Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- We often wait weeks for concert tickets to go on sale and then when we try to buy them, all the good seats are taken. How does this happen? NewsChannel 9 has the Real Deal.
Viewer John Kochovski wanted to buy Iron Maiden tickets for a show at Darien Lake, but found the best seats at Ticketmaster.com were in the 300 section. He thought there was a cap on the number of tickets a person could purchase. So, why do all the good seats end up on other sites at much higher than advertised prices?
Here’s the Real Deal. Scalpers in New York State can use sophisticated programs called “bots” when concert seats go on sale to scoop up a lot of the tickets. Because these tickets are transferable, scalpers can sell them on sites like Stub-Hub at outrageously inflated prices.
Other states cut back on this by offering paperless tickets only. Basically, the credit card used to make the purchase will serve as your ticket. This practice is banned in New York State to give consumers more options.
Do you wish New York had a law allowing paperless tickets in New York? You’ll have to petition your state lawmaker for that one.
Got a question for the Your Stories team? We’ll try to answer it. Call 446-9900 or email YourStories@9WSYR.com.
