Taylor Swift fans who paid more than £1,400 to get Front Row VIP seats were angry when they ended up three rows back. The pair went to see their favourite artist at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, USA.
The friends had bought the tickets six months earlier at a fee of £1,463.86. On the day of the concert, the pair excitedly made their way towards the front row only to find out they were actually sitting three rows back.
The promoter had allegedly added two rows in front of the ones allocated for their tickets. 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."
The pair were shocked and disappointed after paying so much and waiting so long for the event. They said: "After the cost of the seats, subsequent fees, and insurance, we paid roughly £1,463.86 for both tickets.
"Our specific seats were VIP because they were front row."
The pair explained that the seats they ended up with actually cost hundreds of dollars 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."
While at the concert they thought this must have been a mistake. So, they went to explain what happened to the organisers, who ended up blaming it on Taylor Swift's own team.
They said: "We immediately went to the guest services and asked them why our seats were moved back. They ended up telling us that it was the promoter's fault and Taylor Swift's team added them.
"Guest services told us that the seats were added for Taylor Swift's friends and family, but she has a tent on the floor specifically for that purpose, so this was not true. 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."
After the concert, the pair contacted the ticket provider, who told them that nothing could be done. But they have yet to receive a response from any of the parties involved. 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. Overall, my experience wasn't ruined. We enjoyed the concert as Taylor Swift is an amazing performer.
"I believe if the promoter was going to add seats last minute, they should have added them to the last row on the floor so nobody would be at a loss.
"I still love Taylor Swift and will continue to support her. I believe this is not a decision she made on her part. I believe this was a decision made by the promoter."
Tickets for the Taylor Swift Eras Tour in the UK will be sold via Ticketmaster.
