In the cheap seats: Ticket change leaves Backstreet Boys fan fuming

A fan who paid more than $500 to see the Backstreet Boys from a prime position at their Auckland concert is fuming after Ticketmaster moved her to lower value seats in the stands.

However, the ticket seller says its hands are tied and March should consider “gifting her tickets to a friend” if they aren’t suitable.

In 2019, the Backstreet Boys announced two shows at Spark Arena the following year as part of their DNA World Tour.

The two concerts were later merged into one show, originally scheduled for May 16, 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, that concert was rescheduled three times and is expected to go ahead this Saturday.

READ MORE: * Ed Sheeran fans 'fuming' after tickets are changed to 'nosebleed' seats * Backstreet Boys fans kept in the dark about Auckland gigs * The Backstreet Boys confirm New Zealand concert in 2020

At the time of rescheduling, Ticketmaster said tickets would be valid for the new date and those who kept their tickets would be moved to the new date, “into a location equivalent to their original seats, or better.”

However, Aucklander Rebecca March​ said that had not been the case.

When tickets went on sale in September 2109, March bought two seats on the floor at a cost of more than $250 each.

This week she discovered her original seats in the eleventh row had been switched for a lower-value pair in the stands.

“I have looked at the seating plan and compared the prices of the seats against upcoming events and the difference in value is approximately $200,” she said.

“When I pointed this out to Ticketmaster, their response was that as customers received emails saying that the venue dates had been condensed into one night, unilaterally changing the value of our tickets was acceptable.

“They have also refused to refund our purchase price or refund the difference in value.”

In emails seen by Stuff, a Ticketmaster representative said March’s seats had been changed “because the date your original tickets were merged into the other show.”

”There were two shows to start with, but they merged them into one show date,” she said.

”We are unable to change your seats to the original booking.”

Ticketmaster said it was bound by policies set by event promoter, Live Nation, and ticket holders had been advised in November 2021 that refund requests must be made within a month.

March’s request had been declined as it was not submitted before the cut-off date, it said.

“We recommend gifting your tickets to a friend or family member if you cannot attend.”

Stuff approached Ticketmaster for comment and was referred to Live Nation. The promoter did not respond by deadline.

Consumer NZ spokesperson Jessica Walker​ said March was in the right, as she was promised equivalent or better seats and didn’t get them.

“Ticketmaster should take responsibility here, as they are the go-between for the promoter they shouldn’t just blame the promoter, they should arrange a solution with the promoter,” she said.

“The customer should get a refund because the service they are being provided is not what they paid for.”

Ticketmaster’s suggestion that the email sent to ticket holders justified the inferior seats was not good enough, Walker said.

“Given this show has been rescheduled three times, on top of the poor and unsatisfactory communication from Ticketmaster, we think customers are well within their rights to request a full refund.”

Making customers apply for a refund within a month when the concert was still two years away was not acceptable and March could file a claim with the Disputes Tribunal, she said.

March is not the first music fan to find herself allocated lesser-value seats at the last minute.

Fans of British popstar Ed Sheeran ran into similar issues ahead of his concerts at Eden Park last month.

In that case, event organisers claimed the reallocated seats were actually much better and the changes were “common practise”.