Ticket giant under fire for re-sale website

TICKETMASTER is raking in money from sold-out concerts by re-selling tickets on its own auction website — despite condemning fans for doing the same a year ago.

Tue, 04 Mar, 2008 - 00:00

Paul Kelly, Consumer Correspondent

Last year, online and box-office ticket-seller Ticketmaster threatened to invalidate any music or sporting tickets sold at inflated prices on sites auction websites like eBay.

Now the same company has bought GetMeIn.com — a re-sale website allowing fans to buy and sell hard-to-find tickets for must-see events.

The re-selling practice was last night attacked by consumer champions as well as sporting organisations like the Irish Rugby Football Union.

GetMeIn.com yesterday had tickets for Sunday’s Ireland vs Wales Six Nations rugby fixture at Dublin’s Croke Park at €575 — despite a face value of about €70. “This is to the detriment of fans and Irish rugby,” said IRFU spokesman Karl Richardson last night.

“They are being sold above their face value and that’s against the terms and conditions on the ticket.”

The IRFU had a log of which clubs and provinces were allocated tickets for the must-see fixture and would be tracking down those who had put the passes on sale.

“We will be taking action against them so we would ask fans not to buy tickets in this way,” he said. The Munster Rugby Football Union was also dismayed to learn tickets priced €30 to €48 for next month’s Heineken Cup quarter-final clash at Gloucester were being offered for €550.

“This is against our rules ... If we find an individual or club is selling tickets then we can reduce or take away their allocation next time,” said a spokeswoman.

Fans of rock legend Bruce Springsteen can snap up tickets for his May dates at Dublin’s RDS for as much as €440 even though they cost €81.25 when first issued. Tickets for July’s three-day Oxegen music festival went on limited sale yesterday at €224.50 to €244.50 yet some passes are listed on GetMeIn.com for about €414. And tickets for Radiohead’s Dublin concert on June 7 are selling for up to €144 even though tickets are available for €70.70 for the band’s performance the day before.

Yesterday, Ticketmaster said GetMeIn.com was for the genuine fan or supporter. “Ticketmaster is trying to regulate the situation so people have somewhere to go if they want to put genuine tickets up for resale or if they want to purchase genuine tickets,” said a spokesman.

But the Consumers’ Association of Ireland said GetMeIn.com was allowing people to make a lot of money by re-selling tickets at high prices.

“The Government should bring in laws against this as it is unfair on fans,” said association chairman James Doorley.

The true cost

WHAT you pay for tickets on GetMeIn.com websites — and how much they’re really worth.

* Bruce Springsteen, RDS Dublin, May 22, 23, and 25.

GetMeIn price: €144 to €440.

Face value: €81.25 to €91.25.

* Radiohead, Malahide Castle, Dublin, June 7.

GetMeIn price: €132 to €144.

Face value: €70.70.

* Ireland vs Wales Six Nations, Croke Park, March 8.

GetMeIn prices: €275 to €575.