Richie wrote:
- Ticket buyers have to name the ticket users at the point of purchase, as per FA. Works for airlines, but ID checks, having to carry ID etc would be a pain in the booty.
I went to see Prince in Manchester earlier in the year in my guise as Gurdip Singh. We bought tickets off Seatwave or similar for a ridiculously inflated price (it was so worth it) with my alter ego's name on. On the day before the gig it was announced that only named ticket holders would be allowed in and we thought we were pretty much screwed, on the basis that none of us were actually Gurdip Singh, he wasn't with us to vouch for us and contacting Seatwave to find out what to do left us none the wiser. They did offer to refund the money if we were refused entry though.
When the doors opened about an hour before the show started, the queues were so big that [u]NO[/u ]ID checks were done at all and we just strolled through a brief security check and in. Completely pointless announcement if you aren't going to follow up.
I understand and agree with the principle but think it's unworkable for a few reasons.
If, for example I bought the tickets and they have my name on, and I arrange to meet my wife in the gig for whatever reason, how does a female with a male name on the ticket get admitted? If the tickets have both our names on, then one of us can't go, does that mean the ticket is useless?
How does putting a name on a ticket prevent chancers camping on phone lines, buying loads of tickets, then re-selling them? Caveat Emptor and all that. If the venues and bands have an issue, they can sort it out between them. Punters, as Jerry C says, can vote with their feet.
I don't know how we solve the problem, and is there the will, in the current free market climate, to stop it anyway?
