66 replies to this topic

[xanderl]

Yes, that's what I meant - it was preselected during priority booking

[canadian_turtle]

I was charged a booking fee of £7.38 AND a transaction fee of £2.31 by SEE tickets for a single booking/ticket last night which really annoyed me. I normally try to avoid them by getting tickets in person at the box office but as this was a special pre-sale and tickets were selling fast and I didn't want to miss out on a decent seat I was forced to pay it.

[Backdrifter]

Today I tried booking tickets for a Chvrches gig at London Village Underground. I knew it'd be busy but I got through fine on Ticketmaster and selected one, then abandoned it when seeing that a £13 ticket escalated to £19.80 with fee and delivery, a 52% increase. Most of it was the delivery, £5.50 for Secure Delivery which was the only delivery 'option' offered.

So I tried See Tickets. On busy on-sale days, their site always goes extremely slowly and today was no exception. When after 20 minutes the sale page loaded, it looked promising as fees added up to 28% of face value - how insane we have to commend that for being comparably favourable! But here's where we cross into possibly a different topic of 'Unhelpful Booking Systems' - selecting a ticket on See doesn't hold it, unlike on TM. I got a message saying stock had sold out while I'd entered my details! Between them, TM and See scuppered my attempt to simply buy one ticket for a gig.

Then I tried getting a Macbeth Monday ticket and got stymied by the 'single seat' rule as I whinged here: http://www.whatsonst...120#entry256612

Anyway sorry to hijack it a bit. But between things like the single seat systems and the excessive fees, I am now increasingly not bothering to book for stuff I once would have.

[armadillo]

I once got stymied by the single seat rule at the Menier. There were only three tickets left which were in a group of three so I wasn't allowed to buy two of them. Checking again later I got a couple of returns and went I went to the show - surprise - the group of three was empty!

[Backdrifter]

armadillo, on 01 March 2013 - 11:23 AM, said:

I once got stymied by the single seat rule at the Menier. There were only three tickets left which were in a group of three so I wasn't allowed to buy two of them. Checking again later I got a couple of returns and went I went to the show - surprise - the group of three was empty!

Yes, while it often discriminates against the single customer, it can block couples as well, if there are 3 or 5 seats left. I got a really annoying email from ATG about this in response to a complaint I made, earnestly explaining the 'house-dressing' policy - yet you have seen for yourself how they trip themselves up by it, and that won't be the only occasion. It's partly stuff like this and fees that result in my mostly going to small fringe productions now.

[Titan]

have you then called to try to book? ive done that at venues and then been able to get the two out of three seats left in a row that the internet didnt allow me to book. i have to say ive never found this policy an issue either when going alone or with others

[Dawnstar]

I had to phone the Menier a few months ago due to the single seat rule not letting me book any of the few seats that were available for a performance. I've also phoned the Open Air Theatre in the past but sometimes I just give up on online booking & wait till I'm next in London else you have to pay the phone bill on top of the booking fees! As someone who nearly always goes to the theatre alone I find the single seat rule infuriating. You feel like you're being penalised for being single, which is ironic when the media keep reporting that increasing numbers of people are.

[Steve10086]

The single seat rule can penalise anyone, not just the single.  I wanted to book 2 tickets to a show but all that was left was a block of three.  It wouldn't let me leave the single seat, even though it was the first of the premium seats in that row.  Who is gonna want to book two tickets at one price and a third at a premium?

[Steffi]

Regarding the single seat rule: I have just managed to cheat on DelMack's website. There was a pair of regular tickets available for the mat this Saturday and 3 premium tickets. Just booked one of the regular tickets (so there's a single seat available now in case anyone is interested, row J stalls). This makes me feel pretty good, plus I'm very excited to see BoM on Saturday!

[theatrepaul]

There seems little justification for any booking fees these days. The process for booking tickets is virtually entirely automated,especially with many venues/agents offering a print at hone ticket option. It seems to me there is more cost to the venue in providing an on site box office which is free to use but which has the overheads of staff.