Fans who purchased premium tickets to see Bruce Springsteen on May 18 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC, are learning that their tickets don’t actually exist.
Tickets to the upcoming event, one of the last stops on Springsteen’s spring tour of North America, were oversold on Ticketmaster-owned resale site TicketsNow.com.
It is unclear exactly how many fans were affected, though published reports place it in the thousands, or how the oversell occurred. A media contact for TicketsNow did not reply to phone and e-mail requests for comment.
However, according to a report from the Associated Press, the company has been contacting affected customers to inform them of the error. Those affected are receiving refunds, as well as free seats further from the stage.
A spokesperson for the Verizon Center told TicketNews that she did not know any details about the oversell. TicketsNow’s sales were not connected with or reported to the venue. However, she did note that Ticketmaster’s allotment of Springsteen tickets sold out in 20 minutes on the first day of on-sales.
In the past, Ticketmaster’s relationship with its secondary subsidiary has come under fire by the Springsteen camp. In February, the Boss condemned the companies for redirecting fans to TicketsNow while tickets were still available at face value on Ticketmaster.
Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff issued an apology to Springsteen and his fans and said links between the two sites would be removed during future high-demand on-sales to reduce confusion.
Later in February, New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram reached a settlement with Ticketmaster about the redirection of fans and resale of Springsteen tickets on TicketsNow. Thousands of locals fans who filed complaints were entered into “a random drawing for 1,000 consumers who filed complaints against Ticketmaster” to purchase two tickets for one of Springsteen’s concerts at the Izod Center. The remaining fans would received a $100 Ticketmaster gift certificate good towards a future Springsteen performance in the state.
