For the Love of Dirty Dancing, I Did the Fandango
Fandango
I am a huge fan of the movie Dirty Dancing and, when I heard that it was being shown in theaters for two nights only in celebration of it's 20th anniversary, I knew I had to go. Even though it is showing on American Idol nights, my dedication is that strong! (Thank heaven for my DVR!)
We have a mall with a zillion theater screens upstairs and it is always crazily crowded. Add to that that the movie is only on at 7:30 p.m., right when people are shopping in the mall, and I knew I wasn't going to even try to navigate through the crowds of people and stand in line. And what if the show was sold out? No, I HAD to be sure I had those tickets.
I haven't been to a movie in a theater in many years. I really don't enjoy possibly wasting my time and money on a movie that disappoints or bores me. However, I knew this one wouldn't do either. (It will my husband but ehh, he'll live.)
I saw a commercial for Fandango in conjunction with the screening of Dirty Dancing and clicked on it. I hold in my hand two tickets to Dirty Dancing gotten hassle free. But costing two bucks more than the theater charges.
What is Fandango?
Good question. I didn't even know it existed until I needed it. Basically, the site sells tickets to certain upcoming events across the country. This is not like TicketMaster where there are a billion events to choose from but there are a good number of movies, concerts, and sporting events to choose from.
In addition, there are videos, trailers, fan reviews, photos, and other related things to do and read on the site.
Navigation and Ordering
Navigation is very simple. There are drop down boxes clearly stating what each box is for and there is a search box to zero in on exactly what you want without any searching.
That is what I used when I went to the site. I admit, I had one thing on my mind and that was getting those tickets. The other stuff was cute but I couldn't be bothered by it until after I got my confirmation letter.
Once you choose the tickets that you want, you enter the quantity and date and you are off to the checkout. I am assuming some events have different payment levels but I only had one price — general admission.
You need to pick a password for later access to the site and supply your email address, zip code, and credit card number. Once you do that, you will receive a confirmation that you have purchased the tickets and then you can pick them up at the box office or kiosk near the theater or other event
You need the credit card that you paid with and, ideally, your confirmation number. If all goes well, and my one experience did, your tickets are set aside for you and you need only to pick them up and, come show time, avoid the lines and take a seat.
I got as far as picking up my tickets. The movie isn't playing for a few more days.
There is one thing that unnerves me and that is there are no refunds or exchanges so, if something happens and you can't make it to the event you purchased tickets for, you are out of luck. But that is the way it is with most ticket vendors and, after all, for movies, it isn't exactly a disaster if you lose $20. I mean, $22.
Fandango charges a fee, which I saw nothing about until I paid it. I was charged $1 per ticket. Sheesh, that is a bit steep. Then again, for the convenience of not standing in line and for knowing I have the tickets I want, it's worth a couple of bucks. The fee should be more clearly stated though because I totally missed any mention of it until I had already made my purchase.
My Experience
I came, I bought, I left. Then I went back and watched the Dirty Dancing trailer and checked out some pictures and looked around the site some more.
There were synopsizes, lots of short fan reviews, photos, trailers of different movies, all sorts of fun stuff if you are a movie lover. There were also some sporting and concert event info and photos.
The site is more than just a ticket selling site but clearly that is what they are truly there for.
I had no problem at all finding the tickets I wanted and buying them. I worried that I wouldn't be able to get the tickets but my husband picked them up with no hassle at all.
Normally, I wouldn't buy tickets ahead of time for a movie. However, THIS movie, I wanted to be sure to have seats for since there are just two showings and it will be gone for another who knows how many years.
I can't say I am thrilled with the $2 fee but it's not a big deal really. I now know I won't be standing in line and fighting crowds in the mall. I have the tickets and I don't have to worry about rushing to get there. That's worth two bucks to me.
I would use the site again in a case like this. I may use it for other things now that I know it exists. However, I rarely go to movies so huge that they may sell out. That is what Fandango promises. That you WILL have a seat.
Perhaps if a concert or sporting event comes along that I just GOTTA go to, I will buy tickets from Fandango again. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to.
Conclusion
I am happy I used Fandango to purchase my Dirty Dancing anniversary tickets and I am happy that I KNOW I have a seat next week.
I tend to stress over, well, everything and this is one thing I won't have to stress. I can just go and not worry about being turned away. I don't know if anyone but me even likes the movie in my area but it is only playing in one theater within about a 90 mile radius so, in this case, it made sense for me to prepurchase the tickets.
If I were just thinking of going to any movie, I wouldn't bother paying the extra dollar per ticket to prepurchase them.
In all, my experience was fast, easy, and satisfying. I am less stressed and everything has worked out fine.
I would not hesitate to use Fandango again if the need arises but I would only do so if I was REALLY worried about the event selling out because, if something happened and I couldn't go, I would not have any recourse and would lose the money I paid.
