Royal Albert Halls - Seats

[Jules]

The system can be done better but maybe its more expensive for PCM and MK.com...

Before the presales from the site, I recall that the presales were done by Ticketmaster directly, the official site provided us with a presale code that allows us to get to ticketmaster presale and wonder what... you were able to choose your seats as ticketmaster presented you a map with sections and seats, with different colours if that seats were available when you entered or were already in someone basket or already sold, so you can you choose the better seat as possible.

The bad thing with the actual system is that if you order 5 tickets, they allocate you where they have 5 consecutive tickets, its doesnt matter if you do it before or later, so sometimes you are allocated in better or worst position depending what you ordered.

An example, if the first row have 20 seats and already 16 of them has been assigned, if you ordered 5, you will be in row 2, and the other remaing seats in first row will be assigned to someone that wants 4, or two etc etc

I think that they might puzzle with the seats and petitions so sometimes one that has ordered before another could get worst seats depending on how his order fit in the puzzle.

[jabbathehut]

They should give us a choice whether we want the seats they have allocated or not or at least give us an indication that we are not going to be in the front 6 rows and then we can decide.
This is the second time i have used MK.com and the second time i feel shafted.
There are hundreds of seats for all the shows on  getmein so whether the arena seats are scalped or not makes very little difference as so many of the other seats are being scalped  anyway.

[dmg]

I know why they make MK.com people pick up their tickets on the night (to keep them out of the hands of tickets touts - or scalpers) but,yes, the result is a trap for fans of good standing.

1. You pay for the tickets blind, as you have no idea which tickets you're getting. In the normal course of events, I would never buy a ticket without knowing in advance where I would be sitting. A friend of mine, in the States, has just paid out what I regard as a small fortune for a Stones ticket but at least he knew exactly what seats he'll be getting at the time he paid for them. Not knowing what you're paying for is, in my view, tantamount to fraud.
2. MK.com maintains we're getting the "best" tickets, which is sometimes true but sometimes not - and they do not differentiate.
3. Moreover, we know that the system doesn't work fairly. You'd think it would be "first come, first served" but I have severe doubts about that.
4. You'd think that, if you're getting great seats one night, you'd get less good seats another night but I've seen people who appear to get great seats every night. That cannot be down to the luck of the draw.
4. I am not aware of any arrangement whereby, once the bonzos in Toronto eventually tell you which seats you'll be getting, you can refuse them and  get a refund (preferably a full reefund but at least a refund less a small administration charge)

I accept that, in terms of seat allocation, you cannot please all the people all of the time but I find it difficult to believe that the system could not be operated in a more fan-friendly way. MK himself maintains a high moral stance on issues (such as his principled refusal to play Russia this year) but I wish he would take a similar stance on such matters as the treatment of his fans. It seems to me, as an outsider really, that PCM have a disregard for long-standing fans that does not serve MK well.

I agree with what you say twm, but most especially with point number 1.

[ds1984]

Now too many people are aware of that and Arena is a very limited seat capacity. And everybody wants the same seats.

Look how fast RAH show peresale have been sold out this time.

But without Mk.com I would never had the opportunity to get Arean A Row 1 ticket at face value in 2008 and 2010.

It is not perfect for everybody but so far I fear  no better solution.

[Love Expresso]

MK has no regards for his fans anymore for the last few years. Guy once answered to a question about it "why should he?" and I am pretty sure when I read that, something broke in my relationship to him ...  so to say... He OWES them his lifestlye and the big houses and the many cars and motorbikes and his studio, so yes, I really THINK when touring he should give them something back.. many other artists do... He says he wants to have fun on stage, his very own fun, alone, and when he and his band have fun, this fun will fly over to the fans and will give them a good night. That is ONE point of view.
I know there will be coming up all these stories about having him signed this and that from out of the car and so on, but when did he really do that the last time?  The standards of his touring are getting higher and higher, plane, big cars, best hotels, stuff, so why is it more difficult than 20 years ago to let the Limo stop and sign some stuff that very true fans give him? If there was a guitar made with my name on it, and there would be standing someone in the rain with this guitar, I WOULD sign it - with a bad conscience....

But enough, not that I want to bash MK or something...

LE

[ds1984]

MK has no regards for his fans anymore for the last few years. Guy once answered to a question about it "why should he?" and I am pretty sure when I read that, something broke in my relationship to him ...  so to say... He OWES them his lifestlye and the big houses and the many cars and motorbikes and his studio, so yes, I really THINK when touring he should give them something back.. many other artists do... He says he wants to have fun on stage, his very own fun, alone, and when he and his band have fun, this fun will fly over to the fans and will give them a good night. That is ONE point of view.
I know there will be coming up all these stories about having him signed this and that from out of the car and so on, but when did he really do that the last time?  The standards of his touring are getting higher and higher, plane, big cars, best hotels, stuff, so why is it more difficult than 20 years ago to let the Limo stop and sign some stuff that very true fans give him? If there was a guitar made with my name on it, and there would be standing someone in the rain with this guitar, I WOULD sign it - with a bad conscience....

But enough, not that I want to bash MK or something...

LE

Right, something has changed after 1996 or 2001.

But back to basis we pay to hear him to play some music, we have what we pay for. Have we other rights than that?

[Love Expresso]

You are right, of course not. But with SUCH a big catalogue and so many really great songs, it is just unbelievable to really hear him telling this Shakespeare Swing at Macbeth Story and then play... Done With Bonaparte or Romeo and Juliet... you get my point. The night at Boothbay seemed to be real fun. Something like that ("...another first") every night... why not say, this and this set list, but the last two songs vary and I will take some experiment, something I rarely or never play... (Lions! YEAH!) So every time the same sh... is just boring. Things got worse when I began to play seated shows.. That is an important factor, too me thinks..

LE

[Jules]

Now too many people are aware of that and Arena is a very limited seat capacity. And everybody wants the same seats.

Look how fast RAH show peresale have been sold out this time.

Thats not entirily true...

I mean, the seating capacity is limted but this time the Royal Albert Hall divided all their sections between several sellers, MK.com had just some arena rows, and at least 6 different sellers, including the own RAH sold tickets, each seller had different tickets.

I tried all the sellers and I found that one of the sellers had already sold the stalls I was looking for, and I had to purchase in other different seller other stalls.

How I know this? I e-mailed the RAH and they told me exactly which sellers had tickets.

So, MK.com wasn

[tunnel85]

Of course the music is worth any price but PCM and MK have no right to lie and spoil us.
Apart from the presale, and recording policy, and a few other things,  what really sticks in my throat is the Privateering box set with the FULL downloadable concert...
I don't f***ing care if it's MK himself  who decided to remove TR. It is a fraudulent advertising but it's their mentality.
Then I'm not surprised to see their presales are not reliable as well.

Of course when we order the only guarantee is a range of seats.
We know what we buy and we take a reasonable risk assuming the rule is first in, first served.
That's what they say but if you have the feeling it's not true, your only goal is to make them pay sooner or later.

[twm]

So MK.com is just one of several pre-sales or, at least, offers no better seats than are available from other sellers. The essential question, however, is this: do these other sellers let you know which seats you're getting at the time of purchase.

If the answer is "yes", then MK.com offer a lesser service than the other sellers - not a better service.

If MK.com presents their ticket service as something special when others offer the same or better, then it is, as I said before, "tantamount to fraud". It is certainly misrepresentation.

[Jules]

i didn

[ds1984]

To my known MK.com had still in 2010 the front arena seat allocation.

Of course the promoter can reserve some of the seats.

I remember that one night at the RAH obiviously the first row had not been sold to the usual MK fans. Because at the the time of running to the very front of stage after TR, the then still seated first row was quite old and did not understant that this running was sort of the tradition and angrily treated us like very bad behavers.

[superval99]

To my known MK.com had still in 2010 the front arena seat allocation.

Of course the promoter can reserve some of the seats.

I remember that one night at the RAH obiviously the first row had not been sold to the usual MK fans. Because at the the time of running to the very front of stage after TR, the then still seated first row was quite old and did not understant that this running was sort of the tradition and angrily treated us like very bad behavers.

I remember one of the nights, the first rows were reserved for family and friends of the band.   Maybe it was this one?   

[tunnel85]

So MK.com is just one of several pre-sales or, at least, offers no better seats than are available from other sellers. The essential question, however, is this: do these other sellers let you know which seats you're getting at the time of purchase.

If the answer is "yes", then MK.com offer a lesser service than the other sellers - not a better service.

If MK.com presents their ticket service as something special when others offer the same or better, then it is, as I said before, "tantamount to fraud". It is certainly misrepresentation.

Without any discussion MK.com offers the best seats in most venues, including RAH.
Front row, you can't beat that.
The issue is really the advertising and the seat assignment process.

If you announce a pre-sale for rows 1-21, the customer inevitably thinks the 21 rows are available, even more because it's a PRE-sale.
If there is a partial availability or any hidden seat assignment rule that may ruin your chances, they must elaborate.
The 4-6 week delay between order and seat assignment is really too suspicious.

[Jules]

So MK.com is just one of several pre-sales or, at least, offers no better seats than are available from other sellers. The essential question, however, is this: do these other sellers let you know which seats you're getting at the time of purchase.

If the answer is "yes", then MK.com offer a lesser service than the other sellers - not a better service.

If MK.com presents their ticket service as something special when others offer the same or better, then it is, as I said before, "tantamount to fraud". It is certainly misrepresentation.

Without any discussion MK.com offers the best seats in most venues, including RAH.
Front row, you can't beat that.
The issue is really the advertising and the seat assignment process.

If you announce a pre-sale for rows 1-21, the customer inevitably thinks the 21 rows are available, even more because it's a PRE-sale.
If there is a partial availability or any hidden seat assignment rule that may ruin your chances, they must elaborate.
The 4-6 week delay between order and seat assignment is really too suspicious.

Exactly, they dont sell the full 1-21 seats, only some of them. I rather have rows 1-10 but all the seats.