- The consumer advocacy group is experiencing deceitful practices.
In around three weeks, Oktoberfest is set to kick off - and for numerous folks, a successful night at the festival involves a table in the beer tent, plus the traditional dirndl and lederhose. However, what's the solution when everything is already sold out? Online ticket platforms claim to offer assistance, but the Bavarian Consumer Center issues warnings about unreliable offers and excessive prices of several thousand euros per table. Sadly, even folks with expensive tickets may fail to gain entry to the tent.
"Many event hosts include in their general terms and conditions that reservations not purchased directly from them are invalid," warns the association. Consequently, people get turned away at the door. Furthermore, fake offers surface. The scammers capitalize on the high demand, making it difficult to retrieve the purchase price from the supposed seller later on. "Visitors are left with the costs," says association lawyer Tatjana Halm.
Official resale platform for table reservations
Those looking for a secure experience should apply for a table well in advance on the hosts' websites, as recommended. Additionally, the official website octoberfest-booking.com goes live on September 1st at 12:00 PM, offering a platform for reselling already purchased reservations to other interested parties. According to Oktoberfest boss Clemens Baumgaertner (CSU), the original price serves as the upper limit at this platform. The city highlights the internet costs linked to these reservations. One purchases vouchers for a specific amount of drinks and food, typically two liters of beer and a chicken per person. Remaining vouchers can still be redeemed in the festival hosts' gastronomic businesses for some time after Oktoberfest.
6,000 euros for a table in the Hacker tent?
A legal assurance that other platforms offering secondary market reservations cannot provide. A provider markets a table for eight to ten people on a Saturday evening in the popular Hacker tent - depending on the location, priced at 6,000 to 6,500 euros. They state the tickets do not originate from the tent operators but from individuals who acquired them from the hosts. "The reservation confirmation and/or entrance card/enntrance band contains the name of the first buyer and cannot be rewritten in your name. The legal admissibility of the transfer of table reservations is controversial," the site operators write and guarantee a refund in the event of issues.
"This offer is unreliable, but it's challenging to intervene," say the Hacker tent operators. Those who book directly with the festival host pay 604.80 euros for the most expensive table for ten people, plus 15.40 euros for shipping, including vouchers for beer and roast chicken. Overpriced tables on other providers are often bought by Europeans "simply due to ignorance." "We're in constant communication with our lawyers to identify the sellers, i.e., our customers, and to send them cease and desist letters." They are also barred from further inquiries and bookings.
6,000 euros - an astronomical price, also agrees consumer advocate Halm. Often, willingness to pay is first gauged on these intermediary platforms. A problem lies in that such providers frequently appear at the top of internet search results.
Seasoned Oktoberfest visitors remember that reservations aren't always necessary. During the week, it's generally not an issue for smaller groups to find a spot, according to Munich's city government. Under pleasant weather conditions, the beer gardens in front of the tents also prove to be an option. All that remains is to hope for good weather when Oktoberfest attracts millions from around the world to the Theresienwiese from September 21 to October 6.
The October Festival, or Oktoberfest, as many refer to it, often sees visitors being turned away due to unvalid reservations obtained from unofficial sources. deals offering table reservations at extraordinarily high prices, such as 6,000 euros for a table in the Hacker tent, can be found on some platforms.
