Taylor Swift fans are clamouring for tickets for her UK Eras tour, with demand so high the Cruel Summer singer announced extra tour dates. While systems are in place for UK fans, the US ticketing was lambasted by fans who struggled to access tickets and saw prices soar.
Two US fans who have remained anonymous, managed to get tickets to see Taylor at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, USA on April 15.
The tickets had set them back £1,463.86 ($1,865.12) when they bought them six months ago.
The duo bought what were called Front Row VIP seats, and on the day made their way to the front but discovered they were actually sat three rows back from the front.
They said: “When we arrived at the stadium and to our seats at the end of the row, which were supposed to be front row at the end of the catwalk, we noticed row 9 was not front row.
“The promoter had extended row 7 and row 8. Row 7 was now the front row for our specific section.”
After paying so much for the tickets, both fans were disappointed at where they ended up.
They said: “After the cost of the seats, subsequent fees, and insurance, we paid roughly $1865.12 (£1,463.86) for both tickets. Our specific seats were VIP because they were front row.”
When they looked into the ticketing, they said where they were sat actually cost significantly less.
They said: “The rows that would have been behind us have scattered VIP seats, so we would have been able to pay hundreds less if we had truly paid for third-row seats.”
Understandably they approached the organisers to see what had happened, only for them to blame it on Taylor Swift’s team.
The disappointed fans said: “They ended up telling us that it was the promoter’s fault and Taylor Swift’s team added them.
“There were cases at other venues where people were moved if their seats weren’t as described. This was not the case for us and there were no accommodations made.
“We asked a girl in the extended row eight how she was able to get tickets, she said she had bought them the day of the concert for $1.2k off of Seat Geek.
“We have no idea how Seat Geek was able to sell tickets that were not available for presale when we originally purchased ours.
“There was a man sitting in front of us who exclaimed how surprised he was that he was able to snag tickets so close on the day of the concert.”
Angry at the turn of events, after the show they contacted the ticket provider but were told there was nothing to be done.
They also notified the Better Business Bureau to help with claiming their money back by contacting the ticket provider and Taylor Swift’s team on their behalf.
This was the pair’s first experience of seeing Taylor Swift live after being fans since they were “old enough to walk”.
But despite the seat issue, they still managed to have a good time.
They said: “We were disappointed that we did not receive the experience that we had paid for. There were parts of the concert where Taylor Swift would walk to the end of the catwalk and perform in front of our section.
“If we had the front row as we originally paid for, I believe our experience would be better. There were a few tall people who were now in front of us, which obstructed our view at times.”
However they say their “experience wasn’t ruined” and that “Taylor Swift is an amazing performer.”
They lay the blame with the “promoter” saying they “should have added [extra seats] to the last row on the floor so nobody would be at a loss.”
