Google has finally put a stop to ticket scalpers Viagogo after thousands of complaints, government pressure and mounting legal action.
Viagogo has been using the Google platform to prioritize search for its questionable ticket selling platform over legitimate tickets sellers such as Ticketmaster, Ticketket, MoshTix, Trybooking and Eventbrite.
In a statement Google said, “When people use our platform for help in purchasing tickets, we want to make sure that they have an experience they can trust.
This is why we have strict policies and take necessary action when we find an advertiser in breach.”
Google also apologized for taking so long to reaction to consumer anger over Viagogo. “We regret that such time and public money is being spent on bringing the platforms, principally Viagogo, into line with consumer law that they should have complied with from the outset,” they announced.
In April 2019 the Australian Federal Court found the Swiss ticketing seller of misleading consumers and ripping off consumers with exorbitant fees.
In a statement ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said, “We urge consumers to only buy tickets from authorised sellers, or they risk their tickets being dishonoured at the gates or doors”.
However, while juggernaut Google was fuelling consumers confusion by placing Viagogo advertisements at the top of its search results, people continued to fall for what looked like a legitimate transaction.
Promoter Duane McDonald of Regional Touring, the company behind the Red Hot Summer and One Electric Day festivals, has been a vocal critic of the company. “The secondary ticketing business is doing so much damage to the industry and consumer confidence,” Duane tells Noise11.com. “Laws need to be passed that make selling at a profit illegal. It is the only way to stop it”.
As of this morning (18 July 2019) Ticketmaster correctly topped search for John Farnham, Red Hot Summer and One Electric Day.
A quick checked by Noise11 showed that Ticketek came up first in search for Elton John tickets, Ticketmaster was top of search for Fleetwood Mac tickets but questionable reseller Stubhub was top of U2 Tickets search. Take caution when buying online and only buy from the authorised seller.
You’ll discover music news first following Noise11 on Twitter
Comment on the news of the day, join Noise11 on Facebook
Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadio
