Ticketmaster issues update after being slammed over price of Oasis gigs
Campaigners say fans who feel they paid over the odds for Oasis tickets deserve refunds as Ticketmaster reaches agreement with watchdogs
Ticketmaster has agreed to tackle "misleading" prices following the controversy over the Oasis reunion tour - but campaigners say "ripped off" fans deserve refunds.
The Competition and Markets Authority announced it had secured formal commitments from the company after it carried out an investigation.
It comes in the wake of fury from fans when tickets for Oasis's hugely anticipated tour went on sale last year. Many complained that, after waiting for hours in online queues, they were faced with much higher prices than those initially advertised. Examples included tickets that soared from £148 to £355 after going on sale.
The CMA raised concerns in a couple of key areas, including that Ticketmaster had not told fans waiting in lengthy queues that standing tickets were being sold at two different prices, and that prices would jump as soon as the cheap tickets sold out. The other was that it sold some "platinum’" tickets at almost 2.5 times the price of "standard" tickets, without properly explaining that these offered no additional benefits over some others in the same areas of the venue.
In an update, the CMA said it had secured agreements - also known as "undertakings" - from Ticketmaster to make its pricing clearer for customers. Importantly, they are voluntarily and "without any admission of wrongdoing or liability".
To tackle the first of its concerns, Ticketmaster has agreed to tell fans 24 hours in advance if a tiered pricing system is being used, and what means. And to address the second issue, it should be made clear to fans what they will get and if one ticket is better than another.
Another change is in response to fans complaining that they didn't know how much tickets would cost while they were waiting in long online queues. Instead, they should be told the range of prices for tickets when they join a queue and when the cheaper tickets sell out through regular updates. The CMA said the firm had also committed not to use "misleading ticket labels". In particular, this means ensuring tickets are "described accurately" and "do not give the impression that one ticket is better than another when that is not the case."
Another area the CMA investigated was whether Ticketmaster used "dynamic" pricing, a tactic used in other industries where prices can jump if there is strong demand. It concluded: "While many fans were under the impression that Ticketmaster used an algorithmic pricing model during the Oasis sale – with ticket prices adjusted in real time according to changing conditions like high demand – also known as ‘dynamic pricing’, the CMA has not found evidence that this was the case."
Sarah Cardell, CMA chief executive, said: “Fans who spend their hard-earned money to see artists they love deserve to see clear, accurate information, upfront. We can’t ensure every fan gets a ticket for events as popular as the Oasis tour, but we can help ensure that next time an event like this comes along, fans have the information they need, when they need it.
“The changes we’ve secured will give fans more information about prices and clear descriptions of exactly what they are getting for their money. If Ticketmaster fails to deliver on these changes, we won’t hesitate to take further action.”
Ticketmaster said: “We welcome the CMA’s confirmation there was no dynamic pricing, no unfair practices and that we did not breach consumer law. To further improve the customer experience, we’ve voluntarily committed to clearer communication about ticket prices in queues. This builds on our capped resale, strong bot protection, and clear pricing displays — and we encourage the CMA to hold the entire industry to these same standards."
The CMA warned in March this year that Ticketmaster may have misled fans desperate to get tickets for Oasis’s much-hyped reunion gigs.
Following a formal investigation, the watchdog concluded that the company could have broken consumer laws by labelling some seated tickets as “platinum” and selling them for more than double the price of equivalent standard tickets. This risked giving fans the misleading impression that platinum tickets were better.
Lisa Webb, Which? consumer law expert, said: “Which? has campaigned for fairer pricing practices and wanted to see Ticketmaster being forced to do the right thing by the CMA, which should include refunding the difference to fans who paid more than the expected face value for tickets.
“While it’s positive that Ticketmaster has agreed to follow the rules moving forward, it is disappointing that the CMA is not using its power to demand refunds for fans. Those who felt ripped off when buying Oasis tickets last year will undoubtedly feel let down that Ticketmaster hasn’t been held to account for its past behaviour. Since this incident the CMA has been given stronger powers. It needs to show that it is willing to use them to create a meaningful deterrent for breaches of consumer law.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "The Oasis tour has been a massive cultural moment, with more than a million tickets sold for their shows across the country. Fans have been clamouring to see the band reunite for years and it is not right that many were left unhappy with how ticket sales were handled."I welcome the steps that Ticketmaster have now taken to improve transparency around pricing and the sales process. The Government has separately committed to introducing new protections for consumers on ticket resales - we have consulted on options to clamp down on unfair practices and will set out our plans shortly."
