Taylor Swift fans in Pa. filed more than 2,000 complaints to the attorney general’s office after Ticketmaster’s Eras Tour presale
Pennsylvania Attorney General and Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro invited disgruntled Swifties to submit consumer complaints against Ticketmaster to his office. Within 24 hours, there were 1,200 complaints.
Hell hath no fury like a scorned Swiftie.
Pennsylvania Attorney General and Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro invited disgruntled Taylor Swift fans who experienced problems with Ticketmaster to submit consumer complaints. Within 24 hours, 1,200 were already filed. The office usually receives about 150 complaints per day, a spokesperson said.
As of Monday morning, that number had more than doubled to over 2,500 complaints.
“Trouble, trouble, trouble,” Shapiro tweeted last Thursday — a nod to Swift’s 2012 single “I Knew You Were Trouble” — after 14 million fans (and bots) spent hours trying to snag just over 2 million tickets to the singer’s upcoming Eras Tour.
Ticketmaster’s meltdown was a result of several failures. An overwhelming demand for tickets caused the site to crash. Even though only a fraction of “verified fans” were supposed to receive a code to purchase presale tickets, anyone could wait in the queue to buy them. Now, tickets are being resold for tens of thousands of dollars. Citing low ticket inventory, Ticketmaster ultimately canceled the general sale of Swift tickets.
» READ MORE: Philly Swifties duke it out for ‘Eras Tour’ presale tickets, complain of Ticketmaster crashes
The ordeal sparked criticism from several lawmakers, who say Ticketmaster has too strong of a hold on the live-event industry, with no competition and too much power.
“Daily reminder that Ticketmaster is a monopoly,” U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), tweeted last Tuesday. Ocasio-Cortez said the company’s 2010 merger with Live Nation “should never have been approved.” Last month, President Joe Biden announced his administration was also looking into regulating ticket-sales platforms and their fees.
In Philadelphia, some fans trying to get tickets to Swift’s three local performances complained of being at a standstill in the queue for hours. They mentioned the site crashing or booting them out before they could purchase tickets.
Now, Shapiro and other attorneys general across the country are investigating the issue. In Nevada, the attorney general’s office said it was investigating Ticketmaster for alleged deception or “unfair trade practices.” In Tennessee, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said he wants to make sure fans had a fair chance at snagging tickets. As noted by the Associated Press, Tennessee has an “anti-bot” ticket-selling law, but it is rarely enforced.
As complaints continue to roll in, Shapiro’s office added a line to its website’s complaint form asking users for patience as they deal with “the volume of complaints against Ticketmaster.”
“By filing these complaints, Pennsylvanians are empowering us to investigate and that’s what we are doing,” Shapiro said. “Our team has already begun to carefully review all complaints. If any Pennsylvanian has a consumer problem, this office is here to work for you.”