Duane McDonald, founder of touring company Regional Touring, is demanding changes to the law after pre-sale tickets for John Farnham’s Wollongong concert were snapped up this morning and immediately on sold by scalpers.
A notice has been placed on the Regional Touring Facebook page warning fans of the scam.
“To the scum of the earth people listing these tickets on Viagogo, we hope you get stuck with them. The sooner laws are passed in this country to stop maggots like you the better,” the post reads.
“Tickets for this show are from $99.90 and available only through Ticketmaster”.
In recent years third-party ticketing sites have become the domain of scalpers who snap up early tickets as soon as they go on sale (or the pre-sale) and then resell them for an exorbitant rate.
“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”.
John Farnham fans are generally older and less internet savvy. When they search for tickets and the scalpers ads hook them in via search engines they generally do not even know they are being conned.
“Viagogo undertake extensive advertising to ensure they are top listing in search engines,” Duane says. “They prey on unsuspecting patrons who click on the first thing they see. There are so many horror stories of people turning up at shows with invalid tickets sometimes purchased at multiple times the face value”.
Some unsuspecting fans have taken to the promoter and artists fan page to incorrectly complain and accuse Farnham or Regional Touring of ripping them off. Right now, there is nothing the artist or promoter can do to stop the scam.
“For someone to pay $100 for a ticket and list it for $400 is a disgrace,” Duane said.
John Farnham will perform at WIN Entertainment Centre with Daryl Braithwaite on 1 December 2017.
