Buying Hard-to-Find Concert, Sport, Theater, Season and Event Tickets Posted on Rabu, 14 Desember 2011 |

If you enjoy attending big events in sports, music, theater, or other major events, you probably realize how difficult securing your tickets can be, especially at the last minute. Popular events will often be "sold out" before everyone who wants to attend can grab their tickets. Then, those who don't get a ticket must scramble at the last minute to try and find tickets through other sources.

If you find yourself in a bind like this, using online resources can sometimes help you secure last minute or sold-out concert, sport, theater, season and event tickets. But there are a few things to be aware of when buying sold-out or hard-to-find tickets. Use the pointers below to save time and money while protecting yourself from ticket scams.

Check for Online Security when Ordering

You can take a look around a ticket website and its ordering section to be sure the ordering process is secure. The order page itself should be a secure page if you are to enter your credit card information directly into a form. The page is usually secure if the Web address begins with "https://". The "s" means it is secure. If the ticket company is using a third party ordering service, be sure it's a company that is well known and trustworthy.

Contact Information

Check to be sure you can contact the ticket company by phone when you need them. If the website does not offer a good "contact us" system, beware of them. You could get stuck with the bill and no tickets. If you order football tickets or baseball tickets, for instance, and the game is rained out or cancelled for some reason, you should be able to contact the ticket company to find out what your next step should be.

Check for Reputation

You can contact the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or visit the BBB Online to check out a company if you're not sure if you can trust them. Here you can find out if there have been any recent complaints about the company, how long the company has been in business, and so forth.

Beware of Hidden Fees

Before placing an order for concert tickets, football tickets, theater tickets such as "Wicked" tickets, or any other event tickets, make sure there are no hidden charges. The hidden charges often come camouflaged as "service charges" or something similar. Shipping charges are fine as long as they are reasonable. The average rush shipment could cost you an amount from $15 to $25 in the U.S. and up to $35 internationally.

Look for the "Buyer Guarantee"

When you buy tickets, you should have the assurance that if for some reason, the event is cancelled or the ticket purchase falls through, you can have your money back. The ticket company should state up front what their policy is and if they offer a customer guarantee when things go wrong. If they don't state this anywhere, seek out a ticket company that does cater to the customer's needs.

If you really want to attend an event, it's wise to buy tickets early. There's never a guarantee that you will be able to buy tickets at the last minute. But when and if the time comes that you need to buy tickets at the last minute, use the guide above to keep your personal information and money safe. Whether you are buying concert, sport, theater, season or event tickets, you'll have peace of mind knowing you can get last minute or sold-out tickets when you need them.