Ticketmaster Frustration

I used Ticketmaster.com to purchase tickets to a Roger Waters concert. I preregistered my purchase information, including my credit card number, and connected to the site the moment it posted the tickets for sale. I was offered two tickets, but the seats were two-thirds of the way back from the stage--a poor ticket, given the time I accessed the site. There is simply no way they could have had that many transactions so quickly.

Richard Rubenstein, Livingston, New Jersey

Letter of the Week responds: While the Web makes ordering tickets more convenient, it doesn't necessarily give you an advantage over traditional ordering methods.

Tom Stockham, president of Ticketmaster.com, explains, "Ticketmaster sells tickets on behalf of vendors in four ways: charge-by-phone centers, ticket centers, box offices, and on the Internet. Each [distribution point] is given equal access to tickets that are for sale. For example, if 1500 tickets are available, all four [distribution points] are selling tickets from the same pool, so everyone is trying to sell the same 1500 tickets. No distributor is given a specific portion of tickets. The tickets go on sale at the same time for everyone. If there is a high demand for an event, there may be 100 people in line at the same time, and at each distribution point." In addition, preregistering information only helps speed the buying process. It doesn't guarantee you a spot at the head of the line.

Unfortunately, you can't tell how many people are waiting in front of you online, and you don't know what's going on at the charge-by-phone and in-person lines. An informal poll of PCWorld.com readers showed that several users have received error messages when they tried to get their online order processed, adding to the frustration. All you can do is be prepared and know what you're up against. To make sure you have the best shot at getting good seats, check out Ticketmaster's buying tips for more information.