Take That – And That

A Take That fan has complained because she was asked to pay more for tickets that she’d already bought.

Margaret Lovett told BBC News she purchased six tickets worth £373 for the gig at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium June 14 when a new batch went on sale last month.

But on June 2 she received a phone call from Ticketmaster saying her tickets were no longer available unless she paid about £20 extra per ticket.

“I bought the tickets May 20 – they were extra ones that were released online first come, first served,” Lovett explained. “I bought six and paid for them and the money came from my account. Then Ticketmaster rang and said the tickets I bought were no longer available. They said they can offer me six other tickets and it would be £20-odd extra each ticket.

“I had already paid £373, and it was more or less pay up or you won’t have your tickets,” she said. “I feel like I’m being blackmailed.”

A Ticketmaster spokesman told the BBC the original price was “incorrect” but it waived the fee. The company’s not saying how many other fans were affected by the same problem.

This isn’t the first ticketing problem for the 36-date “Progress Live” tour that will see the act play to 1.75 million fans.

London police are considering investigating a website called Ticketindex.net, which is alleged to have collected money for tickets and then failed to deliver them. The problem first came to light when fans complained to consumer watchdog Safeconcerts.com.

“As far as we can see there are no controls in place, anyone can set up business as a secondary ticket seller – it’s scary,” said Derren Nugent from Safeconcerts.

More than 100 people who posted on the Safeconcerts website have complained that they haven’t received refunds they were promised after receiving e-mails from Ticketindex saying their allocation had not arrived.