Ticketmaster: worst customer service...

[gcontini2]

Posted: 3/23/10 at 9:44am

Is it me, or does Ticketmaster have the worst customer service?

Every time I see that they are the ticket vendor for a show, I dread the interaction:

* their website that only pushes the worst seats out over and over again without letting you choose any others,

* their unfriendly customer service reps in Texas that read from a script,

* and the fact that after making you call them to get more decent seats than their website allows, they penalize you for not using the website by not allowing you to get Audience Rewards points (which ARE avail online) for the purchase.

Truly a model of bad service...


Updated On: 3/23/10 at 09:44 AM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 3/23/10 at 10:21am

There have been numerous complaints here about Ticketmaster's service. I appreciate Telecharge's services a lot better, especially how you can search for the next available seats. In order to search for different tickets at the same time on Ticketmaster, I have to search from an IE browser and Firefox browser at the same time.

[broadway_show_fan]

Posted: 3/23/10 at 10:45am

I usually hate Ticketmaster too. I feel the same dread and wish that the show used Telecharge instead. But...

Ticketmaster recently started a new ticketing system where you "Choose Your Own Seats." It's very similar to Roundabout's ticketing where you can literally click to choose your own seats (you can still have it give you the "best available" seats). You can decide if you want a certain section or price range, the aisle or the inside of a row, whether to break up a big group among 2 rows or one long one, etc.

If you want to look at it, you can browse the Mary Poppins tickets as an example (http://www.ticketmaster.com/Mary-Poppins-tickets/artist/961468). If this is successful, maybe it'll wholly replace their other method.

[gcontini2]

Posted: 3/23/10 at 11:30am

Thanks, BSF... The new system looks promising but I guess they don't have it for most of their Bway shows just yet.

It would be nice, too, if they could delegate a few of their customer service people to some who actually know New York theater...The unhelpful rep and later her clueless manager were so ignorant of seating charts and theater they kept insisting that the website's Row W-center at the Marquis (which is well under the overhang starting at M) would be better than Left Row L just becaues W was center (sorry, not in my opinion)...

They also kept referring to the show as "your event" like it was hockey game or a 2-day rock concert...a tad annoying.
Updated On: 3/23/10 at 11:30 AM

[tonynewyork]

Posted: 3/23/10 at 11:41am

im glad its not just me, they always offer you the worst and most expensive they have most of the codes to get a discount dont work. telecharge is so much better and more customer friendly....

[hotjohn]

Posted: 3/23/10 at 11:55am

I've always found Telecharge to be most helpful. They answer e-mail queries promptly and, once, when I foolishly booked Broadway tickets for the wrong weekend, they swapped them for me without any complaint.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/23/10 at 4:55pm

The say Your Event so that they don't need to refer to what you are seeing...it's the same for everyone. And theater IS an event...so no big deal.

And you answered your own issue: TO YOU row L side is better than row W center. Others would have a different opinion.


Some people just need to relax more.

[zoraksferal]

Posted: 3/23/10 at 5:11pm

I used to hate Ticketmaster, but then they had me type in a security code of "stumbling porcupine", so I decided that their crappy service was worth it!

In reality, yeah, I hate Ticketmaster with a passion... and those stupid security codes too!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/23/10 at 5:21pm

I hate Ticketmaster. I almost always try to buy tickets for shows at the box office if their online tickets are sold on Ticketmaster.

Telecharge is infinitely better.

[gcontini2]

Posted: 3/23/10 at 5:29pm

dramamama611 -
Speaking of "relax"...?

There were no questions here that needed your flippant answers, so no need to state the obvious...we all know what "event" means and the point of the seat location diff was that ticketmaster gives you a hard time choosing what IS best for you...

Go "relax" on a different post.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 3/23/10 at 5:44pm

Ticketmaster = Sucks
Telecharge = Rocks

Still can't get my head round why anyone should charge a handling fee, the price should be the same as the box office.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/23/10 at 7:11pm

Proving that my statement needed to be said.

[gcontini2]

Posted: 3/23/10 at 7:27pm

Dramamama -
you truly don't know what you are talking about.
Wander away, please.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 12:33pm

I totally agree with dramamama.
Everything is subjective, guys.

[gcontini2]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 12:47pm

"I totally agree with dramamama.
Everything is subjective, guys. "

except when dramamama doesn't understand the original post and then plows in making silly observations.

BTW, for people who know Broadway houses, not much subjectivity needed about whether "partially-obstructed Center W under the overhang" is better at the exact SAME PRICE than "full view Row L Orchestra on the aisle"...

Dramamama missed the point and rushed in to defend Ticketmaster, which often from some distant call center ignorantly tries to push their worst seats out first (and funny, I don't remember dramamama on the phone with us), so....unless dramamama works for Ticketmaster and/or has bought very few theater tickets(?), it's a little suspect and makes no sense why she wanted to explain Ticketmaster's motives...

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 1:27pm

in a perfect world... i would rather have it that each theater provide their own ticketing service... that way when you purchase tickets online you can actually look at a seating chart and click on the seats that you want that are available... but i know that ain't probably going to happen

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 6:39pm

1. You never mentioned anything about an obstructed view...or anything else that specific....just the perception that side seating is always better to you instead of being further back.

2. I never claimed to be in on the conversation with you. I was just pointing out that two of your 'beefs' were NOT that important in the scheme of ANYTHING.

3. THIS is a discussion board, not a mutual admiration society. Since you posted here, you should be prepared that not everyone is going to see things your way. But....it seems as you expect that everything SHOULD be your way...including terminology.

4. As a relatively well-rec'd poster here, I will not wander away. I will play as long as I like.

[gcontini2]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 7:01pm

Dramamama - Didn't you just say:
"Some people just need to relax more" ?

You can start that today...

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/24/10 at 7:36pm

Nope....I said that yesterday. Today, I prefer to be uptight.

Bwahahahaha.

[Patash]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 8:20pm

Should I tell my Ticketmaster story?

I had tickets for what was to have been the second or third (?)performance of Wicked -- back when it opened. I had ordered them about two or three months before and they were in Will Call at the box office as I was traveling before that time. But Wicked got delayed and it ended up that the performance I had tickets for became opening night. The day before my performance I went to the theatre to see if I could pick them up. There were no tickets. But they found a "note" of record. They said something like "apparently there was a problem with your credit card so they were canceled." Huh? My card had been charged the months before. But sure enough on the day before I went to pick them up Tickemaster had issued a credit to my card for the full amount.

What does that mean? Clearly they needed tickets for "VIPs" for opening night. My tickets were sitting there in will call. They pulled them to use them and credit my account.

I despise Ticketmaster.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 4:53pm

That's not Ticketmaster's fault.