The Big "I Hate Artist Arena" Topic

[You Make Me]

Just noticed they took down the Artist Arena pre-sale link on the mothership tour page. Wonder if they got the boot, or maybe they were just tired of getting "when is the pre-sale for my show starting?" emails.

[Kristine]

Just noticed they took down the Artist Arena pre-sale link on the mothership tour page. Wonder if they got the boot, or maybe they were just tired of getting "when is the pre-sale for my show starting?" emails.

Ha! Yeah, I just saw that, too. I'm glad I'm not Jay right now... what a mess to deal with.

[CatraDhtem]

At the moment, the page is still up (the link on the Tourography still works...everyone is checking the Tourography, riiight?) but nothing new has been added, but I'm also wondering if a changing of the pre-sale guards is about to take place. I mean, it wouldn't be too hard for Jay to also look up the problems people were having on the SOL tour as well.

[like_im_27again]

Jay actually did ask me about what problems we've had with Artist Arena, because he was unaware there was difficulty last tour. So I believe you can safely assume he does not visit this forum, at least not often.

I was going to let him know what the general impression I have from fans who have posted here and fans I've had discussions with. I'm just going to paste Dave's tirade from last tour (July 31, 2008), because I think it's well written and best addresses that issue(about how irresponsible they were shipping out tickets and the extras that came with the VIP tickets).

Another issue is that many of us feel the whole VIP setup isn't worth the high price. Quite a few of us like to attend several concerts per tour, and especially in this economy, we can't afford to buy VIP seats several times. If we don't pay for VIP, regardless of whether we get online or on the phone the very second tickets go on sale, we don't get to have the best possible seats. (I realize this particular issue isn't exactly a complaint about Artist Arena, but it's going on the list anyway, since AA administers it all so badly. I also realize this likely isn't an issue for the majority of people who might buy the VIP seats--they would be just one-time per tour ticket buyers. But it is a complaint for many people I've talked to, and for myself, so I'll go ahead and voice it.)

The last thing I was going to tell him is that last tour it was very frustrating buying the non-VIP seats. If you try to buy non-VIP seats the minute they go on pre-sale, you might not get the best ones. Then someone who buys them the minute they go on sale to the general public gets a better seat than you do. What is the point of signing up for fan pre-sales when they handle it like that? BUT---this setup was not consistent from venue to venue. Sometimes the pre-sales would have the best seats, so if you were burned before at one venue, and thought you'd do it right the next time, you were unpleasantly surprised to find out it went the other way around that time.

If you have a different type of complaint about Artist Arena, let me know soon, because I've already waited too long to answer Jay.
Thanks.

[Alinite27]

Definitely agree with your 2nd and 3rd points.

Personally, I've never had trouble with ArtistArena. The one thing I do enjoy is the ability to choose where you sit. But, maybe the negatives do outweight the postives, albeit...those 2nd and 3rd points happen with pretty much any ticket company...and are just my basic ticket finding gripes in general.

It would be great, though, if they could figure out a consistent way to offer us the premium tickets for cheaper than the VIP prices.

[CatraDhtem]

If you have a different type of complaint about Artist Arena, let me know soon, because I've already waited too long to answer Jay.

Well, doing a quick search of threads where known problems were reported (since we can't really do searches on the forum right now), some of the issues that came up in the past include:

1. People not getting all their VIP gear (items missing or only getting one set of VIP items for numerous VIP tickets in an order)
2. Presales going live without any announcement or notice on AA's Al site (I believe with one instance happening after the show's normal onsale date)
3. AA selling presale seats that turned out not to exist due to them working off defunct seating charts

[albinodwarf27]

I've never had a real problem with Artist Arena. I had one experience - the last Beacon Theatre show - where my tickets were not shipped until I called AA and asked about them. But they DID ship them when I asked.

Compared to another artist I follow (Tom Petty!) who uses Fanfire for their presales, we have a very sweet deal here. Fanfire screws up EVERYTHING, and their customer service is nonexistent. Artist Arena is like a breath of fresh air after dealing with Fanfire - I would really hate to see us end up in a worse situation.

[like_im_27again]

Thanks, everybody. I just sent off the e-mail to Jay. I included what you said, Nancy, in case he is shopping for a different company!
Vikki

[like_im_27again]

Jay Levey says that as a result of the way Artist Arena handled the Aug. 13 OC concert, they have let them go. They're now working with a company called PAID, who handle, among others, Aerosmith and Moody Blues. He says they're working hard to create a better, more consistent system, and one that is also more streamlined.

So, there it is. Be patient about the pre-sales, since this will, of course, delay things a little bit, but it's still very early in the game, so let's hope for a smooth transition and a better ticket-buying experience this tour--woo!

Thanks, Jay!

Vikki

[Elvis]

Good riddance.

For those of us who ordered tickets through Artist Arena for the August 13 concert, are we still going to receive them? How about VIP packages, will we receive them? I have a sinking feeling now that Artist Arena isn't accountable to Jay anymore we can pretty much kiss those tickets, VIP packages, or any refund goodbye.

Dave