The Taylor Swift Lead Booker Debacle

RefluentBeans

tightauldgit said:

RefluentBeans said:

OP - have you clarified this with Ticketmaster? I agree, I can’t imagine the security staff at the gates actually caring that much, but also get not wanting to take a risk. I also get not wanting to cancel the tickets hoping to rebuy them (after all, this policy is done because the tickets are hard to get!). 

I would call them up, say you bought them for your daughter, and ask if you need to be physically there. If the lead booker does need to be there, and they’re instructing staff to check, then you can ask if you can put your daughter as the lead booker? I guarantee that you won’t be the first person with this concern and I guarantee you certainly won’t be the last. 

Just be sure to ask for an email transcript or confirmation of what was spoken about in the call and confirming either way. Then you can print it off, give it to your daughter just in case. 

Tl;dr - speak to Ticketmaster before cancelling the tickets. If they say it should be fine, ask them to email you that in writing; and if the lead booker 100% needs to be there then ask to transfer the lead booker to your daughter. If that doesn’t work, come back and get more advice then! Hope your daughter and her friends enjoy Taylor Swift! 

In all honesty Ticketmaster will just quote you the terms of the ticket - they have no control over what the venue chooses to do on the day with respect to security or checking. 

In my personal experience I've never been to a gig where anyone checked any ID to see if names match the ticket but that's not to say it doesn't happen. 

Given the amount of pressure on Ticketmaster because of these Taylor Swift concerts I think there’s a good chance that they will at least try it this time. Also don’t think the advice of ‘unlikely to happen, hope it all works out’ is particularly useful - arguing on the gate certainly won’t help if you’re denied entry for not following the rules. 

OP should clarify position with Ticketmaster - if it’s a family member then is that considered acceptable or if changing the lead booker is possible. 

tightauldgit

RefluentBeans said:

tightauldgit said:

RefluentBeans said:

OP - have you clarified this with Ticketmaster? I agree, I can’t imagine the security staff at the gates actually caring that much, but also get not wanting to take a risk. I also get not wanting to cancel the tickets hoping to rebuy them (after all, this policy is done because the tickets are hard to get!). 

I would call them up, say you bought them for your daughter, and ask if you need to be physically there. If the lead booker does need to be there, and they’re instructing staff to check, then you can ask if you can put your daughter as the lead booker? I guarantee that you won’t be the first person with this concern and I guarantee you certainly won’t be the last. 

Just be sure to ask for an email transcript or confirmation of what was spoken about in the call and confirming either way. Then you can print it off, give it to your daughter just in case. 

Tl;dr - speak to Ticketmaster before cancelling the tickets. If they say it should be fine, ask them to email you that in writing; and if the lead booker 100% needs to be there then ask to transfer the lead booker to your daughter. If that doesn’t work, come back and get more advice then! Hope your daughter and her friends enjoy Taylor Swift! 

In all honesty Ticketmaster will just quote you the terms of the ticket - they have no control over what the venue chooses to do on the day with respect to security or checking. 

In my personal experience I've never been to a gig where anyone checked any ID to see if names match the ticket but that's not to say it doesn't happen. 

Given the amount of pressure on Ticketmaster because of these Taylor Swift concerts I think there’s a good chance that they will at least try it this time. Also don’t think the advice of ‘unlikely to happen, hope it all works out’ is particularly useful - arguing on the gate certainly won’t help if you’re denied entry for not following the rules. 

OP should clarify position with Ticketmaster - if it’s a family member then is that considered acceptable or if changing the lead booker is possible. 

Ticketmaster just sell you the tickets - the security and checking on the day are the responsibility of the venue. I don't think Ticketmaster could tell you what will happen even if they wanted to - they will tell you the terms attached to the ticket, which I'm pretty sure will say the lead booker must be part of the group on the day and that tickets are non-transferable.

Beyond that nobody can really tell you what will happen until it happens - if you want to be 100% sure of entry then make sure you are 100% compliant with the terms of the ticket.  

Aylesbury_Duck

If the condition is that you "need to attend", can't you just arrive with the girls, get them in and then leave? I appreciate it still means time off work, etc. but at least you don't have to take someone's place.

tightauldgit

Aylesbury_Duck said:

If the condition is that you "need to attend", can't you just arrive with the girls, get them in and then leave? I appreciate it still means time off work, etc. but at least you don't have to take someone's place.

You would still have a ticket in the lead booker's name that can't be used to admit someone else so someone would still have to miss out I think. The tickets are non-transferable according to the site.

I would also imagine by 'attend' they would mean that they have to enter the venue using their ticket not just turn up at the gate. 

IF they've gone to the trouble of checking lead booker's ID at the game then I suspect this wouldn't fly as a work around. 

GedlingRed

I've had the following email from Ticket Master today as I had bought tickets for my daughters and queried this.

'Thank you for getting in touch.
 
Transfer will be available for all tickets closer to the event. This means you will be able to transfer your tickets to whoever you choose and the lead booker will not need to be present.
 
The promoter, in this case AEG Presents, decides upon all policies for the event. AEG Presents has provided the following advice;
 
“The only way to obtain a valid ticket for Taylor Swift’s shows is via the approved ticket agents. In the UK, the approved ticket agents are: Ticketmaster, AXS or directly through the venue’s website.

Any tickets found to be purchased via re-sale on the non-official secondary market will not be valid for entry into the concerts and will be cancelled in accordance with the terms and conditions of sale.

Authorised resale for tickets begins on 1 August. Through official resale facilities, ticket resale prices are capped to help combat the inflation of ticket prices and put a stop to ticket touting. For information on official resale facilities go to HERE
 
These resale facilities enable fans to sell their tickets with confidence and empower fans to purchase resale tickets with the assurance that the ticket they are purchasing is genuine.

In addition to the official resale facilities, fans will also be able to transfer their tickets via their approved ticket agent, so they can share tickets with friends and family who are also attending the concert. Ticket transfer will be made available much closer to the date of the shows and fans will be notified by email when ticket transfer is available. Fans in the UK and Ireland will then be able transfer all of their tickets.

For more information, please refer to the terms and conditions of sale published on the website of your approved ticket agent.”
 
If this doesn't answer your question, please reply to this email.

Sincerely,
Kyle
Ticketmaster Fan Support'

CardinalWolsey

OP - how old is your daughter and her friends? A lot of venues operate a policy whereby anyone 16 years and under will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult (i.e. someone 18 or over).