Take That fans have expressed their “anger” and “disappointment” after their concert seats were changed during the band’s move between two Manchester arenas.
The pop group have moved their concerts later this month from Co-op Live to the AO Arena due to “technical issues” at the former venue, which have forced several performers to postpone their shows.
Some Take That fans have seen their front row seats for Co-op Live changed to other blocks at the AO Arena.
Ticketmaster said it worked with the event promoter to “move fans to a location as similar to their original booking as possible”, adding that “some seating locations will vary”.
AO Arena said it “completely sympathised” with fans and is working hard to make sure concert-goers are allocated “appropriate equivalent seats for upcoming shows”, adding that it does not manage ticketing for the venue.
Take That fan Denise Taylor, 48, who has been seeing the band perform since she was 15, said the experience had been “one nightmare after another” for the concert on May 7.
Ms Taylor, who spent £250 on a VIP ticket for second row floor seats, told the PA news agency she has been moved to block 103, row C, which is a tier on the side of the AO Arena.
“I’m angry, I’m disappointed. I’ve been a fan since 1992 and I’ve never missed a tour – I used to watch them in nightclubs before they got famous,” said Ms Taylor, from Stoke-on-Trent.
“I brought the tickets on presale because I pre-ordered the album and got the code, and I got VIP tickets and was sat in the second row.
“All this started with Co-op (Live) and I was really happy that it had moved to AO (Arena) – I wasn’t expecting to get the same seat but the new tickets didn’t say anything about being VIP.
“I sent Ticketmaster a message and was told that I’m no longer VIP and if I want a refund, I can have it, or I can pay the extra and get nothing for it.”
Ms Taylor, who will be going to the show with a friend, added that that she “can’t get excited” for the concert any more.
Anita Morrissey-Booth, 43, from Manchester, said she had paid £250 for a seat in block A, row 2, in front of the stage, for the show on Tuesday but her seat had been moved “38 rows back”.
Ms Morrissey-Booth, a car sales executive for Volkswagen, told PA: “I’m a massive fan and I’ve followed them when I was young back in the 90s – I go to anywhere between 10 and 20 different dates on various tours.
“This is what I save up for, this is what I work hard for, to get these good tickets and see them everywhere.
“I would have rather it be cancelled and rescheduled and we kept the tickets we brought, rather than being moved.
“It’s not a nice feeling – you look forward to it, and it’s absolutely burst the whole bubble of it all – it’s making people not want to go.”
Susie Hawcock, 52, from Doncaster, who is due at the Tuesday concert with husband Simon, 48, said she has been moved to the “back of the arena” after previously securing seats on a tier to the side.
“We had block 114 which is near the stage, and we’ve been moved to block 109, row S, which is completely at the back of the AO Arena,” she told PA.
“We paid £132 each for these two tickets and when you’re at the back, they’re obviously cheaper, but I don’t want a refund, I want to see Take That.”
Ms Hawcock added that the concert will mark her husband’s first time seeing the band.
“He’s feeling deflated because it’s a lot of money and we’ve booked days off work for this,” she said.
“It’s ruined our couple of days. We’ve booked a hotel, train tickets, but we’re still going to go ahead with it otherwise we’re going to lose out on a lot of money and we can’t afford to do that.”
All of the band’s shows have been transferred to the AO Arena and are on the same dates as before except for May 8 which has been changed to May 9.
Take That issued a statement on Instagram saying: “Given the ongoing technical issues around the opening of Co-op Live we have taken the difficult decision to move our May shows to the AO Arena where we have enjoyed many great nights over the years.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we wanted to give our fans as much notice as possible.
“We’re mindful many of you will already have travel and accommodation plans in place, so we have chosen this option to minimise inconvenience to as many people as possible.”
A Ticketmaster spokesperson said: “With Take That’s shows moving to a new venue with a different layout, our team has worked with the event promoter to move fans to a location as similar to their original booking as possible. However, some seating locations will vary.
“We appreciate fans’ understanding, and reiterate that refunds are available through their Ticketmaster account. Everyone who booked VIP floor seats remains in VIP floor seats after the relocation.”
AO Arena general manager Jen Mitchell said: “We completely sympathise with the fans over the past few weeks.
“Ticketing providers are working incredibly hard to do what they can to allocate appropriate equivalent seats for upcoming shows, and to make sure fans are as well located as they can be, based on original bookings.
“As a venue we don’t manage ticketing. Our responsibility is to make sure everyone gets in and has a great, safe time on the night.”
In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Co-op Live said it was aware its actions had “frustrated” and “angered” ticket holders, adding it does not expect any further impact on its opening season.
