Springsteen Fans Face Another Ticket Snafu in Washington, DC
Ticketmaster continues to find new ways to anger Bruce Springsteen fans: Washington, DC radio station WTOP reports that TicketsNow, the secondary-ticket service of Ticketmaster, accidentally oversold its allotment of premium tickets for Springsteen’s show at the capital city’s Verizon Center next week. Representatives from the company have been calling 300 buyers to tell them that they won’t be receiving those tickets that they purchased for two to three times over regular price. (Note: WTOP’s initial report contained erroneous information, putting the number of affected purchasers in the thousands and misrepresenting TicketsNow’s efforts to make amends.) TicketsNow is offering to help affected Bruce fans, and issued a statement, which is available below.
Springsteen devotees have experienced several ticket snafus in the past year. Ticketmaster first endeared themselves into the hearts of Bruce fans back in early February when a “credit card glitch” mistakenly routed fans from TicketMaster to the more expensive TicketsNow even though regular-priced tix were still available for the shows. Not only were fans outraged, Springsteen himself was “furious” with the service, demanding a full apology and telling fans to rally against the Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger.
The Springsteen ticket scandal also forced the New Jersey Attorney General to get involved. In addition, New York Senator Chuck Schumer proposed a two-day waiting period between when tickets go on sale to the public and when resellers can sell them through secondary-ticket sites so that the future confusion involving TicketsNow wouldn’t happen.
Full TicketsNow Statement:
TicketsNow is an online marketplace that brings live event ticket buyers and sellers together. And while there are thousands of individuals selling their tickets on our site, TicketsNow stands behind every transaction with a 100% guarantee. If for any reason the seller cannot provide the ticket, we actually step in and provide a comparable ticket or a full refund.
In rare cases where a customer encounters a problem — such as when sellers cannot deliver tickets sold to the upcoming Bruce Springsteen concert in Washington — TicketsNow honors our guarantee by intervening on behalf of the customer to make the situation right.
In the case of the May 18th Springsteen concert, only 5 open orders remain from the just over 300 orders that were affected. In all of these cases, we consulted directly with the customer and offered them several options including better seats to an earlier Bruce Springsteen concert of their choice plus reimbursement of up to $150 for a one-night hotel stay and a $75 gas credit; or a 100% refund plus a TicketsNow gift card of equal value.
These steps are how we make good on our guarantee, and our responsibility in matters such as these is the foundation of our commitment to consumers.
Related Stories:
• New York Senator Introduces Ticket Legislation After Botched Springsteen Onsale
• Ticketmaster Reaches Settlement With NJ Attorney General After Springsteen Ticketing Fiasco
• Bruce Springsteen “Furious” At Ticketmaster, Rails Against Live Nation Merger