That Close (Part II)

From: Amanda
Sent: 28 July 2010 12:59
To: tickets @ Sandbag
Subject: Madness tickets

Dear Sandbag

I’ve just attempted to buy a ticket for the Madness gig (on pre-sale for fans today) but am reluctant as the extra charges (including postage) amount to £9.00. I begrudge paying this when I live in Caversham (just by Caversham Bridge ) and can easily come and collect my ticket, either from you or from the venue.

Please could you tell me ASAP if this would be possible.

Many thanks!

Amanda
From: ” tickets @ Sandbag ”
To: Amanda
Sent: Wednesday, 28 July, 2010 16:14:54
Subject: RE: Madness tickets
Hi

Unfortunately this is not something we can allow, there is the option on the store to opt for the £1.50 postage option which will be mailed using an unregistered service, we would advise reading the terms however before accepting this option. Terms will be within a pop up window when you select the insecure method of shipping.

Handling fees are used to cover the printing, packing, credit card fees and general administration and unfortunately this is not a cost we can waiver.

Sorry we cannot help further

Kind regards

Sandbag

From: Amanda
Sent: 28 July 2010 16:43
To: tickets @ Sandbag
Subject: Re: Madness tickets

Hi

You misunderstand. I’m not asking you to waive the handling fee; it’s the £5.50 postage charge that I object to when I live a 10-minute walk away from your office. Allowing me to collect my ticket would save a lot of trouble all round – and would of course be the greenest option. A company that supports Oxfam should not have to be reminded of the importance of this.

I would appreciate your further prompt response.

Many thanks

Amanda

From: “tickets @ Sandbag”
To: Amanda
Sent: Thursday, 29 July, 2010 9:47:45
Subject: RE: Madness tickets
Hi

Unfortunately this is not something we can do as tickets are not always packed and dispatched from the same office. If you would rather go for the £1.50 postage option then this is not a problem, otherwise the tickets will be mailed using the courier service which is a secure mailing and fully trackable service whereby a signature is requested upon delivery at the £5.50 price.

Kind regards

Sandbag

From: Amanda
To: “tickets @ Sandbag”
Sent: Thursday, 29 July, 2010 11:42:48
Subject: Re: Madness tickets
Hi

I think you need a new stationery supplier. A first class stamp costs 41p (up to 100g); assuming you’re not trying to make a profit out of postage and package (which would be unethical, something Sandbag abhors, according to your website), that would mean your envelopes cost at least 80p each, allowing a few pence for the few seconds it takes to put a ticket in said envelope and seal it.

Such extortionate fees should not be allowed. Fortunately for me, on this occasion I can avoid paying £9.00 for thin air, a stamp and an envelope by visiting either the Rivermead, the Hexagon or the Town Hall tomorrow morning and buying my ticket in person. Fortunately for your little operation, most people can’t.

Amanda

Dear Amanda
I like your style. A bit like me but less rude. Apparently Sandbag are more sort of “right on” than Ticketmaster, charge less and are the preferred choice of such worthy bands as Radiohead. They have responded to your queries quite promptly, too. They were allocated a percentage of the ticket sales. In an ideal world we would print the tickets ourselves and sell them ourselves.
thanks for persevering anyway. CB

7 thoughts on “That Close (Part II)”

    The print at home option used to be free, I had to pay almost £3 to get tickets emailed??? I guess ticket folk have to make their money somehow. I remember when I first saw Madness back in ’83 and it cost less than a fiver. Not only that, I had to be up at the crack of dawn, force my dad to get up and drive me 20 miles into Edinburgh (I was only 13) to Q. It paid off I got front row seats and no surcharges. Last year I paid over £200 on ticketmaster to get so called premium seats at the O2, which I can see they are selling again for Earls Court. I did not consider my premium seats premium. So I did not bother to buy them this year.

    Madness it’s great that you do all these gigs and esp I see you are doing afternoon shows for the kids. But sometimes I wish you would consider doing smaller venues in London like Shepherds Bush/Brixton but for maybe a month or even a year(I would come to everyone)so we fans since ’79 can connect more.

    Anyway, lovely Chrissy Boy I hope u have some paracetamol or a shrink in that cupboard of yours, sounds like u might need it. Love u lots xx

    Leave a Reply

    Chris, if they were allocated a percentage of the ticket sales they shouldn’t then add further fees to keep for themselves. At least I’m assuming they keep the extra for themselves; ‘promoters’ fees’, as it was described to me, kind of implies this.

    It’s got to me again! Outrageous!!!

    Amanda xx

    PS: I love Radiohead.

    Leave a Reply

    Chrissy Boy, I did compose a couple of less polite emails but deleted them before clicking ‘send’. I think their being more ‘right on’ yet simultaneously uncompromising in the face of my infallible reasoning(?) was what nearly tipped me over the edge. A sit-in did cross my mind. No, it did. 🙂

    Hi Mick! Brilliant suggestion but my blueberry-topped fairy cakes are only for my friends. There’s a certain amount of love that goes into them that would only turn into bitterness if baked as a sweetener – which wouldn’t work at all then. :/ As bribery shouldn’t.

    Steve, printing tickets at home sounds like a great idea.

    I’ll have to get my printer fixed. 🙂

    Leave a Reply

    Dear Amanda, excellent exchange, perhaps you could have won the Sandbags round if you had delivered them some of your speciality fairy cakes with special blueberry toppings!!!!!!

    Leave a Reply

    Is it not the same in the UK? Most if not all ticket retailers in the US allow you a “print at home” option where you needn’t pay the shipping fees (by, as the option implies, printing your tickets yourself). Handling you can’t avoid for all the reasons Sandbag lists, and that seems reasonable enough to me. They’re not in the business to lose money, and expenses are passed on to the consumer in every facet of free enterprise.

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