TicketsNow: Buyer Beware!

On Saturday, Sept. 29, I purchased a pair of concert tickets online from Tickets Now for an event scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 30 with a credit card. Since the event was to occur the day after the purchase I quite naturally assumed that the tickets would be delivered electronically or left at Will Call. I have purchased and sold tickets online and have found this to be the case on purchases with quick turnaround.

I received an email informing me that my order had been received and that I would receive additional information shortly. The next day (the day of the event) I had not received this information (which I still assumed would be a link from which I could print my tickets at home or a will call number). Concerned, I called Tickets Now customer support. I waited on hold for an HOUR. I was then informed that, no, the tickets were not to be delivered electronically. The tickets that were sold to me on Saturday for an event Sunday were in fact actual paper tickets which couldn't possibly be delivered to me on Sunday. Nevertheless, they were still being sold Saturday with a $14.95 "shipping" charge.

While I can't know for sure I suspect that if I hadn't endured that one hour ordeal to receive this information that I never would have been told this at all. As it turned out I bought another ticket outside the venue. My concern is that a product which is categorically impossible to deliver is being sold with consumers' only recourse is to contend with the sellers nearly non-existent customer service. Since the product involves specific times and places, I'm sure Tickets Now's shoddy practices have many paying customers ticketless, only to find that out when its too late to make alternative arrangements.

While the possibility exists that the fact that Sunday tickets were being sold on Saturday (and, thus, undeliverable) is some sort of glitch this still doesn't explain the unbearably slow customer service. Or the fact that TicketsNow tacked on an extra $14.95 for "shipping." Many of the tickets being sold by TicketsNow are for sporting events that take place on the weekend, specifically Sunday. Tickets Now actively sells a service that it may or may not be able to deliver (but holds onto your money anyway just in case it can make good) and leaves confused customers with no way to get information. Unless they're willing to hold for an hour.

Judging from my experience with TicketsNow here's what you can expect: Expect to pay for blatantly unnecessary add-ons ($14.95 "shipping" for a same day event? Really?). DO NOT expect to receive your tickets even if you've been charged for them. DO NOT expect to receive any kind of notification that your tickets are not going to be available. DO NOT expect to speak to a customer service operator unless you are willing to wait for a solid hour.

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I purchased US Open Tennis Tickets from TicketsNow on 6/27/08 -- I called to insure that I would get a specific section out of the sun in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Ten days before the 9/5 events, a full six weeks after the purchase, the customer service tells me "no" there are no such seats in the Athur Ashe Stadium and TicketNow just confirms such a purchase as a way of holding seats in that section. Then the customer service claimed "no" the seats in that section were not available at all and I would be upgraded to seats in the sun (which I could have purchased a longtime ago from Ticket Master if I had wanted to set in the sun). After two hours of holding and double talk it was admitted they could not provide me the seats in my confirmation because no such seats exit -- and "no" I can't cancel my Order. While they were on the phone I purchased the same seats in section 340 row H, seats 1 and 2 from Ticket Master, printed the tickets and had them in my hand while TicketsNow still double talking about not giving me a refund for seats they sold me six weeks ago that don't exist in the Stadium! Some nerve! I called my bank and they will handle the charge. Lest you think I was saving any money by going to TicketNow? Oh no, I simply wanted to guarantee seats in a section out of the sun. They almost got me and ruined my US Open experience for 2008.

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On December 8th was searching for Cavs tickets for my parents and I to attend as their Christmas present. I searched the ticketsnow web site and found good seats for $75. I then procedded to buy them and put in my credit card number. After I did that my total showed up with a $45 proccessing fee and $14.95 for shipping. When I saw this I immediately clicked out without confirming the final purchase. I then went on to find other tickets at stubhub without the high fees and purchased those tickets. Later that night I recieved two emails confirming the purchase of Cavs tickets. I immediately called my credit card company to see if I was charged from ticketsnow and was told the charge was pending. The very next morning as soon as ticketsnow opened I called them to get the tickets cancelled. They tol me that I purchased the tickets and their was no refund. I explained that I did not click on the final confirmation and their must have been a computer error. The customer service representative told me they had a not refund policy and that once you put in your credit information you are obligated to buy the tickets. I was not aware of this, because no other site I have been on has this policy. I have always had a final confirmation button. I then asked to talk to the manager and expalin my situation. I waited for another 15 minutes and she was just as rude as the first person I talked to. She told me I could file a dispute with my creditcard company and that I would not win the dispute.

Ticketsnow is a very poorly run web site and their customer service is awful. Now I am stuck with 8 Cavs tickets and spent over $700 to take my parents for Christmas. What an awful experience!!!!