Ticketmaster is one of the largest ticket sales and distribution companies in the world. They sell tickets for concerts, sports events, theater shows and more. However, Ticketmaster has developed a reputation for high fees and poor customer service over the years. This has led many customers to question just how trustworthy Ticketmaster really is.
Ticket Fees
One of the biggest complaints against Ticketmaster is their fees. Ticketmaster charges fees for ticket purchases in addition to the base ticket price. This includes an order processing fee, a service fee and sometimes a delivery fee. These fees can add a significant amount to the overall cost. For popular events, Ticketmaster’s fees can be over 25% of the base ticket price.
Ticketmaster claims these fees cover their operating costs and services like online ticket sales and mobile ticket options. However, many feel these fees are exorbitant and make Ticketmaster untrustworthy.
| Ticket Price | Fees | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
| $50 | $15 | $65 |
As shown in the table above, a $15 fee on a $50 ticket leads to a 30% overall increase in price. Customers see little added value for these high fees.
Hidden Fees
Another complaint against Ticketmaster is hidden fees that are only revealed at checkout. These include UPS delivery fees, insurance fees, facility fees and more. Customers browsing for tickets often see one base price, then a much higher total at checkout due to hidden fees being added.
These hidden fees make comparison shopping difficult. Customers cannot get an accurate total ticket price until going through the Ticketmaster checkout process. So they may think they found a good deal, only to find extra fees added at the end. This seems intentionally deceptive to many customers.
Dynamic Pricing
Ticketmaster also uses dynamic pricing, where ticket prices can fluctuate over time based on demand. While dynamic pricing is common in industries like air travel and hotels, it feels contrary to most customers’ expectations around ticket prices. When a customer sees a ticket price, they expect that to be what they pay. But with Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing, that $50 ticket could cost $80 tomorrow.
While dynamic pricing helps maximize profits for Ticketmaster based on demand, it leads to an untrustworthy feeling for customers. Customers want price consistency and transparency, not prices changing constantly behind the scenes.
Lack of Competition
One reason customers feel trapped into using Ticketmaster despite its high fees and confusing prices is lack of competition. Ticketmaster has contracts with many large venues and promoters that essentially make them a monopoly.
For example, Ticketmaster has long-term exclusive deals with LiveNation venues, which includes most major concert and festival promoters. So customers buying tickets for LiveNation events have no way to avoid Ticketmaster. This lack of consumer choice in ticketing vendors leads many to distrust Ticketmaster and feel they are being taken advantage of.
Poor Customer Service
Ticketmaster is also notorious for poor customer service, which enhances their untrustworthy reputation.
It can be extremely difficult to reach a live customer service agent at Ticketmaster for assistance. Customers often have to go through multiple automated phone menus before even having the option to speak to someone. And when they do, agents are generally unhelpful in resolving issues.
Ticketmaster also has limited ways for customers to get support. There are no physical Ticketmaster customer service locations and limited online chat or social media support. With so few customer service channels, and those channels being ineffective, customers feel like Ticketmaster does not care about their experience.
Common Customer Service Issues
- Long wait times on calls
- Unresolved issues
- Hard to reach live agents
- Lack of in-person support
- Convoluted automated phone menus
Lawsuits and Complaints
Ticketmaster’s reputation for untrustworthy business practices has led to a long history of lawsuits and customer complaints.
They have faced multiple class action lawsuits over the years accusing them of deceptive fees, misleading advertisements and antitrust violations. While details vary, many lawsuits assert customers were ripped off or misled by Ticketmaster’s fees and fine print.
There are also over 1,800 formal complaints against Ticketmaster on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website. Common grievances include invalid tickets, hidden fees, undelivered tickets and poor customer service. Ticketmaster has an overall 1 out of 5 star rating on BBB, showing extreme customer dissatisfaction.
The high volume of lawsuits and complaints over many years shows a consistent pattern of shady business practices. This leads customers to heavily distrust Ticketmaster.
Key Lawsuits & Complaints
| Year | Lawsuit/Complaint |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Class action over deceptive fees |
| 2019 | Class action over antitrust practices |
| 2022 | 1,800+ BBB complaints |
Conclusion
In summary, Ticketmaster has developed an highly untrustworthy reputation over decades of operating. Their misleading fees, sneaky dynamic pricing, lack of customer service and proliferation of lawsuits cast them in a very negative light.
While some feel Ticketmaster’s dominance in the industry means customers have no choice but to use them, many see them as an opaque, price-gouging monopoly. Their business practices appear centered on extracting as much money as possible from customers, rather than providing a transparent and equitable ticketing service.
Ticketmaster seems to rely on fine print, convoluted pricing and hidden fees to squeeze more revenue out of customers. This breeds an enormous amount of distrust in the eyes of consumers. Based on their extensive history of shady practices and dismal customer satisfaction, Ticketmaster has earned their reputation as an utterly untrustworthy company.
