PreferredSeat.com Blog

A fan of Paul McCartney is alleging ticket fraud in the opinion section of the Salt Lake City Tribune after purchasing Paul McCartney tickets online. Using the American Express Preferred Seating presale password provided to her curtousy of her American Express card, the fan ordered from what he read was the “Best Available Seats”.

And because it was a presale and American Express had indicated “Exclusive Access and Benefits for American Express Cardmembers” the Paul McCartney fan was assuming he would be getting access to better seats than when the Paul McCartney tickets went onsale to the general public days later.

Wrong!  Just as with any presale or regular onsale for concert tickets, whether an American Express, Citibank, fan clubs, arena presales or any of a dozen other ticket presales they throw out these days, you are not guaranteed any better seats . In fact, they are usually trying to blow out the crappy seats because they are holding back the best concert tickets for expensive VIP and Platinum packages.

Not only that, up to 50% of the best seats may be held back for promoters to bargain advertising, for corporate sponsers, the band, the venue, etc, etc, etc.  With all the deals Live Nation and Ticketmaster are making to sell tickets through multiple sources the best seats for most concerts will always be diluted.

The fan believes he was “deliberately deceived” by American Express Preferred Seating because he was able to buy better tickets 20 rows closer three weeks later on Ticketmaster. American Express is just being taken for the same ride as everyone else. Ticketmaster and Live Nation want them to believe they are getting value for their relationshiop with them, but they’re not.

What they are getting is the same treatment all concert fans are getting, not ticket fraud, but the corporate way of extracting the maximum number of $$ from the customer without understanding what the customer really wants or caring what the customer wants. They just shove it at the customer and hope they swallow all the crap they throw out.

But the tide may be changing for Live Nation and Ticketmaster as the summer concert season crashes and the best ticket prices can be found on ticket broker sites such as the original Preferred Seating Tickets, because the market is flooded with tour whores and overpriced tickets.

Forget American Express Preferred Seating, for the best seats for concerts try Preferred Seating Tickets the next time you are looking to buy concert tickets. You may or may not have to pay more for your concert ticket, but you will get the ticket you want, without the bs. Preferred Seating Tickets is in no way associated with the American Express Preferred Seating program.

There’s a website dedicated to just concert tours and it’s updated daily with new concert tour dates for all of the top artists. Tour-Schedule.com will keep you updated on when your favorite artist will be on tour and when they will be performing in a city near you. The tour dates are updated on a regular basis as artists add to their tour schedules.

Currently you can find up to date concert tour dates at Tour-Schedule.com for Roger Waters, Lady Gaga, The Jonas Brothers, Tom Petty, Carrie Underwood, Carole King and dozens more. Not only can you find tour schedules for concerts, but there are links for concert tickets for each show on the tour.

The links will take you to Preferred Seating Tickets, a ticket broker with over 23 years experience and one of the only ticket brokers for concert tickets that does not add hidden fees or service charges to the price of their tickets. This can save you up to 30% over other websites selling concert tickets, and with a A+ Better Business Bureau rating, you get piece of mind when you buy your tickets for concert events online.

The independent concert promoter Another Planet has called on concert fans to take action against  Live Nation and Ticketmaster calling their proposed merger “a train wreck about to happen” and “You the consumer are the victim”. Another Planet was created in 2003 by former Bill Graham Presents President and CEO Greg Perloff and has produced over 1,000 events.

While the merger is  being discussed in the Justice Dept, consumer groups have come out against the monopoly because of the potential for much higher costs to consumers for concert tickets. The problem is already surfacing with artists scalping their own tickets such as Bon Jovi and the Black Eyed Peas to name just a few.

Independent concert promoters such as Another Planet could be adversely affected if these two get together as they could lock many of the best touring acts into arrangements that have them perform in their own venues and they will further increase ticket prices by packaging the best seats with garbage novelty items and worthless preshow entertainment.

Even long time ticket brokers such as Greg Cullen of Preferred Seating are against the proposed merger stating, “When we started business in 1987 we were selling many of the best seats for as little as $55 each, now Ticketmaster is selling Bon Jovi seats for a face value of $1700 each, that’s pathetic and a disservice to concert fans”.

Concert fans who want to try and make a difference should act now and contact antitrust.complaints@usdoj.gov