Holders of resold tickets denied entry to 'Harry Potter'

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Holders-of-Re-Sold-Tickets-Being-Denied-Entry-To-HARRY-POTTER-AND-THE-CURSED-CHILD-20160815

This would eliminate people buying resold tickets I guess, but I can't help but feel sorry for the people who bought the tickets not knowing they wouldn't be let in.

I mean, really, this was just punishing them for buying the tickets. It's not punishing the scalper - they still got their money, there's no way for the buyers to get it back. And of course the theater got its money, so what do they care? But I'd be really upset if I spent extra money for a ticket to see this show only to be told I couldn't get in.

gypsy101 said: "is reselling tickets illegal in England?? if not then I think the theater should legally prohibited from denying these people entry since they purchased legit tickets."

Per Wikipedia, "Other than in the case of football tickets, there is no legal restriction against reselling tickets in the UK."

I had to dig around the official website to see that hidden in their FAQ page, called "Your Questions Answered", their 5th question down states their stance on resellers outside of authorized dealers.

"Please note that we reserve the right to refuse admission to customers with tickets purchased on re-sale websites. Tickets purchased through either of our official ticketing platforms must not be sold or advertised for sale on the internet, in newspapers or elsewhere. Any ticket advertised for sale in this way will be automatically void.

Please note, the credit or debit card that you used to purchase your ticket, or confirmation email will be required as proof of purchase when you get to the theatre."

I think it's total bs. If you're going to take such a stance with extreme prejudice, it should be plastered all over the site, aka on the Tickets page itself... I shouldn't have to dig around.

It's great they're making a concerted effort to make affordable tix available but they just screwed over actual fans who wanted to see the show.

i think it is great. I tried to buy tickets for Nov 2017, and discovered that the show basically has no tickets to sell through that date...and that is the latest date 'available for sale' Yet, every site you go onto has lots of seats at ridiculous prices. I was very impressed by the fact that the producers charged very reasonable prices for the tickets in the first place, only to have these pigs use technology to essentially steal the tickets from average theatergoers.

I truly hope this occurs here as well. This legalized scalping (and the order of magnitude for a hit show) is not good for the theatre IMO.

Jarethan said: "i think it is great. I tried to buy tickets for Nov 2017, and discovered that the show basically has no tickets to sell through that date...and that is the latest date 'available for sale' Yet, every site you go onto has lots of seats at ridiculous prices. I was very impressed by the fact that the producers charged very reasonable prices for the tickets in the first place, only to have these pigs use technology to essentially steal the tickets from average theatergoers.

I truly hope this occurs here as well. This legalized scalping (and the order of magnitude for a hit show) is not good for the theatre IMO.



So, when I buy tickets for my niece and nephew as a gift (tickets are a big gift thing in my family and have been, for years), since you seem so adamant about this, would you turn two kids away, at the door? How would you know if I gave them the tickets or they bought them on StubHub?

pupscotch said: "I think there should have been more advertisement that you would not be let in with a resale ticket."

This is my point exactly. Why use such soft language as "we reserve the right to refuse" and hide it on a FAQ page a few questions down? Their "Ticket Info" page says nothing about this directly. They should use forceful language, such as "in an effort to blah blah blah, we will refuse" all over their website, ticket info page, and request their ticketing partners to do the same. Esp. since this seems to be newish(?) policy for a theatrical show. The ticket itself should say non-transferrable / ticket purchaser must be present and able to present credit card used for purchase (essentially what they are asking for).

Even Hamilton lists their official ticket sellers and explicitly says buyers should only purchase directly from official ticket sellers on their front page.

I would argue that the policy wasn't adequately communicated and that's my main/only complaint.

Edited for correction: Their "Ticket Info" page does say the following: "Please note that we reserve the right to refuse admission to customers with tickets purchased on re-sale websites," coming after "If you would like to a return a ticket you have booked..." It is the last sentence hidden under the "Performance Schedule" section and I missed it until I went back and read every single word. The whole Performance Schedule thing threw me for a loop, and then seeing a bunch of colorful prices, then a sentence about returning a ticket. So it's there with a fairly non-intuitive/illogical placement, like those disclaimers that advertisers want you to miss.

Updated On: 8/16/16 at 01:19 AM

imeldasturn said: "Actually on every west end ticket is written that it's prohibited to resell a ticket. On a ticket for Southwark Playhoise (off west end) you will find "patrons with a ticket that has been resold or transferred without authorisation may be refused entry or ejected from the venue". so yeah, reselling ticket is a not to do thing in London."

Thanks for that info, imeldasturn. That's actually great that it's a widespread theater policy. If the Potter tix say similar verbiage, then consider my comments retracted. It would mean ticket holders of resold tix should have known what to expect.

Good on the producers for doing it and sticking with it, opens a level playing field on ticket prices and also on the ability to book tickets.

Theatres have the right to refuse entry to ticketholders at their discretion. In most cases, this is printed on the ticket itself- along with specific reasons that would lead to the ticket not being honored. It's akin to a contract and by using the ticket you are agreeing to those terms.

What if you want to pass the ticket to someone else ( a family member, friend) etc because you can't use it for any reason? I wonder if they have a system in place for that (e.g. show an authorization letter with a photocopy of the person's credit card etc)

wolfwriter2 said: "Jarethan said: "i think it is great. I tried to buy tickets for Nov 2017, and discovered that the show basically has no tickets to sell through that date...and that is the latest date 'available for sale' Yet, every site you go onto has lots of seats at ridiculous prices. I was very impressed by the fact that the producers charged very reasonable prices for the tickets in the first place, only to have these pigs use technology to essentially steal the tickets from average theatergoers.

I truly hope this occurs here as well. This legalized scalping (and the order of magnitude for a hit show) is not good for the theatre IMO.



So, when I buy tickets for my niece and nephew as a gift (tickets are a big gift thing in my family and have been, for years), since you seem so adamant about this, would you turn two kids away, at the door? How would you know if I gave them the tickets or they bought them on StubHub?

I think I'm gonna barf...can they bring their dog to the theatre too? I think there is an issue if the producers have not informed people in advance about this policy. If they have, then the kids are gonna have to be disappointed.

Fundamentally, producers need to state their policy upfront. The more producers who do, the more the public understands the risks. What has happened in recent years is unprecedented on Broadway, certainly in the quantity made available at extortionate prices. Just look at Hamilton performances that arte sold out, but have rear mezzanine seats on resale for $500+. It is wrong and needs to be addressed.





"

This solution only solves half the problem and makes it seem that only 50% of the responsible parties are at fault for the problem.

Yes, people who buy on the secondary market do not deserve sympathy when they are refused admittance because when they knowingly purchase tickets at inflated prices, they are just as culpable for their own unethical behavior as the sellers of those tickets. By willingly purchasing tickets that are sold through unethical practices, they are knowingly condoning and perpetrating the problem. Refusing admittance is a good step in resolving that half of the problem.

But there's also the other side of the unethical reselling issue that's not being addressed - the side that is blindly selling those tickets to the unethical resellers at the start. Until processes and checks are ALSO put in place that create better controls over releasing tickets to unethical resellers in the first place, it's a bit hypocritical to pat producers, etc. on the back for 'doing the right thing'.

It's especially hypocritical knowing that this half-solution puts 100% of the financial risk solely on potential audience members. As others have pointed out, once a ticket is sold, it's SOLD. Full stop. The money is theirs to keep whether the ticket holder sees the show or not.

I do like this practice. I think it's a good policy. I'm just not as willing to give as much credit to producers for the very small, no risk effort behind it. It is (literally) the least they could do.

Updated On: 8/16/16 at 03:42 PM

Reducing demand, though, is really the only way to eliminate the secondary market overpricing. Even if producers are able to eliminate the bulk purchasing of tickets, scalpers will still manage to get a hold of tickets (or simply sell forgeries). If people realize they won't be able to get in the door with these tickets, they won't be willing to buy them. The real question though, is what is the true disincentive? Buying tickets through StubHub is almost risk free, since they refund your money if the tickets are void. So it becomes a question of who is buying these tickets, and is the time spent getting the tickets and getting to the theatre too risky for them only to be turned away? I have no sympathy for anyone purchasing these secondary market tickets. Their willingness to pay these exorbitant prices (no matter how begrudgingly) is the reason they get sold at those prices in the first place.

I'm curious as to how they even know the tickets were resold, if the people going into the theater are holding genuine tickets (that were issued by Nimax or ATG)?