Racine Theatre Guild warns ticket resellers hike up prices
Theatre warns ticket resellers hike up prices
The Racine Theatre Guild is warning its audience against overpaying for tickets on resale website.
RACINE, Wis. - Tickets are available online for hundreds of dollars. Not for Beyonce's global tour, but for the Racine Theatre Guild's upcoming show. With just weeks until opening night, the theater is warning its audience not to overpay for tickets.
Affordable theater
Local perspective:
The Racine Theatre Guild, a local nonprofit, knows how to pinch pennies. The people who build the theater's sets are volunteers. Its set pieces have been on stage before, just under a different coat of paint. Its costumes come from thrift stores or the costume stock at Union Grove High School. About 400 people volunteer at the theater every year. It's all part of the theater's commitment to keeping its ticket prices affordable.
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"We try to reuse to save money," said Joycelyn Fish, Racine Theatre Guild's director of marketing and development. "We want people to feel like this is a place they can come. They can afford to come here. They can bring the whole family."
Joycelyn Fish looks through costumes
Price hike
By the numbers:
The Racine Theatre Guild's top ticket price is $22. However, Fish was shocked to learn that tickets for its upcoming performance of "Legally Blonde: The Musical" are available on StubHub for $635 a seat.
"That's astronomically expensive," said Fish.
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Contact 6 found tickets for the same Legally Blonde shows on other ticket reselling platforms, too, listed for $119, $69 and $71. Tickets are still available through the Racine Theatre Guild's website for a fraction of the cost.
"None of it is illegal," said Fish. "It is all totally valid and these people can just price gouge and swindle people out of their money," said Fish.
StubHub responds
The other side:
StubHub doesn't control the prices on its website. Its users can list whatever price they choose when reselling tickets. That doesn't mean someone will actually buy them.
A StubHub spokesperson told Contact 6: "StubHub is a trusted resale platform where fans can buy and sell tickets safely and securely, with every purchase backed by our FanProtect Guarantee."
Racine Theatre Guild's "Legally Blonde: The Musical"
Consumer warning
What they're saying:
Alex Milovic, an associate professor in Marquette University's marketing department, said it's up to the ticket buyer to shop around.
"There are laws around scalping tickets on premises, things around having to show the face value of your ticket. Otherwise, it really is, kind of, you're on your own," said Milovic. "It's really up to the consumer to say, ‘How much is too much?’"
Ongoing problem
Dig deeper:
The Racine Theatre Guild told Contact 6 this is an ongoing program. Recently, it became aware of four people who spent more than $100 a seat to see its Christmas show.
"There's no way for me to report (the prices) as fraudulent," said Fish. "There's no way for me to have them take it down."
Set design at the Racine Theatre Guild
Fish asked StubHub customer service to remove the "Legally Blonde" tickets. It didn't.
"It's really on us to try and educate the public," said Fish. "We want to protect our patrons."
Contact 6 didn't hear back from the other ticket reselling websites with prices listed well-above $22.
The consumer takeaway
What you can do:
To avoid being overcharged on any ticket, go to a venue's website first. Buying directly from a venue can also save you dozens, even hundreds of dollars in extra fees.
The Source: Information for this report comes from Joycelyn Fish, Alex Milovic and Contact 6 research into online ticket resellers.