Ticketmaster is pure evil. I recently bought tickets to see George Carlin in December. It is out on Long Island (North Fork Theater at Westbury), but it is worth the trip to see one of my favorite comedians ever. It was early in the morning and I don’t think I had the presence of mind to examine all of the Ts & Cs, or the charges associated with the purchase. Let me review them for you:

Ticket Cost ($56.50 per ticket, 2 tickets)= 113.00
Convenience Charge ($11.00 per ticket)= $22.00
Order Processing= $4.60
TOTAL COST = $140.50

So, I ended up paying $70.25/ticket. Now, I must clarify…

I am fine with paying that much. I wouldn’t spend it for anyone, but Carlin is mint. I would even spend more (don’t tell Ticketmaster)! But, where do they get off making up a bunch of phony charges? If you are going to price gouge me, just raise the base price! In the words of Judge Judy, “Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining!” Let’s review:

Ticket Cost: OK, this is already very steep, but as I said, I would buy them anyway.

Convenience Charge: Two problems with this line item. First of all, it means nothing. At least explain what it is. Their B.S. definition tells us nothing about what they are actually using that fee for. Secondly, there is nothing convenient about it! I would much prefer to just go to a local store and buy the tickets without a “convenience charge.” As a company, if you are going to add technology to facilitate growth and make it easier for your customers, you should not charge them for it!

Order Processing: Again, I point you to the link at their site where they flimsily explain this added cost. Shouldn’t this be folded into the ticket cost? The cost of them processing the order is part of their fixed or variable costs… In other words, it is a cost of doing business. What this leads me to believe is that the actual ticket cost is all profit, and then the user pays their fees and overhead through various charges at the end. I know that is not the case, as the lions share must go to the performer, but Ticketmaster is definitely doing OK.

The company is a total monopoly… I am not sure why they are not subject to anti-trust lawsuits. They have either run their competition out of business or swallowed them, and they have a stranglehold on the market. Luckily, there are at least one or two forces out there who stand up to this bastard of an organization.

do you have any stories about these A-holes?