Several fans of the U.S. National Men’s Soccer team are being forced to give up, change seats or pay more for their tickets after Ticketmaster recently admitted to making a mistake in what it charged for the tickets.
In an email this week to fans who purchased tickets to the U.S. vs. Paraguay soccer game — scheduled for March 29 at LP Field in Nashville, TN — Ticketmaster said the tickets they bought for $32.70 should have carried a face value of $76.80, more than twice what the fans paid.
Exactly how many fans were affected was not disclosed, but the snafu marks the most recent example of Ticketmaster incorrectly pricing tickets to the event. This past fall, the ticketing giant admitted to a similar “pricing error” when it charged $25 for Kenny Chesney tickets that should have been $99.50.
Fans who purchased the mis-priced U.S. vs. Paraguay tickets are given until Friday, February 4 to decide between keeping their tickets and paying the difference, obtaining a full refund for their purchase or switching to other seats. But, one aggrieved fan, a construction contractor from Tennessee named Chris Griggs, said in a newspaper interview that Ticketmaster’s move is unfair.
“If I quote some¬one a price on some¬thing and they accept the terms and pay me, I’m never enti¬tled to go back and ask for more money. [Ticketmaster] can¬celed the orig¬i¬nal agree¬ment, and I don’t have any recourse, accord¬ing to them,” Griggs told the Tennessean.
Fans who do not make a decision by Friday automatically will receive the refund and have their tickets voided.
The text of the email to one of the customers, originally obtained by WSMV-TV, reads:
Dear Ticketmaster Customer,
This is not the kind of email we like to send. There was a pricing error on the tickets you bought on order xx-xxxxx/xxx for the upcoming event listed below. We apologize for the mistake. To remedy the situation, we have outlined three options.
U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team vs. Paraguay
LP Field; Nashville, Tenn.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 7 p.m.
The correct ticket price for your seats is $76.80 . The price displayed on the Ticketmaster.com order page and the price you paid was $32.70. What do I need to do?
We are offering three options:
1) Keep your current seats and be charged the difference
If you would like to keep these seats for the match, please reply to this email by Friday, February 4 by 3PM Eastern Time with authorization to charge your credit card the correct price (your grand total depends on the number of tickets you bought). We’ll send your tickets by the same delivery method you used the first time at no additional delivery charge.
2) Exchange your current seats for seats at the price level you originally paid
If you would like to exchange your current tickets for tickets in the price level that you originally paid, your new seat location will be in section 130, 140, or 141 based upon availability. Please reply to this email by Friday, February 4 by 3PM Eastern Time with authorization to exchange your tickets for seats at the same price level that you originally paid. We’ll send your new tickets by the same delivery method you originally designated at no additional delivery charge.
3) Get a full refund
If you would prefer to have a refund, there is no need to do anything. If we don’t hear from you by Friday, February 4 by 3PM Eastern Time, we’ll refund your card the full amount (including any convenience charges and facility/handling fees) automatically.
If you have already received tickets to the match, please discard them. They’ve been canceled and are no longer valid.
Again, we apologize for this inconvenience. If you need anything else, please do not hesitate to let us know – just hit reply and ask us or visit Ticketmaster.com!
Thanks for being a fan!
Ticketmaster Fan Support
