FISHERS, Ind. – An Indiana couple says Ticketmaster's vouchers (essentially free tickets given to customers as a result of a lawsuit settlement) are discriminatory because they make it impossible for those who are disabled to get the tickets they need.
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Take for example a venue like White River State Park. A Ticketmaster voucher there would get you general admission seating, which is on the lawn.
But a Fishers couple can’t sit there.
Lori Kurtz and Renee Faught – who has multiple sclerosis – have to utilize handicapped or disabled seating whenever they go to a concert or show.
If Faught is walking any significant distance, she needs to be in a wheelchair. Thus, she needs to sit in wheelchair seats in places like White River.
“Some of us are old ladies in a wheelchair still trying to get our groove on,” Faught said. “And I’d really appreciate it if (Ticketmaster) would take that to heart.”
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But with the Ticketmaster vouchers, that’s impossible.
The couple logged on to Ticketmaster like so many others this week, finding they had an impressive 15 vouchers to use up.
But none of them can be used for handicapped seats, even though all the past tickets Kurtz and Faught have purchased have been for accessible seating.
“I find it frustrating, I find it discriminatory and I find it insensitive – the fact that we should even have to have this discussion in this day and age,” Kurtz said. “They need to consider the fact that there are 'differently abled' people in the world and they have to be sensitive to that when they are doing promos – pre-sales – any of those types of things.”
Adding to the couple’s frustration? They can’t even get hold of Ticketmaster, whose lines have been busy all week.
RTV6 reached out to Ticketmaster’s media team but we have yet to get a response.
For now, the couple has redeemed a couple of tickets for shows at Klipsch Music Center. They’re hoping once they arrive, they can talk with the venue and find some type of accessible option.
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