Ticket line nightmare no laughing matter
PAIR COULD NOT GET THROUGH TO ACCESS HOTLINE
A fan of comedian Peter Kay has blasted the Newcastle venue of his upcoming tour after claiming the disabled lost out in the scramble for tickets.
Jordi Wafer phoned the Metro Arena to book tickets for herself and her wheelchair-user mum Brenda.
She was put through to a line for people who need special access but was put on hold for an hour before the line went dead.
She says the venue is discriminating against the disabled because they are not able to get tickets in the same way as the ablebodied.
Jordi said: “My mam and I have been going to the Arena for years and are big fans of Peter Kay.
“I rang up for tickets on Saturday, the first day they were available, and pressed the option for the accessibility booking line.
“But I was on hold for an hour and a minute and then I was cut off.
“I phoned again and the Arena apologised and said to keep trying.
“It discriminates because we can’t book in the same way as any- one else.
“I think we should be given the same facilities as others.”
Jordi, of North Shields, is the official carer for Brenda, 71, who has been in a wheelchair since she contracted polio as a child.
She said: “We are fans. We saw him at the Arena many years ago and there was no trouble like this.”
Jordi complained to the Arena through social media and was told to be patient.
A reply message from the venue said: “We apologise for the inconvenience. This is an exceptionally high demand show which places stresses on the hb booking k system. “We can only apologise and recommend that you keep trying.” A spokeswoman for the Arena said all methods of booking tickets were very busy. She said: “We have the telephone number with the dedicated option for accessibility and an email address. “The general hotline and the access line have been extremely busy. “We added five extra dates on Saturday morning. “All we can advise is this lady persists and keeps trying. We apologise if she is having difficulty but it is sheer demand. It’s not just Newcastle. The same thing is happening right across the country.”
It discriminates because we can’t book in the same way as anyone else. Jordi Wafer