Tickets for Ceroc weekenders

[TheTramp]

Is it just me that thinks that now a lot of these events are selling out, there's such an opportunity for ticket touts...

One post on the Ceroc message board reads:

I have a budget chalet for single male occupancy (original cost £129). I also have on-site car parking (original cost £20). I am selling for £199 and the first person to deposit the money into my bank account via BACS or internet transfer secures.

Nice little £50 earner there!

Being not sure whether or not I could go to the weekend, I left it too late to book, but now wanting to go, I also responded to another message offering a wristband and room at a given price, only to get an email back saying that a lot of people had shown interest, and that I could now make an offer for the place.

On another note, although I've taken up the option myself, I do find in quite interesting to see people selling 'wristbands only' for the same price as the original wristband + room price. Presumably people who have a wristband for sale but don't want a random stranger sharing their chalet. Which I suppose is fair enough, and if there are people prepared to pay the price it means that you get more chalet space. You might think that people would sell a wristband only deal for less than the price paid for a wristband + room deal though. Or am I just too naive?

[DavidY]

I assume you're talking about Viva Las Vegas - despite the "Sold Out" message that I'm sure I saw somewhere, there still seem to be Male Share-with-a-Stranger tickets for sale on the website?

I guess that for people who have someone that they could share with, I guess the "wristband-only" tickets may be nearly as valuable without accommodation. But it is a tad cheeky to sell it for full price.

[Glenn]

I assume you're talking about Viva Las Vegas - despite the "Sold Out" message that I'm sure I saw somewhere, there still seem to be Male Share-with-a-Stranger tickets for sale on the website?

I think David's right, just checked... there are male "share with strangers" @ £64 in the budgets

Just to say thats for Vegas

[Andy McGregor]

Is it just me that thinks that now a lot of these events are selling out, there's such an opportunity for ticket touts...

I think I know David Nicolas. If it's the guy I'm thinking of he's trying his luck. If it's not him, he's trying his luck. Why not?

[Maxine]

Nice little £50 earner there!

the price it means that you get more chalet space. You might think that people would sell a wristband only deal for less than the price paid for a wristband + room deal though. Or am I just too naive?

I had a spare ladies ticket for February’s Southport, which I sold at the discounted (taxi) price, could have sold it 5 times over. I think it is very mean spirited to make money on our fellow dancers but maybe that’s just me, maybe I'm niave too

[Dottie]

I had a spare ladies ticket for February’s Southport, which I sold at the discounted (taxi) price, could have sold it 5 times over. I think it is very mean spirited to make money on our fellow dancers but maybe that’s just me, maybe I'm niave too

Absolutely! When I was looking for a last minute wristband to Scorch - I found one which was being sold at the actual price the guy paid. He could have asked a lot more for it. When I sold a last minute wristband to Breeze last year I sold it at a slight loss. I love making a few pennies on Ebay, etc, but not in the dance community - just doesn't feel right.

[ant]

I had a spare ladies ticket for February’s Southport, which I sold at the discounted (taxi) price, could have sold it 5 times over. I think it is very mean spirited to make money on our fellow dancers but maybe that’s just me, maybe I'm niave too

IMO when the Ceroc message board is being used (and hopefully this forum) then tickets should be sold at or below cost and for wristbands at a predetermined discount or less. Otherwise their message should not be allowed. It is message board that is giving them the opportunity to sell at an inflated price.

[DD+]

Funnily enough i had a friend request on facebook from a David Nicolas this morning!
I think selling a ticket for over cost value is taking the p!55, i know that for camber last november that Mike was selling some "squatters rights" wristbands at £89 but you had to find your own accomodation

[robd]

The only way to stop it is by refusing to pay over cost price. If there's a market of buyers there will always be sellers (and there'll always be a genuine secondary market for event passes when people's plans change, etc) Everyone gets a fair chance to purchase initially.

[Lory]

Funnily enough i had a friend request on facebook from a David Nicolas this morning!

Actually, so did I. i hadn't made the association till I read your post!

The only way to stop it is by refusing to pay over cost price.

I don't particularly agree with people making a profit on selling tickets but then again, nobody's being forced to pay either.

[Andy McGregor]

Funnily enough i had a friend request on facebook from a David Nicolas this morning!

If it's the guy I'm thinking of he put a rude and silly comment on our blog. In settings I'd allowed unmoderated comments for blog entries less than 14 days old. As the blog is new I thought I'd see how it went as I didn't want to be bothered with emails every time someone made a comment.

Now that I've been running the blog for a few months I've found that there's only a few comments. Only the one from Mr Nicolas needed to be deleted. I couldn't find an option to delete the comment so I had to delete the whole entry and put it in again. So, thanks to Mr Fast-Buck, I've been forced to re-set so that I moderate all blog comments.

If you want to visit our blog and make a nice or funny comment you can find it at www.rocsters.blogspot.com . I've just had a look and, surprisingly, there's no pictures of me in women's underwear dancing with a man in women's underwear - I wish I could say the same about Jive Magazine

[stewart38]

Being not sure whether or not I could go to the weekend, I left it too late to book, but now wanting to go, I also responded to another message offering a wristband and room at a given price, only to get an email back saying that a lot of people had shown interest, and that I could now make an offer for the place.

I want to take my entry from 4th May off but dont know how (Viva Las Vegas)

I was offered 1 male 1 female tickets/apartment by 3 different people but knew 2 weeks ago I couldnt go.


I would never pay over the asking price unless I really wanted to go

[emmylou25]

I'm one of those people who's trying to get rid of a wristband only (unfortunately my friend booked months in advance, but a girls booking still had to include a male in the group when it was wanted to only be a girls chalet - while the full payment was split between 3 rather than the 4, it's worth trying to get some of that money back, but that does mean there's no accommodation, and to try and get the male space sold for the gender balancing.

If someone wants to make an offer under what my friends/I have asked for then I personally would be willing to budge for a lower asking price but I'm not the only one who's paid and trying to sell it, so if people are willing to pay to get to the event then you're kind of stuck in the middle. Obviously we also presumed that the event was sold out according to email/notices, otherwise would have advertised at slightly less than tickets were still available at.

However, as places get offered as wristband only, buyers would never know how much was originally paid/was it an early bird or late purchase/was it club accommodation etc...it could actually have been less than the original selling price anyway. (although the one mentioned here does seem a bit on the ridiculous side).

[frodo]

Welcome to the world of being a woman who doesn't have a man to book with! I wanted a club chalet for 3 women for Bliss in November and booked it 2-3 months ago to make sure I got what I wanted.

Yes, but unlike a male ticket you can be sure of being able to sell it, if you're unable to go.

Whereas selling a male ticket isn't anything as like as certain. Even if it does sell out to males, there are more unwanted male tickets to compete against.

And you get a favourable gender balance when you get there.

I want to take my entry from 4th May off but dont know how (Viva Las Vegas)

If they don't require registration, these things normally work by sending you an email with this information, when you originally post your message.

...but a girls booking still had to include a male in the group when it was wanted to only be a girls chalet - while the full payment was split between 3 rather than the 4

...(although the one mentioned here does seem a bit on the ridiculous side).

The same 33% markup as you're paying to get a girls chalet, if less anything you get back for the wristband.

[frodo]

Is it just me that thinks that now a lot of these events are selling out, there's such an opportunity for ticket touts...

One post on the Ceroc message board reads:

Nice little £50 earner there!

Perhaps. The markup is 33.3% excluding costs, and he may not sell it for that price. Any opportunity for profitable trading in male tickets is limited.


It isn't a bad thing that someone sells to the higher bidder (whether that be above or below the price paid).

Sometimes it is important to a particular person to get a ticket to a weekender.

(All other things being equal charging a higher price allows the ticket to go to the person who can make best use of it).


You got a place. Presumably it was worth the money you paid.

The whole Ceroc booking and message board system is extremely good.

It would be less good, if the person who most wants a ticket is unable to get one.

[jim]

On a slightly different note I booked a ticket for Escape event very late. Then I found I might have a change of plan a week later.

I thought about trying to get a refund but the refund policy was 25% plus a 10 pound handling charge.

So that's £75 X 0.25(%) = £18.75 - £10 handling = £ 8.75 return on my £75 ouch!

[Rocky]

On a slightly different note I booked a ticket for Escape event very late. Then I found I might have a change of plan a week later.

I thought about trying to get a refund but the refund policy was 25% plus a 10 pound handling charge.

So that's £75 X 0.25(%) = £18.75 - £10 handling = £ 8.75 return on my £75 ouch!

I'm sorry, but if you booked a ticket for any event that requires pre-booking, like a theatre show, or a concert, or a sporting event and then found that you couldn't go, how much would you expect to get back - nothing of course... so, errrm.. £8.75 sounds like a result to me...

Why should any weekender where the organizer pays in advance for the hire of the venue treat you any differently? I'm genuinley interested in your response...

[jim]

I'm sorry, but if you booked a ticket for any event that requires pre-booking, like a theatre show, or a concert, or a sporting event and then found that you couldn't go, how much would you expect to get back - nothing of course... so, errrm.. £8.75 sounds like a result to me...

Why should any weekender where the organizer pays in advance for the hire of the venue treat you any differently? I'm genuinley interested in your response...

Your genuinuly interested? I think it takes the ****. If I went to jhon lewis bought some curtains took them home tried them on and didn't like them I could take them back. I can go to Hmv buy a computer game use it for a month and sell it back in good condition for 75% of the price. If I want to buy a car I can go to a car show room borrow a car for a weekend and then just decided I'm not interested.

If some one buys you somthing for christmas you don't like, what do you do? take it back. As long as you have a receipt and it's still in good condition you normally get a full refund.

I want to returning the thing I purhachased in totally un-used, re-saleable form and you think it's fair?

And in terms of having to pay in advance as a bussniess, what do you think every shop in the country does? They stock stuff on the shelf that they've already paid for then try and sell it for a profit. Within that equation they have to factor in damage, faults, returns, and things that don't sell.

I thnk it's poor customer relations. Especally when the weekenders are normally selling out.

So here's an idea. I buy a ticket early then sell it later if I don't want it at a profit. This pushes the cost of your weekender up for the customers who buy from me.

Actually I see a scam coming on, why don't I buy all the female tickets. Shut down the supply and push cost through the roof. Then sell for a profit at a later date. In doing so I would make a profit out of ceroc and make the weekend more expesnsive the Ja's. All's fair in love, war and apparently bussiness.

ceroc ought to think about a cap on the number of tickets that can be sold to one person.

[robd]

jim, it's pretty rare I'd agree with Rocky but I think he's right here. You can't compare household goods (or similar, tangible merchandise) with a ticket for an event (especially one purchased 'very late' though I presume the refund policy is the same regardless of when the refund is applied for?) I'm also pretty sure that there's no obligation in either case (goods or event) for a refund for a non-faulty item i.e if you just decide you no longer like it or want it so any money you get back shows a certain degree of customer care if not to the extent that you'd like.

[frodo]

On a slightly different note I booked a ticket for Escape event very late. Then I found I might have a change of plan a week later.

I thought about trying to get a refund but the refund policy was 25% plus a 10 pound handling charge.

So that's £75 X 0.25(%) = £18.75 - £10 handling = £ 8.75 return on my £75 ouch!

On the plus side, the refund policy is clearly published so you can take account of it before you buy.

Ceroc have certainly pointed out in the past that you're likely to get more by selling via the message board.


Relatively speaking £75.00 isn't a huge amount to lose if you cannot make a weekend away, and by booking late you've minimised the chances of being unable to make it.


Unlike lots of tickets you can buy Ceroc hasn't put barriers (other than gender equivalence) in the way of you selling the ticket, and have made it positively easier with a message board.

The lack of physical tickets makes it very easy to buy / sell to someone across the country shortly before the event.


Taking the whole system it is something that Ceroc do very well.