Industry News

Global coalition of consumer groups to investigate ticket resellers

Led by Australian consumer group Choice, a global coalition is launching an international investigation into the ticket resale market amid growing concerns about customer exploitation.

British-based Which? and Consumer NZ have linked up with Choice to draw up a global report on the experience of ticket-buyers who have dealt with resale organisations.

A Choice series in Australia previously reported on disproportionate fees for customers and found that in some cases those fans had received fake tickets after buying them through ticket resellers. The group referred several organisations to the Australian consumer watchdog to ask it to investigate the sales.

Through an online survey, the coalition is seeking to gather information about the experiences people face when dealing with resale sites. The questions ask customers to highlight any problems they came across with their ticket purchase, including hidden charges, fake tickets or no ticket at all.

“From outrageous ticket price mark-ups of up to 327 per cent to denying refunds and selling fake tickets, the time has come to say fair’s fair and stop these resale websites ripping off consumers from Melbourne to Manchester,” said Choice’s head of media, Tom Godfrey, according to UK newspaper the Guardian.

“Whether you’re a fan, an artist or part of the industry, we want to hear more about your experience of the ticket resale market.

“Clearly it’s not in the interests of fans, artists or venues to have ticket-holders turned away from venues, having fallen victim to the dodgy business practices of ticket resale sites.”