NeoPatrick

At the risk of sounding like a real sucker, here was my first experience with Broadway ticket buying on Ebay.

We want to see Legally Blonde in May. The discounts end on May 13 the day we arrive, and I'm not so sure they will be extended. I have checked and found that ticket availability is pretty slight already, and checking with ticketmaster was unable to find much of anything except priority seating at $250 each. Not for me.

So I was pleasantly surprised to see one of the regular ticket sellers on Ebay with two tickets for Legally Blonde on Saturday, May 19 --Row E (sixth row) Seats 109 and 111 (very much center). These are clearly priority seating and would normally be $250 each.

The seller was starting the bid at $229 for the pair, and there is still three days of bidding left. But he also offered a "BUY NOW" price of $299 plus $10 shipping. Since even buying the lousy seats offered by Ticketmaster would cost me roughly $250 including the fees, I decided to go for it. Meanwhile I noticed that in "the very rare event" these seats are not available that better ones will be offered or money will be refunded. Using PayPal I felt safe so bought them.

Within minutes I had the email that all was cleared and the tickets were being sent along with "Congratulations -- your seats have been UPGRADED to second row."

Huh? That is not an upgrade. Those are $110 seats and not the $250 seats as advertised. I immediatley fired back an email to cancel and return my money if he could not send the original seats. He did just that, and my account has already been credited.

So just a heads up -- and nothing new here -- if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

yk

Sounds like this seller pulls this trick (bait-and-switch) all the time on unsuspecting tourists. "Too bad" he got you this time - the ultimate Broadway expert - and couldn't pull it off.

Have you thought about reporting the seller?

NeoPatrick

Yes, I've done that, but apparently I can't actually post a seller comment as the sale didn't ship. It is remarkable that he has a 98% approval rating. Probably many buyers would have said "Oh, wow great. I got even better seats."
It is amazing how I got an immediate credit -- I'm talking within 2 minutes of getting his "upgrade" email and my sending back my "refund" email. Perhaps he knows if he does it quick enough, I can't report on the buyers comments list? I'm not sure how that works exactly.
Meanwhile I sent him an email asking if for future reference this is the usual thing. I told him I noticed other possible dates with great seats and I'd bid if I thought they were the actual seats. He didn't reply which to me is the same as saying -- "no, they're not. This is what I do."

FainaAgain

Thanks for the heads up!

HowardR

Patrick, I think your assessment of the situation is right on! Based on what you've reported, I would say that tourists and other less experienced NYC theatergoers could easily be taken in by his/her game.

TTess

This happened to me recently on EBay, too. I ordered a lamp which was advertised that it would be sent immediately. Didn't receive it so I e-mailed and called the seller. Gee, the lamp wasn't even manufactured yet but as soon as they received it (2-3 months), they would send it. They also informed me that I could order something else. No thanks, just give me a refund a go away, pal. I can't believe the dishonest people on E-Bay. Buyers beware!

Dick

Patrick,

I have bought and sold on Ebay and learned that you need to read the description VERY carefully.

The "tip-off" was the seller saying..
(if) these seats are not available that better ones will be offered or money will be refunded."

That meant that the seller probably did not actually possess the tix.

LLindaC

Hi Neo. I've had good experiences with ebay, but I don't trust the ticket thing either. I subsribed to Playbill and broadwayboxoffice and got half price tickets, so i was happy. btw...they have moved the ticket line from the middle of Times Square to the Marriott Hotel now.

NeoPatrick

Dick: this is the actual wording of that comment -- which does not seem like a real tip off to me -- in is not unlike any disclaimer on any product:

"If for some reason the actual seats purchased may no longer available, (very rare occurrence usually due to miscommunication in the office) we will email the customer and offer replacement tickets that are equivalent or better seats, or issue you a full refund."

NeoPatrick

But how interesting that after my experience the item is still up for bids and the description of seats E-109 and 111 is still there -- clearly FALSE advertising.

Dick

patrick,

If the auction is for specific seats, and they have the tix in their possession..there would be no need for this disclaimer. The fact that they have "covered" themselves by including the disclaimer in their auction raises a cautionary flag.

I have sold many things on Ebay (including SWA reward vouchers) and never included such wording....because I already owned the item that I was selling.

NeoPatrick

OK, then here is the really bad part. They DO own the tickets they are selling. When I won my bid, the immediate email that I had won my bid stated: "TICKETS ARE IN HAND AND READY TO SHIP VIA FEDERAL EXPRESS ONLY!!!"
So they obviously knew all along they weren't the real tickets.
I've emailed EBay about this -- particularly since they continue to have an auction for these tickets were are not "real".

Dick

In my experience, Ebay hasn't been aggressive enough in getting rid of sellers like this.

The NY office of consumer protection is excellent. I'd file a complaint with them.

By using FedEx they insulate themselves from mail fraud.

nytraveler

Before buyinng any tickets on ebay (and I've gotten some great Yankee tickets from season ticket holders who couldn;t use tickets that day - once in the first row) be sure to contact them directly and make sure that they actually have the tickets.

And the note about "if they don;t have them" means they definitely don;'t have them.

And you can't leave a comment if the sale isn;t completed - that is they take your money and don;t fix the problem. However, you can report them directly to ebay (but not for public comsumption or ratings) - and if there are enough complaints that it becomes a pattern they will warn - and sometimes ban the seller.

NeoPatrick

Actually I was able to go back and leave feedback -- negative -- on the seller. The sale did go through so I got an email that I could click and post feedback, even though the same got credited within minutes.

Brahmama

Ok, I know I am really showing my ignorance, but I would have thought the 2nd row seats would be "better" than 6th row seat. I probably would have be one of those that jumped at the "upgrade". Can you explain why not to go for the 2nd row? (I'm feeling dumber and dumber so I'll stop)

NeoPatrick

The Palace Theatre like many theatres has a very high stage. It is made even higher by the addition of "tracking" of scenery adding more height. Sitting in the second row you are looking up a lot. In addition, it is likely that as actors or dancers move upstage -- away from you -- you actually can't even see their feet. In addition you are very close to the orchestra, meaning that you get a combination of the heavily miked and speaker music with the actual music. Sound balance is really lousy there.

The first couple of rows are often the last sold -- and are regular priced seats. The Priority seating which is at least double the cost of regular seats usually starts in either the fourth or fifth rows of the entire center orchestra section.

I sometimes like being really close, particularly for non musicals. And I even sat in the first or second row for the revival of Sweeney Todd last year -- and loved it -- but that show had no orchestra, or rather the performers on stage were the orchestra. And it wasn't a big show, where you have to get back from the big dance numbers to appreciate them. Being too close for a big show is like trying to watch Out of Africa on the big screen from the first row -- it just doesn't work -- you can't take it all in.

So the seats I was bidding on normally would sell at $250 each. The seats he tried to "upgrade" me to normally cost $110 each.

And no offense, Brahmama, but you are the type this scam artist is depending on -- telling you he has upgraded you so you will post glowing feeback. I would agree than many, many theatre goers would "buy" his line.

Postal

I once bought tickets for the Lion King on Broadway and when I received them I saw they were obstructed view balcony seats. My trip was cancelled and I had to resell the tickets on eBay, so I posted the truth - that they were obstructed views - and several regular sellers on eBay wrote to tell me not to admit the views were obstructed or I'd have to take less for the tickets. I kept it honest, but as you can see there are plenty of dishonest people selling things everywhere!

NeoPatrick

Postal I know what you mean. When I put my prime seats for Three Days of Rain with Julia Roberts on EBay at face value because we couldn't go, I mainly got emails asking what was wrong with them. Nobody could believe I was selling these sold out seats for face value. I made one young girl and her fiance very happy.

happytotravel

My experience with Ebay, is that if you arrow down to the end of the listing, there is a "report this seller" section, and then you select from the list of problems. I have had good results with Ebay removing the listings within 24 hrs.