Author Topic: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets  (Read 8798 times)

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Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« on: September 24, 2014, 04:43:43 PM »

Online mef730

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I'm a season ticket holder and just listed some of my tickets on the NBA Resale Marketplace.  Previously, they charged the seller a 5% commission.  I'm okay with that.

I listed some tickets and went to check on them.  I had listed them at $65, but they kept showing up as $78.  I couldn't figure out why until I clicked on them.  Ticketmaster had added a 20% buyer surcharge.

There's no way the Celtics did not know about this change (A rep confirmed for me that they had a team meeting about it.  I asked her if she had known about it.  She told me she wasn't 100% certain.  I asked her what percentage certain she was.  That's when she said they had a meeting about it but she didn't remember how much it would be.).  I went through my paperwork and couldn't find any indications that this was coming.  Even if it's a TM surcharge, the Celtics had an obligation to let us know it was coming.  They certainly advertised all the good stuff to season ticket holders who renewed.  What makes it worse is that tickets that are not resales had no surcharge.  I'll recognize that they may have put something in the fine print that I didn't notice, but this was not a small change.

Congrats, Celtics.  You have a last-place caliber team and you just devalued my tickets by 20%.  Had I known about the change, I never would have renewed my tickets.

Mike

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2014, 04:56:36 PM »

Offline D.o.s.

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Just give your tickets away to some friends in exchange for $65.
At least a goldfish with a Lincoln Log on its back goin' across your floor to your sock drawer has a miraculous connotation to it.

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2014, 05:01:23 PM »

Offline gpap

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Mike - Thank you for sharing this.

I am no longer a STH but did buy one of those 10 game mini plans and I can say that I am NOT very happy about this at all.

And this is why I get ticked off about having to watch a team "rebuild."

If you're going to offer fans a crap product on the floor, fine.

But at least slash the prices instead of raising them.

Don't "rebuild" the product but then NOT "rebuild" the ticket prices.

Thank you for sharing.

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2014, 05:10:27 PM »

Online mef730

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I just had another thought.   I called my rep, and I bet when he calls me back, he's going to tell me, "oh, they always charged a surcharge.  Now they're just putting it in the price up front.  Nothing's changed."

But that would be a big change.  It would show that they are actively trying to push people away from the resale tickets.  Yup, I get it.  They're a business, and they have an incentive to maximize their profits.   But loyalty has to run both ways. 

I'm on record on this forum as being in favor of a longer rebuild.   But if this is the way they're going to treat season ticket holders (excuse me, season ticket members is what we're called now, since we're part of the family), they can rebuild on somebody else's money. 

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2014, 05:40:02 PM »

Offline D.o.s.

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That is one of the reasons why there are owners like the previous head of the Bucks, who would shoot for the playoffs every year when they "should be" tanking -- because they couldn't take the financial hit that would come from people going through exactly what you were going through.
At least a goldfish with a Lincoln Log on its back goin' across your floor to your sock drawer has a miraculous connotation to it.

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2014, 05:56:45 PM »

Offline Future Celtics Owner

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I was a season ticket holder for 3 seasons. The Celtics never came through on a lot of things...one being the bbq. One of the dam reasons I got them was for a chance to meet the celtics.....that never happened bc they changed the STH benefits after they sold out...I got in right as KG was cleared to play medically.

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2014, 06:01:20 PM »

Offline Celtics4ever

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They are not the only place to buy them, thankfully.

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2014, 06:25:37 PM »

Offline Csfan1984

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Should team greed ever surprise a fan. Just look at prices, parking and concessions. They are just doing their usual business.

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2014, 06:33:07 PM »

Offline gpap

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I was a season ticket holder for 3 seasons. The Celtics never came through on a lot of things...one being the bbq. One of the dam reasons I got them was for a chance to meet the celtics.....that never happened bc they changed the STH benefits after they sold out...I got in right as KG was cleared to play medically.

Yeah, they axed the bbq.

They should offer their ticket holders more.

The only "cool" thing they offered me was a chance to shoot around on the parquet after a game and the chance to meet a Celtic player.

Only problem is that player was Kris Joseph.

Who's Kris Joseph?

Exactly.

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #9 on: September 24, 2014, 07:24:29 PM »

Offline 317

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have they had the BBQ in the past decade? i went to either 1 or 2 of them back in the early Walker years and had scheduling conflicts or chose not to go a few other times, but i dont remember it being offered since at least pre 07-08, maybe longer.

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #10 on: September 24, 2014, 07:30:34 PM »

Offline slamtheking

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a prime reason why I've held off buying any season ticket packages in favor of single game purchases for games that interested me.

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #11 on: September 24, 2014, 07:32:07 PM »

Offline Future Celtics Owner

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I was a season ticket holder for 3 seasons. The Celtics never came through on a lot of things...one being the bbq. One of the dam reasons I got them was for a chance to meet the celtics.....that never happened bc they changed the STH benefits after they sold out...I got in right as KG was cleared to play medically.

Yeah, they axed the bbq.

They should offer their ticket holders more.

The only "cool" thing they offered me was a chance to shoot around on the parquet after a game and the chance to meet a Celtic player.

Only problem is that player was Kris Joseph.

Who's Kris Joseph?

Exactly.
Ya and they never even talked about it. They did not care bc they had our money and after KG was officially here there was a huge demand for tickets.

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #12 on: September 24, 2014, 07:34:21 PM »

Offline gpap

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have they had the BBQ in the past decade? i went to either 1 or 2 of them back in the early Walker years and had scheduling conflicts or chose not to go a few other times, but i dont remember it being offered since at least pre 07-08, maybe longer.

If I am not mistaken, they stopped the barbecue that same summer they got KG because demand obviously went up for tixs and I guess hence, it was time for the team to "stop being so generous to fans."

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #13 on: September 24, 2014, 08:02:03 PM »

Online mef730

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Should team greed ever surprise a fan. Just look at prices, parking and concessions. They are just doing their usual business.

I'm not surprised at all by the greed, simply the magnitude, timing and obviousness of it.  At least when the airlines are sucking wind, they give their most loyal passengers extra frequent flyer miles to get them onboard.  They don't slap them across the face and tell them to enjoy it (which, I will admit, does seem to be a favorite activity of the airlines in the good times).

Mike

Re: Ticketmaster adding 20% buyer surcharge to relisted tickets
« Reply #14 on: September 24, 2014, 10:39:30 PM »

Offline Future Celtics Owner

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have they had the BBQ in the past decade? i went to either 1 or 2 of them back in the early Walker years and had scheduling conflicts or chose not to go a few other times, but i dont remember it being offered since at least pre 07-08, maybe longer.

If I am not mistaken, they stopped the barbecue that same summer they got KG because demand obviously went up for tixs and I guess hence, it was time for the team to "stop being so generous to fans."
Exactly. And I was really looking forward to that. For a college kid 2 season tickets was a lot of dough!