Royal fans have hit out at Ticketmaster after an email about the Coronation Concert sparked huge confusion and soon led to uproar as people branded the ticket process "disgraceful".
The concert is set to be staged and broadcast live at Windsor Castle on Sunday, May 7, to celebrate the coronation of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, with big names including Take That, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry set to perform. 5,000 pairs of tickets for the event were made available to the public via a ballot, and thousands of people received an email today (Tuesday, April 25) from Ticketmaster that led many of them to believe they had won tickets - which wasn't the case.
The email wished people "congratulations" in the headline, and said: "You have been successful in the ballot for a pair of standing tickets to the Coronation Concert." The message went on to inform customers that tickets were being offered to a randomly selected group on a first-come, first-served basis as part of a "supplementary round", and added that they had until midday on April 27 to claim their place.
READ MORE: How to watch King Charles' coronation on TV and key timings for the day
However, less than half an hour after the email was sent out, Ticketmaster confirmed that all the tickets were gone. "Tickets for the supplementary first-come, first-serve round of The Coronation Concert ballot have now sold out. Enjoy it in your own way next month, whether it's in Windsor or at home with friends!" the ticket provider wrote on Twitter.
Many fans who didn't manage to secure a place for the concert were left furious over the way things had been handled, with several people pointing out that Ticketmaster had previously stated on its own website that tickets would not be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Hundreds of people also slammed the provider for the "misleading" language used in Tuesday's email.
"What a shambles," one person fumed on Twitter. "Get told you've won the ballot for two tickets, go to Ticketmaster to claim to be told there are no tickets left? An explanation is owed to all that didn't get to claim their tickets."
Another person who missed out on tickets wrote: "Disgraceful from Ticketmaster - receive an email saying I've won two tickets to the Coronation Concert in the ballot and then when you click to claim they're all gone. Total shambles of a system. Beyond disappointed."
And a third frustrated customer wrote: "Excitement and disappointment in the space of seconds. Ticketmaster messed up, yet again, with the Coronation Concert - you either win tickets or you don't. You don't win and then have to ballot again. So sad, thought I was going to get to go!"
A spokesperson for Ticketmaster told The Mirror: "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.
"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."
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