According to the Associated Press, “thousands” of fans who bought premium seats to the concert have been contacted by TicketsNow, which has informed them that their tickets don’t actually exist. TicketsNow has clarified the number, saying 300 people were affected and all but 24 have been contacted and provided alternatives like refunds along with free seats in other areas of the arena.
TicketsNow says it is a “unique occurrence” and is making some significant reparations – in some cases a 200 percent refund – along with providing hotel accommodations and gas credit to another nearby venue if the customer wishes.
But, as of press time, there was no clear explanation as to how ticket holders were left empty-handed. TicketsNow has stated its policy is to have third-party sellers with actual ticket inventory, rather than other similar Web sites that allow speculation.
TicketsNow Senior VP of Marketing Julia Vander Ploeg told Pollstar the situation occurred because of the massive amount of tickets that sold during Springsteen’s onsale. It was not certain which seller or sellers were responsible for the mishap.
Verizon Center noted the concert took only 20 minutes to sell out. TM, which owns TicketsNow, told Pollstar that it no longer links to its subsidiary.
Of all the concerts that could have had a problem like this, chances are TicketsNow would have preferred it was not Bruce Springsteen and, equally important, not at a venue in Washington, D.C., where the company is already under intense scrutiny from both Congress and the Justice Department.
Springsteen and his team issued a statement in February when the tour onsale provided links to TicketsNow after primary tickets sold out, resulting in The Boss denouncing the practice.
The situation also comes a couple weeks after Ticketmaster noted in a statement, “We are committed to providing a transparent, secure marketplace that assures the many [patrons] that use our Ticketmaster and TicketsNow services that the tickets they buy are genuine and redeemable.”