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TM accused of ‘bait and switch’ pricing by Rolling Stones fan

Ticketmaster has been accused of a “bait and switch” move by a Rolling Stones fan that saw his ticket prices shoot up by C$60 more than they were listed for.

After Edward Mair added the C$119.50 ($90/€80/£70) Rolling Stones tickets in Toronto to his online cart, he noticed they jumped up to C$179.50 per ticket, without any warning during the checkout process.

Noticing the increase, Mair went through the process again filming his screen.

https://www.facebook.com/100008180089164/videos/2342605639355416/

“They said, ‘Congratulations, you got the seats.’ (They) just didn’t make any mention that the price had changed,” Mair told CBC Toronto.

He said he buys tickets for more than 50 events every year, and claimed to have never seen ticket prices change without warning.

“When that happens, they notify you that they’ve put you to different tickets and the price has changed,” he said. “That’s not what happened here. They just changed the price in the lower corner.”

The Rolling Stones tickets came to C$801.50, which Mair paid for, but he was later reimbursed by Ticketmaster for the additional costs after sharing the video with the firm.

Ticketmaster agreed to honour the C$119.50 tickets he originally thought he was purchasing.

In a statement, a spokesperson for live-concert company Republic Live said presale tickets were limited and divided into different price tiers. The spokesperson said customers were being “automatically redirected” to the next price tier when cheaper tickets sold out.

However, the company did not explain why Mair was able to add the $119.50 tickets to his shopping cart if they were no longer available.

“We are aware of the issue and are encouraging purchasers to contact Ticketmaster.ca directly to discuss any inquiries related to their purchase,” the statement continued.

Ticketmaster has not responded to multiple inquiries from CBC Toronto.

Image: Andrea Sartorati