DODD COLUMN: It all started with an internet search - Evening News and Tribune

“Let america work and fto america dance; these 2 amusements volition ne'er bash immoderate harm successful the world.” —  Voltaire

Scrooge is live and well. The Grinch is stealing Christmas. The Nutcracker has been hijacked and we are being held for ransom.

I cognize by present immoderate of you are thinking, well, helium yet mislaid it. It was a bully run. If lone columnists could beryllium retired and enactment retired to pasture similar aged thoroughbreds. Well, immoderate thoroughbreds are retired to stud. Old columnists are treated much similar geldings.

All I wanted was to bask a nighttime retired astatine the ballet. I archer you 1 thing. If I looked arsenic bully arsenic those ballet dudes successful tights, I mean, those guys person nary secrets! A concealed from my past is that 1 twelvemonth the parks and recreation section successful Jeff offered escaped pat creation and ballet lessons. I was the lone dude successful the people with each girls and it was successful those puberty-cursed mediate schoolhouse years. I wore sweatpants.

It each started with an Internet search. Usually, a batch of my problems statesman with an Internet search. Any clip I privation to acquisition tickets to a sporting event, theater, concert, publication a edifice room, oregon beauteous overmuch thing other implicit the Internet I look to extremity up an guiltless (albeit somewhat ignorant and machine simple) victim. I should archer the communicative someday astir being charged $400 for a edifice country I didn’t cognize I had booked and ne'er used. Even the dependable successful India couldn’t assistance maine lick the problem.

Brief blessed ending — aft a yearlong combat and sending a registered, return-receipt-requested two-page missive to the CEO of Hilton Properties Worldwide- we present person a certificate for a escaped night’s enactment astatine a Hilton spot anyplace successful the world. I person a steadfast premix of respect and fearfulness for ordering thing implicit a computer.

It each began with a hunt introduction — Nutcracker Suite tickets.

A fewer antithetic sites came up and each intimately mimicked the Kentucky Center for The Arts, Whitney Hall, oregon the Louisville Ballet. Most are not. They are summons scammers and/or summons scalpers.

What I yet discovered to beryllium $40 tickets were listed for $89 and if I didn’t order, they would tally out. Some dates flash up nary tickets disposable for dates I selected. Even aft the overpriced tickets are “purchased” a small informing states further fees and work costs volition beryllium added. And each the portion I americium not adjacent connected a morganatic tract that should beryllium selling tickets. I exited the site.

I past ran crossed a Louisville Courier Journal portion from 2019 and respective different Internet warnings of Nutcracker scams. Seriously, a well-cultured feline similar myself (my closest theatre friends notation to maine arsenic “Buttermilk”) can’t adjacent bask the good creation of ballet without having to traverse scam Internet onshore mines. The Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy! Is thing ineffable anymore?

And it is not lone ballet. I person seen a full-dress opera production. If you ever spell to a unrecorded opera performance, you cognize the precise utmost parameters of the quality voice. You volition besides cognize wherever the saying that it ain’t implicit until you cognize who sings originated! I americium truthful cultured I erstwhile sat done an full overseas movie with subtitles. Well, I accidental entire, the little nap successful the theatre couldn’t person lasted much than 5 minutes.

The articles I work regarding The Nutcracker stated that immoderate scam sites volition adjacent contiguous you with authentic-looking tickets that volition not beryllium accepted erstwhile you amusement up astatine the door. And the scammers person your recognition paper information.

I astir gave up but called the Louisville Ballet Box Office astatine 502-583-2623. A precise adjuvant young woman took my bid and sent maine a confirmation e-mail. She said the tickets would beryllium near astatine Will Call adjacent Friday evening for the 7:30 performance. If not, the Nutcracker volition unrecorded up to its marquee billing!

I bash anticipation that is the lawsuit erstwhile I get astatine Will Call. How casual it is for well-traveled guys similar maine to find these transgression and despicable sites connected the Internet. Sure, seems similar the authorities could find them arsenic easy and enactment them retired of business.

The woman connected the telephone and I talked astir these shyster sites. Legitimate businesses are conscionable arsenic susceptible arsenic the remainder of us.

Here is an idea. While Congress wastes years of clip and tens of millions of dollars connected Hunter Biden and January 6th, I deliberation I person recovered thing that needs to beryllium investigated.

And those sweatpants from my ballet days would much lucifer tights if I enactment them connected today. That would surely support maine connected my toes!