This woman did not get her money’s worth after Ticketmaster allegedly sold her non-existent seats for a Sabrina Carpenter concert.
Pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter, of “Please Please Please” and “Espresso” fame, started her first global tour last month. It will be on the road through March 2025. The Short n’ Sweet Tour is currently scheduled for 47 shows across 40 cities.
While Business Insider reported that starting ticket prices are generally in the $150 to $250 range, some are going for upwards of $1,000 (though these are likely from resellers).
Tickets gone wrong
In a video with more than 5.8 million views, a fan said she paid $200 for her ticket on the Chicago leg of the tour. However, she felt that Ticketmaster completely screwed her over.
“When Ticketmaster sells you Short n’ Sweet seats that don’t even exist so they bring you folding chairs??? Sabrina girl plz help,” Kelsey (@wildwildginger) said.
In a follow-up video, Kelsey said her biggest issue was that she was sold seat numbers that didn’t exist. That’s why the staff had to bring out literal folding chairs for Kelsey and her friends to have something to sit on.
“Seats 11-13 did not exist in our section. So the tickets technically weren’t even real,” she said.
Addressing the slew of comments implying that Ticketmaster may have labeled the tickets as “obstructed view” and Kelsey didn’t notice, she said that she’d gotten those types of tickets before and was still able to see most of the concert.
Sure, a prop, panel, or curtain may have been in the way, but the show was viewable.
This is in line with what Ticketmaster has written on their site. They also state that they sell other tickers with the label No Stage View, Video View, and Listening Only. These are even more restrictive in terms of the visual experience.
“The Event Organizer makes these tickets available because for many fans the view isn’t a problem,” Ticketmaster states online.
In the case of the Sabrina concert, Kelsey was literally behind the stage. So she could only partially see the “Espresso” singer if she was at the very front of the stage or walked to their side.
“I feel like it’s unethical for companies to say, ‘Oh, it’s restricted or limited view,’ and they’re not at least showing what it would look like,” Kelsey said.
@wildwildginger @Sabrina Carpenter please please please we paid $200 what on earth 😭😭😭 im so sad #sabrinacarpenter #shortnsweet #espresso #taste #pleasepleaseplease @Ticketmaster ♬ original sound – Kelsey
Was the view really that bad?
They did have a monitor above them, but Kelsey said that it’s like when you’re sitting front row at a movie theater and have to look up “and it’s just very disoriented.”
“It made me nauseous to look at. It didn’t help at all,” Kelsey said.
Some people assumed that once the curtains on the stage went away they’d be able to see the show, Kelsey explained that the platforms and steps on the stage were in the way so they couldn’t see anything but the catwalk.
“However, the vocals slayed,” she said.
In a follow-up video, Kelsey said that the backstage crew, which she could easily see, made the night more fun, giving her and her friend bouncy balls and vibing with them throughout the night.
“We may not have been able to see the stage, but at least we had our own show back here,” Kelsey said.
While Kelsey went to guest services, they were completely unhelpful. They refused to watch the videos she had, proving the view was obstructed and said there was nothing they could do.
Commenters react
“Only $200 for backstage access what a steal!” a top comment joked.
“They shouldn’t even be able to sell these types of tickets, that’s bogus,” a person said.
“This is why I don’t trust Ticketmaster I go straight to the official websites. it seems so sketchy now,” another wrote.
The Daily Dot reached out to Kelsey for comment via email and Instagram direct message and to Ticketmaster via email.
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