Sep. 19th, 2012

RESTRICTED BLOGPOST: Do Not Enter.

STOP.

You may not enter this blogpost.

Face the wall – hands where we can see them. Hand over your wallet, along with your firstborn child. We’re going to need five forms of government-issued identification and a DNA sample before we even think about letting you in here.

No one can stop you from entering a blogpost. So we’re not sure why Ticketmaster thinks it can stop you from entering a concert or sporting event you paid to attend. The national ticketing giant has begun rolling out a new model it calls “Paperless Ticketing.” Probably because “Evil Corporate Plan That Robs Consumers of Their Rights and Money” didn’t have a nice ring to it. Fortunately, our client Fan Freedom is out to stop them.

Under the new, evil model, your tickets are tied to your credit card and ID. Which means you can’t give your ticket to anyone. In some cases, you won’t even be permitted to sell your tickets. Yes, Ticketmaster expects you to cough up the money, regardless of whether you’ve contracted the bubonic plague.

What do these restrictions mean? No more scoring cheap tickets from season-ticket holders. Or sharing some of your season tickets with others. Or giving tickets as gifts. But don’t worry, your money goes straight to some billionaire’s Gold-Plated Gulfstream Fund.

In the unlikely event you are allowed to sell your ticket? Ticketmaster will happily charge you a fee for doing so. (Because the mountains of superfluous fees you already pay aren’t soul-crushing enough.)

And for anyone who has friends: If you buy paperless tickets as a group, you have to wait until everyone gets there and enter the game or concert together. Oh, sorry – was seeing the first half of the game important to you?

Help! We’ve been screwed over and we can’t get up.

 

So far, paperless ticketing has only been implemented in a few venues around the country. But it’s set to spread, which means Ticketmaster could potentially dominate ticketing even more than it does today. Raise your hand if you’re excited for higher prices and bigger fees.

Blogger Nick Persico shared a detailed account of his latest ticket-buying fiasco, including his rage upon realizing that 23.8% of the price he paid was purely charges and fees. It’s worth reading just to take note of all the unnecessary and uncontrollable swindling that goes into a ticket price.

Wait, don’t go! There’s a bright side to this bitter tale. Fan Freedom is fighting hard to stop the injustice, and we’re pumped to be part of the movement. They’ve created a vehicle for fans to stand behind – and with enough collective power, we can stop El Hombre from taking over. If you believe we own the tickets we buy (and don’t enjoy being screwed by corporatocracy), join Fan Freedom’s mailing list so you can stay informed and take action. Or, at the very least, share this post.

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