I loathe Ticketmaster. I would probably get a better deal if I went through the Russian mafia than through them. Whenever I am forced to use their services (which sadly is almost anytime I want to attend a concert or sporting event because they are a monopoly) I walk away with that dirty, violated feeling. Ticketmaster is the pimp of the entertainment industry. I am hard pressed to think of a company that charges more for a less value-added service than Ticketmaster. Maybe before the internet age they served a purpose to humanity, but I really can't think of one anymore.
I recently purchased tickets to go see the Indians play the Orioles on my birthday. Total cost of the actual tickets = $50. Total fees related to purchasing on the Orioles website which is co-opted by Ticketmaster = $13. That's a 26% increase in the total purchase price. Can you imagine if the rest of the world operated that way? You'd pay $100 in groceries but then have to give the cashier a $26 tip to put them in the bag. How hard is it to create a website to offer tickets and accept payments, especially if that is your entire business? Why don't the Baltimore Orioles just jack up their prices 10% and do the business in-house? That would still be a huge bargain for their paying customers.
Is there anyway around these guys?
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