London's FAKE half-price theatre ticket booths exposed
Aug 31st, 2007, 06:01 PM
#1
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London's FAKE half-price theatre ticket booths exposed
Interesting article. Too bad more unsuspecting tourists won't see this article.
http://www.officiallondontheatre.co....ontentId/95505
http://www.officiallondontheatre.co....ontentId/95505
Aug 31st, 2007, 08:17 PM
#2
every time I come out of the Leicester Square tube station and see all those folks queueing at those "1/2 price" store fronts -- I want to yell "You're being taken for a ride - walk around the corner to TKTS"
But those places have been in business for at least 20+ years. Long before TKTS was called "TKTS" and long before the new kiosk was built. sad . . . .
But those places have been in business for at least 20+ years. Long before TKTS was called "TKTS" and long before the new kiosk was built. sad . . . .
Sep 1st, 2007, 02:56 AM
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...ah but just think how long the queues would be at TKTS if it weren't for these rip off joints on the walk from the station....in additions there is this one guy I always see walking up and down the queue at TKTS trying to sell tickets for the mega hits not on TKTS...two weeks ago they were Billy Elliot, Wicked, Mama Mia, We will Rock You...of course what he is doing is selling £15 for £50...in the USA we call this ticket scalping and it is, of course, illegal here.
Sep 1st, 2007, 09:36 AM
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As our flat is very close to Leicester Square and I'm at TKTS almost every day when in London, I pass those other places a lot. A couple years ago one morning I walked by a group of three young women standing in front of one of them loudly carrying on about the wonderful tickets they just got for two different shows. Strangers were coming up and questioning them and they were sending them over to this booth and just raving about their wonderful seats they had just gotten at half price. I ignored them. The next morning when I passed by, there those same women were again going through the same routine. That's when I realized they were hired by the booth to attract buyers who no doubt were buying overpriced tickets thinking they were getting a great deal.
Sure enough, they were there pretty much every day for our entire stay.
Sure enough, they were there pretty much every day for our entire stay.
Sep 1st, 2007, 05:11 PM
#10
New York has changed its anti-scalping law. Originally it forbad resales of tickets for more than a nominal markup, essentially moving all the legitimate ticket brokers out of state ands leaving buyers to the mercies of street scalpers and counterfeiters.
Now the law only forbids sales within a certain distance from the venue -- I can't remember if it's 500 or 1000 feet. Meanwhile, some Broadway shows that alwauys sell out are selling a block of the best seats for several hundred dollars each, getting the scalper premium for the show instead of leaving the money for outsiders.
Now the law only forbids sales within a certain distance from the venue -- I can't remember if it's 500 or 1000 feet. Meanwhile, some Broadway shows that alwauys sell out are selling a block of the best seats for several hundred dollars each, getting the scalper premium for the show instead of leaving the money for outsiders.
Sep 1st, 2007, 05:31 PM
#11
in many US locales (if not most) the anti-scalping regs apply to the actual venue or w/i a certain number of feet. For instance in my town, one cannot sell for over face value at the arena/theater, or in its parking lots, but 1/4 mile away it is perfectly OK.
