$500 Million Class Action Lawsuit Launched Against Ticketmaster
Published: Monday, February 09, 2009
A $500 million class action lawsuit has been launched in Ontario against Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc., Ticketmaster Canada Ltd., TNow Entertainment Group, Inc. and Premium Inventory, Inc.
The lawsuit alleges ticketmaster conspired to sell tickets to populare event at inflated prices through a ticket brokerage owned by Ticketmaster.
The lawsuit was launched Monday claiming Ticketmaster conspired to divert tickets to popular events away from Ticketmaster's lower priced website (www.ticketmaster.ca) available to the general public.
The lawsuit says the general public was diverted to www.ticketsnow.com, which is its ticket brokering website, where the same tickets were sold at a premium price.
The suit says the practise of selling tickets for amounts that exceed their face prices contravenes Ontario's anti-scalping legislation. It also says the fees and surcharges issued to customers by Ticketmaster violate Ontario legislation.
The lawsuit stems from someone who purchased two concert tickets for $533.65 including service charges but excluding shipping costs. He says the same tickets would have cost him $133.00 on Ticketmaster's website if they had been available. The Ticketmaster website directed him to the more expensive tickets on the TicketsNow website.
Luciana Brasil of Branch McMaster, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiff says, "Customers have voiced concerns over the fact that tickets for the most popular events can ostensibly sell out in minutes, only to become immediately available in the secondary market at much higher prices."
Jay Strosberg of Sutts Strosberg LLP, another lawyer representing the plaintiff says, "It is reasonable to expect consumers to be curious about the process by which tickets are sold to them." "The mere fact that Ticketmaster has a financial interest in both retail and premium ticket sales leads to an obvious question about the process by which those tickets are sold to members of the public and how it works."
The class action was commenced on behalf of all persons who purchased tickets for an event in Ontario from Ticketmaster or through TicketsNow.com from and after February 9, 2007.
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quote:
Originally posted by chinamon
chinamon is INCH MOAN.
LOL so fitting.
Last edited by VDub on Feb-09-2009 at 23:40
Feb-09-2009 23:14
dEsidEL
Fu Man Choonz
Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Below the Belt
there are so many class action lawsuits currently in place right now against various "injustices" to the public, see: your cellphone System Access Fee, York University Students tuition reimbursement, etc. among others.
I wonder how many of them actually end up being awarded in the plaintiff's case?
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Palm Trees > Pine Trees , Sand > Snow
Feb-09-2009 23:46
StereoPrincess
sassy one-piece
Registered: May 2001
Location: SPFRI
Ticketbastard is a scam in general. They are absolutely the worst company running right now. I really don't need to pay 20 dollar service charge for an 80 dollar ticket that I am printing myself! Fuck you Ticketbastards!
Feb-10-2009 00:51
exstasie
Hack Attack
Registered: Jun 2006
Location: Toronto/Sauga, Canada
Personally, I think its all bullshit and people should be allowed to scalp tickets.
It's simply a case of supply and demand.
If people are willing to pay 10x the face value, then let them. I don't see any issue with it at all (Minus the tax issues involved).
If anything, like Stereo said, the service charges + additional fees is what needs to be fixed.
Why do I have to pay to print the ticket at home using my own printer and ink? Because they lose money that they would gain on shipping charges?
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"I'm not stoned...I'm just Asian!"
Feb-10-2009 01:04
activate
I <3 Boobies
Registered: Mar 2003
Location: Toronto
ticketmaster also charges a fee to the ticket seller. double dipping!
Feb-10-2009 01:05
malek
drinks your milkshake!
Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Montréal
scalping is not illegal in Quebec these guys can move here
Registered: Jun 2006
Location: Toronto/Sauga, Canada
quote:
Originally posted by malek
scalping is not illegal in Quebec these guys can move here
Really? Crap lol
Gotta make sure I get the UFC tickets then before they sell out...
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"I'm not stoned...I'm just Asian!"
Feb-10-2009 01:12
VDub
Scoundrel
Registered: Feb 2008
Location: Toronto
quote:
Originally posted by exstasie
Personally, I think its all bullshit and people should be allowed to scalp tickets.
It's simply a case of supply and demand.
If people are willing to pay 10x the face value, then let them. I don't see any issue with it at all (Minus the tax issues involved).
If anything, like Stereo said, the service charges + additional fees is what needs to be fixed.
Why do I have to pay to print the ticket at home using my own printer and ink? Because they lose money that they would gain on shipping charges?
I don't have a huge problem with scalping either....
But you go to them when you've had a fair shot at face value or want to do something last minute...
Ticket scammer takes artists tickets, and moves them to their own scalper site in the thousands and as soon as they go on sale...
We don't get a chance at all at the face price and that's disgusting...
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quote:
Originally posted by chinamon
chinamon is INCH MOAN.
LOL so fitting.
Feb-10-2009 01:13
exstasie
Hack Attack
Registered: Jun 2006
Location: Toronto/Sauga, Canada
quote:
Originally posted by VDub
I don't have a huge problem with scalping either....
But you go to them when you've had a fair shot at face value or want to do something last minute...
Ticket scammer takes artists tickets, and moves them to their own scalper site in the thousands and as soon as they go on sale...
We don't get a chance at all at the face price and that's disgusting...
Yes, I agree with that. Companies who are in the business to buy mass tickets and them sell them on the website at a premium is pretty shady.
I think this issue is pretty bad in Europe. I've looked many times to buy tickets for sporting/music events, and always end up at this 'scalping' sites that are selling tickets and an inflated value.
But I think its getting better. The average individual has just as much chance of getting tickets these days as everyone else so there is equal opportunity. The concert that created this issue was the Springsteen concert, and I managed to snag a pair of floor seats at this event, but I still had a decent opportunity.
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"I'm not stoned...I'm just Asian!"
Feb-10-2009 01:20
malek
drinks your milkshake!
Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Montréal
in my economy class it was funny how the teacher was explaining how scalping is good for the economy
Registered: Jun 2006
Location: Toronto/Sauga, Canada
quote:
Originally posted by malek
in my economy class it was funny how the teacher was explaining how scalping is good for the economy
You think it isn't?
It's the same way how Insider Trading is good for the market as well
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"I'm not stoned...I'm just Asian!"
Feb-10-2009 01:27
The Ear
Built for debauchery
Registered: May 2004
Location: Toronto, Canada
In my opinion, these fucks & all scalpers should be fried up in oil in front of the masses like the swine they are.
Simple fact of the matter is they're detracting from the art/spectacle while most have no intention of actually seeing/taking in the very event which they just fucked people out of because of the "luck of the draw" that they somehow magically got to the front of the line.
I for one advocate they all receive the treatment I saw at a Bayern Munich game I attended many years ago:
Those who were scalping were beaten openly by the polizei, their tickets were then taken from them & handed to a police organized lineup of fans without tickets. The scalpers were then thrown into the paddy-wagon with those fans who were arrested for drunken hooliganism, etc. The hooligans then had their cuffs removed & were allowed to beat the living shit out of these swine until they arrived at the police station.
these guys can move here 
