Ticketmaster accused of misleading and overcharging fans with platinum seats

A Calgary mother says pricey platinum-level tickets she bought through Ticketmaster to see Bruno Mars turned out to be anything but 24-karat magic.

It was supposed to be a specialnight for PriyaPooranalingam and her son his first concert to see his favourite singer perform July 30 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

But the excitement quickly fizzled when they got to their $275 platinum seats.

"We're talking the farthest part, second floor at the very last seating in Rogers Place, so you could barely see the stage," Pooranalingam said.

A couple who sat next to her paid about $100 a ticket, and when they found out she paid almost $300 per ticket they were shocked.

"They said 'someone cheated you real well'," she said.

"We were really putting our faith in these platinum seats to be this amazing experience."

She says her son, who even made a hand-drawn sign to hold up for the singer to see expecting to be seatedclose to the stage was devastated.

"He was mad and super disappointed. The first thing he did wasput his poster away. He was really hurt by the whole thing," Pooranalingamsaid.

Ticketmaster'swebsitesays its platinum seats "give fans fair and safe access to some of the best seats in the house."

Explaining how the tickets work, the websitestates: "Ticketmaster's Official Platinum Seats program enables market-based pricing (adjusting prices according to supply and demand), similar to how airline tickets and hotel rooms are sold."

Pooranalingamaccuses the company ofmisleading customers and inflating prices at popular concerts for what she calls "very, very poor seating."

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Pooranalingam tried, and failed, to change her seats during the concert but pursued Ticketmasterfor a refund in the days after the show.

"I was just not getting any response, just getting the runaround and being told they couldn't do anything about it," she said.

But Pooranalingam persisted and eventually got a refund. She now wants to make others aware thatplatinum tickets might not mean great seats.

"I want Ticketmaster to change the practiceand I want them to be reasonable with the prices they're charging and I want to make fans aware of what they're buying."

CBC News contacted Ticketmaster'sparent company, Live Nation Entertainment Inc., for this storybut no one was made available for an interview.

"Ticketmaster is going to politely decline [an] interview for this story," said a spokesperson fromNorth Strategic in an emailed statement.