Bad blood? Taylor Swift ticket dispute settled by B.C. tribunal

A B.C. woman and her daughter will be attending one of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour shows in Vancouver – but only after a tribunal intervened and settled a dispute among friends over tickets.

When Vancouver dates for the blockbuster tour were announced on Nov. 2, 2023, hordes of hopeful Swifties registered online to get a code that would give them the chance to buy up to four tickets each.

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Jacquelyn Kambere and Kimara Young – two friends who wanted to attend the shows with their daughters – were among them, according to a decision from the Civil Resolution Tribunal posted online Tuesday.

Only Young got a code, but Kambere said the pair had made a deal about what they would do in that situation – and ultimately filed a claim with the tribunal alleging her friend wasn't upholding her end.

"Mrs. Kambere says that before the tickets went on sale, the parties agreed that if one of them was able to buy tickets, they would also get tickets for the other person," tribunal member Megan Stewart wrote.

"Mrs. Kambere says that after Mrs. Young bought the tickets, she changed her mind about providing two of them to Mrs. Kambere, which was a breach of the parties’ agreement."

In response, Young said the pair had no such agreement because a price was never set, alleging Kambere filed the claim trying to "extract" a pair of the highly sought-after tickets.

The tribunal reviewed emoji-laden text messages between the two women to determine if there was evidence of a binding agreement, defined as something that goes beyond an "informal, gratuitous promise."

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The tribunal found that the women had agreed to work together to try to increase their odds of getting a code, and that a particular text exchange set the agreement's terms.

"Mrs. Kambere texted Mrs. Young asking 'If we don’t get a code can you add on two tickets for us? (prayer emoji).' Mrs. Young replied, 'I can buy tickets too because we want to sit together.' Mrs. Kambere 'loved' that comment, and texted back 'You’re the best (triple heart emoji),'" Stewart's decision said.

"I find this text exchange contained a clear offer by Mrs. Young to buy tickets for Mrs. Kambere, which Mrs. Kambere accepted."

When it came time to arrange payment, Young said she was "in a jam" because had offered the tickets to someone else. Kambere, according to the decision, was initially sympathetic but persisted in trying to get the tickets until her friend stopped replying to texts.

Although money had not been exchanged, the tribunal found an agreement to pay for the tickets at face value was implied, further solidifying the agreement.

The tribunal ordered Young to transfer tickets for two side-by-side tickets to Kambere in exchange for payment of $1,147.70.

The tickets are for Saturday's concert, and the tribunal ordered Kambere to pay Young by no later than Thursday at 5 p.m. Once the payment is made, the tickets are to be turned over within 24 hours.