Heartbreak for Taylor Swift Fan: $792 Tickets Gone Due to Ticketmaster Error

According to The Sun, A dedicated Taylor Swift fan has experienced disappointment after spending $800 on concert tickets, only to find them missing from her account.

The Ticket Purchase

Megan Leiss, a pharmacist from Cincinnati, Ohio, purchased four tickets to Swift’s highly anticipated Eras Tour through Ticketmaster over a year ago. After a brief hiatus, Swift is set to resume her legendary tour with a final U.S. leg starting on October 18. On August 11, 2023, Leiss charged $792 to her credit card for the tickets.

However, this week, as she prepared for the concert on November 1, Leiss attempted to check her tickets in the Ticketmaster app, only to discover that she couldn’t access her account. “In my case, I couldn’t even log in anymore,” Leiss shared with The U.S. Sun. “It was saying there wasn’t an account associated with my email, even though it’s the email that the order confirmation and mobile tickets were sent to and the email I got my presale verification code.”

Lost Tickets and Frustration

After searching her email, Leiss found that she was unable to download her tickets from the confirmation message. Clicking the link led to a “page not found” error, further compounding her frustration. She attempted to reach Ticketmaster’s customer service multiple times, only to be placed on hold each time without connecting with a representative. “I tried calling customer service like three times and was on hold and never got in touch with anyone,” she recounted.

After additional unsuccessful attempts to contact the fraud department, Leiss filled out an email form but couldn’t access the online chat feature because of her account issues. When she finally connected with Ticketmaster, an employee informed her that there was no record of an account associated with her email. Even after providing her order number, the tickets remained elusive, leading to the case being escalated to the fraud team.

The Revelation

As the concert date approached, Leiss took to social media, where a Ticketmaster employee revealed that a different email was linked to her order number, indicating that her tickets had been transferred to someone else. “My account was hacked,” Leiss urgently messaged Ticketmaster. “That’s not an email I use, and I never transferred my tickets nor did I approve that. Please get my tickets back!!!”

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A Common Issue Among Fans

Leiss’s experience isn’t isolated; numerous fans have reported their tickets disappearing due to what WPEC, a CBS affiliate in West Palm Beach, Florida, described as “ticket takeovers.” She noticed others sharing similar experiences online, where their tickets were mysteriously transferred from their accounts. After publicly addressing her issue and leaving another voicemail, Leiss was eventually able to retrieve her tickets, bringing her immense relief as the concert drew closer. She admitted that she “truly wouldn’t have looked for my tickets until a few days before the concert.”

Ticketmaster’s Response

In a statement to The U.S. Sun, Ticketmaster explained that due to the security measures associated with mobile tickets, the company can typically restore nearly all lost tickets. “Overall, our digital ticketing innovations have greatly reduced fraud compared to the days of paper tickets and duplicated PDFs,” a spokesperson said. “Having that digital history is also how we are able to investigate the situation and restore fans’ tickets.”

Security Concerns

Leiss’s alarming experience follows a report that over 500 million Ticketmaster customers’ details were compromised earlier this year. Although Ticketmaster asserted that the data breach wasn’t a hack and that no passwords were exposed, customers were advised to check their accounts as personal information was stolen. To safeguard against fraud, Ticketmaster recommends users set strong, unique passwords for their accounts, especially for their personal email, where many security issues often originate. The company stated that it is “constantly investing” in new measures to protect fans and their tickets.