Taylor Swift fans irate at Ticketmaster as huge tour pre-sale demand snarls site

CTV National News: Ticketmaster under fire U.S. lawmakers grill Ticketmaster’s parent company for its Taylor Swift ticket fiasco and stranglehold on the industry. Vanessa Lee reports.

There's some bad blood brewing between Taylor Swift fans and Ticketmaster.

Pre-sales for a handful of dates on the singer's new tour began Tuesday. But infuriated fans report the ticketing website appeared to crash or freeze during purchase. Customers turned to Twitter to complain about Ticketmaster not loading or allowing them to access tickets, despite having a pre-sale code for verified fans.

"I got a code and am logged in to the correct account but it's saying I'm not verified?! What do I do?," a fan wrote on Twitter. Others echoed that complaint, with some calling on Ticketmaster to "FIX THIS."

However, Ticketmaster told CNN Business that the "site is not down" and that "people are actively purchasing tickets."

Ticketmaster issued a follow up statement Tuesday afternoon on Twitter, writing that "there has been historically unprecedented demand with millions showing up" to buy tickets for Swift's tour. It told customers still waiting in the virtual queue that it is moving and to "hang tight."

In response to the demand, Ticketmaster has shifted the start times of pre-sales for Swift's other concert dates. "Thank you for your patience as we continue managing this huge demand," the company said.

"Fans who have received a code to the TaylorSwiftTix Presale should login and access the queue through the link they received via text rather than entering through the Ticketmaster homepage," the company said. "This will ensure an optimal shopping experience."

The U.S. leg of "The Eras Tour" begins March 18 at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona and wraps August 5 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Swift recently became the first artist ever to simultaneously claim all top ten spots on the Billboard Hot 100 following the release of her latest album, "Midnights."