Madam, - I bought a ticket for the Cecilia Bartoli recital at the National Concert Hall last Saturday. Later I found I was unable to attend and asked the box office to resell my ticket. The event was booked out, well in advance, and in such circumstances the NCH has always been helpful in attempting to resell tickets. However, I was told the facility had been withdrawn, without notice. Even when there was a strong demand, tickets would not be accepted for resale.
The explanation given was that the NCH could not provide a service to customers from which it derived no profit. This from the National Concert Hall? With a little goodwill and flexibility a profit could be made by charging a handling fee, thereby facilitating the transfer of tickets from people who are unable to use them to others who are anxious to purchase them. Full houses are not an everyday occurrence.
The Gate and Abbey (National) theatres provide this service, willingly and free of charge, as I am sure do many other theatres. The majority of the tickets for the Bartoli recital sold at €75 to €95. Someone is very obviously making a handsome profit. "Celebrity" concerts (classical, rock, etc.,) are much more expensive in Dublin than in London.
The NCH appears to be unique in its decision to be unhelpful. Now that management has decided there is no profit in customer service we appear to be on the way to a "no frills" National Concert Hall. Pity. - Yours, etc.,
MARY LEO, Tudor Road, Dublin 6.