Royal fans who had hoped to attend the Coronation concert have hit out at Ticketmaster over an email which appeared to suggest they had won a place to attend.
Hundreds have complained on social media of the message which stated they had been “successful in the ballot for a pair of standing tickets” for the event at Windsor Castle on May 7.
It stated that tickets were being offered to a randomly selected group of ballot winners on a “first come, first served basis”.
However, many vented their anger that they were unable to get tickets despite the ‘congratulations’ email which stated they had until April 27 to get them.
Among the stars performing at the concert are Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
One, Pamela Hartog, said: “I am extremely angry at the way the BBC coronation concert tickets have been allocated. It isn’t a ballot at all.
“I got an email from Ticketmaster to say I had won tickets but they had already gone. I was volunteering at the time and unable to check my phone. So unfair.”
A second, Paul Cunningham, said in a message to Ticketmaster: “Do you have no conscience?
“Do you not care about the people you deceived into thinking they were going to the Coronation concert. Do you not care how you let them down?”
Meanwhile, a third person who missed out on the chance to go to the concert, Zoe Kilbride, said: “Very misleading with the coronation concert tickets.
“Nowhere in the ballot process did it say ‘first come, first served’ it said if you are successfully chosen in the ballot then you get tickets. You have conned a lot of people.”
A Ticketmaster spokesperson said the email stated that tickets were on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Everyone who was successful in the two main ballot rounds for the Coronation concert was offered a guaranteed pair of tickets, provided they claimed them within three weeks,” said the spokesperson.
“Today, any unclaimed tickets were released on a first-come, first-served basis to those who had previously applied to the ballot (and were unsuccessful). These inevitably went very quickly.”
The event is organised by the BBC but the tickets were allocated by Ticketmaster.
The original BBC ballot rules stated the tickets said the ballot would not be first come, first served. However, it also stated that any unclaimed tickets would be re-allocated.
