Oasis fan spent £700 'on thin air' after waiting years for Noel and Liam Gallagher reunion

Daily Mirror

12 hours ago

Nevile Root, 20, was due to see the two brothers perform at their third night at Heaton Park on Wednesday (July 16) along with his girlfriend
An Oasis fan has expressed his disappointment after spending £700 on tickets for their gig that turned out to be 'essentially spent on thin air'. Nevile Root, 20, had planned to watch the Gallagher brothers perform at their third night at Heaton Park with his girlfriend.
‌
A devoted follower of the band, Nevile has seen Noel and Liam perform solo numerous times over the years and stated that 'money was no object' when it came to the rare opportunity to see the band reunite after many years.
‌
However, his excitement was short-lived when he discovered that the two tickets he had purchased via the re-sale website Twickets had actually been sold to another customer through Ticketmaster's resale option seven months prior, reports the Manchester Evening News.
‌
The couple had taken the day off work and were looking forward to travelling from Preston to Manchester for the much-anticipated concert. They received the disappointing news on the morning of the show, leaving them with no choice but to miss the gig and request a refund. Including booking fees, they paid £724.
The original ticket seller, based in Australia, had secured two tickets before the band announced additional world tour dates, which include performances in Sydney and Melbourne later this year.
‌
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, he said: "Having looked forward to a potential reunion for many years, I was desperate to get hold of two tickets. I've seen Liam and Noel's solo projects several times so was dismayed that I'd missed out on both the presale opportunity and also tickets in the general sale.
"I persevered and followed the guidance to use the only 'official' resale site, Twickets. I was made up when I managed to secure two tickets in early January to see them in Heaton Park."
‌
Neville added: "For me, this was the one gig where money was no object. But over £700 is a whole month's rent. It's more money than most 20-year-olds can spare on gig tickets, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity.
"I emailed back and forth with the seller, a man from Australia, who had bought the Manchester tickets prior to the announcement of the Australian leg of the tour. No alarm bells rang, and he forwarded me all the confirmation emails from the original ticket purchase."
Neville talked with the initial ticket seller, who informed him that the Ticketmaster app wouldn't allow the tickets to be transferred until the event was closer, typically between 48 and 24 hours before the show.
‌
Neville was stunned on the morning of Wednesday's gig to discover from the seller that his long-awaited tickets, bought via Twickets, were marked 'sold' on Ticketmaster's app, revealing a breach of Twickets' reselling rules.
Twickets said: "I am sorry to hear what has happened. If the tickets appear as 'sold' in [the seller's] Ticketmaster account, than that would indicate that they have also listed and sold them on Ticketmaster resale, in contravention of the terms and conditions of our site unfortunately.
‌
"We therefore have no alternative but to withdraw the sale and issue you with a full refund, which should show on your card account in the next 2-3 working days."
Expressing his disappointment, Neville said: "The most frustrating thing now is just not being able to go. On one hand, I haven't lost out financially but its the fact that there isn't much safeguarding in place and that seller's can do this.
"They had already been sold in January but I didn't find out until the day of the show. We are incredibly disappointed after making travel arrangements, booking annual leave and purchasing t-shirts in preparation for today only to be told the morning of the event that we wouldn't be able to go."
Neville felt misled by processes that seemed secure: "I feel as though we have been led down the garden path with having instruction to be patient and purchase resale tickets only to then to find these weren't legitimate to begin with.
"I've essentially spent over £700 on thin air, and left with no chance of sorting it now because it's all so last minute. Had I have known months ago, I may have had a chance. This wasn't just like buying a ticket for a band who comes round every year, this was a big deal."