Taylor Swift fans in London and Edinburgh are celebrating today after getting their hands on the first tickets for the star's UK shows next summer - but not everyone is happy.
While some fans were thrilled to get hold of the sought-after tickets in the presales, others were left devastated after making a disappointing discovery about their purchases. Several fans have taken to Twitter claiming that the tickets they spent hundreds of pounds on are located 'behind the stage' at both Wembley Stadium and Scotland's BT Murrayfield Stadium.
Tickets for two shows in London on June 21 and August 15, and three shows in Edinburgh between June 7 and 9, went on sale today exclusively to fans who pre-ordered Taylor's latest album Midnights last year. Three separate presales took place over the day, with sales for the shows staggered at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Another six presales will take place over the next two days for the remaining UK dates.
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Fans could only access the ticket sales with a special access code sent via email ahead of the sales. People eligible to purchase tickets in the Midnights presale were given a code for either Ticketmaster or AXS, which are the only two outlets tickets are available from.
After waiting in a virtual queue fans were taken to the ticket purchase page, but many were left confused by the options available to them. Fans who were after seated tickets complained that instead of being able to select seats in certain sections of the venues, they were told to choose from a number of different price levels - ranging from the most expensive seats at around £195 to the cheapest at around £59.
Fans noticed that while some options were marked with 'Side View', none of the options suggested that they could be getting seats located at the back of the stage.
Elated Swifties soon became disappointed when they matched up the seats allocated to them with the venue's own seating plan, worrying that they wouldn't be able to see the stage from the blocks they would be sitting in. Some fans claimed they paid hundreds of pounds for their tickets, only to realise they would have a restricted view.
Fuming fans took to Twitter to voice their concerns, with many complaining that there was no prior warning from Ticketmaster or AXS that the seats they were about to purchase could have a restricted view.
One user said she spent nearly £200 each on seats today just to find out that they were at the side of the stage. @ImogenPeplow said: “I bought x3 tickets for Taylor swift Edinburgh section E3 but now that I’m looking at the map it looks very restricted and didn’t come up as as restricted view!! These were nearly £200 each?”
Another fan, @josephmarlow8 claimed he bought the 'top tier' of seats available only to find out they were 'behind the stage'. He told AXS: "I purchased the top tier of seated tickets for Taylor swift at Wembley, and I’ve been given obstructed view seating. I’m really upset as I paid more than standing prices for a ticket that’s behind the stage."
@totooedheart also took to Twitter to complain about her seats, telling AXS: “i have just bought taylor swift pre-sale and paid for tickets to realise they are a restricted view without any prior knowledge stating so on the tickets?”
@aureliamist was also disappointed, telling Ticketmaster: “was very disappointed to see after purchasing tickets for the eras tour this morning that they most likely have restricted view (based on seat maps and photos from the seat) - they did not state this when purchasing.”
Similarly, @upopintimate asked: “why did it not say that my Taylor swift ticket was restricted view until AFTER I bought the ticket?”
Taylor fan @sophienkhan asked if she could swap her tickets for Edinburgh after finding out they were behind the stage rather than on the side of the stadium like she wanted. She told Ticketmaster: "I’ve bought Taylor Swift tickets for Edinburgh on the 8th and they said Side view so I assumed Side view but they are actually on the corner behind the stage and I’ve paid £298, is there anyway to change these for ones with an actual view!!?"
@sarahgriff told AXS she was “really not happy” after making her purchase. “I’ve spent over £200 on tickets without any prior warning that they are restricted view until they’ve been purchased,” she told the ticket provider.
@odqir described the situation as a “joke” after buying tickets for £80 and told Ticketmaster: “you should not be selling seats with a restricted view without stating that the view is restricted. when i got my tickets there was absolutely no warning that they were restricted view.”
@ManicRob asked for held from AXS, writing: “Slightly concerned with seats Taylor Swift. Secured ticket at £150 each to essentially see on seating map a behind the stage view? No mention of restricted view on booking.”
@anoldpoet asked: “why did axs make me pay £110 for restricted view without telling me they were restricted view?”
The strict rules in place around the presales limit fans to only four tickets, which means Swifties who have already reached their four-ticket limit today will not be able to try for tickets again in the presales on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Manchester Evening News has contacted both Ticketmaster and AXS for a comment.
