Coop live moved my seats because someone else was sat there

SapphireRose

Hi, Im hoping someone can give me some advice on this.
I attended the Culture Club concert on the 11th December 24. I had bought and paid for a wheelchair accessible seat, as I'm in a wheelchair, and essential companion ticket in the Coop Live presale, which I pay to access. I originally paid for seats in Section 102, Row 24, Seats 28 & 29 which was in line with the side of the stage and cost more than the other disabled seats but I willingly paid for this because I was taking my sister for her 40th birthday treat and considered the extra cost worth it for the excellent view.
We arrived at around 7pm which was before the start time of the concert stated on the tickets of 7.30pm.
When we got to where our seats were located we was told that there was no room in that section as more people had turned up with wheelchairs than they expected so had been placed in the section we booked. I said that is not acceptable and that they should be moved now I have arrived but was told that because someone was sat there we had to find somewhere else to sit, so I insisted I talked to someone else. I was then taken around to fan services who claimed to know about this and just handed me a slip of paper with my reallocated seats. I then said that this isn't right as I had paid a premium for my seats and was basically told that my options were to take the reallocated seats and see the show or I go home. The seats we had been reallocated to was the much cheaper seats right at the very back of the arena.
We did watch the show but we didn't really enjoy the evening as this had really impacted on how special I wanted the night to be. I was speaking to the people we ended up sat next too and they also had been moved and should have been next to us in the previous seats so this didn't just happen to us.
Is there anywhere I can complain to? If so would it be the coop live arena or would I have to contact ticket master, who I purchased the tickets through? and also is it even worth complaining?

TIA

DullGreyGuy

The Ticketmaster terms allow them or the event partner to change your seats however they must be to ones of equivalent value. 

Your rights are with the company you bought from and so you should raise a complaint with Ticketmaster. 

Did you get any evidence that the venue changed your seats?

Jenni_D

The OP says "and just handed me a slip of paper with my reallocated seats" ... I'd presume that counts as evidence? (Hopefully the OP retained it).

SapphireRose

DullGreyGuy said:

The Ticketmaster terms allow them or the event partner to change your seats however they must be to ones of equivalent value. 

Your rights are with the company you bought from and so you should raise a complaint with Ticketmaster. 

Did you get any evidence that the venue changed your seats?

Yes I was given this tiny slip of paper to show where my reallocated seats were.

DullGreyGuy

SapphireRose said:

DullGreyGuy said:

The Ticketmaster terms allow them or the event partner to change your seats however they must be to ones of equivalent value. 

Your rights are with the company you bought from and so you should raise a complaint with Ticketmaster. 

Did you get any evidence that the venue changed your seats?

Yes I was given this tiny slip of paper to show where my reallocated seats were.

Looks great proof... was more concerned it would be some scrap of paper pulled from a notebook that anyone could have created at home with 90 seconds notice

Okell

@SapphireRose -  previous posters are correct that your legal remedy lies with Ticketmaster who you bought the tickets from - so that's who you need to go back to.

However, I would also send a strongly worded complaint to Co-op Live about the appalling treatment you received and tell them that their staff behaved in a wholly unacceptable manner.  There's no point in allowing disabled people who need wheelchair access to book premium-priced tickets only to deny them access to those seats on the night.  If people who hadn't booked wheelchair access tickets turned up before you, they should have been directed to where you were eventually seated and not given your seats.

I'd also check whoever is responsible for licensing the venue (I presume Manchester City Council) and complain to their disabilty/equality lead about your treatment by staff at the venue.

This sort of thing really annoys me...

SapphireRose

Okell said:

@SapphireRose -  previous posters are correct that your legal remedy lies with Ticketmaster who you bought the tickets from - so that's who you need to go back to.

However, I would also send a strongly worded complaint to Co-op Live about the appalling treatment you received and tell them that their staff behaved in a wholly unacceptable manner.  There's no point in allowing disabled people who need wheelchair access to book premium-priced tickets only to deny them access to those seats on the night.  If people who hadn't booked wheelchair access tickets turned up before you, they should have been directed to where you were eventually seated and not given your seats.

I'd also check whoever is responsible for licensing the venue (I presume Manchester City Council) and complain to their disabilty/equality lead about your treatment by staff at the venue.

This sort of thing really annoys me...

Thanks for that! I am a seasoned concert goer in Manchester and been to many venues and have never had issues or treatment like I got at the Coop live arena. It was appalling to be fair and If I hadn't already booked to go see Olly Murs there I wouldn't be going again ever. Not only did I have the issues listed above but the carparking situation was a mess also with disable parking being the furthest spaces away from the accessible entrance with a lift but the spaces were not wide enough for a wheelchair as they were just standard spaces. Then when leaving the lift we used to come in had apparently broken and we had to the travel around to the far side of the arena to use the other lift and then travel the distance back around the outside of the venue to get anywhere near the carpark.

GDB2222

I’m impressed that Culture Club are still working at their age! Were they any good?

Grumpy_chap

GDB2222 said:

I’m impressed that Culture Club are still working at their age! Were they any good?

It's all that good karma and chameleon-like ability to reinvent themselves.

photome

GDB2222 said:

I’m impressed that Culture Club are still working at their age! Were they any good?

You need to get out more, many 80s bands are still performing and touring regularly and most still sound great

DullGreyGuy

photome said:

GDB2222 said:

I’m impressed that Culture Club are still working at their age! Were they any good?

You need to get out more, many 80s bands are still performing and touring regularly and most still sound great

Though some had wilder lifestyles that may influence the probability of them still being around. 

An associate was a well known photographer who did lots of album covers in the early 80s. He always said he was amazed to have made it into his 70s given how many and how much substances he'd taken. He was still working until 2 days before his death.