Ticketmaster blames – With Hurricanes fans gearing up for Game 5, North Carolina’s investigation into Ticketmaster remains active after season-ticket holders said priority presale codes failed, pushing many to buy resale tickets at far higher prices. Ticketmaster told investigators
When Hurricanes fans started lining up for Game 5, many expected their priority presale access codes to open the door.
Instead, a troubling pattern emerged for some season ticket holders in North Carolina: the codes did not work as intended.
Several fans told WRAL and the state Department of Justice that they were stuck in Ticketmaster’s virtual queue. only to be kicked out and thrown to the back of the line. By the time they returned to the ticket portal, many seats were gone. For those who got back in time. the option that remained often came with a steep price tag—resale tickets listed at much higher rates. leaving fans to pay thousands of dollars to get in the door.
Bailey Aldridge, a spokesperson for the NCDOJ, said Ticketmaster responded to the state’s inquiry. In that response, the company told investigators it is looking into the questions raised by the attorney general.
The probe, meanwhile, is drawing more complaints. So far, the attorney general’s office has received 37 complaints tied to Hurricanes ticket sales, including complaints from previous seasons, along with four complaints related to FIFA World Cup ticket sales.
Aldridge said Ticketmaster told the state that some of the problems reported by Hurricanes fans may have been the result of exceptionally high demand for Stanley Cup Final tickets. The company also indicated it plans to provide additional information about how it monitors and responds to bots—a concern raised by fans who said they ran into access problems even though they had presale codes.
Aldridge added that Ticketmaster told investigators resale ticket prices operate in a separate marketplace and are often driven by what consumers are willing to pay.
Attorney General Jeff Jackson launched the inquiry after Hurricanes season-ticket holders complained they couldn’t purchase tickets during the presale despite receiving priority access. Fans described technical problems. long waits in Ticketmaster’s virtual queue. and being pushed backward in the line before tickets sold out.
In the aftermath, many were left with a single route forward: the resale market. That’s where tickets were listed at prices that climbed into the thousands of dollars.
Ticketmaster is expected to provide additional answers to the state’s questions in the coming days, just as the Stanley Cup Final nears another high-stakes moment for fans who say they did everything right—right up until the system didn’t let them in.
Ticketmaster Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final Game 5 North Carolina Department of Justice Jeff Jackson Bailey Aldridge presale codes virtual queue bots resale tickets
Ticketmaster really be allergic to letting normal people in.
So the codes “didn’t work” but they’re blaming demand and bots? Sounds like they just wanted people to go straight to resale. I’d be pissed if I waited in that queue just to get booted.
Am I reading this right that Ticketmaster said it might be because of Stanley Cup Final demand? Like that affects the Hurricanes presale in NC too? Also virtual queue throwing people back sounds like a glitch on purpose, idk.
Ticketmaster always says “separate marketplace” like that excuses the whole thing. Fans get pushed out, seats gone, then magically resale is the only option and it’s thousands?? And now 37 complaints, cool, glad somebody cares. But if bots are the problem then why did my buddy with a code get stuck too… makes no sense.