Grandma got ripped off buying concert tickets from a reseller: Learn from her mistake
Martha Keeler of Barberton wants a recent very overpriced experience buying entertainment tickets online to be a lesson for others.
She wanted to buy some tickets to an upcoming Cleveland Orchestra concert at Blossom Music Center for her grandson’s birthday.
The 17-year-old would be visiting from Columbus and Keeler thought he might enjoy the orchestra’s special "Jurassic Park" concert, where the movie would be played on big screens while the orchestra played the musical score.
Keeler bought four tickets in the pavilion. But it wasn’t until after her transaction that she realized what had happened and sent me an email titled “ripped off when trying to buy tickets to Blossom Music Center.”
Instead of a total cost of $148 for four pavilion tickets, she spent $670.95 for overpriced tickets and service fees.
Here’s how Keeler got scammed by a 'ticket reseller'
Keeler said her first mistake was buying the tickets on her phone instead of waiting to pull up websites on her computer, where she could probably see better.
She typed in Blossom Music Center.
“I stupidly clicked on the first site that came up,” Keeler wrote in her email. The website looked like it should be Blossom’s website and had a concert schedule, she wrote.
It turns out Keeler had clicked on a “sponsored” or advertised site called Tickets Center, though it wasn’t clear on her phone’s browser.
She ordered four tickets toward the back of the pavilion. They were $129 each.
“It seemed expensive to me, but not having gone to any concerts lately, I bought them since it’s for my grandson’s birthday,” Keeler wrote.
She tried to click on a button to also get a parking pass, but the computer kept spinning and never moved her to the next window. So, she exited out of the website.
She began making some phone calls to try to figure out why she couldn’t get the parking pass, but said she ended up in a mess of phone calls, including some customer service representatives hanging up on her.
Keeler finally realized when she got her email confirmation that it was a secondary market website called tickets-center.com. The email said all sales were final and she paid with Paypal.
“I resigned myself to the fact that I was stupid and probably overpaid for the tickets,” Keeler said.
Paid way too much for the concert tickets
I initially thought Keeler had mostly overpaid with the service fees. When I went to the Tickets Center website, each ticket also had a $26 service fee tacked on, as well as a $7 email delivery fee. The most expensive tickets in the pavilion on the real website for the Cleveland Orchestra — www.clevelandorchestra.com — are $121. So, I thought Keeler was upcharged $8 for her $129 tickets.
But it’s much worse.
Though the website does clearly say that it is a reseller and not the original venue and that ticket prices could be higher — all things Keeler sees now, but didn’t see in her rush to buy the tickets — it turns out Keeler overpaid more than $500 for her four tickets. Her same seats on another day of the Jurassic Park concert are available for $36 each instead of the $129 (plus service fees) she paid each. Other seats in that section are $56 each.
Keeler is pretty mad and feeling stupid.
She is grateful that the parking pass she was offered on the website didn’t go through. The choices were only two or four parking passes, even though she only wanted one since everyone would be driving in one car. It would have cost her another $181 for parking passes with extra fees.
Keeler found the number for the Cleveland Orchestra Box Office and explained what happened. She wasn’t looking for them to fix her ticket problem, since she knew that was her mistake, but she wanted to get a parking pass. She opted for a $20 parking pass and received that recently.
Cleveland Orchestra Media Relations Manager Jen Steer said the orchestra was “sorry to hear one of our patrons had an issue.
“As always, we encourage all of our guests to buy tickets directly from The Cleveland Orchestra, at clevelandorchestra.com, by calling 216-231-1111 or by stopping by the box office at Severance Music Center.”
Orchestra tickets can also be purchased at the Blossom Music ticket office, which is only open on days of orchestra concerts at 1 p.m.
Non-Cleveland Orchestra concerts are run by Live Nation, which sells its tickets for Blossom events at www.livenation.com.
I was not successful in reaching anyone with Tickets Center, the ticket reseller, by phone, but was able to live chat with an agent after identifying myself as a reporter. The agent said the site was a “secondary marketplace. This means we connect pre-authorized and trusted sellers with buyers.” The price paid is set by the reseller based on supply and demand for the event, the agent said.
I explained that this wasn't a sold-out event and there were plenty of other seats available. The response was expected: a non-answer.
“Supply and demand are dynamic forces that constantly adjust in response to changes in various factors, including market conditions, consumer behavior, and external influences.”
The agent confirmed that all sales are final.
Keeler is upset but is trying to take the extra costs in stride. She has received the tickets and printed them out and hopes they are legitimate tickets.
“I could have gotten him a lot more nice things” with the money, she said.
Tips from the BBB
Here are some tips from the Better Business Bureau to protect yourself when buying tickets direct from a venue or a broker/reseller:
Purchase from the venue whenever possible. Many official ticket sales agents now offer secondary sales options, as well.
Consider your source. Know the difference between a professional ticket broker (a legitimate and accredited reseller), a ticket scalper (an unregulated and unlicensed ticket seller) and a scammer selling scam tickets.
Check out the seller/broker. Look them up on BBB.orgto learn what other customers have experienced. Check to see if they are a member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers. NATB members offer a 200% purchase guarantee on tickets. Look up the seller on VerifiedTicketSource.com to confirm you are buying from a NATB-member resale company.
Buy only from trusted vendors. Buy online only from vendors you know and trust. Look for the lock symbol in the web address to indicate a secure purchasing system. Don’t click through from emails or online ads; a common ticket scam trick is to create a web address that is similar to a well-known company.
Know the refund policy. You should only purchase tickets from a ticket reseller that provides clear details about the terms of the transaction. Sellers should disclose to the purchaser, before purchase, the location of the seats represented by the tickets, either orally or by reference to a seating chart; and, if the tickets are not available for immediate access to the purchaser, disclose when the tickets will ship or be available for pick up.
Use payment methods that come with protection. Always use a credit card, so you have some recourse if the tickets are not as promised. Debit cards, wire transfers, or cash transactions are risky; if the tickets are fraudulent, you won’t be able to get your money back.
Be wary of advertisements. When you search the web for online tickets, advertisements for cheap tickets will often appear. Use good judgment; some of these ads will be ticket scams, especially if the prices are low.
If you’re unsure, verify your tickets. Pay a visit to the arena where the event will be held. Present your ticket to “Will Call” (customer service), and they can verify if your ticket is legitimate and show you how to tell if it is fake.
Consumer columnist Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Grandma ripped off by concert ticket reseller: Learn from her mistake
