Tannia Ribeiro was thrilled when she successfully secured tickets during the Rogers presale for the Backstreet Boys concert in Toronto. Despite many tickets being sold out, she managed to find two tickets in the 130 section at Rogers Centre, ideal for her and her friend’s planned outing. After spending close to $700, Ribeiro, a fan of the band since their debut album in 1996, was excited about attending the show.
However, her excitement turned to disappointment when she discovered through an Instagram post that her seats, along with others, had obstructed views of the stage. Following the presale, numerous fans took to social media to express their discontent with Ticketmaster for not disclosing the obstructed views and later selling those seats at discounted prices. This led to demands for refunds or seat exchanges to rectify the situation.
Upon receiving confirmation from Ticketmaster that her seats were affected, Ribeiro expressed her dismay. Live Nation acknowledged receiving concerns from some fans regarding their tickets and assured proactive relocation to unobstructed-view seats before the show, with affected fans to be contacted soon.
Stephanie Tan, another Backstreet Boys enthusiast, planned to attend the opening weekend show in Toronto but was disheartened to discover that the seats she purchased also had obstructed views. Spending over $3,000 for four tickets, Tan had expected a great view and was upset to learn about the issue only after reaching out to Ticketmaster.
Lisa Parent, a fan from Thunder Bay, Ontario, purchased eight tickets for the concert and later found out about the obstructed views when comparing tickets for another show in March. She provided evidence showing the price difference and conflicting information from Ticketmaster regarding the view status of her seats.
Ticketmaster assured fans of working on a solution for those with obstructed views, while Rogers directed inquiries to Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Disgruntled fans like Tan and Parent expressed their intentions to seek refunds or demand partial reimbursements for the misrepresented seating. Ribeiro called on Ticketmaster to issue an apology to the affected customers, expressing their frustration over the situation.
