the website?
Across the top you can pick Home, Concerts, Sports, Arts & Theater or Family. You can browse events by city or zip code. There is a section in the center that lists the current hot tickets. Right now some that you would see there would be: Alan Jackson, David Bowie, Kenny Chesney, Bill Cosby, and Dora the Explorer. It will also tell you which tickets are going to be sold next. You can also go to help, view order history, my account or international.
Is it easy to order tickets?
It was very easy for me to order tickets. It will tell you the different prices and what section the tickets are good for. We had a choice between main floor tickets or balcony tickets. You put in the number that you need and it will show you the best available for your price choice. It will give you a description of where you will be sitting and you can also view a seating chart. The checkout process was very simple. It guided me through the whole thing.
How can you get the tickets?
You can pick them up at the box office window. Be sure to bring the credit card you’ve used to purchase them as well as your identification. Or you can have them mailed to you through the standard mail or through UPS for an additional charge. They say to allow at least 14 days for standard mail and 2 days if using UPS. The also have an option called “ticketfast”. This is a method where the tickets can be emailed to you and you can print them.
What areas of help can the website give me?
There is a help index along with a FAQ section. There is a section for My Account and to check on your order. They also have a customer service link and a policies & terms section. Most any question I could possibly think of was found under the FAQ section.
What are all of the charges associated with purchasing tickets?
Face Value of Tickets ~ determined by promoter, venue or artist
Facility Charge ~ fee that is collected on behalf of the venue. (Not all venues charge a facility charge. The concert I attended did not charge one.)
Convenience Charge ~ fee that is collected that goes directly to ticketmaster.com for the service they provide. If you go to a box office you are not charged. The convenience charge varies on the event. It is charged on all ticket sales through the internet, phone or ticket outlet (like a department store that sells tickets).
Tax
Order Processing Fee ~ covers the cost of standard shipping.
On my order my tickets were $38.50 face value, $5 convenience charge, .94 total tax, and an order-processing fee of $3.25. I picked my tickets up at the box office because there wasn’t time to have them mailed to me.
Customer Service:
There is an email contact form at the site. You can also find the phone number for customer service, which are listed by state.
What payments are accepted?
American Express, MasterCard, Optima, Visa, Discover/NOVUS, and Diners Club.
Final Thoughts:
I now have an account with Ticketmaster, which will make it easier the next time, I want to order tickets. All of my information is stored. When I want to place an order I can login and then go to order my tickets. I didn’t have any trouble using their site. When I got to the box office window I was easily able to get my tickets. I real like the feature where you can see the seating chart of the venue that you are going to. You will know right where you will be sitting before you get there.
When I placed my order I was sent an email confirmation within minutes of placing the order. The confirmation email included the order number, event, venue, price and seat location. There were clickable links included in the email where I could view my account or check the order detail.
I wasn’t happy about the $5 per ticket charge that I had to pay, but I didn’t want to chance not getting tickets. You can get them directly from the box office and avoid that charge. However, if they don’t have any tickets or the area that you want you are out of luck. When going to a very popular concert or event you don’t want to take any chances on not getting a ticket or getting a crummy seat.
I also signed up for their email alert. They will email you when tickets are going to go on sale in your area. I just got an email today telling me about the Martina McBride and Alan Jackson concert. I think the emails will be very helpful to me in ordering tickets when the first come out. Sometimes I forget to look and all of the good tickets get sold quickly. This way I will have a notice of when they will be sold. This will be a great reminder for me when I want to buy tickets.
Besides the extra fees I like the ticketmaster.com website very much. I will use it again in the future when I wan to place an order for more tickets.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? 2 Concert Tickets
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About the Author
Member: Wendy
Location: ~Music City USA~
Reviews written: 238
Trusted by: 265 members
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