Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Hear Ye,
Ticketmaster charge my American Express Card for $718.00 for three Leonard Cohen Tickets on March 5, 2009. The website would not let me select needed features to understand what and the specific cost of a purchase or the option to use America Express points without inputing my Card Number and pushing the "continue" button on the bottom of the page. Upon pushing the "continue" button Ticketmaster charged my card without any opportunity to "finish, " "review, " "pay with American Express Points, " or in any other way comfirm my purchase or finalized the transaction. When I discover to my dismay that an UNAUTHORIZED CHARGE OF $718.00 was made to American Express for tickets that I did not intend to purchase without any option to back out of it online. I immediately phoned Ticketmaster to report the problem with the website and to have the unauthorized charge removed. The call was made with 5 minutes while I was still login to Ticketmaster website.
A Ticketmaster Customer Service Representative refused any assistance in correcting the UNAUTHORIZED CHARGE to the account indicating that his system would not allow him to remove Unauthorized Charges. I requested to speak to a manager or supervior who had the authority to override the mistaken charge. Customer Representatives Tim P. and Jeffery P. (names provide upon request) report that all superviors and managers were in a meeting and would have to call me later. I insisted to speak to a person in charge now. I was repeatedly told that no one was available. Before ending the call I had the promise of two Ticketmaster Customer Care Representatives that, at least one if not all, of the following persons (Irving Azoff, Sean Moriarty, Omar Sales, Tim Pennington, Philip Kaso), in management would call me to review the problem before the work day was finished in West Virginia where I was told Ticketmaster Customer Care is based. I am still waiting for the call promised on March 5, 2009, and it is now March 31, 2009. I do not yet have the Leonard Cohen tickets in question or a confirmation that my American Express will not be charge for 718.00 of charges not authorized by the card owner.
After repeated attempts to resolve the situation with Ticketmaster got no where but a run around and around and around. I then reported the unautorized charge to American Express. American Express Customer Care indicated that Ticketmaster had placed a block on my account for 718.00 and that American Express could do nothing until four days had pasted at which time Ticketmaster would have corrected the unauthorized charges or posted the charge. At the end of four days American Express would proceed to dispute the charge if Ticketmaster had not removed the charge. I wait. Called American Express again. The unauthorized charges continue to be disputed by the owner of the card and American Express. I wait some more...
Since March 5, 2009 Ticketmaster has be contacted online in writing at least three times. American Express continues to report that the matter is under investigation. The Leonard Cohen Event is this coming Friday, April 3, 2009. I have no tickets and no clarification about whether my credit card will be charged for the unautorized charges made by Ticketmasters website.
BUYER BEWARE OF USING TICKETMASTER PURCHASES ONLINE. GOOGLE for TICKETMASTER COMPLAINTS AND YOU WILL DISCOVER NUMEROUS OTHER PROBLEMS WITH TICKETMASTER ONLINE SERVICES. THE ISSUES ARE WIDE SPREAD ACROSS THE USA AND CANADA. CUSTOMERS, GOVERNMENTS, ATTORNEY GENERALS, AND EVEN ARTISTS HAVE COMPLAINTS AND PENDING INVESTIGATIONS.
I became informed of problems with Ticketmaster online services only after first hand experience with Ticketmasters preditory business practices.
Shame on Ticketmaster for failing to be a better business.
Take care not make yourself Ticketmaster's next victim.
Leonard Cohen are you paying attention to who is sharking you tickets.
American Express and other credit card companies appear to be a part of this growing problem by association with Ticketmaster and other business like Ticketmaster.
Buyer Beware!