Ticketmaster Australia has been criticised after a ticketing issue caused numerous Hogwarts enthusiasts to miss out on getting tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
The play received glowing reviews for its stints in London’s West End and New York’s Broadway. It opens its run in Melbourne in January.
Fans were able to sign up for a pre-sale code to buy tickets today, ahead of general release next Monday. However, as tens of thousands flooded the Ticketmaster Australia website, fans were left waiting hours to get to the front of the queue.
Many fans took to Twitter to voice their despair after facing a myriad of issues including error codes, being charged without receiving a ticket, while some said their one-off code had been used.
One fan said: @TicketmasterAU I need help! Desperate to secure tickets to #HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild Today I went to buy a presale ticket and the website just stalled as credit card details were entered. I tried again but then it said my code had already been used! Tix selling out. HELP!”
Meanwhile, others claimed they had been charged for different tickets from the ones they actually decided to purchase.
Many fans reported being in a queue more than 35,000 people long, according to The Fix.
“So your website just kicked me off and you’ve taken my money and now I can’t get back on and I have no information saying I got tickets. Is this a joke or something because I’m super pissed. Waited an hour and 40 mins just to get on!!!!”
Ticketmaster tweeted buyers might have to wait up to 72 hours to get a confirmation email. It said fans could confirm orders by logging into their Ticketmaster account.
Meanwhile, one user pointed a glaring problem on Facebook: “If 40,000 people have ‘priority’, it’s not priority anymore.”
A statement from the play’s media agency said more tickets would be released for those who were unsuccessful in the pre-sale.
Image: Richard Cook