When Taylor Swift announced her tour dates on Nov. 1, fans flocked to Ticketmaster’s website in order to secure their tickets. However, fans’ excitement soon turned to frustration when they were confronted with long queues, a lagging website and sold out shows.

Soon after the release of her most recent album, Midnights, Swift revealed the dates for “The Era Tour,” which will run from Mar. 18 through Aug. 5. Swift’s tour will feature other popular artists such as Paramore and Phoebe Bridgers, artists that Swift fans also enjoy.

On Nov. 15, fans with spots in the presale received a link giving them access to Ticketmaster’s sale website. In order to receive their presale tickets, fans were required to join a queue. Unfortunately for fans, Ticketmaster could not handle a record 14 million users, and therefore experienced technical difficulties. “I was a verified fan on six different ticket master accounts and had a boost on one. I didn’t end up getting tickets on my boosted account, but I am extremely grateful to be a part of the two percent that got tickets,” senior Bailey Golub said.

Fans voiced their disappointment through scathing reviews on the site. One of the most significant issues was being kicked out of the queue just before it was their turn. For some fans, connection was lost after waiting for more than six hours. “My dad was at home in front of the computer waiting in the queue for six hours. By the time he made it to the end, the tickets were sold out,” senior Natalie Kiene said.

Ticketmaster ended up canceling the general sale, enraging fans who were not part of the presale. The cancellation also affected fans in the presale who were unable to receive tickets due to them being sold out. “I’m disappointed, but we could use the money saved for a vacation to Europe,” Kiene said.

Swift’s diehard fans turned against her, claiming that she and her team should be held responsible for the issues associated with the presale. “Although this is mainly a Ticketmaster issue, I feel part of the blame should be on Taylor.” Golub said. “She allowed Ticketmaster to use their fluctuating price model when she could have done standard prices like Ed Sheeran.”

Swift addressed the situation through her Instagram story on Nov. 18, assuring fans that her team is looking into the issues that occurred. “It’s really difficult to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties and it’s excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse,” Swift said.

The United States Justice Department is currently investigating Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, whose marketing practices have raised concerns over the company abusing its power over the music venue and player industry.

“Since merging with Live Nation, Ticketmaster has been a monopoly.” Golub said. “I hope the investigations change Ticketmaster’s policies, but honestly they should have been more prepared for this demand.”