Shopping for tickets online is different from buying clothes, gifts, fragrances, electronics or other services – buying tickets online for popular and sold-out concerts, theatres, shows and festivals can be tricky. At this point one might ask: Is online payment secure? Are tickets guaranteed before the event date? Will I get the exact seats I paid for?
Hundreds of fans have raised the point of being fleeced by shady ticket sellers on the fan sites. They pay for the ticket months before and make the necessary arrangements to enjoy the event (i.e. book airline tickets, hotel rent and invite friends). But unfortunately their ticket agent fails to provide tickets in time. Oops!
Buying tickets with box offices and authorised companies on one side, and ticket scalpers on the other, has drawbacks as well as benefits. There are couple of things that should be kept in mind before buying tickets from an unofficial seller or broker:
- Compare prices with the official seller as well as with competitors, as this is a very competitive marketplace.
- Read fan reviews about the ticket brokers from other websites (e.g. official websites, fan websites and venue websites).
- Make sure event details (date, time, venue) and tickets details (seating, area) match.
- Check broker’s website or confirmation emails for delivery time.
- Don’t forget to have a glance at the company’s refund policy.
- Always pay by credit card, as it has payment protection and may avoid fraudulence.
- Ensure that ticket disclaimer has information on terms of purchase.
- Go through broker information and be sure to keep contact details.
However, some of the key points mentioned above are not followed by buyers because of lack of time. While finding tickets on search engines, they discover that the broker has a well optimized website that earns a higher ranking than the official ones.
Some of the brokers have a good name in the ticket market and they trusted by buyers and fans. They provide customer satisfaction in the first instance, which makes many visitors customers. In order to build long-term customer relationships, brokers have to satisfy the customer from purchase through to delivery of the ticket.
This is enhanced by providing effective customer care, which means the ticket agent should be able to provide the following services:
- Website usability and interactivity plays an important role in terms of providing information that customers are looking for.
- Safe and secure payment through SSL.
- Speedy ticket delivery – brokers must provide a nationwide, 24/7 service.
- Official guarantee of ticket delivery.
- Easy-to-Use Website – content should not be flooded with irrelevant or confusing information.
- Be there for the customer – answer any queries they may have about their seats, the venue or any other concern they may have.
Not all ticket agents meet these primary key points. They aim to obtain payment, while still unable to guarantee that they will be able to provide the ticket. Should they fail to deliver the ticket, they rely on refunding the customer’s money. This leaves the customer irritated and with a bad impression of the company and a general insecurity about buying tickets online in the future.
There are quite a few brokers that breach the legislation and provide illegal tickets to the fans. Due to increased demand for event tickets, official sellers sometimes cannot provide for thousands of fans. Certainly it’s not easy to get tickets from official sellers, so the question arises: What is the best way to get tickets from a legal seller?
My next article will suggest some ideal agents along with ways and places to get hard-to-find tickets.
Ali Nasir is a Search Engine Optimization/Marketing Analyst at TheOnlineTicketShop. TheOnlineTicketShop sells tickets for concerts, theatres, sports and festivals online. Booking is free and there are cheap and discounted tickets also available for some of the events. Visit the website for more details: http://www.theonlineticketexchange.com.
