Viagogo ‘are the worst’: minister’s warning over ticket reseller

Ed Sheeran and Stormzy performing on stage at the O2 Arena
in London during the Brit Awards 

The UK’s digital minister has warned consumers
away from ticket reselling platform Viagogo, branding it “the
worst”.

Margot James made the comments in an interview
for BBC Radio 5 live after the Advertising Standards Authority
condemned the company for imposing “hidden” fees on
customers.

Viagogo and fellow reselling sites StubHub,
Seatwave and GetMeIn were criticised by the Advertising Standards
Authority in March for failing to clearly display additional costs,
such as VAT and booking fees, prior to purchase. This practice,
known as “drip pricing”, violates UK advertising laws.

The ASA announced yesterday that Viagogo had not made the
necessary changes and is now classified by the watchdog as a
“non-compliant online advertiser”.

“When you can’t get a ticket for an event from the
primary seller… you’ve got to go to a secondary site,” James said
this morning in what MoneySavingExpert calls a “strongly-worded
warning to consumers”.

“There are four choices – just don’t choose
Viagogo. They are the worst,” she said, adding: “They will have to
comply with the law in the end, it’s just that the other three big
companies have agreed to do so in advance.”

Last week, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran also
took aim at Viagogo as he announced a crackdown on platforms which
enable touts to buy up tickets to resell them, often at multiple
times their face value.

Tickets bought through unauthorised third-party
providers will not be accepted on Sheeran’s current UK stadium
tour, with 10,000 fans who have purchased resold tickets advised to
seek a refund from the reseller or buy face value tickets from
official vendors.

Some fans expressed anger at the policy, but the
chart-topper said that artists and music-lovers needed to be
“strong” on touts and the platforms they use to operate, Sky News reports.

“People just need to start taking a stance and
within two or three years companies like Viagogo are going to be
kaput,” he said.