Did anyone experience very bad customer service when buying tickets for Hyde park last year?

I bought one ticket for the first show last year from the official source a company called front gate tickets, I paid for my ticket to be delivered to my house and it did not arrive so I picked it up at the venue which would not of been a problem apart from the fact that in the days running up to the gig I phoned front gate tickets on two occasions to ask if my ticket was on its way to me, the first time I called I got to speak to someone after being on hold for 30 minutes at £1.50 a minute and was told that my ticket had been sent out that day and it should be with me no later than 2 days before the gig,well guess what the day before the gig it still hadn't arrived so I called again only to be on hold again for 30 minutes at £1.50 a minute I was then told to pick my ticket up at the gig as it had not been sent out to me, when I picked my ticket up I asked about getting a refund for the postage I had paid for and not received and I was told that yes you will get a refund for the postage that will be put into my bank account within one week, well yes of course that money never did arrive into my account so I tried to phone front gate tickets again and yeah I was on hold again this time for about 45 minutes before I gave up, obviously it has cost me a small fortune in phone bills and the refund for the postage was only going to be £5 but it is not about the money it's the principle that's why I kept trying to get hold of this disgusting company, there were 65 thousand people at that gig if that company pocketed £5 from just ten percent of those then that amounts to over 32 grand, it makes me so angry that company's like these lot can have such a total disregard for their customers.

I wonder if anyone here had a similar experience when ordering from these bunch of muppets ???

Nate,

Absolutely hundreds, if not thousands of people, including myself. There was a lengthy thread about it at the time. PaulyWaul will no doubt point you in the right direction!

I was at both shows. I received my ticket for the 13th OK but had to collect for the 6th and only found out I was able to do so via this message board.

I concur - it was an absolutely disgraceful shambles of the highest order, as was the crowd control and security on the day.

Yep, quite the ordeal...

It was off to a bad start from the beginning : "Confusion over Hyde Park "Seating Chart" with the whole T1/T2 - DC/GC mess [www.iorr.org]

And the ticket deliveries : "AEG Ticket Chaos for Rolling Stones at Hyde Park " [www.iorr.org] "

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

I did get my Stones ticket in time (about a week before my trip, not cutting it close eh? ) but the Bon Jovi ticket I had to pick up. I think I ordered the latter so late that they just put it to will call right away.

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gotdablouse
Yep, quite the ordeal...

It was off to a bad start from the beginning : "Confusion over Hyde Park "Seating Chart" with the whole T1/T2 - DC/GC mess [www.iorr.org]

And the ticket deliveries : "AEG Ticket Chaos for Rolling Stones at Hyde Park " [www.iorr.org] "

Indeed, these are the two most relevant threads for the issues that dominated a lot of peoples' lives in the weeks leading up to those Hyde Park shows; namely (i) actually comprehending WHAT precisely the layout was going to be on the day (and therefore by default comprehending what you'd paid for in "location" terms), and (ii) actually taking delivery of tickets and/or wristbands. There seemed to be so much confusion between three companies in particular - Barclaycard Unwind, The Ticket Factory, and Front Gate Tickets - that none of them knew what their own or anyone else's responsibilities were when it came to ticket dispatch. I've never witnesses a f**k up like it, and never wish to again. All I know is that without having made countless phone calls to both the Ticket Factory and Barclaycard Unwind in order to establish which of them precisely was responsible for sending out either the paper ticket or the plastic wristband with embedded chip (and then duly harassing them on a daily basis to actually stick afore-mentioned in the post) - I would most definitely not have received them in time for the event.

As if to prove the point, does anyone recall that Elton John was due to play in Hyde Park on Friday 12th July ? Regrettably he cancelled at the last minute because of appendicitis or something, but interestingly enough - the f***ing useless Ticket Factory did NOT even manage to get my ticket to me on time, it actually turned up at my address on Saturday 13th.

These sorts of companies do not deserve to be in business, they exhibit the competence of a three year old and their notion of customer service equates to having the manners of a pig.

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

It was a freemason conspiracy! =P

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Topi
It was a freemason conspiracy! =P

No, just a typical British f**k up. "Keep it simple" ......... a concept that appears to have been sadly lost !!

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

I went through all that too, like so many of us, but in retrospect it's amazing to think that there was actually a bright side, namely the tier 1 section turned out to be so much better than expected. But all that needless anguish was ridiculous--total bunch of amateurs.

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Aquamarine
I went through all that too, like so many of us, but in retrospect it's amazing to think that there was actually a bright side, namely the tier 1 section turned out to be so much better than expected. But all that needless anguish was ridiculous--total bunch of amateurs.

Indeed, but WHAT an agony we all had to go through before finally discovering on the day what the layout was and how good it actually turned out to be.

The other thing of course not to overlook is that due ONLY to the massive pressure exerted on AEG by us (fans) to modify the front of stage layout to at least something "resembling" what they had stated it would be at the time people had bought their tickets, did it work out OK in the end. Be under no illusions, had it not been for the huge outcry and the innumerable complaints lodged with AEG, those people (like myself for example) who had bought TIER #1 tickets from the outset would have ended up being royally f***ed !!

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

Thanks folks. I'm going through this now with Berlin. Front Gate Tickets sounds like something from Fawlty Towers.

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paulywaul

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gotdablouse
Yep, quite the ordeal...

It was off to a bad start from the beginning : "Confusion over Hyde Park "Seating Chart" with the whole T1/T2 - DC/GC mess [www.iorr.org]

And the ticket deliveries : "AEG Ticket Chaos for Rolling Stones at Hyde Park " [www.iorr.org] "

Indeed, these are the two most relevant threads for the issues that dominated a lot of peoples' lives in the weeks leading up to those Hyde Park shows; namely (i) actually comprehending WHAT precisely the layout was going to be on the day (and therefore by default comprehending what you'd paid for in "location" terms), and (ii) actually taking delivery of tickets and/or wristbands. There seemed to be so much confusion between three companies in particular - Barclaycard Unwind, The Ticket Factory, and Front Gate Tickets - that none of them knew what their own or anyone else's responsibilities were when it came to ticket dispatch. I've never witnesses a f**k up like it, and never wish to again. All I know is that without having made countless phone calls to both the Ticket Factory and Barclaycard Unwind in order to establish which of them precisely was responsible for sending out either the paper ticket or the plastic wristband with embedded chip (and then duly harassing them on a daily basis to actually stick afore-mentioned in the post) - I would most definitely not have received them in time for the event.

As if to prove the point, does anyone recall that Elton John was due to play in Hyde Park on Friday 12th July ? Regrettably he cancelled at the last minute because of appendicitis or something, but interestingly enough - the f***ing useless Ticket Factory did NOT even manage to get my ticket to me on time, it actually turned up at my address on Saturday 13th.

These sorts of companies do not deserve to be in business, they exhibit the competence of a three year old and their notion of customer service equates to having the manners of a pig.

Put beautifully Paul - I agree with every single word of that.

I work in Swindon and did a full day on 5th so had to do a mad dash to West London after work than continue to the Hyde Park Ticket booth by tube. I collected my T3 ticket minutes before the ticket booth closed for the evening. I had zero comminication from anyone and Had it not been for this board I wouldn't have known. I spent the previous week anxiously coming home and checking my post every day. Memories flooding back now.

Horrible, just horrible and the responsible parties clearly couldn't care less. T3 with no sealed FoS for early arrivals was a nightmare too - What concert venue still does that in this day and age ?

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paulywaul

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Aquamarine
I went through all that too, like so many of us, but in retrospect it's amazing to think that there was actually a bright side, namely the tier 1 section turned out to be so much better than expected. But all that needless anguish was ridiculous--total bunch of amateurs.

Indeed, but WHAT an agony we all had to go through before finally discovering on the day what the layout was and how good it actually turned out to be.

The other thing of course not to overlook is that due ONLY to the massive pressure exerted on AEG by us (fans) to modify the front of stage layout to at least something "resembling" what they had stated it would be at the time people had bought their tickets, did it work out OK in the end. Be under no illusions, had it not been for the huge outcry and the innumerable complaints lodged with AEG, those people (like myself for example) who had bought TIER #1 tickets from the outset would have ended up being royally f***ed !!

Oh, totally agree. I still don't know how they got away with it--well, I do, they'd have been sued except that it was pretty clear nobody was going to win against AEG, but fortunately the general outrage was pervasive enough to bring the threat of really damaging publicity. All those emails we wrote, all those Facebook posts, and every day they were all saying something different--I'm starting to re-live the stress.

My feet are also starting to re-live their experience on the 5th, when I tried (successfully, eventually) to pick up my tickets from the park, and was directed from one place to another, all claiming they'd never heard of me, until I had walked the perimeter of the entire park, and then back across it to my hotel. So of course, I was nice and fresh the next morning . . .

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grzegorz67
Put beautifully Paul - I agree with every single word of that.

I work in Swindon and did a full day on 5th so had to do a mad dash to West London after work than continue to the Hyde Park Ticket booth by tube. I collected my T3 ticket minutes before the ticket booth closed for the evening. I had zero comminication from anyone and Had it not been for this board I wouldn't have known. I spent the previous week anxiously coming home and checking my post every day. Memories flooding back now.

Horrible, just horrible and the responsible parties clearly couldn't care less. T3 with no sealed FoS for early arrivals was a nightmare too - What concert venue still does that in this day and age ?

Thanks for the reminder on the part played by this board to help keep everyone in the loop, can't imagine how stressed out people who didn't get info here were when the tickets were not getting delivered. Unrelated but without the board I wouldn't have gotten that hidden link to extra T3 tickets sold on the 12th for HP2, etc...

In AEG's defense, let's remember that they were pretty responsive in accommodating T1 and T2 ticket holders requests after the layout was changed from what was originally advertised. For instance, those of us who hadn't been able to get a standalone T1 or T2 so had gone for a T1/T2+Unwind, were able to get the Unwind removed for a £100 refund (in my case they initially getting it wrong by converting my T1+Unwind into a T2+Unwind !). They could have just said, keep the ticket or get a refund and we wouldn't have been able to do anything about it.

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-03-28 10:46 by gotdablouse.

Don't even get me started.
They had actually switched my shipping address to a tobacconist in Norway at one point before they switched all international orders to will call.
And that was only a tiny part of the hassle - it was like they were trying to get as much wrong as possible.
They did have it all sorted out better by the 13th, and some of the on-site personnel were very good, but ... ugh.

All of the above! The organisation on the ground on the day seemed pretty good in my experience but everything building up to it was a shambles. Tier 1 did turn out to be fine but Tier 2 was poor for £200 and I actually felt the £375 I paid for the O2 was much better value. The sound was a mess for the first third of the set and I thought the bands playing was sub par at the time though seeing the DVD makes me realise it was actually very good but just got lost. Terrible 'venue' for a concert.

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with sssoul
Don't even get me started.
They had actually switched my shipping address to a tobacconist in Norway at one point before they switched all international orders to will call.
And that was only a tiny part of the hassle - it was like they were trying to get as much wrong as possible.
They did have it all sorted out better by the 13th, and some of the on-site personnel were very good, but ... ugh.

We can probably laugh about this now, but at the time it was a tragic comedy of errors and not remotely funny, just when you thought any particular situation was clear, someone either said something or heard something or wrote something the muddied it all again, and it was enough to put you into total and utter despair.

Personally, it was enough to put me off AEGLIVE for the rest of my life, I have closed my Barclaycard account and put a pair of scissors across the card and the bits are in the rubbish bin, and I will never ever in my life again consider buying through FRONTGATE tickets or the TICKET FACTORY.

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

Oh yes, very familiar. After having booked the tickets 3 months befor the actual show July 6, we were told about one-two weeks before (?) that they did not "have the time" to send the tickets by registered mail to many of us abroad before the show. It turns out we have to pick them up in the Park two days before/the day before/same day as the show. As we arrived in the evening July 5, it meant picking up the tickets the morning of the show day. Needless to say, I feared the worst and was rather annoyed and afraid of there being a mix-up and not getting or tickets.

BUT, as it turned out, picking up the tickets was a joy! Showed up about an hour before opening of the desks, it was already hot and sunny at 9 am, meeting other fans in the queue (which was not long!) and playing the Stones on my phone to the nearest ones. Enjoyed talking to people, both local and international (mother and daughter from Canada, guy from Israel...). And 10 minutes after the desks open, the tickets were in hand.

So, it ended well. But I do not understand why it should take 3 months to send the tickets - being paid for directly upon booking! Reimbursement for the extra fee for registered mail must have meant lots of extra work for them.

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Literally 965 kilometers from being "Born in an Arctic zone".

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LQ1977
Oh yes, very familiar. After having booked the tickets 3 months befor the actual show July 6, we were told about one-two weeks before (?) that they did not "have the time" to send the tickets by registered mail to many of us abroad before the show. It turns out we have to pick them up in the Park two days before/the day before/same day as the show. As we arrived in the evening July 5, it meant picking up the tickets the morning of the show day. Needless to say, I feared the worst and was rather annoyed and afraid of there being a mix-up and not getting or tickets.

BUT, as it turned out, picking up the tickets was a joy! Showed up about an hour before opening of the desks, it was already hot and sunny at 9 am, meeting other fans in the queue (which was not long!) and playing the Stones on my phone to the nearest ones. Enjoyed talking to people, both local and international (mother and daughter from Canada, guy from Israel...). And 10 minutes after the desks open, the tickets were in hand.

So, it ended well. But I do not understand why it should take 3 months to send the tickets - being paid for directly upon booking! Reimbursement for the extra fee for registered mail must have meant lots of extra work for them.

Nor do I. I didn't THEN and I still don't now, not least of all because in this week ending Sunday 30th March 2014, I have (a) not only bought tickets for Berlin, Vienna, and Zurich, but (b) the bloody things are sitting here on my table looking at me !! A WEEK, just ONE WEEK - to buy and to receive at home. This is the way it should be.

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

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paulywaul
Nor do I. I didn't THEN and I still don't now, not least of all because in this week ending Sunday 30th March 2014, I have (a) not only bought tickets for Berlin, Vienna, and Zurich, but (b) the bloody things are sitting here on my table looking at me !! A WEEK, just ONE WEEK - to buy and to receive at home. This is the way it should be.

I must confess I was okay with my Hyde Park tickets (they were delivered to my home - although not until close to show day)...felt a bit guilty about that after reading of the stress others went through... I remember reading about everyone's bad experiences on here - and it was a real mess! I couldn't believe how badly it was handled.

Maybe it's because of that...but I can't help starting to wonder about the Rome tickets. People here have already received their tickets for other dates (Berlin, Vienna, Zurich). But Rome doesn't appear to have been sent out yet.... Far too early to panic - but it would be nice to hold them in my hand soon! Makes it seem more real.

Having just purchased SDF tickets today I was gobsmacked to be only charged €1.00 booking fee for 2 x €95 tickets.
I the UK we'd have paid at least 10% on top, sometimes up to 20%. And then at least £2 print at home fee!

The French authorities clearly look after their people in certain respects.

My tickets had not arrived 10 days before I was heading to London so I sent an email and asked if I could pick them up instead of having them sent, and all this was solved within one hour through a few emails withou any problems. I also got a refund for the postage I paid to have them sent to Norway. The tickets should of course have been sent earlier, but the response to solve the problem was very nice



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-03-28 23:25 by GeorgV.

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gotdablouse


In AEG's defense, let's remember that they were pretty responsive in accommodating T1 and T2 ticket holders requests after the layout was changed from what was originally advertised. For instance, those of us who hadn't been able to get a standalone T1 or T2 so had gone for a T1/T2+Unwind, were able to get the Unwind removed for a £100 refund (in my case they initially getting it wrong by converting my T1+Unwind into a T2+Unwind !). They could have just said, keep the ticket or get a refund and we wouldn't have been able to do anything about it.

Oh no they weren't, not all of them--I sent several emails, and was told a couple of times that the refund would go through soon, but it never did. So I kept the ticket and couldn't do anything about it.

Sorry to hear that, in my case I did have to send a couple of extra emails since they had made the wrong change but they always got back to me quickly.

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

I think you had to move fast to get the refunds--in my case I hesitated a bit too long, because I was afraid of a screw-up resulting in me losing the whole thing and not just the Unwind part.

Ok, there might have been a deadline yes. I remember being on Caltrain sometime around April 15th last year when I got their email confirming they were refunding me £100 with a PDF showing they had converted my T1+Unwind to T2+Unwind...hehe, I was like, what's next ?!

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

Hi,I bought a ticket for the first Hyde park show last year and I paid for postage,to cut a long story short I never received the ticket and had to pick it up myself from the box office on the day.
I was told that the postage would be paid back into my bank account but of course it never was so I tried several times to telephone this company and after being on hold every time for at least 30 minutes the phone went dead so I never got to speak to anyone.
Today I am in London and the Hyde park festival is on again and guess who is selling the tickets again this year so I'm going to go and confront this disgusting company at their box office this afternoon and will let you all know later how I get on as I'm sure there were plenty of people from here who were also affected by this.

Nate

Good luck and I hope you get your money back. WITH INTEREST!!!

Nate,

Good luck from me too. It also happened to me and I colected my ticket at 930pm the night before and ended up sleeping IN the park....

Afterwards I bombarded them with emails and got my postal costs refunded 2 weeks later.

Gregor

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I hope you get some joy out of the box office minions, but if not the way to go (if you can be bothered) is to arm yourself by checking your legal rights and put your case to the top executive. I got satisfaction by doing that and directing my complaint directly to Rob Hallet, but he has now left AEG Live and I don't know who has replaced him.

Good luck Nate!