Very Cheeky Ticket Sales
February 2, 2007I found out about Kasabian when listening to the Jo Whiley Show in the car a little while ago. I noticed that they were playing at the Royal Albert Hall on a benefit gig for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
So I went online this morning to book tickets, which went on sale at 0900. At that time, the site was down. Once I finally got through at 0918, the cheaper seats were gone and the pricier ones were left.
All OK so far.
It seems that the tradition is now to charge a booking fee, including online bookings where the sales process is self-service. Even cinema tickets booked online take a booking fee!
As if this wasn’t cheeky enough in itself when tickets are expensive as they are, it appears that online booking has discovered a new wheeze: the transaction fee! No mention of anything to do with credit card charges – it seemed to apply to all payment types.
I don’t mind contributing to charitable causes. I don’t mind paying for a service. But I do mind paying for self-service on a broadband connection that I pay for.
So I’d like to know what they think they’re playing at. I’m almost too miffed to buy the tickets on principle now, not merely because they’re stupidly expensive.
