Fans' anger as Coldplay touts sell tickets for £2k

Fans hoping to see Coldplay have been left "gutted" after missing out on tickets.

There was another chance earlier to secure a place for concerts at Hull's Craven Park and London's Wembley Stadium.

However, general sale tickets sold out in under 40 minutes, with some then appearing on resale websites moments later for as much as £2,916.

Beth Francis, 32, from Grimsby, said she had been "in tears all morning" at not being able to see the band perform in Hull and ticket touts had left her "absolutely livid".

Ticketmaster has been approached for comment.

Ms Francis said: "Angry doesn't cut it. It's such a selfish and horrible thing to do.

"It's rare that big bands like Coldplay are over here.

"Due to mobility issues, this was a once-in-a-lifetime thing for my family and I. And I feel like it's been ruined. I'm absolutely gutted."

One user on X begged the band to add another Hull date.

They said: "Please add another date for Hull. Most of us couldn't log onto Ticketmaster due to asking for a code but they were not receiving any, and when we managed there was no tickets left."

Some tickets were reserved for fans living in postcode areas HU, LN, DN and YO.

Emma Parkinson, who managed to get one ticket in the postcode pre-sale on Thursday, did not manage to get any more for her family.

She said: "There's a tinge of disappointment, but utter elation that I'm going. There's nothing like seeing them in your own town. I'm lost for words."

Ms Parkinson tried to get a ticket for her father, who is unwell.

Speaking about tickets being resold, she said: "It's a real disappointment. Why would you go through the effort? It's just really sad."

Freya Rhodes, 21, from Beverley, was "quite honestly devastated" after trying three different sales and "had no luck at all".

She said she had been wanting to see Coldplay for a long time but was waiting until the band performed closer to home.

She was left "infuriated" that people have been reselling tickets, saying the Hull shows should be "for locals only".

"Seeing people reselling is really, really annoying," she said.

Some called for stricter rules when it comes to Ticketmaster accounts and reselling tickets.

One X user said: "Stronger rules needed for Ticketmaster accounts is a first step to make sure it’s real people. Then some tougher laws around the rest!

"I’ve attempted both pre-sales and failed and now very unlikely to get in via general sale for Hull - Craven Park is 15 mins away!"

Adam Webb, campaign manager for FanFair Alliance, which is campaigning against industrial-scale online ticket touting, said: "It is disappointing to see significant numbers of Coldplay tickets being touted on offshore websites.

"It highlights the urgency for the Government to act and provide fans with greater protections, either by outlawing the resale of tickets for profit, or by capping resale prices.

"Without that legislation, and without proper enforcement, this situation will carry on occurring."

Coldplay are playing 12 concerts across Hull and London next year, the band's only European dates.

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