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Audience turned away from The Voice

A booking agent for The Voice has been forced to apologise after over-booking tix leaves hundreds unhappy.

It’s a show that features “blind auditions” but yesterday audience members waiting to watch the first recording of The Voice couldn’t see enough seats at FOX Studios.

Booking agent Applause Store has been accused of overbooking the event.

Many queued for hours only to be sent home.

On the official Facebook page fans tell tales of the show over-booking by 700 tickets, and then deleting complain posts online:

– We stood in line for 2 and half hours. We were put on the stand by list after an hour with 100 other people and then an hour and a half later were turned away. Very disappointing for the kids that we had taken for the day.

– WTF was with overbooking 700 tickets for tonights show??? Its ridiculously! U don’t rock up to a Foo Fighters concert – expecting to see ur favourite band play live – and then get told to leave because the Football Stadium is full! If u have a ticket, u have a ticket. At least put on there “This is a standby ticket, u may or may not GET IN!!!” A ticket should contain all the information u need to know, especially if its GUARANTEED ENTRY or not! Its a joke, and a compete waste of time. Applause Store management is pathetic and unprofessional. Get out of business mate, u obviously don’t have much idea what your doing. Ur nothing but a scam.

– I am sure you have been innundated with complaints over todays taping of the Voice, given that over 300 people were turned away without explanation and what seemed like no concern. I have been a huge fan of the American Version of this show and was looking extremely forward to watching our own here in Australia. Like many other people I was very disappointed and let down when i lined up for what s…

– thank you Applause Store for your poor treatment of people who turned up today after winning tickets, driving along toll ways, parking, wasting a sunday afternoon, only to be turned away after standing in a queue because you overbooked by hundreds of people. How do you think you can do that. And yes deleting all negative comments from facebook, in fact taking down the applause link on facebook so no more comments can be made. You say that is normal practice and to read the fine print. That is bulls……t Dont think that people like being teated that way. The Voice you need to get a new promotional company!!

– Traveling 3 and half hours to get to the show and being turned away is pathetic. We had tickets, and no where was it suggested that if we didn’t get there TWO HOURS EARLY that we wouldn’t get in. I already left home at 8am. I have a ticket to Wednesdays show too, I will definitely not be wasting my time going. And I definitely won’t be watching the show when it airs. Very, very dissapointed.

– Could you kindly confirm for me that if my ticket says PRIORITY for Tuesday 21st Feb I am guaranteed entry. I have just rearranged flights etc etc coming from Melbourne at a fairly high cost. Please confirm for me as I am quite concerned. Many thanks.

– Not only deleting people comments but banning them! Disgusting customer service. Just say you stuffed up and SORRY!!! I will be calling tomorrow that is for sure. I have already sent two emails but im sure they will be ignored.

Applause Store tix had the following advice for ticket-holders:

“Entrance is served on a first come, first served basis. Entrance with this eticket is subject to venue capacity and does not guarantee entrance (unless it clearly states priority – restricted times; terms & conditions apply). To avoid disappointment, please ensure you and your guests arrive early.”

But one readers says the original tickets didn’t advise

-I feel this is very unprofessional! I have already travelled 4 hours thinking that I had a valid ticket to a show. Our original e-tickets DONT state first in deal, however, new tickets have been updated just now. It is too late now people when you have already travelled. When you re-organise work commitments and care for your children this is a major let down not that I am sure you care!

It’s not the first time TV producers have been left red-faced. In 2008 producers had to turn away crowds for Nine’s Hole in the Wall.

If you still have tickets for upcoming recordings, Applause Store advises:

“Our best recommendation would be to confirm details of your Priority seating with Applause Store (02 9037 8556).”

13 Responses

  1. I was lucky and managed to get into the Sunday show. Looking at the Voice Facebook page, I see that the voice team are responding well to the situation and responding well. But the Applause store what a disgrace, they are deleted posts like crazy. my pregnant sister and her hubby were turned away from yesterday’s show and thy posted on both voice facey and applause store facey. Th voice was helpful, her comment on voice facey was helpful!!!!

  2. they had to turn away crowds for Nine’s Hole in the Wall ??? thats the funniest thing i’ve read all day, i guess they were people that hadn’t actually seen that disaster of a show before because i would have thought they would have had to beg strangers to be in the audience than turn people away. As for this stuff up, yeah what everyone else said…

  3. @spot5382 & JarrodJ

    I have the “Original Ticket” in front of me at the moment and i cannot see anywhere where is says it is “first come, first served”.

    I can email a copy if you like…. happy for it to be pointed out….. must be Really fine print…. so fine that my printer didn’t recognise it.

    Emailed them regarding the “Priority Tickets” to a later show……. have heard nothing back.

  4. Also how big was the venue? Because “overbooking by 700” means nothing without any relativity. Also it would mean a lot more if there was any reason to believe that specific number.

  5. Every ticket I have ever gotten from Applause Store has said that it is first come, first served.

    Also, no production company would be stupid enough to not overbook an event. like this. You want nothing less than a full house.

  6. spot5382 – Overbooking for 700 seats. That’s the issue.

    “We were constantly updated and looked after.”

    What did they do to ensure you were looked after? ‘Cos down our way, we received nothing. And the updates were clearly inaccurate.

  7. I was at the show also yesterday, and it clearly stated in fine print on the bottom of the original ticket that it does not guarantee entry.
    This is the case with all free tickets to lots of tv show recordings.
    They will always hand out more tickets than there are seats and who can blame them.
    If they did only hand out enough tickets as there are seats, and then half of those people didnt show up on the day then how are they meant to record a show with an empty audience.
    I understand that it is quiet frustrating if you dont get to go and see the show after driving in and paying for parking etc, but its not right to blame The Applause Store for it. I actually commend the company on how they handled the situation.
    When they started noticing they were reaching full numbers, the let everyone else know that they were about full and would have to put the others on standby. We were constantly updated and looked after. And the fact that they offered priority seating tickets for later shows, well they didnt need to that in all honesty when it was a free ticket to start with. Its time to cut them a bit of slack i think.

  8. Same thing happened to me. I can understand if it was first in first served with quick seating, but the ticket said doors closed at 1pm but they were still ushering people in like cattle long after that.. It shouldn’t take That long to put people into their seats.

    Who on earth would want to pay for priority tickets, I sure wouldn’t. And this offer of priority tickets later on in the season? Don’t want em. The first ep was the one we wanted to see, I don’t want to go fill the seats for any other show given the poor treatment. Maybe they can get some of the “guests” of the cast that can fill up the seats in future.

    The Applause Store people kept telling us they would organize us all into seats, but after 3-4 hours Standing in the sun, they informed us that more important guests had arrived to take any leftover seats. It really bothered me to see an elderly couple in front of us be turned away, could they not have at least accommodated them??

    Poor form, but I shouldn’t have expected anything less from a channel 9 show. Twitter is the best way to go, they can’t delete your tweets. They can block you, but I suppose it doesn’t stop people seeing your posts if you direct tweets to their username or use their hash tag.

  9. I was one of the many that got turned away. “Congratulations you won tickets to The Voice” but if you come you might not get it is what the email should have read! Ok so they over booked, but to be banned from The Applause Store page simply for stating what they did is disgusting. The Social Media person should be fired immediately. Pretty sure they wont return emails and right now they just have an answering machine service.

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