A senior executive at Viagogo has described the ticket ecosystem as “broken” as regulators across the UK and Europe announced plans to launch investigations in the wake of the Oasis on-sale.
There was huge demand as Oasis tickets went on sale for a series of concerts in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin over the weekend. With millions attempting to secure tickets, many complained of the Ticketmaster and See Tickets sites crashing, while others were left frustrated that they were left queueing for hours. Perhaps the biggest outcry, however, was over the use of dynamic pricing, with fans believing they were queuing for tickets at one price but then seeing figures of up to £350 when it came to pay.
Hundreds of fans have lodged official complaints with the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on the basis that Ticketmaster had not told people in advance that £350 tickets would be on sale.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday it was “urgently reviewing” the use of dynamic pricing after Oasis fans criticised the “scandalous” inflation of ticket costs. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed it was looking into the use of dynamic pricing for concert tickets amid growing concerns among parliamentarians in Brussels.
Viagogo: ‘Not fit for purpose’
Viagogo has also come under fire for hosting resale tickets at even higher prices, despite warnings that any tickets sold by unauthorised sites would be voided. Matt Drew, who handles international business development for the ticket marketplace, told the PA news agency the issues surrounding the Oasis on-sale were a result of “significant problems” in the industry.
He said: “The issues we saw on Saturday with the Oasis sale are without question indicative of significant problems in this space, really what is a broken space, which needs fixing top to bottom.
“It really isn’t how fans should be treated, when all they’re trying to do is see one of their favourite bands in one of the biggest gigs of the year.
“So, the idea that you’re dumped in a queue, which is a pre-queue to a much bigger queue, that there are 500,000 people in front of you, you get thrown out of the queue and put back to the start, you get accused of being a bot and told you can’t buy a ticket.
“We think the system at the moment isn’t fit for purpose.”
CMA to probe customer protections
In announcing its review, a spokesperson for the CMA said: “Consumer protection law requires businesses to be fair and transparent in their dealings with consumers, and businesses must give clear and accurate information about the price people have to pay. Failure to do so may breach the law.”
A spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed it was examining dynamic pricing as part of its “fitness check” of EU consumer laws, due to be published in the coming months. The review is expected to highlight the problems of dynamic pricing before MEPs consider solutions, including a potential ban and other less extreme options.
Earlier this week, it was reported that UK ministers will look into the use of dynamic pricing in concert ticket sales. The government had already revealed that it would launch a ticketing resale consultation in the autumn.
Share this