There’s been a lot of controversy over Ticketmaster after the recent sale of Oasis tickets. Thousands of fans have complained about the high inflated pricing which meant so many weren’t able to purchase concert tickets to see the band perform live.
Recently, to fans surprise, rock band Oasis announced they were reforming for a UK tour. The band’s lead singers, brothers, Liam and Noel, haven’t been on talking terms for many years. They had a big dispute which lead to the breakdown of the band.
However, out of nowhere, a UK tour has been announced. It seems the pair have put their differences to the side to give the fans what they want – a live show! Thousands of fans set their alarms and were ready for the tickets to go on sale. Waiting patiently in the queues.
Unfortunately, not all fans were met with success. Not only did the tour sell out exceptionally fast, but ticket prices were extortionate. Fans could understand the quick sell out, that was to be expected. However, they weren’t expecting for ticket merchant Ticketmaster to be greedy.
It seems the company are now under investigation by the consumer champion, Which? who are arguing Ticketmaster should refund all paying customers due to their unfair hike in ticket prices. Those using rival service Gigs and Tours weren’t met with such costs.
Many fans found themselves with tickets in their basket at one price, only to be met with an inflated cost by the time they checked out. These prices would go up without warning, and it seems this is down to the use of dynamic pricing.
Prices more than doubled
Some fans had tickets costing £135 in their basket, but within minutes of them clicking to the payment section, these tickets increased to £355. That kind of increase is unfair and fans should be refunded the difference, say Which?
Ticketmaster have fought back, however, saying tickets “may increase or decrease at any time, based on demand. This is similar to how airline tickets and hotel rooms are sold.” While this might be the case, you could argue airline tickets and hotel rooms don’t jump that quickly.
Nor, do they jump to these extents. Often the prices of these things will go up slightly the more you look and depending on demand. But, you don’t often end up paying £200 more simply because you clicked checkout… normally these prices increase over time.
Which? have said Ticketmaster’s page doesn’t show any reference to this type of pricing model and therefore fans were not warned prior to waiting in long queues for these tickets. The transparency is important because without it, Ticketmaster are acting unfairly.
Ticketmaster run the risk of breaching the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPRs). If fans weren’t informed prior, the price shouldn’t increase. Prices should be locked in from when the tickets are added to a basket.
