A Calgary mom and her 11-year-old son were hoping to take in some "24K Magic" and "Uptown Funk" in prime seats at the Bruno Mars concert last month, but unfortunately they're not saying "That's What I Like" about Ticketmaster's customer service.
Priya Pooranalingam and her son Mitra bought tickets for the singer's July 30 show at Rogers Place in Edmonton, but were shocked when they arrived at their seats. Despite splurging for the $275 "Platinum Seats" on Ticketmaster, the tickets didn't give them the "amazing experience" they were hoping for.
"We're talking the farthest part, second floor at the very last seating in Rogers Place, so you could barely see the stage," Pooranalingam told CBC.
Adding insult to injury, the mother and son duo learned that another couple seated beside them in the same unfortunate section had only paid $100 for their tickets.
"They said 'someone cheated you real well,'" she said.
Her son had even brought a hand-drawn poster to the show, assuming his pricey seats would put him within view of the stage. But as the mother explains, "He was mad and super disappointed. The first thing he did was put his poster away. He was really hurt by the whole thing."
Pooranalingam has since demanded a refund from Ticketmaster, accusing the company of inflating prices for "very, very poor seating" and warning fans to be wary of what they're buying.
"I want Ticketmaster to change the practice and I want them to be reasonable with the prices they're charging and I want to make fans aware of what they're buying," she added.
Ticketmaster's website, meanwhile, claims that its Platinum Seats program aims to "give fans fair and safe access to some of the best seats in the house." It operates on a market-based pricing scale, adjusting the price of seats according to supply and demand (like many airline and hotel room websites).
Ticketmaster has yet to comment on the matter.
Earlier this year, the Ontario government tabled legislation to reform the province's ticket selling guidelines, emphasizing the need for increased transparency on the part of both primary ticket sellers, as well as ticket resellers.
Priya Pooranalingam and her son Mitra bought tickets for the singer's July 30 show at Rogers Place in Edmonton, but were shocked when they arrived at their seats. Despite splurging for the $275 "Platinum Seats" on Ticketmaster, the tickets didn't give them the "amazing experience" they were hoping for.
"We're talking the farthest part, second floor at the very last seating in Rogers Place, so you could barely see the stage," Pooranalingam told CBC.
Adding insult to injury, the mother and son duo learned that another couple seated beside them in the same unfortunate section had only paid $100 for their tickets.
"They said 'someone cheated you real well,'" she said.
Her son had even brought a hand-drawn poster to the show, assuming his pricey seats would put him within view of the stage. But as the mother explains, "He was mad and super disappointed. The first thing he did was put his poster away. He was really hurt by the whole thing."
Pooranalingam has since demanded a refund from Ticketmaster, accusing the company of inflating prices for "very, very poor seating" and warning fans to be wary of what they're buying.
"I want Ticketmaster to change the practice and I want them to be reasonable with the prices they're charging and I want to make fans aware of what they're buying," she added.
Ticketmaster's website, meanwhile, claims that its Platinum Seats program aims to "give fans fair and safe access to some of the best seats in the house." It operates on a market-based pricing scale, adjusting the price of seats according to supply and demand (like many airline and hotel room websites).
Ticketmaster has yet to comment on the matter.
Earlier this year, the Ontario government tabled legislation to reform the province's ticket selling guidelines, emphasizing the need for increased transparency on the part of both primary ticket sellers, as well as ticket resellers.
