Now THIS is criminal scalping.

[pats-blue]

OK, this is scalping at it's worst..

NEW YORK - Bruce Springsteen fans were victims of a "classic bait and switch" scam by the nation's largest concert ticket seller, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Sunday, as he called for a federal investigation into the company, Ticketmaster.

Schumer wants the Federal Trade Commission to look into whether the Ticketmaster Web site withheld the best tickets from the public, then shuttled fans to TicketsNow, a fully owned subsidiary.

TicketsNow had the best tickets available immediately - at sky-high prices - after the Springsteen tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. on Feb. 2.
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A federal investigation would look into whether Ticketmaster was instantly scalping the tickets, never giving fans a chance to buy at face value, Schumer said. Customers who tried to buy tickets originally priced at $95 on TicketMaster's Web site were directed to TicketsNow, where they were priced at more than $2,000.

The tickets that went on sale included a May 4 concert at Nassau Coliseum.

"At 10 a.m. on Ticketmaster they were all sold out, then at 10:01 a.m. the same tickets are on TicketsNow for double the price," Schumer said. "We want to find out how did they become available at TicketsNow so fast?"

A Ticketmaster spokesman did not respond to telephone and e-mail requests for comment Sunday. Ticketmaster chief executive Irving Azoff issued an apology after Springsteen denounced the company's actions.

"Fans who thought they were going to The Promised Land' of Springsteen found themselves in the Badlands' of ticket scalpers," Schumer said.

Schumer said he also wants to put the brakes on TicketMaster's proposed merger with Live Nation, the nation's largest concert promoter.

Since buying TicketsNow in February, Ticketmaster has faced similar criticism for its handling of Elton John tickets in Canada and numerous U.S. concert tours, including Radiohead. Law enforcement agencies in Connecticut and New Jersey have also launched investigations.

http://www.azcentral.com/ent/music/articles/2009/02/08/20090208ticketmaster08-ON-CP.html

When you own the ticket agency AND the scalping agency? Yeah that is F'd!

Sorry the show is sold out..but we will be happy to sell the tickets at scalper prices 1 minute later since we just simply never put them on sale so we could steal from you.

I hope they make Ticketmaster sell any other ticket agencies or not allow them to be the initial seller of tickets.

This is CRIMINAL IMO.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

This is CRIMINAL IMO.

May we have an expert's opinion? RavenBHee (Though you've got to feel dirty when Chucky Schumer is on your side.)

 

[pats-blue]

May we have an expert's opinion? RavenBHee (Though you've got to feel dirty when Chucky Schumer is on your side.)

Dirty?..yeah something like that...I mean how would you feel clean????

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Dirty?..yeah something like that...I mean he would you feel clean????

Squeaky clean Chucky Schumer? Chucky the 2nd amendment slasher...