As a 45-year-old mother whose hobbies include running long distances, swimming in cold water, and going to bed at 9pm, I don’t often end up feeling like a criminal.
But as I found myself surrounded by Portuguese police last week, I wondered if I was going to need a good lawyer.
The day had started innocently enough. My husband, 13-year-old daughter and I had flown to Lisbon to see Bad Bunny, the Grammy-winning performer from Puerto Rico who is one of our favourite artists. It was a big treat, or it was supposed to be…
A bit of background: previously I’d tried (and failed) to get tickets for Bad Bunny’s London shows later this month.
Like many music fans, I find it increasingly impossible to buy tickets through official routes –my fingers are not fast enough to outwit algorithms, dodgy wi-fi connections, and ‘scalpers’, who often use technology to buy tickets to resell at inflated prices.
Ticket buying and selling is now so open to abuse that the Government last month warned football fans about ticket scams before attending World Cup games.
I’d ended up on Viagogo, the world’s largest ticket reselling marketplace. Resale tickets for Bad Bunny’s Portugal concerts were far cheaper than the ones in London – and the date was during May half term. Result! We could plan a cultural trip to Lisbon! I would be Mum of the Year!
I paid 546 euros (£470) for three tickets, which was not cheap but not extortionate compared to some prices I’d seen. Once I’d factored in flights and accommodation for the week, things were looking more expensive – a little over £2,000 in total – but I reminded myself this was going to be a special experience.
Bryony Gordon had travelled to see Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny in Portugal
The tickets were transferred to me immediately, which was reassuring. Viagogo doesn’t release your money to ticket sellers until after the concert as a way to deter scammers (it guarantees a refund if the tickets don’t work).
Off we went to Lisbon, where our bar codes were scanned and security admitted us to the stadium. Excited, we took our seats, and as the support act played, I popped off to use the loo.
It was on my return that I realised things weren’t quite right. My daughter was crying; my husband was gesticulating at two fellows who loomed over him. They turned out to be plain-clothes police, at the venue to deal with ticket scammers. Next to them stood two security guards chewing gum.
The police officers spoke English. They explained that another group of people were at the venue’s entrance, and they’d also paid for the seats we were in.
Obviously, they were incredibly upset to find they weren’t going to be allowed in. Did we have proof that these tickets belonged to us and we hadn’t stolen them?
I felt a cold sweat break out on my forehead. I grabbed my phone, went into my inbox to search for the email receipt from Viagogo, and found, to my horror, that I had no signal. Had we really flown all this way and spent all this money, only to be thrown out before Bad Bunny came on stage… and possibly, into a Portuguese jail?
We were sitting next to two girls who’d come from New York, after buying tickets on StubHub, another reselling platform. They too were being interrogated by the police, their seats also being claimed by other people.
As the security guards started speaking angrily to the police in Portuguese, I decided to try my luck with notoriously dodgy public wi-fi. After five excruciating minutes that felt more like an hour, I got on to the internet… and prayed to God that I hadn’t deleted the email receipt.
Miraculously, it was there. But would it be enough? I handed my phone to one of the police officers, and comforted my weeping daughter as we awaited our fate. He handed the phone back, and looked me sternly in the eye. ‘You must forward this to me, for evidence,’ he said, spelling out his email address as I frantically typed it into my phone. Once he’d received it, he nodded at me: ‘You have paid for these tickets, so as far as I’m concerned, you can stay.’
I emailed Viagogo later and after an investigation they told me the seller had followed protocols and the tickets were genuine. Googling reveals many cases of duplicate tickets being sold on re-sale sites, and Viagogo told me they were pushing the industry for a system of ‘open ticketing’ to help protect consumers against situations like this.
So if you’re heading to the World Cup this summer, keep our experience in mind before buying tickets from resale sites. A police interrogation isn’t the pre-match entertainment you want.
I love Kate’s ‘toddler core’
The Princess of Wales attending the 125th anniversary reception for Cancer Research UK
Bravo to the Princess of Wales for refusing to play it safe – sartorially, at least. Catherine went to the 125th anniversary reception of Cancer Research UK in an adorable Rodarte dress featuring love hearts and a flower corsage.
As a 45-year-old who loves to embrace her inner child by wearing dresses more suited to two-year-olds, I approve of Catherine’s switch to the so-called ‘toddler-core’ aesthetic. After the time she’s had, she deserves a bit of fun with fashion.
Why Mr Tumble is top romance of the summer
Love is in the air for CBeebies co-stars Samantha Dorrance, 34, and Justin Fletcher, 55
Dua Lipa and Callum Turner are the couple of the moment, with the Sicilian leg of their nuptials in full swing after the legal part of their wedding ceremony in London earlier this week.
But I’m far more intrigued by another pair whose romance has recently made the news… Mr Tumble and Tootsie, aka Justin Fletcher, 55, and his much younger girlfriend and co-star Samantha Dorrance, who is 34.
Having spent four years of my life watching his interminable CBeebies show with my daughter, I have to say this is the showbiz relationship that most piques my curiosity.
Gen Z is right on bad bosses, Michelle
Michelle Obama, 62, is in the UK, and has told audiences that Gen Z need to learn to endure bad bosses if they want to be successful.
‘I think a lot of young people want to do what they want to do, or what they are good at. But you have got to earn that, carrying some bags and having some tough times and having people treat you unfairly,’ she said.
She has a point, but then so do a lot of the younger generation, who are often just trying to put down boundaries with toxic, badly behaved people in positions of power.
Only 5 years lost to doomscrolling?
Research has found that the average Briton will spend five years of their life doomscrolling – that’s the practice of being sucked into your phone unintentionally.
Reading this, I was momentarily depressed at the reality of all the time I waste online… until I switched apps and decided to get distracted by something else, instead.
Fascinating to learn that Sir Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and David Lammy all use the ‘vanishing message’ function on WhatsApp, which forces texts to automatically disappear after a short amount of time.
In my experience, there are only two types of people who use this function: celebrities, and dishonest people who are having affairs.
