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CMA has ‘serious concerns’ with lack of Viagogo compliance

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said it has “serious concerns” that Viagogo has not complied with its court order and has threatened returning to court.

The CMA said it has now raised these concerns with Viagogo and expects them to make any necessary changes without delay. If no action is taken, it will return to court to ensure they do.

Viagogo has been legally required to “overhaul” the way it does business and comply with a wide range of consumer protection legislation. It had a deadline to comply by midnight on January 17, one week ago today (Thursday).

These changes include making sure ticket listings clearly and prominently disclose details like seat location, restrictions on use, face value and whether or not the seller is a business.

Viagogo has also been ordered to stop presenting users with misleading messaging about the availability and popularity of tickets. It has also been pushed to take action when notified by an event organiser about problems with a ticket listing. It was also supposed to carry out an independently supervised review of unpaid refund claims going back to 2016.

The CMA tweeted today: “Having conducted urgent checks, the CMA has serious concerns that Viagogo has not complied with important aspects of the court order we secured against them.”

Despite these claims, Viagogo responded: “We are compliant.”

Adam Webb, campaign manager, FanFair Alliance, said: “Last week, Viagogo passed a strict deadline to comply with a court order and overhaul its business.

“True to form, we have seen little evidence of change. In fact, our concerns with how this website operates have only intensified, and while we welcome today’s update it is now vital that the CMA act quickly and decisively to enforce the law. Viagogo has run out of road.”

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