It follows the ticketing provider’s controversial use of “dynamic pricing”, with the band themselves criticising the platform after fans were faced with ticket prices more than double the originally advertised rates.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition watchdog, has launched an investigation into global ticketing giant Ticketmaster following the controversial sale of Oasis tickets last week (31 August).
It comes after the platform’s alleged use of “dynamic pricing”, which can see ticket prices raised in the event of high demand and short supply. Several fans found themselves shocked after reaching the checkout page, with some reporting standard ticket prices of £355, more than double the advertised price of £148.
That feeling when you wait in a queue for four hours only to be told the price of the ticket has risen from £148 to… £355??? Because they’re ‘in demand’. How is this not illegal? @Ticketmaster @TicketmasterUK @oasis #Oasis #Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/jdmXWUkuBz
— Helen Barnett (@HelenFBarnett) August 31, 2024
The CMA will examine whether fans were given clear and timely information about “dynamic pricing” or if they were misled during the sales process, whether they were pressured to purchase expensive tickets in a short space of time, and whether Ticketmaster breached consumer law.
Ticketmaster have denied the allegations, claiming that it is not responsible for the setting of concert prices, with the use of dynamic pricing instead being the authority of event organisers.
A Ticketmaster spokesperson told BBC: “We are committed to cooperating with the CMA and look forward to sharing more facts about the ticket sale with them.”
The CMA are calling for fans who purchased tickets, or attempted to purchase them, to provide evidence to help their enquiry. In a statement, Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said: “It’s important that fans are treated fairly when they buy tickets, which is why we’ve launched this investigation.
“It’s clear that many people felt they had a bad experience and were surprised by the price of their tickets at check out,” she continued. “We want to hear from fans who went through the process and may have encountered issues so that we can investigate whether existing consumer protection law has been breached.”
Oasis themselves criticised the dynamic pricing strategy. In a statement to PA Media, the band claimed that they were unaware that dynamic pricing would be used. They said: “It needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice is suing to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster a.k.a. Live Nation Entertainment. Read our report into the situation here.
