What’s the story about Ticketmaster?
Taylor Swift recently announced her “The Eras” tour, which will be her first tour in the UK since 2018. Tickets for the tour are now on sale, and there is excitement among fans.
Ticketmaster is the official ticketing partner for the tour. It is the leading ticketing company in the UK, and they sell tickets for a wide variety of events, including concerts, sporting events, and theatre productions.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the announcement of the “The Eras” tour, and they are eager to get tickets. However, Ticketmaster’s website has been experiencing technical difficulties, which has made it difficult for fans to buy tickets. As a result, fans are frustrated and are taking to social media to express their disappointment.
In addition to the technical difficulties, fans are also concerned about the high prices of tickets. Tickets for the tour start at around £60, but they can go up to £200 or more for premium seats, with VIP packages selling for over £650. This has led fans to accuse Ticketmaster of price gouging.
Overall, the Taylor Swift tour announcement has been a mixed bag for Ticketmaster. On the one hand, the company is getting exposure from the tour. On the other hand, the technical difficulties and high prices of tickets have generated negative publicity. It will be interesting to see how Ticketmaster’s reputation is affected by the tour in the long run.
Feedback from fans
Here are tweets from Taylor Swift fans who are experiencing difficulties with Ticketmaster:
I’ve been in the Ticketmaster queue for over an hour and I’m still not even close to getting tickets. This is ridiculous.
Ticketmaster is a joke. I’ve been trying to buy tickets for the Taylor Swift tour for hours and I keep getting errors.”
I’m so frustrated with Ticketmaster. I’ve been trying to buy tickets for the Taylor Swift tour all day and I can’t even get through the queue.
It is clear that Taylor Swift fans are unhappy with Ticketmaster’s handling of the ticket sales for the tour. It will be interesting to see if Ticketmaster is able to resolve the technical difficulties and address the concerns of fans in the coming days.
The ongoing Ticketmaster scandal.
This comes in the wake of the group of fans in the US who sued Live Nation–Ticketmaster in December 2022 for intentional deception, fraud, price fixing, and antitrust violations, after the debacle they experienced to secure tickets for the US leg of the Eras Tour. The lawsuit is still ongoing, but it has generated negative publicity for Ticketmaster.
Why should I care about this story?
Firstly, it affects people’s ability to attend events.
If Ticketmaster’s website is not working properly, or if tickets are too expensive, people may not be able to attend events that they want to see. The technical difficulties and high prices of tickets have made it difficult for fans to get tickets, which has led to frustration and disappointment.
Secondly, it raises concerns about fair competition.
Concerns have been raised about the company’s practices. Fans are worried that Ticketmaster is using its market power to price gouge and prevent fans from getting tickets to events. This could have a negative impact on competition in the ticketing industry.
Finally, it could lead to higher ticket prices.
If Ticketmaster is able to get away with price gouging, it could lead to higher ticket prices for all events. This would make it more difficult for people to afford to attend live events.
If Ticketmaster is unable to resolve the technical difficulties and address the concerns of fans, it could damage the company’s reputation and make it more difficult for fans to buy tickets to events in the future. This would be a negative outcome for people who enjoy attending live events.
It is important for people to be aware of this issue and to act if they are unhappy with Ticketmaster’s practices.
Ways to act
There are things that people can do if they are unhappy with Ticketmaster’s practices, including:
Ticketmaster has a customer service department that can be contacted by phone, email, or chat. If you have a complaint about Ticketmaster’s practices, you can contact customer service and let them know your concerns.
The CMA is the UK’s competition regulator. If you believe that Ticketmaster is engaging in anti-competitive practices, you can file a complaint with the CMA.
Your local MP can raise your concerns with Ticketmaster on your behalf. They can also ask questions about Ticketmaster’s practices in Parliament.
If you are unhappy with Ticketmaster’s practices, you can start a social media campaign to raise awareness of the issue. You can use social media to share your story, encourage others to boycott Ticketmaster, and demand change.
There are other ticketing companies in the UK. If you are unhappy with Ticketmaster’s practices, you can choose to buy tickets from a different company.