Social media influencer Simone Khambatta has voiced her strong discontent regarding the ticketing issues surrounding the upcoming Coldplay concert in India. Scheduled for January 18-19, 2025, the ticket sales began on September 22, leading to widespread frustration among fans trying to secure their spots.
Ticketing Chaos Unfolds
As soon as tickets went live, social media erupted with fans sharing their queue numbers and frustrations over failed attempts to purchase tickets. Khambatta took to Instagram, posting a reel that highlighted a troubling discrepancy between the official ticketing partner app and other resale platforms. She noted that while she was waiting in line on the official site, tickets were already available for sale on Viagogo, raising questions about the fairness of the ticket distribution process.
In her own words, Simone shared, “I logged in at 11:45 AM, and was sitting there waiting with multiple devices. I was 1.4 lakh in the queue, and by 12:20, no tickets were showing up. But right after they opened on BookMyShow, they were available on Viagogo too. How did they get access before us?”
Concerns Over Reselling Practices
Khambatta pointed out that ticket prices on Viagogo soared to ₹45,000 per ticket for groups of ten, despite the official limit of four tickets per card on BookMyShow. This disparity has raised serious concerns about potential black market activities in ticket sales. Although she lacks concrete evidence, she mentioned a comment from a former BookMyShow employee suggesting that some tickets might be deliberately withheld for resale.
“While I can’t verify it, someone commented on my reel that they are a former BMS employee, and when they were working there, certain employees would keep a certain number of tickets and block them for reselling,” she explained.
Queue Discrepancies and Call for Reform
Adding to the frustration, a third Coldplay show was added shortly after ticket sales began due to high demand. However, Simone experienced further inconsistencies in the queue system. Despite being the first to enter the waiting room, she found herself with an unreasonably high queue number, while friends who entered later received much lower numbers.
“The system doesn’t seem fair. I was at five lakhs something, while a friend who joined a minute later was at 4,000. This makes me question the entire queuing process,” she said.
Khambatta stressed the need for ticketing platforms to implement stricter protocols to combat black marketing. She suggested that making tickets non-transferable and requiring identification could help deter resellers who inflate prices and exploit fans.
“Influencers have been messaging me about getting DMs from resellers asking for four to five times the original price. This isn’t the kind of practice we should promote. If you’re going to be the ticketing partner for a global sensation like Coldplay, you must prioritize the fans,” she concluded.
As the situation unfolds, fans hope for a resolution that ensures fair access to concert tickets without the threat of resellers profiting from the excitement surrounding major events like Coldplay’s performances in India.
Leave a Reply