GIVE IT BACK IN ANGER
Ticketmaster facing calls to refund ‘ripped-off’ Oasis fans ‘misled into paying premium prices for standard tickets’
Tory MP reveals how probe shows the 'exploitative and shabby way many fans are treated'
TICKETMASTER was last night facing calls to refund “exploited” Oasis fans who were potentially misled into paying premium prices for standard tickets.
MPs and campaigners slammed the agency after a competition watchdog probe said it may have breached consumer protection law during last summer’s tickets scramble.
4
4
4
Almost a million fans bagged spots for the Gallagher brothers’ reunion tour — but many were fleeced for higher costs than expected.
The Competition and Markets Authority yesterday revealed Ticketmaster had sold so-called “platinum” tickets for 2.5 times the standard price despite offering no additional perks.
This “risked giving consumers the misleading impression that platinum tickets were better”, it said.
Ticketmaster also failed to tell fans there were two categories of standing tickets, with the more expensive released after the cheaper ones had gone.
READ MORE ON OASIS
It led to “many fans waiting in a lengthy queue without understanding what they would be paying and then having to decide whether to pay a higher price than they expected”.
The probe, which is ongoing, sparked calls for ripped-off fans to be compensated.
Labour peer Kevin Brennan said: “Fans were duped into thinking they were getting the ticket equivalent of a Champagne Supernova when it was Prosecco all along.
"They should be entitled to a refund for the false premium they were forced to pay.”
Most read in Showbiz
Tory MP Caroline Dinenage told The Sun: “The findings highlight the exploitative and shabby way many fans are treated.”
The chair of the Commons culture select committee added: “Ticketmaster should do the right thing and consider giving people who may have been misled their money back.”
'The UK's getting mugged off' say fuming Oasis fans as they demand REFUNDS after US tour goes on sale
The CMA ordered Ticketmaster to make urgent changes to the way it informs customers of prices and how it labels tickets.
Lisa Webb, Which? consumer law expert, revealed it shared evidence with the CMA over Ticketmaster’s “potentially unlawful” pricing practices.
She added: “While it’s positive the CMA is speaking to Ticketmaster about changes to ensure future music fans won’t be misled, this will offer little comfort to Oasis fans who felt they had no choice but to pay much more than they expected.”
Demand for this year’s reunion tour was unprecedented, and many fans were angered at so-called “dynamic pricing”, when costs went up while they were waiting in lengthy online queues.
4
Standard standing tickets at £135 were later re-advertised as “in demand” and flogged for £355.
Amid a furious outcry, the band issued a statement saying they had no “awareness dynamic pricing was going to be used”.
Ticketmaster has denied the practice, and yesterday’s CMA update into its ongoing probe appeared to support this. But it called for more transparency.
It acknowledged Ticketmaster has made changes, but they were not “sufficient to address its concerns”.
Hayley Fletcher of the CMA said: “We’re concerned Oasis fans didn’t get the information they needed or may have been misled into buying tickets they thought were better than they were.
"We expect Ticketmaster to work with us to address these concerns so, in future, fans can make well-informed decisions.”
From next month it can fine firms that break consumer law ten per cent of their turnover — potentially netting in millions.
One Oasis fan said: “The CMA investigation is a step in the right direction, fans deserve transparency and fairness. Hopefully, this leads to real change in how ticket sales are handled.”
The CMA investigation is a step in the right direction, fans deserve transparency and fairness
One Oasis fan
Meanwhile, No10 said the PM is “very alive” to concerns and vowed to act. Ministers already plan to bring in a cap on resale costs to stop touts hoarding tickets and then selling them at extortionate prices.
Liam and Noel Gallagher are playing across the UK this summer including gigs at Wembley, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester and Liverpool.
Read More on The Sun
A Ticketmaster spokesman said: “We strive to provide the best ticketing platform through a simple, transparent and consumer-friendly experience.
“We welcome the CMA’s input in helping make the industry even better for fans.”
Topics