3 ms·

I wonder if this can be resolved with: * Real names on restaurant, just verify their ID. Then ban them from opentable/resy (might be harsh, but will disincenti

I wonder if this can be resolved with: * Real names on restaurant, just verify their ID. Then ban them from opentable/resy (might be harsh, but will disincentivize behavior) * No transferring reservations, if rez is cancelled, hold the rez and release at a random time later I know for ticketmaster, they have no incentive to put these guards up because they take a % cut for every resale, but for these apps; I think you can put some reasonable defenses, especially since most of the restaurants that face these issues have bills of a few hundred dollars anyway.

justinlkarr 3y ago
As other commenters have shared, there are big disincentives for restaurants to turn people away at the door - they don't get paid, and it is negative experience for both sides (with commensurate brand effects). Bulk-generating accounts -- email addresses, phone numbers and even credit card numbers -- is a solved problem for resellers. In New York State, it is illegal to restrict transfer of tickets. Expect the same for reservations as this battle advances.
- lxgr 3y ago
  Wow, TIL. Do you know why that's the case? It sucks being able to not resell a ticket when plans change, but I'd assume that these days, the convenience of being able to do that is more than offset by the amount lost to scalpers.
  - justinlkarr 3y ago
    From the National Association of Ticket Brokers (the lobbying arm of the ticket reseller industry): https://www.protectticketrights.com/news/86/PRESS+RELEASE+NY+State+Continues+to+Protect+Ticketholders+Ability+to+Freely+Transfer+Tickets https://www.protectticketrights.com/news/86/PRESS+RELEASE+NY... (This is not my personal perspective.)
- rhizome 3y ago
  Bulk generating credit card numbers that can be charged a reservation fee?
  - justinlkarr 3y ago
    Yes. Either through simply carrying many cards (see the binders of credit cards in documentaries on ticket resellers) or getting many numbers issued against a single account by a friendly bank. These were popular in the 00's and 10's. I expect both techniques are no longer state-of-the-art.

justinlkarr 3y ago

As other commenters have shared, there are big disincentives for restaurants to turn people away at the door - they don't get paid, and it is negative experience for both sides (with commensurate brand effects). Bulk-generating accounts -- email addresses, phone numbers and even credit card numbers -- is a solved problem for resellers. In New York State, it is illegal to restrict transfer of tickets. Expect the same for reservations as this battle advances.

lxgr 3y ago
Wow, TIL. Do you know why that's the case? It sucks being able to not resell a ticket when plans change, but I'd assume that these days, the convenience of being able to do that is more than offset by the amount lost to scalpers.
- justinlkarr 3y ago
  From the National Association of Ticket Brokers (the lobbying arm of the ticket reseller industry): https://www.protectticketrights.com/news/86/PRESS+RELEASE+NY+State+Continues+to+Protect+Ticketholders+Ability+to+Freely+Transfer+Tickets https://www.protectticketrights.com/news/86/PRESS+RELEASE+NY... (This is not my personal perspective.)
rhizome 3y ago
Bulk generating credit card numbers that can be charged a reservation fee?
- justinlkarr 3y ago
  Yes. Either through simply carrying many cards (see the binders of credit cards in documentaries on ticket resellers) or getting many numbers issued against a single account by a friendly bank. These were popular in the 00's and 10's. I expect both techniques are no longer state-of-the-art.