Oasis Fans Outraged by Ticketmaster’s ‘Disgusting’ Dynamic Pricing Disaster

Dan Walker has spearheaded the wave of complaints against Ticketmaster, which has been labeled “disgusting” and “nasty” after a disastrous day for thousands of Oasis fans.

On Saturday (31 August), tickets for Oasis’ highly anticipated reunion tour went on sale, just four days after the announcement was made. However, many fans who had entered a pre-sale ballot spent their entire day refreshing the page in a bid to gain access to the tickets.

Numerous fans spent up to 15 hours attempting to reach the sale page, only to be repeatedly kicked off the booking website. The frustration peaked when Ticketmaster announced that tickets had sold out shortly after 7pm.

Adding to the chaos, those who managed to get through discovered that the ticket prices, previously confirmed by Oasis to be £150 for a general admission standing ticket, had skyrocketed to as much as £355 due to Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing policy.

This dynamic pricing policy, which has faced heavy criticism in the past, adjusts prices in response to demand. While the system aims to discourage scalpers by keeping the money in-house for the seller and artist, many fans find it unfair. This change is allowed under consumer protection laws. The Independent has reached out to Oasis and Ticketmaster for comments.

The nightmare didn’t stop there. Many fans reported being kicked out and “suspended” by Ticketmaster, which accused them of being bots, despite queuing for hours.

Broadcaster Dan Walker voiced his frustration on X/Twitter, writing: “There has got to be a fairer, simpler, more efficient way of selling tickets that isn’t so open to touts, scammers, resellers & bots #Oasis In the queue, out of the queue, refresh / don’t refresh, wait in line, back of the line, accused of being a bot… timed out.”

Another disgruntled fan shared: “That feeling when you wait in a queue for four hours only to be told the price of the ticket has risen from £148 to… £355??? Because they’re ‘in demand’. How is this not illegal?”

Echoing the sentiment, a fan expressed their frustration: “How was your Saturday? 15 hours later still 0 tickets. Systems rigged and Ticketmaster with their demand £400 standing tickets!! I hope Oasis release more dates.”

Another fan commented: “Absolute disgusting behavior from @TicketmasterUK for @oasis tickets. Sat in the queue for 2 hours, when it was finally my turn it kicked me out cause thought I was a bot. Devastated is an understatement, should be ashamed.”

Fans are now calling on Oasis to intervene, as demonstrated by the numerous posts flooding social media.

Oasis has cautioned against buying resale tickets at inflated prices from companies other than its official promoter, stating those tickets will not be valid. However, the band has yet to comment on Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing policy.

According to Ticketmaster, its goal is to “give the most passionate fans fair and safe access to the most in-demand tickets while allowing the artists and everyone involved in staging live events to price tickets closer to their fair value”.

Source: The Independent, PA Wire