TICKETMASTER - NON COMPLIANCE

TICKETMASTER - NON COMPLIANCE

October 28, 2005 Nisbett

10/28/2005 04:01 PM

To: Email User

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Subject: TICKETMASTER - NON COMPLIANCE

Pauline

Brick, NJ 08724 EMAIL –

October 27, 2005 Ticketmaster

Attn.: IAC LEGAL DEPARTMENT Re: Cream Concert – October 25, 2005 I am writing you regarding a terribly frustrating experience with Ticketmaster. On Friday, October 21, 2005, I purchased one ticket, online, to Cream for Tuesday, October 25, 2005. The Ticketmaster order number was 48-32964/NY5. Tickets had been sold out, but I just happened to try again this day to see if anything was available. The ticket was for my husband. My husband could not be reached so I put the purchase on my credit card and chose UPS delivery instead of Will Call. All though, I would have liked to chose Will Call, I purposely did not because the credit card had my name on it and Will Call might not allow him to pick up the ticket purchased in my name. On Monday, October 24, 2005, we waited all day for the ticket to arrive. At approximately 5:30 p.m., the ticket had not arrived and I had not received an Email from ticket master indicating that the tickets had been printed and/or shipped, so I called Ticketmaster. I was concerned because the concert was the next day. The following is the frustrating chain of events that occurred on October 24, 2005, which brought me to tears, made me feel helpless and ripped off. From what I gathered, most of the Ticketmaster representatives I spoke with were either in Virginia or Texas. Approx. 5:30 p.m., I called Ticketmaster at 609-520-8383 and spoke with a Sandra. She said that there was a problem with the tickets purchased that day and they were never mailed and the order would need to be changed to Will Call. I asked her why I wasn't notified and she said we assumed that the customers would call us to inquire on their tickets. She said that she would transfer me to someone who would refund my UPS charge and change the ticket to Will Call. I explained to her that the ticket was purchased in my name, but was for my husband. She said that would not be a problem as long as the last name was the same. I told her that it was. She was pleasant. Upon being transferred, I received a recording saying someone would return my call within 12 minutes if I left my number. I left my number and within 12 minutes, someone did return my call. I did not get that woman's name, but in a later conversation with a representative, they told me here id was R771. I explained to the woman what Sandra had told me about the ticket not being shipped and how I needed a UPS refund and a change to Will Call. She did the UPS refund and the change to Will Call and then I just happened to mention, again, the fact that the ticket was for my husband and purchased in my name. This woman told me a completely different thing. She said that Madison Square Garden would not give my husband the ticket for this event if purchased in my name even if the last name was the same. I explained to her that I lived 2 hours away from the concert and that it would take me at least 4 hours round trip to pick up the ticket for my husband. I asked her could the credit card information be changed to my husband's so that he could pick up the ticket. She said yes. I told her I would have to call back with my husband's credit card information. She was also pleasant. I got my husband's credit card information and called back at approximately 5:33 p.m... The next person I talked to was Sean (I believe he was in Texas). I explained to him that I was calling back with my husband's credit card information to change the purchase to his credit card so that he may pick up the ticket at Will Call as per my conversation with the last Ticketmaster agent. He also told me something completely different. He said that Madison Square Garden will not allow them to change the credit card information for this event. I told him that I was told by the last agent that it could be done and I again explained how these tickets were supposed to be shipped via UPS but were never printed and had to be changed to Will Call. He put me on hold to speak with his supervisor. He came back and very apologetically told me it could not be done. I asked to speak with his supervisor. A supervisor who identified himself as Scott came on the phone. I then explained the whole situation from the beginning, again, to him. How the tickets were supposed to be mailed. How I was then told as long as the last name matched, he could pick them up. How I was then told he could not pick them up but I could change the credit card information to his, and now I am being told I can not change the credit card information. Scott said the only thing he could do was give me a refund. I said I do not want a refund. My husband just wants to go and pick up the ticket we purchased. He again said he could only give me a refund. I asked to speak with his supervisor. A supervisor who identified himself as Andy came on the phone. I again explained the whole story from the beginning, including how I have been told different things by different representatives. He was not very pleasant with a nasty tone. He stated that this was a major event with major security and told me that Madison Square Garden will not let my husband pick up the ticket and that Madison Square Garden will not allow Ticketmaster to change the credit card information. He stated that Madison Square Garden was going to be accommodating enough to open up Will Call earlier at 12:00 p.m. He said I could have a refund. At this point, I was very angry, frustrated. I said to Andy "I guess, thanks a lot for nothing" and hung up. I was in tears. At this point I thought that I would have to make the 4 hour trip to get the ticket for my husband.

Still trying to resolve this issue, at approximately 8:00 p.m., I decided to see if any more tickets were on sale. These tickets were for sale on again/off again, so I figured it was worth the shot. My thought was if I could get him another ticket with his credit card, I could call back and get the refund for the original ticket, which was offered to me by the two supervisors. I also thought why hadn't the two supervisors who offered me a refund, suggested this to me and looked to see if there were any tickets available at that point while they were on the phone with me. There were more tickets on sale and I was able to purchase a higher priced ticket but I figured it was worth my train fare and the 4 hours commute to pick up the ticket. The lower priced ticket was not available. The new ticket number order was 48-33271/NY5. Feeling like my dilemma was resolved, at approximately 8:30 p.m., I again phoned Ticketmaster to get the refund offered to me by the supervisors, Scott and Andy. I did not get the name of the gentlemen I reached, but I explained, again, the whole situation and said I was calling to get the refund on the ticket. He said there are no refunds allowed. I asked to speak to his supervisor. A supervisor, who identified herself as Crystal, came on the phone. I explained the whole story again and gave her the original ticket number order and the new ticket number order so that she could see the history and that I had just purchased another ticket. I told her that I was told I could receive a refund. She put me on hold to review the orders. She came back on the phone and said that I can not have a refund and that someone had written that they told me "sale is final". I said to her "what do I have to keep calling different representatives until I get the answer(s) that I had previously heard"? I was livid. I guess that the last person I talked to, named Andy, did not like my comment which was "I guess, thanks a lot for nothing" and the fact that I hung up and he wrote that he told me "sale is final". I mentioned to Crystal again that my tickets had never been mailed and I should be entitled to a refund. She replied "you agreed to the UPS refund and the change to Will Call". I said I agreed, because I was first told that my husband could pick up the ticket as long as the last name was the same. And then I was told he couldn't but that I could change the credit card information. She replied "well why didn't you handle that credit card information change at that time". I replied that I had to get the information from my husband. She still told me that I may not receive a refund. At that I told her that this was the second time today that they had brought me to tears and I hung up. We do not have a lot of money. That is the reason why I chose not to go with my husband and my husband chose to go by himself and why I purchased only one ticket. I myself am not even familiar with the band Cream. I was now left spending an extra $196.40 on the second ticket. I now had 2 tickets, in 2 different sections. I can not even put into words how upset I was. We made some phone calls to friends to see if anyone was interested in the ticket but we were unsuccessful. The next day came and my husband went to the concert alone. I would have to have taken off of work and lose more money to attend a concert to see a band that I did not know and to sit by myself. To add more insult to injury, when my husband approached the Will Call windows at Madison Square Garden, there was a Will Call machine. He inserted his credit card and without any request for proof of his identity, his ticket came out. He then inserted my credit card, which was the card used for the original ticket purchase, and out came the original ticket that was purchased in my name. I still can not believe the way I was treated and the incompetence of the agents that I spoke with at Ticketmaster. Why was I not emailed about the problem with the tickets being mailed? Why was I told that as long as the last names were the same, there would be no problem? Why was I then told that the names had to be exact to pick up but that I could change the credit card information so that my husband could pick the ticket up? Why was I then told I could not change the credit card information? Why was I then told I could receive a refund? Why was I then told I could not receive a refund? Why would I agree to Will Call if my husband could not pick up the ticket? Why would I purchase another ticket right after speaking with Ticketmaster supervisors if I had been told the "sale is final"? Why would someone write that they told me that the "sale is final" after I was told by both Scott and Andy that I may have a refund? I feel that whoever wrote that I was told "sale is final" did not comply with the HONEST AND ETHICAL CONDUCT, as stated in the CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS of INTERACTIVE CORP. However, it did appear that they complied with performing in the BEST INTEREST OF THE COMPANY by keeping my money for the company. As you can see by the length of this letter, this ordeal cost me a lot of time and frustration, not the mention the extra $196.40 I spent for the second ticket and the feelings of helplessness and being ripped off. I should have been refunded for the original ticket price of $145.70 out of good faith because the ticket was never mailed to me and due to the fact that every agent I talked to told me something different. I am sure that some of the conversations that I had with these representatives have been recorded and I feel that this matter should be investigated. I feel that Ticketmaster owes me an apology and compensation. Pauline

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