Japanese Pay 300 Euros For Free Concert Tickets

[Mulboyne]

M&C: Japanese tourists pay 300 euros for free concert
Japanese tourists were charged 300 euros for tickets for a free open-air concert in Vienna, the Austrian newspaper Der Standard wrote in its Wednesday edition. In Japan, trips to this year's free-for-all Concert for Europe, held in the park of Vienna's baroque Schoenbrunn Palace were sold. The package did not include the concert ticket, for which customers were asked to pay 48,000 yen extra... The concert organizers reserved around 100 seats for Japanese tour operators but said they had no idea that the tickets had been sold. A leaflet advertised the concert ticket, including backstage- reception and a buffet, as well as a 'private concert' by the Vienna Philharmonic on the next day, in case of bad weather. The concert organizers, as well as the orchestra and the Schoenbrunn palace management were quoted as saying they where appalled by this abuse.

[Taro Toporific]

The concert organizers, as well as the orchestra and the Schoenbrunn palace management were quoted as saying they where appalled by this abuse.

These tickets have been sold in Japan every year since 2005---I've been asked to pay and go several times. The organizers are very aware of the scam and most likely get kickbacks for those, "reserved...100 seats for Japanese tour operators.":?

[Charles]

These tickets have been sold in Japan every year since 2005---I've been asked to pay and go several times. The organizers are very aware of the scam and most likely get kickbacks for those, "reserved...100 seats for Japanese tour operators.":?

I hate this scam. I'll tell you a good story. A magazine I worked for in LA organized a big rave party at a warehouse, all the contributors and advertisers were invited, free admission if you show your invite. When I got there, a couple of self-appointed doormen set up at the entrance and were shaking down invitees for $20 each. I told them I worked at the magazine and I wasn't paying and walked right past them. I found the Editor-in-Chief and told him what was going on, he had a fit, he rounded up some people to bounce them. It wasn't easy since they were huge scary gangbanger types, a deal was negotiated that they would keep the money they'd already scammed and leave without killing anyone. But the damage was already done. So many people were pissed at paying for the "free" party, and they were even more offended when they heard people got in after them for free, it was a PR nightmare. Advertising dried up and the magazine circulation plummeted, they folded a few months later.

[GomiGirl]

Where were the "event appointed" doormen? Sounds like a badly organised event if there were no bouncers on hand to control the door and allow opportunists to start this sort of scam.

[Charles]

Where were the "event appointed" doormen? Sounds like a badly organised event if there were no bouncers on hand to control the door and allow opportunists to start this sort of scam.

Warehouse parties can be like that, sometimes they get out of control. The rogue doormen set up at a spot to hit people before they got to the real door. We had no idea anything like that could happen, but in retrospect, yeah we should have seen it coming.