Ricky Gervais fans were turned away from a gig at York Barbican after they had purchased tickets through resale site, Viagogo.
Hundreds of people were left outside the theatre last week after being told they were unable to enter due to ticketing issues. Many reported that they had been refused entry to the gig from the comedian because they had purchased resale tickets.
A letter was handed out to attendees that had been refused entry, and shared by Twitter user AndeeForm, which said: “You have been refused entry to York Barbican this evening using your tickets purchased with Viagogo. These tickets were not eligible for resale and have therefore broken the terms and conditions agreed to upon original purchase.
“York Barbican are not affiliated with Viagogo and they are a separate company.”
The note then told the recipient to turn to Viagogo for further assistance.
There you go 👍 pic.twitter.com/2MdUmEm1Nh
— Dee (@AndeeForm) January 13, 2023
The same Twitter user shared an email from Viagogo which said: “We are shocked by the brazen and simply unfair actions taken by this venue. It is selfish of them to use you and other fans to make a statement, deliberately invalidate tickets, which were legally sold by sellers on Viagogo, and ultimately punish you for simply being a legitimate and excited fan. This is unacceptable and cruel towards fans who turned up to a venue expecting a fun night out.”
At least Viagogo are doing to right thing and refunding and compensation due to the lying of @yorkbarbican about tickets been used multiple times. pic.twitter.com/xIZ0afX00A
— Dee (@AndeeForm) January 13, 2023
In a statement to Yorkshire Live, the resale company said: “We were shocked to hear that fans were turned away from Ricky Gervais’ performance at the York Barbican just because their tickets were purchased through Viagogo. As a business whose entire mission is to get people into events safely and securely, we view this kind of anti-consumer behaviour as totally unacceptable. Customers should never be used as a casualty in an attempt to control ticket sales.
“It is perfectly legal to pass on, sell or give tickets to other people. Turning people away at the door who’ve bought legitimate tickets just because you disagree with ticket resale is an abuse of consumer freedom. Customers should be allowed the choice and flexibility to use a resale website if they want to, and this basic right should be protected.
“Any Viagogo ticket holder that was denied entry to this event will be provided with a full refund in line with our guarantee, which ensures all buyers will get in the door or their money back.”