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Subject:The Great TARDIS/Tickitek SCAM!
Posted by:the other dave
Posted at:05:40:21pm 27/07/2005

Right first let me be clear - I'm not trying to rock the boat and get the show cancelled but there is something decidedly dodgy with the relocation of the Welington "Inside the Tardis" show. Prehaps a reader out there knows the ticketek system or the Wellington theater scene could explain the following ....

I got a phonecall from ticketek asking me to go in and rebook my ticket (claiming they had set aside a similar seat form me), so I went in earlier today. I was in the dress circle before and the chap in the office said he could get me one more centrally. Fine I said and he was about to book it when I mentioned the person on the phone said one was earmarked for me. No wanting to have me booked on two seats, the guy behind the counter rang the Auckland office just to check. He was advised that I would have to have a different seat due to the way the reserve seating worked out.

Curious I asked how much the more central seats were, and the guy behind the counter said that all the dress circle seats in the Opera House were $38.50. I got him to double check this and he confirmed that all the seats were this price. I then asked:

1, If I was being reticketed a $68.50 ticket with a $38.50 seat why I wasn't getting refunded the difference? and:

2, Why I couldn't have one $38.50 seat over annother one?

The guy at the counter agreed that this was a good point and queried Auckland again, _reconfirming_ that $38.50 is the correct price on ticketeks system.

Auckland confiormed that yes the new ticket price was $38.50 but that all reticketed tickets would be given "eqivalent seat locations" for the face value of the original tickets, regardless of difference in the value of the ticket price.

(I believe this is in fact illegal. Ticketec are effectively trying to exchange for lower value tickets regardless of the relative position of the seats).

I then queried what would happen if I refused to accept a new ticket, asked for a full refund, and then used the money to buy a $38.50 ticket (or better, with a better seat - AND using the NZDWFC discount I missed before)...

(All of which I'm entitled to do, as, while the fine print allows them to change a lot of things - including the artists and the program itself, it doesn't exclude them from liability for changing the venue. If they try to argue out of this using the "No refund or exchange policy" on their terms and conditions of sale, point to item 1 in their fine print "... except in accordance with applicable laws in the region of purchance" and cite the Consumer Guarentees Act.)

Anyway - the staff at my local Ticketek agreed with me (although I didn't mention the discount at this point) and have undertaken to clarify this with head office within the next few days.

Again I stress I'll happily pay the ticket value for the show (especially to ensure it still comes) but there is somethng a bit dodgy going on...

Any ideas?

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