The live event industry is moving more and more toward mobile ticketing – but what happens if you don’t own a smartphone? Two seniors, hoping to see the Rolling Stones live in concert, were turned away at the gate since neither had digital tickets.
The two fans, Chuck Doxon and Charles Warner, had driven from San Diego and Mesa to Phoenix to see the Stones perform at the State Farm Stadium last week. Duxon and Warner had purchased tickets via StubHub. The mobile ticket transfer process was involved, and a StubHub YouTube video explained that paper tickets will not allow them entry into the stadium; the 70-year-olds were unaware that they needed a smartphone to enter the venue.
“The funds were there,” Doxon told 12News. “They were in. We paid for them. We had verification through the paperwork. And so, off we went.”
Hoewever, when the pair arrived at the venue, they were told that the box office did not have their tickets, and they needed a smartphone to access their barcodes.
“She says we do not have your tickets,” Doxon said. “I said what do you mean> It’s a mobile transfer ticket and they haven’t sent it to us. Oh my God, we were screaming, what, what, what?”
According to 12News, the Stones show was not a mobile-only concert, as forty percent of the tickets scanned that night were paper tickets. People who had issues with mobile tickets were also given hard tickets from the box office once they were verified as the owner of the tickets.
Once StubHub heard of the confusion, the secondary ticketing site fully refunded both men.
“StubHub has our customers’ backs, and in the rare instances where something goes wrong, every transaction is 100 % guaranteed,” spokesperson Aimee Campbell said in a statement. “In this case, we are thankful to NBC12 and Mr. Doxon for bringing this matter to our attention. For the inconvenience, we have fully refunded Mr. Doxon and look forward to serving him in the future. We advise customers to review the type of tickets that they are purchasing before they click buy and if they have any issues, they should contact us for support as our team are always happy to help.”
While mobile tickets are meant to provide easier entry into the venue, many sports, theater, and music fans have faced difficulties with digital tickets. Many note that they even make the process more difficult, since phones can die and service may not always be available, and others are upset with the lack of the tangible ticket. Nonetheless, a fully digital live event industry is approaching.