Ticket Ethics (A true story)

[playa hanjin]

Hey all,

This year has been very instructive in terms of ticket ethics for me (and others, I'm sure). I wanted to tell a quick story and let other Burners weigh in on the ethics of how I handled the situation.

So I was somebody who didn't get a ticket in the lottery and initially thought, "Okay, this year must be my year off." As the year wore on however I got a stronger and stronger urge to go, and when the BMORG announced another 1,000 tickets, I figured that was my signal that I should prepare, and so prepare I did.

I knew I was going to buy 3rd-party ticket because even as the 1,000 ticket sale was announced, I had connects who were offering me tickets at face. It was just a matter of who I got one from. I also wanted to wait to ensure prices came down (initially all that was being offered were $390 and $420 tickets)

So it gets down to 2 weeks out, everything else is ready but my ticket, and a friend-of-a-friend posts on her FB wall for a $330 ticket. Sounds good to me, so I message her and let her know I'll take her ticket.
Well, she's living at the beach (3 hour drive from my town) and has to send the ticket back to Portland with a guy friend of hers. She says he can meet me the following Monday and she'll call me that night to discuss (it's a Sunday).
Well, no call from her Sunday evening, and I text her guy friend Monday at 11am and don't hear anything from him all day.
I figure, she might be flaking, so I start looking on CL.

Now of course I see all these sub-$300 prices on CL and send out a few investigative emails. One guy gets back to me right away, and before I know it, I'm meeting up with him two blocks from my house and buying his ticket (a $420 for $300).
Now finally my original seller texts me asking for the $330 in cash instead of check. I let her know I've been looking at CL and checking out lower prices and suggest she look into other ticket buyers, and she pitches a fit, laying on heavy guilt, calling my 'shady' and a bunch of other names. Basically, she thought she had locked up my price at $330 and she seems unwilling to consider even lowering to $300.

Anyway, after a bunch of back and forth, I get her to back off and she admits she would come down to $300 or $280. She also says she's putting her ticket back up on CL and eBay.
So I feel like 25% of an asshole, only because she dropped the communication ball. Clearly we had a communication mismatch and I take responsibility for not telling her A) how price and convenience-sensitive I was and B) how urgent my buy was. The irony's on me here because if I had just asked her initially, I probably could have gotten her ticket for $280 instead of the $300 I paid (minor difference I know).

So because I feel kinda shitty about this, I offer her the following deal:

"If your last one does sell, I am willing to kick in the difference between the price I initially agreed to ($330) and whatever you can get for the ticket, up to $100 of my own money. So for instance:
- If you sell for $280 I send you $50 = $330
- If you sell for $250 I send you $80 = $330
- If you sell for $230 I send you $100 = $330"

My hope is this will allow her ticket to move faster at a lower price, thereby enabling somebody else to Burn, and also not totally screwing her in the $$ department.

This seemed like the decent thing to do and I think it should totally square us.

What do y'all think?

[MacGlenver]

Sounds like you're being more than fair for a friend of a friend that flaked on you. She should have known the urgency since it's so close to the event and should have been very nervous about making the sale with you work right the first time. Most people would offer her nothing and expect her to understand. Flaking/being late for shit isnt cool in my book.

[Lonesomebri]

The fact this bothers you so shows that you just might be the decent one in this story. She didn't contact you when she said to take care of your concern, getting the actual ticket, but texted you to make sure she got cash, not a check? She says she is now posting on ebay? She had this "extra" ticket up on facebook? They aren't trying to help out you or anybody with that. They just don't want to eat the money they thought they invested in tickets. Tell them you'll make it up to them out on the playa......and if you are there and they are not.....well...that tells us something.

[plantmandan]

You did your part. She and her friend both took you for granted and deserve nothing.

If you do pay her any of your money, you are only rewarding the flaky behavior.

[Elderberry]

Fuck her. You have no reason to feel guilty or subsidize her ticket sale either.

[Dr. Pyro]

I agree with everyone who posted before me. Flakes need to be taught a lesson once in awhile. Good on you.

[nocturnal_steve]

Ehhh...

Appreciate you wanting to make it right, but as soon as she broke her agreement to call and confirm Sunday
you owe her nothing. It's called taking care of yourself.

There are SO many flake stories around; people about to sell their tickets at below cost but all of a sudden they get a better offer
so the first deal is re-neged on. Until you know someone all you have is their word and the first time they do not follow through
to a mutually consented no-pressure agreement (saying she will call you) that sends up yellow flags and it's perfectly OK for you to have purchased
a ticket elsewhere. Your not her daddy, and it does not sound like she was/is your friend.

Anyway, after a bunch of back and forth, I get her to back off and she admits she would come down to $300 or $280.

Q. You had your ticket, sounds like you were still bargaining with her to buy her ticket !? Or just suggesting she drop her price and sell it elsewhere ?
Just curious....

[gyre]

I can't believe anyone is getting more that $200 right now.

[playa hanjin]

Ehhh...
Q. You had your ticket, sounds like you were still bargaining with her to buy her ticket !? Or just suggesting she drop her price and sell it elsewhere ?
Just curious....

Yeah, I was just suggesting she drop her price to move it. The fact is she'd already sold another ticket on eBay (for who knows how much) so her complaints about wanting to recoup her costs (she was asking $330) didn't really fly with me.

Thanks for all the perspectives. Y''all are helping me see how soft-hearted I really am.

[wind_runner]

I had a friend of a friend agree to buy my ticket as she had been looking for some time. I live in Boston and she's in SF, so we agreed I would hand it off to her when I flew out. Two days later I got an email saying another friend had approached her in SF and they apparently were about to throw the ticket back into step (I later noticed that this was after step actually had closed) and she didn't want to put them through the hassle of doing that. She felt it would be easier for me and I could potentially "make more" by selling it in Boston. I replied I wasn't interested in scapling, I just wanted to recoup losses and that, actually it would be pretty difficult for me to get rid of the ticket in Boston (much more difficult, I would assume than in SF). Her response was that she was "confident" I would be able to sell it and that she was going to plan on buying her friend's ticket instead. her confidence is impressive considering the fact I have put hours into trying to get rid of it and still haven't been able to. I know she wasn't obligated to buy the ticket from me, I just was extra pissed by her tone that acted as if it would be easy for me to sell my ticket and somehow much harder for her friend to sell theirs.
Ah well, all this will be washed away and forgotten in the dirt soon enough.
Sigh,
WR

[pink]

Well, if nothing else, I did meet a guy who is volunteering with the water company at the Save-mart in Reno who is looking for a ticket, but looking for a gift. You'd make his day!

Told him he was in the perfect place to find one.