Featured Image: Rhserra Rafael Serra
Consumer advocacy group Which? has called on Oasis and Ticketmaster to refund fans that were subject to ‘dynamic pricing’ for tickets to the band’s reunion tour next year.
The group, which promotes informed customer choice, gave its view as it suggested that Ticketmaster’s pricing model potentially broke UK law. The on-sale is already under investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over potential breaches of consumer law.
Which? believes Ticketmaster’s lack of transparency around the in-demand pricing may have breached the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. These state that, when advertising a product, traders must not mislead customers with how prices are presented.
Which? had particular concern that fans were shown one price for tickets only to have that replaced by a far higher figure. One example of this was for a Heaton Park show in Manchester that was originally advertised at £148.50 ($193.90/€175.80) per ticket before jumping to £337.50 before service and order processing fees were included.
“It seems extremely unfair that Oasis fans got up early and battled through the queues only to find that tickets prices had more than doubled from the originally advertised price,” said Which? consumer law expert Lisa Webb.
“Which? believes that Ticketmaster’s ‘in demand’ pricing practices for Oasis tickets could have breached consumer law as it appears fans weren’t properly warned about the use of ‘in demand’ pricing until far too late in the purchase journey – leading to a nasty shock at the checkout.
“Oasis and Ticketmaster should do the right thing and refund fans who may have been misled into paying over the odds for tickets that would have been half the price just hours earlier.”
In addition to the CMA probe, its Irish equivalent the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has opened an investigation.
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