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Hammers1993 8:09 Sat Aug 4
Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Viagogo etc..

As fans you all queue up fairly to purchase tickets for whatever it is, concerts, theatre events, football, whatever it may be, only to be unlucky in purchasing tickets, it happens but what fucks me off no end is seeing hundreds of those tickets then appearing on tout sites minutes later for 20x the price.

A show we all badly wanted to go to unfortunately sold out, tickets ranged from �20 - �90.

Minutes later these are all on Viagogo for cheapest of �400. Booking fees are MINIMUM, yes, MINIMUM of �101. (ONE HUNDRED AND ONE POUNDS) BOOKING FEE.

How is this genuinely allowed?

Was having a chat with mates and for all these places that claim they don't encourage it then I'm sorry but something needs to be put in place.

Simple solution could be that whichever card is used for payment that has to be presented as proof when attending the show, say you bought 6 tickets with the card then at least one of the 6 has to have that card on booking. Would stop a lot of these cunts just buying tickets for profit with genuine fans missing out.

Have any of you bought from there and what would be your maximum cut off point for paying over the odds? In this instance it is 20x the actual face value. Would any of you even consider paying that?

Hammers1993 3:52 Wed Aug 8
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Amazing isn’t it.

I notice none of them responded to me questioning them on the 101 quid booking fee being “fair game” as most of them seem so happy to say they offer a good service.

Mr Anon 3:22 Wed Aug 8
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Amazing there's people on here actually defending the parasites

On The Ball 2:23 Wed Aug 8
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Dicko75 12:45 Tue Aug 7

But they create that price. It wouldn't be there otherwise.

Far Cough 2:19 Wed Aug 8
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Pi Alpha Nu 1:44 Wed Aug 8
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?



That's a good one

Sven Roeder 8:53 Wed Aug 8
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Most ordinary fans aren’t trainspotter type nerds so we are fine.
Thanks for asking

PwoperNaughtyButNot 7:20 Wed Aug 8
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

I wanted a limited edition album on vinyl and some fucker was selling it for more than the original selling price.

How is that fair for ordinary fans?

Pi Alpha Nu 1:44 Wed Aug 8
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

I think Ticketmaster runs some of these companies. The cunts.
Iron Maiden have beaten the touts by using paperless tickets. The card you use to book the tickets gets you in.

Cheezey Bell-End 5:51 Tue Aug 7
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Only time I bought off a tout was in about 1987 when we played Man Utd at home in the FA Cup.. Paid 10 pounds for a 6 pound ticket to sit behind the dugout at UP.
The touts that trade in unwanted tickets around the ground I can live with, but the likes of Viagogo are just low.

Far Cough 5:42 Tue Aug 7
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

There are ways to stop bots and that's with those things that only a human can click on to proceed, I'm surprised these sites don't use them

Trevor B 4:04 Tue Aug 7
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Touts like viagogo etc use bots that storm websites and stop genuine fans being able to buy regular priced tickets. I've had this happen a few times now, it's very frustrating. In the past I've paid up for something I really wanted to see, but now I refuse to do so and drive demand, but a lot of people still will and that's why these businesses thrive. As others have mentioned some bands/singers are trying to help put a stop to this. A friend of mine helps run The Roundhouse and they get so many complaints from genuine fans who have been unable to buy tickets even though they are on-line at the precise time tickets go on sale, only to then find them on sites like viagogo for inflated prices that they just can't afford to pay. There's not a lot the venue can do apart from constantly complain to the government to put in place legislation to prevent how these touts operate.

Dicko75 12:45 Tue Aug 7
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Have used them many, many times over the years...from street touts of old to the likes of viagogo and stubhub in recent years.

They provide a valuable service. If I want to go I have a choice...market demands dictate the price. Can’t see what the fuss is about - if you don’t like the price don’t fucking go.

TeVaz 11:53 Mon Aug 6
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Anyone who is prepared to pay £100 plus booking fee is , quite frankly, a cunt !

Bungo 2:16 Mon Aug 6
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Buying tickets online can be a complete lottery, even if there is something left to buy.

Ticketmaster etc often don’t release all the tickets the moment an event goes on sale. You may find you are first offered either the most expensive tickets, or very poor ones, as they try to sell these first before releasing the ones they know they can easily sell later on.

I've sometimes found tickets are available hours after getting the 'tickets are not available at this time' message. If you're really keen, keep on trying (if you have the time), but this can take hours and is still a complete lottery. Same goes if demand is such that they add another date as sometimes happens.

Some venues/promoters hold a few ’production’ tickets back that they put up for sale at face value a day or two before the gig/show. You have to be on the ball, and act quickly to get any of these.

The only thing you can be sure of is that the touts will always get what they want.

Something to be said for the old way of queuing up outside Hammersmith Odeon waiting for the box office to open. At least that felt like everyone had more of an even chance.

Jim C 2:01 Mon Aug 6
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Totally agree and in some cases you do now need to show ID on entry.

The only time I paid silly money was for the darts at Ally Pally one year as I really wanted to go and a mate and I got tickets on Viagogo. I had just been left some money and decided a bit of it was going to be spent on enjoyment and the rest saved.

To be fair the seats were at the very front and I had a superb time. I wouldn't do it again mind.

Russ of the BML 12:28 Mon Aug 6
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Problem with music gigs is that like, a lot of things these days, for every person that makes a stand and doesn't pay or simply can't afford it there's another 10 mugs that just say "fuck it" and go or moneys no option so they don't care.

Until everyone makes a stand one way or another then nothing will change.

Once the major stars start seeing the stadiums half empty then they won't really got off their arses and do anything.

And that leads me to my other points. Not enough major stars are making a stand and doing anything about it. They need to get together and say all tickets must be sold via the artists official website and people have to be members and show credit card used for purchase on entry. Plus only have maximum of four tickets per card.

Seems to me the artists are just coining it in and don't actually really care that much.

Peterboroughiron 11:16 Mon Aug 6
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Silly fucking prices for silly fucking people and the world is full of them

Bungo 6:08 Sun Aug 5
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Hammers1993 4:38 Sun Aug 5

All fair points.

I have been aware of many situations where high demand tickets have gone on sale, many actual fans have done EVERYTHING they can to maximise their chances, and they still miss out while hundreds of tickets immediately go on sale on the resale sites, while the event (apparently) sells out in minutes.

I've also known many people miss out on 'fan club only' pre-sales which they have paid money for, usually just to be in with a chance of buying live tickets.

It's almost as if the system is rigged against ordinary people trying to buy tickets to actually use themselves....

mallard 5:03 Sun Aug 5
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Only time I've ever bought off a tout was the early nineties game vs Man Utd (Return of Ince)

Paid £30 for a North Bank ticket

Hammers1993 4:38 Sun Aug 5
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Johnson 3:46 Sun Aug 5

Don't presume.I had reminders set up and tickets went on sale 9am, I was ready on the site from 8.30 am and tried bang on 9 at which point website crashes caused all sorts of chaos resulting in genuine FANS who put in the effort becoming a free for all. That isn't the issue and I am not expecting anything from anyone.

What I don't agree with is these sites openly being allowed to charge 100 pounds booking fee, if you think that is fair game then good luck to you, in my eyes you if you think that's acceptable then you need to have a look at yourself, if it was a show you desperatly wanted to see yet missed out purely on bad luck I am sure paying 100 quid booking fee wouldn't sit right with you either, if you say that's fine then you are lying.

ChesterRd 4:32 Sun Aug 5
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Fun fact, authorised primary ticket sellers all own authorised re sellers which is why as someone has noted within minutes of them going on sale tickets are transferred from one company to their re-seller. I know moves are afoot to try and get this banned but whether anything comes of it who knows. There will always be touts but these are massive companies doing it.

wd40 9:55 Sun Aug 5
Re: Tout Websites - How are they allowed to run when "touts" are illegal?

Lot of law suits going around in the USA over this but not much change is happening

The Springsteen theatre shows you had to join up and resister first to even get a chance of getting a ticket which has beaten a'lot of the tout webs sites but on saying that tickets start at £300 .

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