In the last few months, there have been numerous reports from consumers about issues when trying to purchase tickets on Ticketmaster. From website crashes during high demand ticket sales to errors processing orders, many fans have voiced frustration over problems using the popular ticket retailer’s platform. This begs the question – is Ticketmaster glitching?
What are the main issues being reported?
The most common complaints seem to center around:
- Website crashes and error messages during peak ticket sales.
- Difficulties accessing tickets even though pre-sale codes or links were valid.
- Higher than advertised ticket prices and fees at checkout.
- Errors processing payment when trying to complete purchases.
- Delays in receiving mobile tickets to events.
During major on-sales like tours for top artists or hot concert events, Ticketmaster shoppers have reported everything from crowded countdown waiting rooms to blank pages when trying to select seats. Even those with pre-sale access sometimes still encounter errors that prevent tickets from being added to their cart. The checkout process is another pain point, with some customers noting their ticket totals ending up much higher than initially shown.
What events have seen the most issues?
While every major Ticketmaster ticket sale sees some degree of complaints these days, a few recent examples stand out:
- Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour – Massive demand for Swift’s first tour in years overwhelmed Ticketmaster systems. Many fans couldn’t access tickets despite having pre-sale codes.
- Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour – More website crashes and long virtual queues frustrated Beyonce fans trying to secure tickets.
- Adele’s Las Vegas Residency – Sales were delayed after rabid interest froze up Ticketmaster’s site completely.
- Jimmy Buffett’s South Coast Tour – Parrotheads reported waiting room issues and sold out shows within minutes.
- Bad Bunny’s World’s Hottest Tour – Huge demand across multiple countries caused errors filling up arenas for the popular Latin pop artist.
The sheer volume of visitors to Ticketmaster for hot tours like these seems to routinely overwhelm the ticketing system, creating widespread glitches during the sales process. The company has acknowledged past issues keeping up with exceptional demand.
What is Ticketmaster saying?
Ticketmaster has responded to complaints by noting just how much traffic major on-sales attract. For example, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour pre-sale is estimated to have brought 14 million visitors to their site, including 3.5 million queued fans at one point. They suggest this extreme load is what can slow response times and trigger errors that lock out some buyers.
However, the ticket sales platform has also pledged to keep improving their systems. Recently, they have been experimenting with new features aimed at making the purchasing process smoother. These include interactive seat maps, waiting room countdowns showing real times, and expanding dynamic pricing models. While not perfect, Ticketmaster claims progress is being made.
What are some potential solutions?
To help alleviate website crashes and glitches during major ticket releases, some possible solutions include:
- Upgrading server capacity to handle larger traffic spikes.
- Staggering ticket on-sales over multiple dates or waves of buyers.
- Using virtual waiting rooms that don’t allow purchases until your turn.
- Limiting customer access to a set number of ticket purchases.
- Employing dynamic pricing to better align supply and demand.
Ticketmaster has begun to implement some of these like upgraded servers, waiting rooms, and demand-based pricing. However, major outages still occur during ticket releases for top tours and events. Continuing to optimize their systems and add capacity appears necessary to keep up with ever-growing consumer demand in live entertainment.
Are other major ticket companies any better?
Ticket Site | Reported Issues |
---|---|
Ticketmaster | Frequent website crashes, payment errors, long wait times. |
StubHub | High fees, some invalid ticket sales, fewer website problems. |
VividSeats | Customer service complaints, less demand strain on sales. |
SeatGeek | Lower fees but smaller inventory, limited to resale. |
AXS | Some delays for high-demand shows, better than Ticketmaster. |
Due to its position as the primary ticket provider for many major venues and artists, Ticketmaster tends to see the most issues under extremely high traffic. Secondary market resellers like StubHub and VividSeats don’t sell the initial rush of tickets, so have fewer problems during on-sales. Competitors like AXS, owned by AEG, have comparable technology but work with fewer top-tier artists and events. Overall, Ticketmaster’s dominant position in primary ticket sales exposes them the most when demand overwhelms website capacity.
Is this unique to Ticketmaster?
Ticketmaster is not alone in experiencing technical problems under high traffic loads. Other companies with major product launches or limited-supply sales see similar issues:
- PlayStation and Xbox – Online console releases often crash sites or sell out in seconds.
- Apple – Major product launches like new iPhones strain their online stores.
- Supreme – This popular streetwear brand’s product drops also buckle under heavy load.
- Shoe brands – Limited sneaker releases like Jordans or Yeezys freeze sites trying to sell out.
Wherever you have the combination of heavy consumer demand, limited inventory, and a sudden rush of traffic, sites and sales platforms tend to struggle. While frustrating to customers, this isn’t a challenge unique to just Ticketmaster. Any business releasing hot, in-demand products online faces similar capacity issues.
Conclusion
Ticketmaster has undoubtedly seen its fair share of problems in recent years handling website traffic and sales volume for major concert tours and events. While they have started adapting with new technology and features, periodic glitches and crashes still occur due to overwhelming demand. This remains a shortcoming they need to address through greater system upgrades, sales strategies to limit strain at releases, and setting consumer expectations appropriately. However, it’s a familiar challenge across many popular product segments, especially when supply is constrained. For Ticketmaster, the key will be continuing to optimize and evolve their sales platform to try and keep up with the ever-growing appetite for top live entertainment.