Things That Suck #2: Fillmore Box Office
Posted by Trott
This is well-worn territory and I'm sure others can add lots of other unsavory details.
If you don't want to pay Ticketmaster's $8 "convenience" fees for shows at the Fillmore, then you need to buy the tickets from the Fillmore box office.
The box office actually charges a $2 fee for advance-sale tickets unless you buy them on Sunday. (The Fillmore box office says the $2 fee "may" apply, but that appears to have been written by weasels. Apparently "may" is a synonym for "does" as far as they are concerned.)
The box office is located in a part of town that is moderately difficult to get to. It's served by two major bus lines, the 38 and the 22, but they are two of the most overcrowded and unpleasant major bus lines in San Francisco. The 22 especially may warrant its own "things that suck" post. Parking is challenging and paying to park in a garage to avoid a convenience fee on tickets kind of defeats the purpose of the trip. So you typically have to drive there, park illegally in a bus zone or in front of a hydrant, and try to get your concert tickets before you get a parking ticket.
On Sundays, the box office is supposed to be open for only 6 hours, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In reality, it's open for less than six hours. The box office is notorious for opening late. And when I showed up at 2:40 p.m. a couple weeks ago, there was a sign saying that they'd be back at 3:00 p.m. I watched for about ten seconds as a few other people walked up, read the sign, and repeated some variation on, "This is bullshit!"
This is well-worn territory and I'm sure others can add lots of other unsavory details.
If you don't want to pay Ticketmaster's $8 "convenience" fees for shows at the Fillmore, then you need to buy the tickets from the Fillmore box office.
The box office actually charges a $2 fee for advance-sale tickets unless you buy them on Sunday. (The Fillmore box office says the $2 fee "may" apply, but that appears to have been written by weasels. Apparently "may" is a synonym for "does" as far as they are concerned.)
The box office is located in a part of town that is moderately difficult to get to. It's served by two major bus lines, the 38 and the 22, but they are two of the most overcrowded and unpleasant major bus lines in San Francisco. The 22 especially may warrant its own "things that suck" post. Parking is challenging and paying to park in a garage to avoid a convenience fee on tickets kind of defeats the purpose of the trip. So you typically have to drive there, park illegally in a bus zone or in front of a hydrant, and try to get your concert tickets before you get a parking ticket.
On Sundays, the box office is supposed to be open for only 6 hours, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In reality, it's open for less than six hours. The box office is notorious for opening late. And when I showed up at 2:40 p.m. a couple weeks ago, there was a sign saying that they'd be back at 3:00 p.m. I watched for about ten seconds as a few other people walked up, read the sign, and repeated some variation on, "This is bullshit!"
Labels: things that suck
I have been an ASCAP member for the better part of a decade. Despite having my ASCAP-registered songs played on radio broadcasts numerous times, I have never received a statement indicating that I am owed even a few pennies (and I have certainly never received any checks). This is not surprising, I suppose, but it is nonetheless irksome.