LONDON (CelebrityAccess) The Competition and Markets Authority in the UK has secured several concessions from secondary ticketer Viagogo, avoiding a trial in the process.
At a hearing at the High Court of Justice, a judge ordered Viagogo to comply with British consumer law. The list, as published by IQ magazine, follows:
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telling purchasers of tickets if there is a risk that they will be turned away at the door
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informing customers which seat in the venue they will get
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providing information about who is selling the ticket, so people can benefit from enhanced legal rights when buying from a business
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not giving misleading information about the availability and popularity of tickets – which had the potential to lead to customers being rushed into making a buying decision or making the wrong choice
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making it easy for people to get their money back under Viagogo’s guarantee when things go wrong
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preventing the sale of tickets a seller does not own and may not be able to supply.
The order is legally binding and must be complies with by mid-January, according to IQ. The authority considered legal action against Viagogo, StubHub, Get Me In! And Seatwave, all of which, to the exclusion of Viagogo, complied with its wishes.
“This court order is a victory for anyone who decides to buy a ticket through Viagogo,” Andrea Coscelli, the CMA;’s CEO, said in a statement. “We have been clear throughout our investigation that people who use these resale websites must know key facts before parting with their hard-earned money, including what seat they will get and whether there is a risk they might not actually get into the event at all.
“Viagogo has agreed to a comprehensive overhaul of its site to ensure it respects the law, just like the other resale sites who have already signed commitments to improve the information they offer and give people a fair deal.”
