Ticketmaster and its unregulated pricing scheme

I am not really sure who let Ticketmaster overcharge music/sports/etc fans for the events it promotes.

On April 24th, I ordered tickets to see THE ORB in Anaheim. I was actually surprised the tickets were $17.50 each, that was a steal, so I ordered the tickets without hesitation.

During checkout the steal turned out to be a reverse one. Ticketmaster was charging $13.30 in convenience fees bringing the total to $30.80. This was almost double the ticket's face value. I really, really wanted to see this show so I bent over to Ticketmaster and completed the order.

While waiting impatiently for this show on June 10th, I was notified the show was canceled and a refund was already in place. What surprised me was that a $3.80 fee they charged was non-refundable.

How can this be? Ticketmaster should have refunded the full amount they debited from my account. Too bad the event was canceled, but this isn't about $3.80, it is about principles and customer respect.

See the email message they sent here:

Hello, this is Ticketmaster Customer Service with an important alert for your upcoming event. The Orb, scheduled at House of Blues Anaheim on Wednesday, June 10, 2009, with the doors opening at 7:00PM, has been cancelled.

Your credit card will automatically be credited the ticket price and convenience charges, and should post to your account within 7 to 10 business days. Please note, the $3.80 per order processing fee, any ticketFast, or UPS delivery charges and in-store pick up charges are non-refundable.

If you have any questions, please contact us online at:

http://www.ticketmaster.com/h/asktm.html

Thank you for using Ticketmaster. We appreciate your business!

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:

This message contains information which may be confidential or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information is prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify me immediately by telephone.