Trying to buy and sell tickets to gigs and concerts sucks. We’ve all been there – desperately trying to buy tickets outside a venue off some dodgy burberry-capped tout or nervously waiting for the weird bloke you met on Gumtree to turn up with the magical tickets he promised. But despair no more, a clever new app has just launched in London to make this experience easier and safer for real fans.
Dingo is a mobile app that allows fans to trade spare tickets but only at face value or below, meaning you wont have to deal with wannabe Del Boy’s anymore. Fans with spare tickets can list them on the app in seconds. Other fans can then browse through the app to see what’s for sale or search for tickets to a specific show. Tickets can be purchased directly within the app in a couple of taps before the buyer and seller are put into a chat conversation.
We particularly like the chat feature as it allows you to manage the delivery of the tickets on your own terms. This could be as simple as asking the seller to email you the e-tickets, or meeting up with the seller at the venue itself if the tickets need to be collected in-person.
Dingo tells us that they hold the money until 48 hours after the event to make sure that the transaction was completed successfully.
We sat down with Dingo’s co-founder Phil Watts to discuss the project.
What was the inspiration behind Dingo?
It was clear to us that there was a major problem with the secondary ticket market. It is dominated by dodgy websites and touts selling tickets for rip-off prices. We thought there had to be a more transparent, safer way and the idea for Dingo was born. Our belief was that most fans just want to recoup the money they paid for tickets; it’s not about making a profit for most people.
What tickets are on the app currently?
At the moment we have lots of festival tickets selling below the face value. We also have a broad range of tickets from Take That at The O2 to warehouse raves in Hackney. Dingo is a great place to pick up a bargain as fans are often just looking for a quick sale.
How important is Shoreditch to your business?
We love Shoreditch. It is where we live and where we chose to base our offices. The music scene is amazing in this part of East London and we see the Shoreditch locals as a natural fit for Dingo. You might have even seen us flyering outside the big clubs and venues in recent weeks.
What’s next for the company?
We are growing our user base quickly and will expand out of London in the near future. We would also like to take our platform to other areas where the problem exists such as theatre and sport.
Dingo is available to download now:
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/dingo/id893538091?mt=82
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.dingoapp&hl=en_GB
