The UK’s competition watchdog has confirmed StubHub UK is now compliant with consumer rules following an investigation.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that the ticketing firm is now “adequately” warning people where tickets bought on the UK site may not get them into an event and has removed inaccurate messages about ticket availability.
StubHub has also made changes to its UK website to make sure people know exactly where they will sit in a venue.
The CMA said the firm is “taking sufficient steps” to ensure that the full addresses of business sellers are displayed.
In January, StubHub was warned by the regulator that it could be breaking UK consumer law due to issues with the information provided on its website. At the time, StubHub told the CMA that it would make changes, though the watchdog stated it would consider taking court action if the changes do not go far enough to address its concerns.
The news follows the June announcement that the CMA has referred the completed $4.05bn acquisition of StubHub by Viagogo for an in depth investigation, on the basis that this merger has resulted or may be expected to result in a “substantial lessening of competition.”
Last month, the CMA rejected a proposal by Viagogo to sell StubHub’s European entities to ensure its acquisition would be approved.
The CMA rejected the offer, noting it generally prefers divestiture of complete businesses to ensure they can compete effectively on a stand-alone basis. It said that the proposition did not offer a “clear-cut solution” to competition concerns.
As part of its most recent announcement, the watchdog said that it is “aware that new issues have been reported during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in relation to secondary ticketing sites, such as concerns about cancellations and refunds.
“If it emerges that consumer protection law is being broken, the CMA will consider whether further action might be necessary to address these issues.”
Image: Ajay Suresh
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