Is Ticketmaster ever compassionate?

[hosan]

I've accidentally bought 2 tickets for NYC in my name, using my visa for my son's birthday present- I couldn't see a way to put them in his name and then it was too late! I live in UK, he's in Canada. I posted on another thread and had helpful advice about giving him lots of documentation and hoping he meets a kind person at the ticket desk. Has anyone ever tried this? The rules seem quite firm and I'm reluctant to land him with a wasted flight and a sad disappointment on his birthday- I might be better to give him the DVD and regard the tickets as a contribution to Leonard's retirement fund (which is fine- he's given us a lot of pleasure over the years, esp Weybridge. Not so sure about Ticketmaster's share).

[MarieM]

I would wait a couple of weeks for your order to be fully processed and then call Ticketmaster's customer service. This was the number we got for refunds when Red Rocks got postponed: 1-800-653-8000. It was just a general customer service line.

Good luck,
Marie

[hosan]

Thanks Marie- I'll do that. I couldn't find a suitable number to call, and in two weeks I should be calm enough to cope!

[da2008]

If you have the same surname this surely wouldn't be a problem? Just call them and confirm. You might want to call MSG directly as they will be handling will call.

[Paula]

I did this with my daughter for a concert and I was told (and it was Ticketmaster) I had to provide my daughter with a Letter of Authority containing my name, address, phone number, concert, reference number, card number etc etc so there probably is a way around it. Email them and ask if you can give your son a letter of authority to give to the ticket office. My daughter got the tickets OK with the letter of authority you had to specify who was collecting the tickets and they had to take something like passport ID

[hosan]

Thanks Paula- you've cheered me up. Great to know someone has actually done it.

[hosan]

Just had a helpful reply from Ticketmaster who are setting up an arrangement for my son to collect the ticket himself (with ID) in New York. Thank you so much everyone for all the advice. And three cheers for ticketmaster (didn't expect to be saying that).

[Jayne Sachs]

I actually had a good experience with Ticketmaster the other day when I purchased a "prime" seat as a gift for a friend of mine who is not able to go. They refunded all but 4 dollars. I would however CAUTION buying the extra ticket insurance through "Mondial Assistance". I had purchased that insurance in the event that my friend wasn't able to go and I contacted them shortly after I bought the ticket to let them know the situation and they wouldn't refund. They will only refund ticket cost for a very very few reasons. And this all has to be within 10 days of the purchase. Well, most unforseen circumstances would happen just before the concert itself, so there goes that benefit. They didn't even alert me to the fact that I could get a refund from Ticketmaster if I ask for the refund the exact day I bought the ticket. They were not helpful AT ALL... but I called Ticketmaster on my own and they were very helpful... but it WAS same day.

Jayne

[MaryB]

For the Red Rocks cancelled concert, I received a full refund on a set of tickets to the last penny, including service charges, etc. They said it was a 'measure of good faith'. Maybe they are turning a corner because of all the bad press they have/had been getting.

[goldstei]

Hey Mary B,

That's amazing. I got a refund for Red Rocks from TM for the ticket, but they wouldn't refund their "helpfulness" fee or their "joy" fee, etc. You must have really talked to an unusual employee!

[MaryB]

And here I thought it was the norm for RR. I really did get lucky, or maybe they saw that I had purchased a number of tickets in the past and they didn't want to lose my business when more LC tickets went on sale .

[James T]

I work for ticketmaster and it is usually the case that venues accept lettes of authorisation so someone other than the card holder can collect the tickets. I can't actually check whether that is the case for this venue because I'm on the UK system but I'm sure US services can check that for you.

A letter of authorisation has to contain...
The last 4 numbers of the card you booked with.
Your name and reference number.
How many tickets you booked.
The name of the person who is collecting and details of what ID they will have to prove they are that person.
Your signature. Original only/no copies.

I know it is a hassle and I deal with this sort of thing every day. Unfortunately it's not down to the staff at ticketmaster, it is the venue that makes most of the decisions. That includes ticket prices and service charges etc...

As for the no returns policy, I don't like it but I can see the logic behind it. Very sorry for your trouble.

So, yes. Michael Jackson, that needed a lot of compassion.

[MondialAssistance]

Just wanted to clarify something mentioned in Jayne's earlier post. Event Ticket Insurance from Mondial Assistance will refund the ticket purchaser for their ticket cost including fees and shipping charges if they have to miss the performance due to a covered reason. For only $7, this insurance provides buyers with ten reasons for cancellation including illness or injury and even the loss of a job. Mondial Assistance provides each buyer with a 10-day free look at the policy. If you wish to return the policy and get your premium back, you may do so within the 10-day period as long as you have not already filed a claim or the date of the performance has passed. Jayne somehow thought that the insurance is only good for 10 days. I hope this clears things up.

I'm not sure why your friend's claim was not payable but if you would like to contact me I'd be happy to look into it further. Thanks.

[hosan]

Thank you everybody- my son collected his tickets without a problem on Friday and had a wonderful birthday. I'm grateful too for the video links so I can sense the atmosphere from across the Atlantic. Lots of kindness and generosity here- it is appreciated.