‘Why am I no longer a Take That VIP?’
A fan who bought tickets for Take That’s concert at the Co-op Live has seen her VIP status lost - after the gig was moved to the AO Arena in Manchester instead...
TAKE That fan Denise Taylor has criticised Ticketmaster – after being told she is ‘no longer a VIP’.
Denise, from Stoke-on-trent, had splashed out £250 on a second row VIP ticket for tonight’s Take That gig at the new Co-op Live, in Manchester.
But the venue opening has been beset by delays, the venue remains closed, and the concert has been moved to the nearby AO Arena.
It has seen Denise and her friend moved to a tiered seat on one side of the arena.
Now the 48-year-old – who has been watching Take That for 33 years – has hit out at Ticketmaster.
She said: “I am angry and I am disappointed. I’ve been a fan since 1992 and I’ve never missed a tour – I used to watch them in nightclubs before they got famous.
“I bought the tickets on pre-sale because I pre-ordered the album and got the code, and I got VIP tickets and was sat in the second row.
“All this started with Co-op Live and I was really happy that it had moved to the AO Arena. I wasn’t expecting to get the same seat but the new tickets didn’t say anything about being VIP.
“I sent Ticketmaster a message and was told that I’m no longer VIP and if I want a refund, I can have it, or I can pay the extra and get nothing for it.”
Take That has issued a statement following the venue switch. It is still not known when Co-op Live will open after a series of cancelled highprofile shows.
The band stated: “Given the ongoing technical issues around the opening of Co-op Live we have taken the difficult decision to move our May shows to the AO Arena where we have enjoyed many great nights over the years.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we wanted to give our fans as much notice as possible. We’re mindful many of you will already have travel and accommodation plans in place, so we have chosen this option to minimise inconvenience to as many people as possible.”
AO Arena general manager Jen Mitchell said: “We sympathise with the fans. Ticketing providers are working incredibly hard to do what they can to allocate appropriate equivalent seats for upcoming shows and to make sure fans are as well located as they can be, based on original bookings.
“As a venue we don’t manage ticketing. Our responsibility is to make sure everyone gets in and has a great, safe time on the night.”
Ticketmaster has defended itself in the face of the criticism.
A Ticketmaster spokesperson said: “With Take That’s shows moving to a new venue with a different layout, our team has worked with the event promoter to move fans to a location as similar to their original booking as possible.
“However, some seating locations will vary. We appreciate fans’ understanding and reiterate that refunds are available through their Ticketmaster account. Everyone who booked VIP floor seats remains in VIP floor seats after the relocation.”