RDK PSA: Avoid Ticket Scams

We meant to mention this weeks ago, but Gravy wanted to do the story then subsequently dropped the ball. I blame alcohol and porn addiction.

In any event, during our pregame ritual of “spirit intake” and tailgating before the TCU matchup, we wandered over to the stadium to bargain for some tickets.

Gravy and I hit the corner near tailgating row, then across the street around O’Connells. Feeling we could do better, we ventured up Jenkins Ave.

It was at this point we found a fidgety white man of 5-foot-5. He couldn’t have been more than 35 or so. He had a pair of tickets in one of the sections we were seeking.

Dirt Monkey: “How much?”

Ticket Man: “Um, just face value for both.”
(Mind you, face value was $124 for a pair).

Gravy Train: “No! One fifffffty for the pairrrr.”

Ticket Man: “Um, ok?”

Dirt Monkey: “Yeah, no. We’ll go with $120, NOT $150.”

Ticket Man: “OK, that works.”

So, at this point we’ve avoided the drunk negotiating tactics of Gravy Train. Even though I knew I saw “TCU” clearly written on some of the tickets, it wasn’t 15-20 seconds later that I looked down at our tickets and saw they were actually for the Cincinnatti game two weeks earlier. “Shit!”

I look south down Jenkins Ave. only to witness a sea of people. The Ticket Man had vanished. Somehow, through blurred vision and powered by four Jack-and-Sodas, Gravy Train yells out, “There he is! Go! Go!”

Not sure why Gravy Train wasn’t capable of running, but I sort of half-run to catch up to the Ticket Man. From behind, I grab him by the shoulder. “Nice try. You sold us Cincinatti tickets.”

His hands visibilty shaking, he claimed he didn’t know they were old and that he was scammed too. Gravy Train arrived — I swear it took him 20 minutes — and we, filled with rage, were towering over the guy. (And it’s site to see Gravy towering over anyone.)

After some interrogation we discovered the other four tickets in his possession were all TCU ducats, so we’re not sure of this dude’s end game. There was definately something shady about the whole thing, but we really have no proof if this ticket scam was an honest mistake or by design.

The morale of this story? Don’t use whisky-fueled negotiaticing tacts. And make sure you read the tickets VERY carefully. The latter is something I always do, but I think I was still reeling from Gravy’s unorthodox counteroffer. A lesson learned for sure.