A Harry Styles superfan was left in tears after being denied entry to the star's Wembley gig following a 600-mile round trip because she purchased her tickets on a reselling website.
The Incident
Poppy-Rose Brown, 18, bought tickets for herself and her mother to see the singer on his 'Together, Together' tour on Friday, June 12. She paid around £300 for tickets listed as from Ticketmaster but purchased through a reseller website called Hellotickets.
The duo traveled from their home in Padstow, Cornwall, to Wembley, where Poppy bought merchandise before heading to the entrance. After Poppy scanned her ticket and passed through the turnstile, her mother Michelle attempted to follow but the turnstile locked.
Staff Interaction
Poppy claimed staff were 'rude' and refused to let her mother enter through a different entrance, advising them to go to the ticket office. She said she was escorted out through an emergency exit and went to the Ticketmaster stand, where she was asked for her and her mother's ID.
Poppy said she was 'in a flood of tears' when the Ticketmaster staff member informed her that the tickets could not be retrieved because they were bought through a reseller website.
Fan's Account
Poppy-Rose said: 'We were really excited. On Friday we made our way to Wembley. We got ready and everything at the hotel. I scanned my ticket and went through the turnstile absolutely fine. I had both tickets on my phone and I passed the phone to my mum so she could scan her ticket. She had pushed the turnstile and it locked.'
She added: 'They told us to go out of the venue. I went out the emergency exit and went to the ticket office with my mum. I went to one that said 'Ticketmaster'. My ticket said Ticketmaster but I bought them from Hellotickets. She asked us for both of our IDs and scanned our codes. At Wembley there was no signal and the Wi-Fi was shocking. She came back and said she was really sorry but she couldn't re-issue our tickets. They were sold by somebody else on Hellotickets and it wasn't in my name, which is unfortunate.'
Refund Issues
Poppy said she contacted Ticketmaster, who reportedly told her she needed an official paper from Wembley denying her access to the stadium to receive a refund. She said: 'Ticketmaster asked for a piece of paper to say we couldn't go into the venue but they never gave us that. They can't go through with the refund if they don't have that.'
Emotional Impact
Poppy described the experience as 'horrible' and noted the significant financial loss, including over £300 on accommodation and transport. She said she has been 'obsessed' with Harry Styles since she was four years old, when he was in One Direction.
'It was so horrible. We were in floods of tears. It's just sad,' she said.
Compensation
After sharing her ordeal on social media and criticizing Wembley Stadium's lack of help, Poppy-Rose said the venue has since offered her two VIP tickets for a different Harry Styles show as compensation.
Stadium Statement
A Wembley Stadium spokesperson said: 'Wembley Stadium has robust ticket verification and security procedures in place at all our events. We strongly encourage all fans attending the stadium to purchase tickets only through authorised channels and to arrive in good time to allow the necessary ticket and security checks to be completed prior to entry.'
Ticketmaster and Hellotickets have been contacted for comment.
