Fans denied seats in IPL get free tickets to match

A day after this newspaper reported how three friends had to stand throughout an IPL match despite having valid tickets, ticketing portal BookMyShow (BMS) made up for the error by sending them three tickets to yesterday's match between Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab.

Also read: Man buys IPL tickets online, but loses seats to VIP box

The complimentary tickets issued to the trio by BookMyShow

Sandeep Ghag (32) had reserved three seats (G-430, 431 and 432) for a May 10 match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, but was shocked to find that the trio didn't have places to sit as the seats had been allotted to the Pepsi VIP box.

mid-day's report yesterday

He and his two friends Bharat Devjani (38) and Tauseef Shaikh (27) had to watch the entire match on foot. No associate of the company helped them resolve the confusion that day. The tickets were worth Rs 750 each and including booking charges, the total amount worked out to be Rs 2,400.

But at 11 am yesterday, Ghag was given three tickets to the match in the evening. "I received a call from a senior person at the company, saying that I would be offered compensation. The three tickets were delivered to my home by a BMS associate," he said.

'Sold out'
Curiously, Ghag claims he had made a similar request (of compensatory tickets) in a letter to BMS after the incident. But officials had told him that the match had been sold out.

"After mid-day's intervention, the tickets were made available to me. It's not just about compensation; these companies shouldn't take the consumer for granted. It's a classic case of running away with your tail between your legs," Ghag said.

"Many people like us remained standing throughout the match without making a fuss. In our case, we felt fleeced. Why be quiet if you are right?" said Devjani, who suffered more through the May 11 ordeal due to his high blood pressure.