In a new lawsuit filed recently in California, Ticketmaster Entertainment and its secondary ticket company TicketsNow are being accused again of allegedly redirecting ticket buyers to more expensive tickets through TicketsNow.
The lawsuit, filed by New Jersey resident Richard Hobson over Tina Turner tickets he purchased in 2008, is the latest in a string of lawsuits against the two companies for this alleged practice, which the two have denied doing and yet have taken steps to ensure it doesn’t happen in the future.
Hobson’s lawsuit, like the other court actions filed against the two companies, is one by a disgruntled fan who claims the two are not playing fair with their business practices, fees and other moves.
“Ticketmaster’s practice of redirecting consumers from Ticketmaster.com to its subsidiary TicketsNow.com without adequate notice to consumers is predatory, unfair and unlawful,” the lawsuit stated. “Indeed, following the public outcry over the systematic re-routing of consumers from Ticketmaster.com to TicketsNow.com in connection with Bruce Springsteen tickets, Ticketmaster conceded that consumers were confused by its re-direction.”
The Springsteen ticket debacle has reverberated throughout the ticketing industry for months, but Ticketmaster has staunchly maintained throughout that that the problems associated with the onsale were caused by a computer glitch, and not by a deliberate act on the part of the two companies.
Hobson reportedly bought two tickets from TicketsNow to see Turner last fall at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, and he believed he was buying the tickets from Ticketmaster for the original price, not the marked up premium that TicketsNow and other secondary Web sites charge for resold tickets.
The lawsuit alleges that the companies violated California’s Business Professions Code by making “untrue, misleading or deceptive” claims. Ticketmaster did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
In the Springsteen situation, Ticketmaster quickly settled a non-litigation complaint by New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram for $350,000 and other promises and concessions, but it did not admit any wrongdoing.
