SHREDnews

Paperless Tickets: The Good, The Bad And The Not So Happy

By: Kayley Guyette

One of the biggest problems faced by ticker buyers is scalpers and ticket resellers. Often some of the best seats to a show are bought by the scalpers and resellers then are resold at a much higher price. Back in March the Wall Street Journal revealed that some top artists and promoters (like AEG Live) were setting aside some of the best seats in the house for the resellers. With technology increasing today, you think there would be a better way to fight resellers and scalpers to insure the fans get the tickets they want.

One of the most notable events in the early days of paperless tickets was in 2007. This was when Fergie went out on her VIP Tour. No paperless tickets for the tour were sold instead picture message tickets were used. These tickets could only be obtained through promotions through Verizon Wireless, Kohls Department Stores and radio stations.

Miley Cyrus has just recently announced her Fall 2009 tour with her step brothers band Metro Station. And this whole tour will be paperless. While it is good for the environment and from preventing scalpers/resellers, it’s not so great for the fans. You must purchase your tickets online and then the day of the show bring the credit card you used for the order along with a government issued state ID. In other words the ticket buyer MUST be at the show with his/her ID and credit card. Your credit card will then be swiped and you’ll be allowed to enter. But problems are already arising and the tour hasn’t even started yet.

There are no refunds for the show and there is no way to resell your tickets. So say a mother plans to take her daughter to the show, yet the day of her daughters sick and their unable to go. Well if she had paper tickets she could sell them to a friend or look to eBay or Craigslist. But with the new paperless system, sorry but you just lost the $80 (at least) you paid for the tickets.

Another problem faced is the credit card owner needs to be at the event. While it’s not that big of a problem for Cyrus fans, who most likely are already accompanied by their parents. But it will be a problem for those seventeen year olds who don’t have credit cards and go to shows with their friends and have their parents use their credit card to buy the tickets.

The system of using will call tickets, which the paperless tickets system is based off of, has been around for awhile and it still has many problems. There have been multiple times that I, personally, have requested a name change on the will call list (through Ticketmaster) and the change has not been done. It happened to me with my $300 Bamboozle VIP tickets, luckily the people at the check-in booth were understanding and I wasn’t the first person with the problem, that day.

The Will Call system has also started using a set of rules to prevent ticket scalpers. They will only allow a name change if the person picking up the tickets has the same last name as the ticket buyer. But still there’s problems with that rule too. Say a boy has his mother buy him tickets, but his parents are divorced and the mom has gone back to her maiden name. The last names won’t match up so the mom can’t do a name change.

I am currently facing this problem, first hand, with my Demi Lovato VIP tickets. The ticket buyer and I have a different last name, but when I called to upgrade them to VIP I was told I could do a last name change no matter what. Now I’m stuck in an endless cycle of unanswered emails (seven and counting) because AEG Live does not have a customer support phone number. Guess we’ll see if I’m at Demi Lovato later on this week.

While it’s great that the ticketing industries are cracking down on scalpers/resellers and helping save the environment, it’s not so great for the fans. And the fans are the people who ultimately matter, they are the ones dishing out the money for the tickets to begin with. The industry needs to take a look at fixing the flawed Will Call system before they even think about testing out the paperless ticket system. With Will Call improved they can then learn from that to help the paperless ticket system work.

Personally I would have to say the idea of paperless tickets are a good idea. But the system needs to be tested out on smaller events and then worked up to larger ones like a Miley Cyrus show. There also needs to be a way to have some exceptions made for getting the tickets. What if the ticket buyer is in the hospital or heck even dies after purchasing the tickets, but before the show? What then? And until there is a way for the system to be nearly flaw proof (because we’re only human there will be flaws) ticket buyers should have the option between paper and paperless tickets. And then to promote the paperless system, offer a discount to those who use it.

So Let’s Review:

The Good
-Will majorly cut down on scalpers/resellers aka getting fans the seats at the original price
-Good for the environment
-Potential for discounts for those who use the paperless system

The Bad
-The ticket buyer MUST be present at the show with their ID and credit card
-No refunds or exchanges if you cannot attend
-No way to sell your tickets if you cannot attend
-The trial run of the system is at a major event
-A system crash could mean no tickets
-If your credit card becomes compromised (you’re a victim of fraud) and you get a new one, sorry no tickets, thanks for paying!

To read the Wall Street Journal’s Article please visit: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123672740386088613.html