If you tried using Ticketmaster recently and ran into issues like the site not loading or getting error messages, there are several potential reasons why Ticketmaster may not be working properly for you.
Website or App Outages
One of the most common reasons Ticketmaster may not be working is if their website or mobile apps are experiencing an outage or technical issues. With the high volume of traffic Ticketmaster handles, especially around popular events and concerts going on sale, it’s not uncommon for their systems to struggle under heavy load.
Outages typically last from a few minutes up to an hour or two. During an outage, you’ll usually see error messages like “Tickets currently not available” or get stuck at the loading screen when trying to access Ticketmaster. All you can really do is wait it out and try again later once service has been restored.
High Demand for Popular Events
For major concerts and sporting events that have huge demand, Ticketmaster frequently encounters issues keeping up with the rush of fans all trying to buy tickets at the same time right when sales open up. The inventory of tickets sells out extremely quickly, often in just minutes or even seconds.
This can essentially “break” parts of Ticketmaster’s website and apps, leading to lag, errors, or inability to access tickets. If you’re trying to buy tickets for a super popular event that just went on sale, give it some time and keep trying – but also be prepared that tickets may sell out before you can get through.
Browser or Device Compatibility Problems
In some cases, Ticketmaster’s website or app may not work properly or at all if you have an older web browser, operating system, or device. As technology changes over time, websites and apps evolve too. At some point older technology falls too far behind to work smoothly.
Try accessing Ticketmaster from a different, more modern device and web browser. Clearing your browser cache/cookies, restarting your device, or reinstalling the app can also help resolve compatibility issues.
Site Traffic Overload from Bots
To gain an unfair advantage, some tech-savvy users will deploy bots – automated scripts that can rapidly search for and buy up tickets. Excessive bot traffic essentially DDoS attacks Ticketmaster’s servers, overloading their capacity and slowing down or crashing the site for everyone else.
During especially hot ticket sales, Ticketmaster may purposely restrict or throttle site traffic as a countermeasure. This helps mitigate bot overload issues, but can also inadvertently block some regular users too.
Payment System Problems
If Ticketmaster’s payment processing systems go down, buyers can still search for tickets but will then get stuck when trying to complete checkout. You may see errors during the payment phase or find your credit card unable to be processed.
Payment systems involve both Ticketmaster and various banks/payment processors. It only takes an outage on one side to prevent payments from going through. Retrying your purchase in a bit is typically the only option until systems are back up.
Account Login and Verification Issues
To purchase tickets on Ticketmaster, you need to have an account and be logged in. So if you can’t sign into your account due to login problems, that blocks you from accessing and buying tickets.
Issues like forgetting your password, your account being temporarily locked after too many failed sign-in attempts, needing to re-verify your account via email, or problems with two-factor authentication can all prevent you from getting into your Ticketmaster account.
Website or App Bugs and Glitches
With any large complex software system, bugs and glitches can pop up periodically that cause certain functions to fail or behave oddly. Sometimes specific browser or device interactions trigger unique bugs that only some users experience.
Simple page reloads and trying again typically resolve one-off glitches. More serious bugs may require waiting for Ticketmaster engineers to release a patch or app update.
Too Many Tabs or Devices Open
In an attempt to increase their chances, some buyers will open tons of browser tabs, use multiple devices, or share accounts to queue up as many pathways as possible for getting tickets.
However, this can have the opposite effect. Too many sessions from a single account or IP address looks suspicious and may trigger safeguards that block or limit some sessions. Stick to just 1-2 browser tabs and devices logged into your Ticketmaster account.
Manual Review of Suspicious Activity
To combat bots and other unfair buyer practices, Ticketmaster has gotten more aggressive about analyzing activity they deem suspicious. This could be things like rapidly refreshing pages, opening many sessions, patterns that mimic bots, etc.
If your activity gets flagged, Ticketmaster may put your account under manual fraud review as a precaution, restricting your access temporarily until you can verify you’re not a bot.
User Error
One of the simplest explanations for why Ticketmaster may not appear to be working for you is due to user error. Things like mistyping the website URL, not realizing you got logged out of your account, forgetting your password, or entering billing/payment info incorrectly.
Slow down and carefully double check that you’re properly accessing Ticketmaster’s site, signed into your account, and entering info correctly. Many “issues” turn out to be simple user mistakes.
Network or Internet Problems
Before assuming any problems are on Ticketmaster’s end, check your own internet connection. Issues like network outages, WiFi problems, ISP throttling, VPN disruptions, or browser privacy settings blocking resources can essentially “break” many modern websites.
Verify that you have a stable internet connection on your device and retry Ticketmaster a bit later. Using a cellular data connection instead of WiFi (or vice versa) can help isolate connection problems.
Geographic Restrictions
Access to Ticketmaster can vary depending on your geographic location and local regulations. For example, some events and venues sell tickets exclusively through specific official ticket agents for that region.
If you are traveling or using a VPN that places you in a different region, you may lose access to your normal Ticketmaster site. Switch off your VPN or access Ticketmaster through the proper localized site.
Scheduled Site Maintenance
Like any website and app, Ticketmaster undergoes regular maintenance downtime outside of peak hours to update code, release new features, and refresh servers. This scheduled maintenance is typically announced on their social media accounts.
If Ticketmaster seems inaccessible, check to see if they’ve posted about any ongoing planned maintenance. This usually lasts an hour or less before service is restored.
Banned or Restricted Account Access
In some rarer cases, individual Ticketmaster accounts can have access revoked or restricted if you violate their terms of service, botdetection limits, request limits, or other policies.
If other Ticketmaster buyers are not reporting any issues but your account remains blocked from accessing tickets, you may need to reach out to their customer service team for assistance with your account status.
Conclusion
Ticketmaster going down or encountering errors can be extremely frustrating, especially right when hot tickets go on sale. Technical problems are hard to avoid for a website handling enormous traffic volumes under tight time constraints.
Having some patience and periodically retrying your request is usually the only option. If problems persist or seem to only impact your specific account, it’s worth digging deeper into potential causes specific to your access.
