Ticket reseller Viagogo is in the shit with New South Wales Fair Trading.
The company is being investigated for ticket scalping after NSW Fair Trading received 16 complaints. In addition, they have had a further 11 complaints about cancelled concerts that have not been refunded, five for misleading consumers into thinking they are an authorized reseller and one for not adhering to age restrictions.
Rose Webb, the NSW Fair Trading commissioner said, “It was big news in 2018 when NSW Fair Trading made ticket scalping illegal by making it an offence for ticket resellers such as Viagogo to charge more than 10% extra on the original ticket price and transactions costs,” Ms Webb said.
“We did briefly see a drop off in complaints but then we saw a spike at the end of 2019. When the pandemic hit complaints obviously dropped off again as events were not able to go ahead.
“However now that events are back on the agenda, we have seen a spike again and despite Viagogo being explicitly warned and receiving a $7 million fine from the ACCC in 2020, they continue to flout the rules.
“Those within the entertainment and arts industry have been vocal about the obliteration of their industry due to COVID and they do not need the additional stress of ticket resellers scalping well-meaning fans.
“We will be investigating and using our powers to stop any unlawful behaviour.”
Ticket resellers cannot exceed 110% of the face value of a ticket. Tickets to the musical Hamilton are the most complained about scalper opportunity.
Australian promoters consistently warn their customers not to do business with Viagogo. Major events such as Red Hot Summer and One Electric Day will not be reimbursed by the promoter if fake tickets are purchased via Viagogo.
Viagogo has responded the the allegations telling Noise11.com, “viagogo has taken prompt action to remove tickets from our platform that do not comply with the state’s regulatory regime.
“viagogo is committed to complying with legislation in all markets we operate in, including NSW, and when we are notified of listings that are not compliant, we act quickly to remove them. We look forward to continuing to productively engage with regulators to ensure that our website is compliant and the safe and transparent marketplace we offer continues to help customers gain access to events worldwide.”
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