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Winston-Salem Journal, N.C., Ask SAM column
Mar 07, 2013 (Winston-Salem Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Q. I went to the George Clinton concert at Ziggy's last Saturday. I knew I would have to pay the "at the door" price of $30. It was a long line. When I got to the entrance, I was instructed to move to the other side of the table to purchase tickets. A gentleman informed me that the tickets were now $40 each. He was at the table where they were checking IDs, patting you down and giving wristbands. I paid, as did two friends. I emailed Ziggy's and their response was they had no recourse on what scalpers do and that I should have bought my tickets in advance. Last time I checked, scalpers do not work at the gate and assist with checking ID.
--P.P.
Answer. "I have no knowledge of this transaction taking place either with one of my door guys or with a scalper," Jay Stephens, one of the co-owners of the club, replied by email. "My advice to any customer that attends a show at Ziggy's and may have a question about a door fee or any other policy at Ziggy's is to check with a manager or owner on duty to clarify the situation."
Charles Womack, another of the co-owners, said in a phone interview with SAM that "it couldn't have been a ticket guy" who sold you that ticket, but that it may have been a scalper in that general area. Womack said "there were people standing around the table" and the entrance area was packed with people waiting to get into the show.
Womack said that Ziggy's did not raise the ticket prices beyond the $30 that was advertised; but in regard to scalpers, he said, "if people are going to buy tickets and sell them like that, we can't control it."
The show that night was not sold out in advance, but was close to it; Womack said that the club had "maybe 100 or so tickets" left at the beginning of the night of the show, and Stephens said that the remaining tickets sold out by 10 that night. About 1,000 people attended the show.
"If there's a problem, let us know about it immediately," Womack said. "We want everybody to have a positive experience." He suggested asking a security person or a bartender to get in touch with a manager on duty you can speak with immediately, rather than waiting until afterward.
Q. I have received a jury summons. It did not mention if I was allowed to bring in my smartphone or my Kindle Fire to the courthouse. Are these items permissible
--T.P.
Answer. Cell phones, smart phones, tables and devices such as Kindle Fire are allowed to be brought in to the jury waiting room, said April Wheeling, jury clerk administrator for Forsyth County. Bear in mind that there is no publicly available Wi-Fi in the courthouse. Also, if you bring in a laptop, it must be turned on while coming through security. Any such equipment must be turned off while in the courtroom, she said.
Q. Regarding your recent column about jury duty, isn't it true that you can be excused from jury duty because of disabling diseases such as multiple sclerosis or lupus
--M.R.
Answer. That is true, Wheeling said, but potential jurors must have a doctor's note on official letterhead with the doctor's signature -- not that of a physician's assistant. If you have questions, you should contact the jury clerk's office using the number on your summons.
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