Convenience Charge
So, I just got some tickets to see the Crue at Red Rocks. Tickets were $45 for face value, and $70 after all the fees. That is $70 each, by the way... not $70 for the pair. So, I look at my ticketstub and find it's all variations of the legenday Ticketbastard 'convenience charge'. This chaps my ass. I mean, I understand they need to charge fees and make money... but don't call it a 'convenience charge', because there was nothing convenient about talking to a half-witted 19 year old who makes me repeatedly spell 'Motley Crue' back to him. They sold five thousand tickets that day... you think they might have jotted down the name somewhere in the process.
$70 for Crue tickets, and $25 of that is fees? Do they realize that most Motley Crue fans never even graduated middle school? I submit that is not convenience, it is Felony Hessian Menacing. I know, you say that it isn't a felony unless it is a thousand dollars, right? Wrong! When a hessian is involved, any amount of money equal to or greater than a pack of Marlboros will get your ass kicked. $25 may not mean much to you, but to a hessian... it is a car payment.
So then, what might make a convenience charge? I would like it if someone came to my door the first Saturday of each month at noon with a listing of all the upcoming concerts. I'd invite him in and we'd go over the roster and pick my seats right there. Then, my Ticketmaster Convenience Rep would take my info to debit my account a gentle $20 per month ongoing charge to subsidize my rock concert needs. Any money left in the pot would be used to throw a free concert (with free booze) for subscribers at the end of each summer. Now, that would be a convenience!
Article comments
1 - Joel Caris
Damn, a twenty five dollar convenience charge? That is, indeed, a damn felony.
Is there an option of buying them at the box office without the charge? I don't know how far away it is from you--maybe too far to make it feasible--but a lot of times you can go directly to the venue and pick up the tickets without paying the TM charge. However, sometimes the box office is also a TM outlet, so you still get stuck with the charge. All depends on the venue.
I do wonder, though, if a hefty chunk of that charge was not levied by the actual venue rather than Ticketmaster. I sell TM through my work--not actually employed by them, we just happen to have an outlet at my job here in the Northwest, the electronics dept. of Fred Meyer--and I've never seen a charge even close to $25. I'm not sure I've ever even seen ten. Usually it's in the five to six dollar range. I agree that their service charges can be ridiculous and I do think the company is a nasty little monopoly--frankly, it's just a huge pain in my ass to have to sell tickets for them--but I've never seen TM fees go that high, so I'm just curious about whether all that is really going to TM or if a big part of it is going to the venue. I know I've sold some tickets that had much higher fees in large part due to various levies from the actual venue rather than TM itself.
2 - Temple Stark
I've seen $12 fees or so. Unless it was a B-day or something, I'd never buy tickets with that charge.
3 - Tom Johnson
Do they realize that most Motley Crue fans never even graduated middle school?
Actually, I think they're aiming at the well-to-do market with this tour because the band has now become one of those meaningless "gotta see" events for people like Kiss and Pink Floyd shows. At least judging by the talk around my company - the people going are not fans. They'll be the ones busy during the non-hit songs chatting either up, talking on their cellphones, out buying import beers, or, better, wine, etc. In other words, being the annoying members of the crowd that people who went to hear music hate. Not that there aren't real fans in the crowd, of course, but I would not be surprised to see a lot of yuppies "slumming" when you go to the show.
4 - Lono
Tom, interesting point. I fear I might somewhat fit that description... reliving the glory days and all that. I have seen everyone in rock, I mean everyone. There are only two bands I regret never seeing live in their heyday:
Guns & Roses, and Motley Crue.
Well, it will be a decade before Guns & Roses reunites properly... so I am left with the Crue.
still, ticketmaster are assholes and are pricing people out of the market (which isn't good for business).
5 - Doc
Call me a cynic, but pricing people out of the market is only bad for business if you price them ALL out of the market. If you have enough people to fill the venue who are willing to pay the fees (not to mention the ticket prices), that is "profit maximization." It is what the market will bear and their stockholders demand it.
This also applies to sports tickets, airline tickets, online bill paying, etc. It wouldn't be a bad idea to require (by law) that all tickets be available by some means at the face value. That is not always the case and it is deceptive marketing, advertizing something at one price and actually charging a higher price in the end. Of course, it works.