Sold-Out Justin Bieber Concert Brings A Warning On Third-Party Tickets
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Getting tickets for hot concerts and games is getting harder and harder.
That's because third-party ticket brokers – using sophisticated computer programs – snatch up the prime seats and resell them for much more than face value.
And in the case of the Justin Bieber concert Tuesday night at CONSOL Energy Center, sometimes the tickets don't even arrive.
For fans, there is no bigger night, no bigger show than teen heartthrob Justin Bieber, and some come with only hope.
"I've been counting on it for months; so me and my friends will be really disappointed," says Isabella, a Justin Bieber fan.
Linda Lawler has been trying to get tickets for Isabella, her granddaughter, and her friends since June when they went up for online sale on Ticketmaster.
"We were signed in, ready to go at 10 o'clock," said Lawler. "We got on nothing."
She got shut out because third party buyers using a computer programs called Ticket Bots, can monopolize and drain the ticket selling sites.
Within minutes, tickets were available on a site called Front Row Tickets only for double, even triple the face price.
To spare her granddaughter the heartbreak, Lawler ordered four tickets posted by a seller called Testa Tickets worth about $350 for $820. But to add insult to injury, the tickets never arrived.
"The night before the concert, he's saying no tickets," said Lawler.
For Travis Williams of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the tale is all too familiar, ticket brokers snatch up the tickets, list them for outrageous prices and sometimes don't even deliver the goods.
"Buyer beware, be very careful when you're buying tickets on a secondary market," said Williams. "In this rare instance, we're actually able to help this person out."
The Penguins urge caution, but have a soft-heart and were able to come with four prime seats at list price, which KDKA's Andy Sheehan delivered to Isabella.
It's a happy ending for her, but if you're dealing with third-party sellers, it's buyer beware and more brokenhearted teenage girls ahead.
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