Would you credit it!

Jul 10 2011 by Ian Robson, Sunday Sun

A THEATRE has been accused of cashing in on a new ticketing system which has left some punters out of pocket.

Lilian McPake was angry after she was asked to fork out an extra £3.50 per ticket at the City Hall, Newcastle, where she wanted five tickets for the next Sunday for Sammy concert.

Lilian was asked to pay the extra because she wanted to pay by debit card.

The regular theatre fan said she had never had to pay the surcharge before at the City Hall.

Lilian, of Gateshead, said: “I was in the queue on the first day tickets went on sale. They were charging £3.50 per ticket for payment by debit card.

“It wasn’t even £3.50 per transaction so I was expected to pay £17.50 more for the five tickets I needed.

“The tickets themselves were £30 each so the extra was a lot of money.

“I asked them if it was a new thing and they said a replacement box office system had just been introduced.

“I heard a lot of complaining and grumbling in the queue.”

Lilian was not prepared to pay the extra and did not have enough cash on her at the time.

Instead she left to get cash from her bank, returned to the box office, and paid for her tickets by cash without incurring a penalty.

I spoke to Peter Brennan, City Hall manager, who confirmed a new ticket system had been put in.

He said: “I am fully aware of the lady concerned and can tell you we have a new box office system which we are still bedding in.

“It would have been easy to spend £50,000 or £60,000 on a system that was tailor-made for us.

“Instead we have gone in with Ticketline which already looks after our web sales.

“We are applying the charges they use and they charge extra for purchases using a debit card.

“We are reviewing all the charges on an ongoing basis to see where improvements can be made.”

He said the decision to use the Ticketline system was intended to save Newcastle Council the cost of replacing the old system at the City Hall.

Sunday for Sammy is a series of events in memory of Sammy Johnson, a friend of Jimmy Nail, with proceeds benefiting young performers.

The concerts have usually been held at the City Hall and are hosted by Tim Healy. Celebrities who take part include Denise Welch, Charlie Hardwick and the cast of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

Series writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais often write new sketches based on the characters.

Meanwhile, the venue is warning fans about getting tickets from unauthorised sources.

A statement on its website said: “There has been an increase recently in the number of secondary agent websites offering tickets for City Hall events at ‘premium’ prices.

“Customers should be aware that if they choose to book from these sellers they may pay vastly inflated prices.

“You are advised to buy only from ourselves, our agent Ticketline, or officially approved agents of national tours. If in doubt, please check with the box office as to which agents are officially approved and the face value of tickets offered for sale.”