Telecharge Continues To Fleece Ticket Buyers Who Use A Discount Code

Telecharge Fleeces Broadway Ticket Buyers

What was an occasional ticket-price coding error, has now become a norm across Charles Flateman's new Telecharge ticketing website. Broadway Ticket buyers are being charged a higher amount for non-discounted tickets, if they happen to use a discount code in the same browser session. These buyers will pay more than someone who did not use a discount code at all. It's a retaliatory and vindictive act which leaves ticket buyers understandably upset and confused. Industry insiders are calling this "Sucker Punishment".

To be clear - Broadway ticket buyers do get the discount ticket offer that they were promised when they use a code, but if they don't choose to buy one of those seats, all the other ticket options are actually increased in price - which is a higher amount than what others (who do not use a discount code), are charged. This is a disturbing trend and may well be breaking the New York State laws that were brought in to target unfair ticketing practices in the live event industry.

Recent "Inequality In Pricing" Revelations

This ticket pricing manipulation has roots in the recent revelations that iPhone users are being charged more for airline flights and even DoorDash, but there is no evidence that Broadway has begun to price tickets based on mobile phone status, demographic or geographic neighborhood - but it's not so far-fetched to imagine that they aren't thinking about it.

Telecharge Is A Primary Ticket Seller

If this questionable practice was happening on a secondary-market ticket website like stubhub.com, then this would not be so concerning, but Telecharge is the primary ticket seller for 17 Broadway shows on the Great White Way and they are expected to have an obligation for fair-play and full disclosure.

What Broadway Shows Has This Been Happening On?

It seems that every show that Charles Flateman's Telecharge ticketing website has touched is now getting this unfair pricing treatment, which leaves ticket buyers understandably upset and confused.

Recent Broadway shows that have seen this unfair ticket-price practice being played out have been; Chicago, A Beautiful Noise, Harmony, How To Dance in Ohio, Kimberly Akimbo, Here Lies Love, The Life Of Pi, Bad Cinderella, Gutenberg! The Musical and many others. Even Hamilton saw this ticket price manipulation during Broadway Week in Jan 2023, when they ran a discount offer. It seems that no Broadway show is safe.

Ticket Pricing Scam First Seen With Phantom Of The Opera in 2019

This ticket price imbalance was first seen in 2019 with Phantom Of The Opera, when it really was a programming error. but the powers-that-be have spotted a way to manipulate bargain hunters and this practice is now becoming more common.

The new strategy is - If you try to get a cheaper Broadway ticket with a discount code, the show producer will ultimately make you pay more than everyone else. Its an uber-aggressive move to attempt to stop ticket buyers from using discounting services and it is clearly anti-competitive.

Charles Flateman's War On Ticket Discounting

Flateman has often demonstrated his unrestrained anger and vitriol against Broadway ticket discounting services, and this may well be part of his overarching plan to bring Broadway ticket discounting into disrepute. Flateman has his own competing service with Entertainment Benefits Group (EBG) that may well benefit from some negative press associated with its competitors.

Flateman's business model now appears to be "If you try to get a discount on a show, I will charge you more for a regular-price ticket as a penalty". This vindictive philosophy seems bankrupt on so many levels, but this isn't the first time Flateman has been involved in ticket-pricing shenanigans.

The Latest Broadway Show Example Is Barry Manilow's Harmony

A recent example of "sucker punishment" that is particularly egregious is Barry Manilow's Harmony that is currently playing on Broadway and sells $600K of tickets each week.

Looking at a show performance for Harmony for Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 2:00 PM. A discount code exists that brings some seats down to $99. After the code is entered the $99 seats are shown on the interactive seat map, but then all the other seat prices (that are are $148) are suddenly increased to $185.00. A ticket buyer who does not use a discount code is only charged $148 for those same seats. See the evidence below and take a closer look at Seats K10-K12 on telecharge.com

This ticket price imbalance is also true for all future Harmony shows, and is not limited to just this one performance. This price-fixing practice can also be seen on many other Broadway shows too, with varying degrees of ticket price inequality, but in most cases being a disparity of about $50 per ticket. Some poor suckers fall for the scam and consumers may need to be protected.

What Is Next For Broadway Show Ticket Discounting?

With Flateman's war on Broadway ticket discounting reaching a fever pitch and his strategies becoming more egregious, Broadway show producers and investors may ultimately be the ones that suffer in the ongoing crossfire as this story develops. Despite all the negative press that Ticketmaster received at last years congressional hearings, they have never been accused of this type of price fixing, so this seems to be first in this industry, if not in all commerce.

New York State Attorney General

The New York State Attorney General has yet to comment on whether the above actions break the laws that Governor Hochul signed into law in 2022, specifically the legislation targeting unfair ticketing practices in the live event industry.

Telecharge and The Shubert Organization

Telecharge is a division of The Shubert Organization and a leading provider of ticketing services for Broadway and off-Broadway shows and other events across the country.

Telecharge is the authorized primary ticket seller for many Broadway shows and thus has a monopoly on all the shows that perform in their 17 Broadway theatres, where they are the landlord.

Telecharge is run by Charles Flateman and is owned by the Shubert Organization, that is helmed by Chairman and CEO Robert E. Wankel.