Ticketmaster may have misled fans during Oasis ticket sales, says UK watchdog

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have warned Ticketmaster that they may have breached consumer protection law during last summer’s Oasis ticket sale.

The CMA’s investigation has highlighted two key concerns regarding the company’s practices. The authority state that Ticketmaster labelled certain seated tickets as ‘platinum’ and sold them for approximately 2.5 times the price of standard tickets, without adequately explaining these did not offer additional benefits and were often in the same areas as standard seats.

Additionally, the CMA note that Ticketmaster failed to inform consumers about two different price categories for standing tickets, with cheaper tickets being sold first before more expensive options were released. The authority express concern that customers were left waiting in queues without understanding they would need to pay higher prices.

“We’re concerned that Oasis fans didn’t get the information they needed or may have been misled into buying tickets they thought were better than they were,” says Hayley Fletcher, the Interim Senior Director of Consumer Protection. “We now expect Ticketmaster to work with us to address these concerns so, in future, fans can make well-informed decisions when buying tickets.”

Ticketmaster have responded to the investigation, stating: “At Ticketmaster, 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.” They add that they “do not use ‘dynamic pricing’ including algorithmic, differential or surge pricing and we are pleased that the CMA appears to have dropped this from their investigation.”

Oasis have stated they “at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used,” adding that “prior meetings between promoters, Ticketmaster and the band’s management resulted in a positive ticket sale strategy, which would be a fair experience for fans, including dynamic ticketing to help keep general ticket prices down as well as reduce touting, the execution of the plan failed to meet expectations.”